ELEKTRON SYNTAKT EXPLAINED // Everything You Need to Know + Tips & Tricks! 

I'm currently considering Digitakt vs Syntakt. What would you suggest for my fist hardware and do you think that if I purchase Syntakt the Digitakt would be redundant?

@@andrzejkucharzyk9970 If you have to choose between the 2 i would definetly go for a digitakt. it is cheaper and you get the world of sampling as an extra.i have the digitakt and ordered the syntakt because i hoped for a monomachine XXL. but the syntakt does not inspire me like my other elektrons. the syntakt has to leave my studio, i would even consider buying a second digitakt than buying a syntakt in the future, except elektron brings a firmwareupdate for the syntakt to sample and with more synthengines. at the moment at least for me it should not have synt in the name. as always everyone has its own opinion, so the developers saw something different than me, maybe they know more about future options ;-)

​@@lab-by-the-sea Hey DJRex, thanks for the reply. Its kind of too late cause ive already bought Syntakt and im immensely inspired by this thing :). Bear in mind that is my first Elektron box. I think that Syntakt naming is quite intuitive cause it supposed to be mainly drumbox (hence the "takt" part) and since its not sample based but rather synthesis based there is "Synt" part. I think there will be time in the future when i will purchase Digitakt too :)

That's hilarious lol

I think Native Instruments will be somewhat understanding 😉

We appreciate your handwork man

Da wachine macheenz Vatto! Like cheech n GonGz styleZ?$🎼👑🧞‍♂️

Cool video

You totally need one

Me too. Mine should be here by Friday.

glad to have you here Matt (people totally should check out your channel)

how did you manage to get it so fast

@@tendingtropic7778 😁 magic. ;)

♥️♥️

Have fun!

100% agree

What's overbeidge? Software of some kind to host up to daw?

@@Judasz696 exactly that. You can multitrack all the individual tracks from Syntakt, Digitakt etc. into your DAW. It also gives you access to software plugin-style control over the features of the hardware, which is cool.

@@servantsounds The lack of overbridge support for the model:cycles is a dick move, especially if in their ad campaign for the models:cycles they explicitly state that they are known in the music world for that exact software...without disclosing that it doesnt support that product...

Glad you checked it out!

back to the roots :)

Totally agree! The difference between Digitakt and Syntakt is huge!

Glad u checked the vid!

Thank you!

Do you think it will be that complex, I hope to be able to create some simple tracks with this one with ease?? @bobeats Thoughts??

@@magnuseriksson8081 there's a few good tutorials on youtube. seems basic enough

haha

Not at all. As of recent I have reviewed: Korg Volca Fm 2 = it sounds good but it also has some annoying things Malevolent = had some issues Nanobox = one of them was pretty cool, the other one not so much NiftyKEYZ = really good Cobalt 5S = sounds good, but isnt super exciting So no. Everything isnt the greatest ever. But I do try and avoid spending a week or more on things I can’t see value in

For less than half price of this box. For both combined.

@@roryjineffect Indeed! Interesting development, for sure. I love being a Sonicware guy. The Doc, and team, are doing amazing stuff! I'm really looking forward to Smpl Trek. I don't have the Bass n Beats yet, or an ELZ-1. I can say without question however, the 8bw, and XFM, are amazing simple, yet incredibly powerful.

@@DetroitMicroSound What’s the timbrality of those units referenced?

100%

Think it has a lot to offer me after 30 odd years producing. I have all the synths I’d ever need, but this can be a more-than-adequate foundation to build around. This will be my only Elektron box in my studio and will likely push my Nord Drum 2 out. Modern features and Overbridge make this a dead set winner for me. I’m not a big ‘samples’ guy, and this looks like a ripper drum synth-sequencer thing to me. I got one on the way.

How much did it cost sir?

Analog 4 is deeper

you can't sample so how can it replace the digitakt ??? probably a good companion to the digitakt, that's how I'll use it

@@Lurkartiist Yeah, for sample-heavy styles, it wouldn't replace the Digitakt. Like sampling drum loops and using trigs to change the start point to get a chop-like effect. Ivar Tryti has made a bunch of fantastic songs that way, and the Syntakt can't do it. TBH though, the Digitakt isn't particularly good at that sort of thing. At least, not compared to other gear in its class, like MPC. It has some other pretty big downsides too... like, I was never able to get files to/from my Digitakt because it uses a proprietary protocol. Mono samples only. Very limited effects. Not very good at chopping, especially when using just one track for chops. It also has a pretty low limit on sample memory, which makes a lot of sample-based styles totally impossible. Like, the last song I finished used 3X as much sample space as what the Digitakt allows, and it wasn't even a very complex song. So I pretty much just used the Digitakt's built-in samples, tweaked to fit different songs. It did drums and midi sequencing. But it wasn't even great at drums. It took a while to set up each drum kit, and then it didn't even let me save the kit for reuse in other songs. And if I wanted to change the kit during the later stages of a song, like adjusting levels and timbres for a better mix after I had a few dozen patterns written, it required repeating the same edits on every single pattern individually. The Syntakt doesn't fix all of these things, but I think it'll work better as a drum machine. It seems quite a bit better for the kit-building part of the process, which happens right at the beginning of a song and was a major source of friction on Digitakt. It also has some extra performance features to create fills and variations on the fly, which reduces the need for extra patterns and reduces the downsides of having a bunch of patterns. Extra tracks too, so less need for p-locking different instruments in a single track to fit more tones in. And synth engines, so it has less need for external gear, or libraries of single-cycle waveforms, or samples in general. But I don't plan to get one. Instead, I got a brand new Akai Force a few months ago for $100 less than the Syntakt, and have been much, much happier with it. It's basically Ableton in a box, with a bunch of useful plugins included, and the best parts of MPC, and it's even mod-friendly thanks to running Linux. It changed the core question of my musical process from "what *can* I do, within the limitations of my gear?" to "what do I *want* to do?"

it sure sounds bad ass!

Join the club!

Couldn’t you just… get 2nd digitakt?

@@LoLaKoala true LoL

A combination of the digitakt and octatrack with 16 tracks... a REAL sampler with all the pros of both machines... plus a bigger screen, pads with velocity sensitvity, multiple outs etc. Can't be that hard, but I guess this is not possible, because the octa and digitakt would be worthless if they would release a machine like this 😥

Digitakt + Synthtakt = 20 Track drum powerhouse

ive tried this and also discussed it with elektron and apparently it still triggers the track sound

@@BoBeats oh ok!!!! Let´s hope they fix it in a future update!!

@@BoBeats darn I was hoping this was it too

It sounds like it sounds in the video. Go check my 16 minute music demo. Its all 100% Syntakt. No post processing. I don't ever post process demo/review sounds. Trust your ears. If you like it you like it, if you don't you don't. Sound is subjective.

thanks. i ended up getting a digitakt because i wanted to continue and expand some things I've been doing with a secondhand ES-1. it is the only ”expensive” gear i own, but it seems like a classic and I got to try out the elektron workflow so why not? it is useful to have a box that can sound good and record it directly. having onboard eq, filters, compression with good sounding reverb and delays... makes that happen. I think the syntakt goes a step further because it has the analogue insert effects. a nice thing about having a digitakt is that watching a video about the syntakt can still teach you things since some tricks are in both. that's why i am back watching this.

Exactly! Also owner of the MD, AR and AK, I was really hoping for a 2022 revampled Machinedrum, and the Syntakt could have been that if it had 16 tracks, multiple outputs and uses the larger box format (much more better for livesets, in my opinion). But let's have a try and see what the Syntakt can do and how it compares to the AR mkII.

Agreed… MC-707 has pattern chaining that can be saved.. Hence SONG MODE.. This thing can’t compete at this price range… $500us is a more accurate price point..

@@mikenagol69 I never messed with Roland's grooveboxes, but the 707 certainly seems like a nice middle ground between MPC's daw-in-a-box vs Elektron's intelligent drum machine design. You're giving up analog sound generation, but imo Roland's digital synths still sound good.

I have been considering making such a video

No. That would also have been really good!

Indeed would be cool - Model groove with just the very essentials..

yes..... yes!

Digitone will give you the ability to play melodies and chords polyphonically. Its the better synth for making lead/pad/bass Digitakt is sample based and works best for making drum beats but you can also load bass, lead and pad samples. Syntakt is a bit like you took Digitakt but turned it into a drum synth + bass & lead synth. Its not great for pads tho. Digitone + Digitakt is an amazing combo. Syntakt + Digitone also works very well Wouldnt get Syntakt + Digitakt combo

But that's like $1300+ of gear. You could get the Live2 along with a battery and speakers and a lot more daw features. I do love Elektron's step sequencer, but even an MPC One + beatstep pro would be a cheaper combo and imo get you a lot more creative potential.

@@sugarhigh4242 I have an MPC one and tbh I despise the MPC workflow. It’s a necessary piece for one of my projects but that’s really it. As far as DAWs and plugins go, I’m a hardware person. I don’t like using a computer to make my music, it feels like I’m still at work.

Should be a candidate but maybe try one first. The workflow can be difficult

@@BoBeats Ahh so you do not think a user of other groove boxes like Roland Mc 101 and MV1, Maschine would understand this one with ease?? You made it look soooo easy

@@magnuseriksson8081 All these machines have different software and user interfaces. Some of them tend to have a higher learning curve (slightly more difficult or just different workflow than average). That's all. It's similar to someone used to linear recording with a traditional DAW, and then learning Ableton.

Haha!

LOL

No. See my followup ”responding to comments” where I explain further

S O R R Y :D

@@BoBeats Didn't know it'd be $1,000 though :-(. Still zero percent, 3 years, $30 a month, not a bad deal.

Good advice!

I wish it could fly. What a missed opportunity otherwise it would’ve been the ultimate ultimate groovebox

If these are the only 2 points you find wrong with it... Well why isnt it the ultimate grovebox? Because the USB-Port is the wrong kind and it has no battery? ..... well everybody to its own, I guess

@@ickebins6948 It's the main thing, a groovebox is supposed to be something you can take with you anywhere and jam on the couch, in bed, or outside. Like picking up a guitar. It's not just a minor omission, it's a critical one. Don't get me wrong, I kind of get why. These boxes are made for live and studio performances, not as something that could wipe the floor of proper grooveboxes like the MC-101. But to me, this is a missed opportunity nonetheless. Elektron boxes are very power efficient and could last a really long time with rechargeable 4xAA, easily 6-8 hours. And with a powerbank, you could go on forever. The latter is technically possible with a cord that can convert up to 12V, but it's a hassle and they could have done that inside the box instead.

@@sinewaymusic I agree completely. It's great to have a dedicated workstation, but if I could just take it with me it would be a completely different experience. Making music in the studio is fun, at the beach though.... more fun

Yea this might be insane, but if I didn't know the pricetags, I might take the Circuit Tracks over this for the battery and sampling functionality. It's a shame Novation didn't update (or add to) the synth engine on there.

I still really dont like it 😅🤟

Not really. Digitakt does sample, Digitone is an FM poly synth and this is a analog + digital drum synth. Question is simply: maybe three boxes is a bit much? Depends on your needs