Both Ornament and Crime as well as the Disting are kinda scary for me. I feel like it's easy to get lost in those while scrolling through tons of different functions. As much as I love my Pams the scrolling and setting up feels tedious at times. The Disting might be something I am willing to look into but for the sequencer, I really like the "simplicity" modules like the Digitalis have to offer (Every button to alter the sequence is right there/ simple led illustration). At first, I was even looking at something like a bunch of XAOC Tirana's (I really like the aesthetic of XAOC modules) but 6TE per 4 steps single sequence is rough when space is an issue.
Regarding the Sono Abitus, I am not quite sure if I understand what it has to offer. From my understanding, it is just a bunch of outputs, right? I mean everything the rack produces is mono anyway so every output on the Abitus is giving me the same signal. So it is like 5 outputs with one having an extra volume Knob?
-- 9xpad
I'll start from the last comment. Rack space (measured in HP) is critical, especially when you're trying to put together a skiff (small case like the Nifty). So saving 2HP is going to be worthwhile. Plus the Sono Abitus has more features than the Doepfer. A simple headphone out is nice. But the Sono anso has line-outputs. Synth level is a lot hotter than line-level. So if you try to record the outputs of your Eurorack to your DAW or something else, you might run into level issues. So, no you're not getting just an extra volume knob.
As far as menu diving, the O&C isn't too bad (I own one). I also own the Digitalis. It's fun. But it's not very exacting. The sequencer in O&C offers pitch CV tied to gate. The gate can even be a full ADSR envelope. You trade the immediacy of the Digitalis for the versatility of O&C. When you're in a skiff... well... them's the ropes.
Oh... and there's a guy on Youtube that's the master of real-time Eurorack skiff-ing, Ricky Tinez. He uses a Digitalis in his rig and a Steppy. It works for him. But everyone is different.
https://www.youtube.com/c/RickyTinez/featured