Elektron Digitakt II Guide: Trigs, Parameter Locks, Sampling

What is the Elektron Digitakt II?

The Digitakt II is Elektron's stereo sampler and drum computer: 16 tracks that can each be an audio track or a MIDI track, a 128-step sequencer per track and 400 MB of sample memory per project^[1]. It is built for programming more than finger drumming: the 16 [TRIG] keys are step buttons, and dynamics come from the VELOCITY trig parameter or a velocity trig mode that maps the keys to fixed levels^[2].

That design is the reason it suits techno, house, drill and experimental beats that rely on evolving patterns. If you want to play long sample flips by hand, a pad-based sampler will feel more natural.

Figures come from Elektron's product page, which listed the unit at 1,099 € when checked in September 2026^[1]. Update the OS before you start: Elektron's support page listed OS 1.16, released September 9, 2026^[3].

How is a Digitakt II project organized?

A project holds 128 patterns (eight banks of 16), a pool of 128 presets and 1,016 samples, and up to 16 songs; each pattern carries its own kit, trigs, locks, BPM, length and swing^[2]. Everything outside the project lives on the +Drive, which stores up to 128 projects and 20 GB of samples.

• Preset A sample plus all its track settings on the SRC, FLTR, AMP, FX and MOD pages. The Digitakt II name for what older Elektron boxes called a sound.
• Kit Sixteen presets, one per track, saved with the pattern.
• Pattern The main container: kit, trigs, parameter locks, tempo, length, swing and time signature.
• Song An arrangement of patterns up to 99 rows long, with per-row repeats, length, tempo and mutes.
• Pool The presets and samples loaded into the project, available to every pattern for preset and sample locks.

Because each pattern stores its own kit, a tweak to the kick in pattern A01 does not follow you to A02 unless you save the kit or copy the pattern. Build one strong pattern, copy it to the next slots and write variations from there.

How do trigs and the recording modes work?

A trig is a sequencer event: note trigs (red) play the track's preset or a MIDI note, and lock trigs (yellow) change parameters without playing anything^[2]. You place them in one of three recording modes.

In grid recording, hold a trig and press [LEFT] or [RIGHT] to nudge it with micro timing, and add a lock trig with [FUNC] + [TRIG]. Pattern swing runs from 51% to 80%, with 50% meaning straight^[2]. A useful habit: program the kick and snare straight, then pull individual hats a few micro-timing steps late instead of swinging the whole pattern.

Per-track length and time scale (from 1/8X to 2X) let a 12-step percussion loop run against a 16-step kick, so the groove shifts every bar without extra programming. If other gear needs to follow the Digitakt II, set up clock first with MIDI clock sync for multiple hardware synths.

What are parameter locks on the Digitakt II?

A parameter lock gives one trig its own value for any parameter on the parameter pages, so step 5 can have a different pitch, filter cutoff or sample from every other step on the same track^[2]. Up to 80 different parameters can be locked per pattern, and a parameter counts once no matter how many trigs lock it.

1. Enter grid recording
   Press [RECORD] so the key lights red.
2. Place or pick a trig
   Press a [TRIG] key for a note trig, or [FUNC] + [TRIG] for a lock trig on an empty step.
3. Hold and turn
   Hold the trig and turn the DATA ENTRY knob for the parameter. The value inverts on screen and the trig key blinks to show it holds a lock.
4. Remove a single lock
   Hold the trig and press the knob of the locked parameter. To clear all locks, remove and re-enter the note trig.
5. Record locks live
   In live recording, turn knobs while the pattern plays and the moves are written as locks on each step.

Two special locks do most of the heavy lifting in beat programming. A sample lock changes the SAMP parameter on one step, so a single track can play a kick, a rim and a clap. A preset lock swaps the whole preset from the pool on one step^[2]. Start with small moves: lock filter cutoff on every fourth hat, or pitch a snare ghost note down 2 to 3 semitones.

How do trig conditions and fill mode work?

A trig condition is a rule attached to a trig: if the rule is true the trig plays, if false it stays silent. You set it on the COND parameter of TRIG PAGE 1 by holding the trig in grid or step recording and turning DATA ENTRY knob H^[2]. Most conditions also have an inverted version, shown with a bar over the name.

Fill mode is a temporary variation. Press [YES] + [PAGE] to engage it for one pattern cycle, hold [PAGE] while the pattern plays for as long as you want it, or latch it by holding [PAGE] + [YES] and releasing [PAGE] first^[2]. Put fills, snare rolls and open-hat accents on FILL trigs and one pattern covers verse and build-up. For a genre that runs on exactly this kind of variation, see how to make a minimal techno groove.

How do you sample on the Digitakt II?

Press [SAMPLING], choose a source (external inputs, the main mix, a single internal track or USB), set a threshold and arm the recorder; a single take can run to 66 seconds, and that time is always available even when the project's 400 MB is full^[2]. Sampling can be stereo or mono.

1. Pick the source
   Set SRC to IN for a turntable or synth, MAIN to resample the whole Digitakt II, TRK1-16 for one track, or USB to sample from a computer.
2. Set level and threshold
   Play the source as loud as possible without clipping, then set THRES just above the background noise.
3. Set the length
   Set R.LEN to a step count (1 to 128) to capture exactly one bar or loop at the current tempo, or MAX to record until you stop.
4. Arm and record
   Set R.STRT to THRES and ARM to ON, then play the source. The unit normalizes the sample when recording ends.
5. Trim, name and assign
   Trim start and end, preview with [FUNC] + [YES], press [YES] to save, name it and pick a track for it.

Resampling a single track with R.LEN set to 16 or 64 steps is the cleanest way to print parameter-locked patterns into one loop and free the track for new ideas. The general technique is covered in resampling techniques.

How do you chop loops with the Slice machine?

Assign the Slice machine to a track, press [SRC] then [YES] to open the SLICE menu and choose CREATE SLICE GRID; you can set the slice count (snapping to 2, 4, 8, 16, 32 or 64) and turn on transient detection^[2]. CREATE LINEAR LOCKS then maps slices to trigs you already placed in order, and CREATE RANDOM LOCKS scatters them.

Random locks are a fast way to hear a break you would never have programmed. Keep the ones that work, then fix the rest by hand with parameter locks on the slice number. The musical side of choosing chop points is in how to chop samples.

• Oneshot Plays a sample once per trig. The default for drum hits.
• Repitch Fits a loop to the tempo by changing its speed and pitch, like a classic sampler.
• Stretch Fits a loop to the tempo by cutting it into tiny grains, keeping the original pitch.
• Werp Also fits loops to the tempo, by warping: the sample is cut into short time segments played back aligned to the tempo.
• Grid Slices a sample automatically into equal segments you trigger individually, the quick option for evenly played loops.
• Slice Custom or transient-detected slice points with a slice editor, for breaks and uneven phrases.

With a computer, the Digitakt II is class compliant, so it streams audio and MIDI over USB without drivers, and Elektron's free Overbridge software opens it as a plugin window in your DAW with multichannel audio^[4]. Elektron Transfer moves samples, presets and projects to and from the +Drive^[3]. Comparing it against pad samplers? See the best grooveboxes for beatmakers.