Nick is seriously the best person for these reviews. He hears the 5th on the snare instantly, he reminds Cenk about the band reject on the filter… gotta give credit where it’s due here.
The scenes, performance and FM engines really surprised me! Woah! I was all set with the Tanzbar as my dream drum machine and you guys had to go and mess that all up :-) Thanks Nick & Cenk, great demo!
That is how to do a demo, honest answers no BS, and the basic waves sound very good. All the right questions asked and a great sound recording too. That 30 mins went really fast, can't wait to get my grubby kits on it.
I think the extensive quality control every product goes thru consists of Mr. Dataline playing with every machine for about an hour... That would explain his skills on one side, and the pricing on the other side ^^
I kind of wish there was a real Nick Batt review though. I feel like Cenk being there, Nick couldn't really rip into it and give his usual constructive criticisms. But this was a welcomed change!
It sounds amazing, looks like a great performance machine, once you learn all the functions, which looks like a steep learning curve, but it would be worth the money.
If there one thing I would want on this it is a bi direction filter, so you could quickly pass the bits of the sample to sit on top or underneath the analogue foundation. They share the same filter, but wouldn't mind a digital one to this in an update Elektron.
At 26:31 he says "we are planning to launch interesting machines to control the analog circuits in this". Anyone have any more information on that besides this vague statement? Very intrigued.
7 years since the mk1 was released, and I finally got one. Even after all this time, I'm not sure any other drum machine compares (besides the mk2). Elektron have made a killer box that's stood the test of time
Thanks for the rapid answer MrDataline...it would be interesting to compare machines such as the Tempest, Spectrallis 2, and RYtm. Such as character. Any thoughts?
Awesome, but I wish you guys would have covered the sequencer. I find myself getting frustrated a lot with modern drum machines (overly simplistic pattern chaining, timing too restrictive, etc.). I wonder if the Rytm has gone beyond the usual limitations in any way.
This thing really does put all other drum machines to shame. Why anyone would spend over 3 grand on an overused 808 or 909 that can't do a fraction of what this can do is beyond me. Get over the vintage fetishism and buy this now.
I won't lie, it would have been nice to have more outs without having to wait 6 months or more for Overbridge, but with 808s going for about $3500 on eBay, I don't think anyone can argue that the additional outputs you'd get are worth another $2000 over the feature-stacked Rytm.
I am just wondering why you would go through all of the steps to make this amazing expensive machine only to use a crappy low resolution LCD screen from 1989.
I hear you about the small crappy screen. I have an Analog Four and I can say the screen is adequate but a bigger & better quality screen would be most welcome. It almost seams like Electron doesn't listen to there customers because people have been complaining about the Analog Four screen from day one and once again here is another box with the same screen.
mattsynth They may have tons of them on storage. They have to use them all before going on to OLED. I can guarante that a big screen can be bad too. My now long gone (dumped) Kronos had so small letters I could not use it without gettting an ache in my back. They ignore older people (48 is old?), who have all the money, these days.
Daniel Davis The thing is, It has nothing to do with the sound of the machine. A screen more like the OP-1 would rise the price nuts, while it's likely not necessary.
Does anybody know if this sounds any different than the first or second generation Machinedrum? I can't really hear the difference, the parameters and essential layout are the same afaik and the MK1 Machinedrum is pretty cheap on ebay :) Only difference of course is the sampling part which I personally don't need.
+Alias Maurice 725? who did you steal it from? haha the cheapest i see them is like 13-1400 new. Or even 100 used? your buddy have any more 750 units? lol
That machine is awesome but not because the sequencing part, it is truly a money shifter because of the way you can manipulate the sounds in a simple form everybody can learn.
I have the Rytm slave to MPC, when I send a pattern program change to the Rytm, it starts 1/4 beat after. is there any solution? it makes the live performance impossible thanks
+Bannazkit Naturally I was attempting humor. IKEA means back ordered! (I have all 3 Elektron currently at home, but when I wrote that comment, it was in a very dry period when all were in fact, out of stock.
My question is, can you sequence external synths via midi or is the MD the only one that can do that? I'm looking for that "MotherBrain" for my system. Why should I purchase this instead of the MD, what's the advantage?
mikenagol69 MD can do up to 16 tracks if I recall correctly. Octatrack has 8 midi sequences in addition to the 8 audio sample tracks. Monomachine can have midi out on any of it's 6 tracks too I think. Rytm can't. I believe the A4/Keys can do midi in place of an internal sound as well. I just picked up an Octatrack as my new master clock/sequencer. It's great after getting your head around the way it's arranger section works.
Anyone can map the function onto TB Midi Stuff on the iPad. Now you have a BIG screen to run this beast and no need for menu diving. Also allows you to setup functions the way you want them arranged. Problem solved.
Sounds great, and so many options....almost to many for a drum machine, if you can even call it that! It sounds pretty clean even with distortion added at the end of the signal chain. Does it have a pure analog signal out, like the tempest, or does have to pass through the digital effects before it leaves the machine?
***** now if you cut all the extras and just released a plain old drumcomputer being just a drumcomputer in a basic housing with basic functions, simple but proper, you could probably reduce the price by almost 1000 Euro and make rather poor guys like me happy too...
Goth108 I see your point. But this box is a complete machine - does not need any other gear to operate while giving years of audio adventure and this is what an Elektron box should do!
The Digitakt is the most affordable instrument Elektron has made, and it's far from basic. I love mine and will love it even more when they finally release Overbridge.
there is something I can't figure out : is there only one analog OSC for making the bass drum ? I mean do we have to always start from the same VCO/VCA/VCF chain (is this VC btw?) and tweak to make different kicks, OR as the Machinedrum there are different types of analog OSC we can chose to create a kick..?
another question : can we tweak everything in a patern during jam session and come back to init parameters of the patern by just tap on a button as the Machindrum do ?
Also please ask Elektron to send more units then 2 per week to JRR shop in USA. I am 11th in line there. Thanks!!! lol CANT WAIT!!!!! ARGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
I have the Octatrack, and it's pretty confusing. I'm planning to sell it. This looks a lot more straight-forward. If you were planning on doing realtime sampling, the OT can do some crazy stuff in that realm, but if you want a simpler sample playback and drum machine, probably go with this.
dalasv From the amount of videos i have watched of the Octatrack, i have kinda got an idea of the workflow (obviously need to get one to find out). Think i might go for the Octatrack as i can control my hardware via midi with it, can use single cycle waveforms with it and will probably start using it live. Plus i would love to be completely "out of the box".
Jimma Jam Can't go wrong with the octatrack.. depends on your background but I figured it out in a couple days. Within the hour I was making my own beats on it. So it just depends how you click with it and watching the online tutorials is a good way to go. Great manual too, very easy to follow.If you found it confusing I'm guess you didn't RTFM.
inf0tr8r I did read the manual and the various user written help texts on the user forum. I figured it out fine, I just think the workflow gets in my way too much, and it's easy to forget how to do something on it if you haven't used it in a while. The thing that annoys me the most about it is the file system. The way it's set up, you can end up screwing up one song if you change something at the "Project" level. There are ways around it, but I just prefer systems where each song is self-contained.
Pshhhh, Don't know man, I'm pretty in love with the UW. Tho' I love that this one is easier to integrate with a computer, without the TM-1, and of course the layer capabilities.
No, it's not possible. The rytm does not feature a MIDI sequencer. The pads can send MIDI data though if you want to assign them, and it has MIDI clock (I know this isn't what you want, but just clarifying!)
Love the detailed breakdowns here on Sonic State. They know what's up! Cenk freaks the Rytm too. Analog Rytm Sound Pack here: elastic-membrane.com/products/analog-rytm-soundpack-vermona-drm1
yes but the knobs are not dedicated, you don't know what the knob is controlling unless you glance at the screen, hence the need for a bigger screen but more importantly a higher resolution screen. look, I get what your saying about the sound, I just don't buy into the whole "oh it's based off of sound" I mean isn't this a sample heavy unit. would be nice to actually see the name of the sample.
i see on a dataline video, he is talking bad things about his elektron warranty...he said dont whant to play with elektron stuff no more, and when i see this video, its like, wow.....i think when elektron saw that video, think have to do something about dataline complainings, after all, youtube is a crucial way to make business...and yes, its nice someone like dataline on elektron
im absolutely sure!!!he says dont whant to play anymore with elektrons cause they gave to him a bad warranty support, and he said, when somebody question him about what did he play at that moment, he answer that he plays with a stag...but atention, he dont make a video about this question, this is just a coment in one of his videos, and he said this, years ago, before start to represent elektron...
The price is ridiculous. Take a look at the KORG electribe 2 sampler and compare the tech (sample freq and digital conversion are identical to this product; but the KORG has 24 voice-polyphony, the Elektron has 8 voices; KORG has multiple effects assignable to each step, RYTH has 2, etc etc) and the price. Elektron stuff is over-rated and over-valued. Call me an evangelist for KORG, but I'm just watching out for my music-making brothers and sisters: we don't need the boutique shit to make solid music.
I have an E2S and it's a different machine altogether. This is a drum synthesizer, the electribe is a sampler and only a sampler. The Korg has a single effect per part and a master effect over all parts (that's 2), and while the korg has functionality similar to parameter locking, the rytm's parameter locking is leagues more flexible. If you just want a drum machine that will play your sample collection then yeah, just get the korg. But if you want to shape your own sounds the RYTM just annihilates the korg.
I shape the sound of my samples with the ES2, I'm not stuck just playing them back. Also, when I said that the es2 has multiple effects, I was referring to how many are available-the RYTM has two, electribe has dozens -not the application of them, which is equal to the RYTM anyway. I don't think you've spent much time digging into the electribe mate. The ability to shape new and unique sounds is built into it, and resampling makes for further depth, then again... to infinity. ;) also, there is onboard synthesis for working from scratch. I could go on.
I agree that you can shape sounds with the E2S, I actually squeeze a lot of utility out of it and as a groovebox it can be a blast, but the RYTM far and away has the upper hand in terms of the ability to shape sound. As for effects, I wouldn't really say it has dozens, it just has its FX chopped up into little bite-sized pieces, ie 12 different delay effects that are just different speeds of each other. I would argue that the RYTM is more powerful in the effects department as well. I'm not trying to say the E2S is shit and the RYTM is some god-tier instrument. I love my E2S, and I use it alongside my elektron gear all the time. All I'm saying is that the RYTM, like all of Elektron's instruments, has a lot more depth and power than you can see in this demo and you shouldn't write it off so quickly. I gurantee if you spent some time with one you would pick it over your E2S in a heartbeat. As for justifying the price difference, that's another conversation entirely.
there is something I can't figure out : is there only one analog OSC for making the bass drum ? I mean do we have to always start from the same VCO/VCA/VCF chain (is this VC btw?) and tweak to make different kicks, OR as the Machinedrum there are different types of analog OSC we can chose to create a kick..?
As I understand it, it's one. It's analog, not digital to have more. All analog equipment (old roland 808,909) use the one oscilator for each voice. In elektron, to make it different you have sample support for each voice, and all this crazy shit with effects, paramter locks, etc... It's enough ;)
