Elektron Syntakt : Is It For You? My Honest Opinion. 

Very good video, I liked it. As an owner of A4, Octa, Sps1 and Mono, this was the first product that caught my attention again in a lot of time. I'm watching all the vids related to it and I think it sounds great, even if apparently its balance seems more focused on the drum sounds.

Great work to whoever the different hands are attached to, love the digitone the velocity mods method work well on here too. This is the most interesting channel for me. Keep up the great work.

Great video as usual, thank you for sharing your thoughts, enjoyed the sounds and dubby compositions as well! As an owner of DT, DN, OT & MD I still struggle to decide if I really need this or to eventually add the Rytm MKII, both very tempting...

It might just be that we share some similarities of outlook or approach, or just that your personal style is very appealing, but I really enjoy your reviews, and pretty much all of the content on your channel actually. Thanks for making it 👍

Appreciate the honest, unbiased review!

Beautiful patches you created, thanks for the useful video

I also love Pole. His album “3” is my all time favorite record. It’s absolutely amazing. Great video!

Thanks for the video. So many influencers trying to sell me or build their 'brand'. I found this one of yours worth a hundred of theirs.

Great Video! Finally ordered one! 😬 Will come back for more info!

I have to save that the music you are able to create with this is very very good and I just love it!

AH! Great video and walkthrough as usual! Also, your ask for an Elektron mixer type box, YES. I took their survey a while back and made that request pretty clearly myself haha. Also a MKII format Octatrack would be amazing (maybe combine the two?!?). I'm ready haha. I just ordered a Model 1 though so I might have to justify the purchase to myself but hey, always in pursuit of a better setup and workflow. =)

Great review! 👍 I have it for a view days and love it. A bit pricey, but worth it, imo.

Thanks for the cool presentation! Does Syntakt have any natural sounding, acoustic drum kits? ..such as the Abbey Road kits in NI Maschine?

As always excellent information on the product Super video. Loved your last breaky patch Pls don’t erase it from the machine. If ever I’m gona get the syntakt that’s the patch I want 🤪😜 You’re perfectly right about 1. Substituting the Rytm 2. the price. Should hv been in the $750 bracket since most of it is borrowed and pinched from other machines. However the syntakt has its own personality.

Heeii Oora great tutorial thanks!!! You said that you use overbridge still. I had a digitakt and digitone a year ago abd used overbridge. I am recording other synth with live playing the keys and overbridge added 30 ms of latency. This doesnt work when playing keys. Its cool when you are sequence based only. So my Question: is overbridge still adding 30 ms of latency? Thank you very much!! Greetings Jo

Thx much. I trust your opinion immensely, especially on Elektron gear, more than any other youtuber.

great channel and content. thanks

Came for the syntakt. left wanting a Boum! I think the Syntakt is great. My thoughts that for 90% of people its good enough. I sold the digitakt because I am just not a sample guy. I think this is like a swiss army knife. The price is high but I think with the global situation everything has gone up 20-30%.

Appreciate your full analysis. Since its release I have been subliminally hoping to find a review that hypnotizes my lust to justify the purchase. Another 'nope.' I appreciate it.

Would you recommend this machine if you already have a hood sampling machine such as the SP404 MK2?

Great VIDEO . I agree with you , These Takt boxes are missing 2 delay and 2 reverbs . one of each is just not enough. I'm considering selling Machinedrum for this as i miss Conditional trig on the MD . Hopefully they will add the compressor & even more Machines on future updates .

Got mine yesterday, its a great little drum machine, with added bonus of a great mono analog DVCO & FM synth.

Interesting. I've been watching a number of reviews of this machine. I have a Digitakt, and a Digitone - the latter of which I don't generally feel I take 'full' advantage of (despite some some really fun/interesting ambient experiments). i'm wondering if I should consider exchanging this for the Digitone. I think I'd be fine with a simplified FM engine - and far more options with FX engines, etc. And (it seems) one can modulate the FX engines from LFOs, trigs, etc. - which seems like LOTS of crazy fun. Thoughts? And cheers from Chelsea... 👌

I'm new to this and this will be my first machine. I love techno and I've been a dj for a very long time. It's quite an investment for me because I don't have a big income. I plan to start having fun with it and then I think I'll buy ableton live to start the serious stuff ;) thanks for your video! I hesitated between a tr8s and a microfreak but I think I'll turn to this elektron syntakt because I've seen a lot of demos and I love what it does.

Do you use your Faderfox PC12 with Syntakt? Would be perfect right? 12 channels and 6 encoders for all the 12.

Do they keys stick? 5 years later my Digitakt is still hanging up and I play it often. Does it have song mode?

I love honest reviews 🔥

What's the name of the Compressor on the tabel?

I actually just sold my Syntakt, and am buying an A4Mk1 (and pocketing the difference). The Syntakt is an amazing unit especially if you plan on performing live, it really does a lot - a 'Jack of All Trades' sort of unit. Also probably great to have if you want to be totally DAW-less. But for someone who doesn't perform live and has no problems integrating my hardware in with Ableton, it really went unused a lot of the time. I decided to try A4 instead for the exact reason you mention -- it seems like it goes a lot deeper in the Analog space, which is what I need. Hopefully I won't regret it!

Great review! Would you recommend Syntakt or Octatrack for music production?

I wonder if you still have the LXR02 and how you feel this compares….Only thinking about the digital percussion aspects and internal sequencers?

I agree that it seems more targeted at rhythm, but I have found that basically every drum engine I've played with so far on it can pretty easily be turned into a tonal synth engine. One thing that disappoints me a bit is that only a few engines allow you to have infinite decay (and the overall decay is pretty short), but that's a fairly minor point and something I'm sure they could change with an update. I do agree that it's a bit pricey (I was expecting $800, same as my Digitakt), but coming from the opposite position as you, *only* having a Digitakt, this is still a good deal. Having the "best of" from across Elektron's catalogue makes this a single product that can do pretty much anything I'd want (especially when combined with my Digitakt), as opposed to trying to decide which more specific device I want to get, or to sink a lot MORE money into getting multiple devices, rather than just getting a Syntakt.

To me it just seems like a stripped down more commerical Machinedrum which is fine, I'm sure it will scratch that itch some people might have not being able to get a Machinedrum so this is the next best thing. But I would like them to do a new big box device. They haven't done one since RYTM.

Hah you had to get it too. Although i know whats in it, i still wanted it, so i ordered one as well. I really need to see if there is anything new that I dont have in MachineDrum and Analog Rytm. BTW Boum is killing it.

Hey. Great informative review. I am on verge of either buying the rytm or syntakt. i thought that the biggest difference is the sampling capabilty the rytm has so not sure if the syntakt really can replace the rytm, right?

Can we say that Syntakt can do all (and more actually) what Digitakt can, except sampling? Thx

I had the same feeling when I got mine. Since I've owned all of the Elektron boxes, this kind of felt like pieces of what I already own crammed into one box. I'm not sure if I'll keep it yet as its not blowing me away in its sound.

Who is the artist you mention at 24:46 Stephan?

Hello! Any plugins out there sounding like this?

patch 02 sounded very much like a model cycles actually.

sadly no song Mode....no fader..... and hope thy fix the Bugs... p.s. whst Otto device is it..?

Great review. Thank you. I´m missing arpeggiator and glide function.

I would also love to see a mixer in the Digi format! I don't need a sampler (Digitakt) but I would love to have the mixer/effect capability of the Octatrack!

I wasn't sure about Syntakt but, as a Dub Techno guy, I totally got it in this video

I'm not sure what people are angry about. The point is the following: this is an analog+digital drum machine. There is no real analog drummachine postioned between a Drumbrute and a Rytm. So this is your middle ground now. I was close to buying an A4 to use mainly for drums, just because there was no middle ground. I wish Syntakt was more focused on analog + basics and it being 2-300e cheaper but this is still so close to EXACTLY what I wanted that I ordered one to try and likely keep. The formfactor and interface are fantastic (I own a digitakt but it is not for me). This is useful not only for performing 'electronic' artists but just as a studio tool. Small footprint analog drums + fx, whats not to love? Its one of the few things thats really better than doing it in software. Edit: and btw. i can fully see that if you have a rtym or some other electron boxes this is not too exciting.

Grande!

Can you attach a midi keyboard and play drums and synths chromaticly?

I would call that box a Overbridge Patchbay

I think that's a great machine to feed an Octatrack, plenty of fm and analog drums and synths

You can definitely tell the difference with that pedal on some wh1000x m3

I’m a heavy Elektron user. I got the Syntakt, I think that the price of the ST as of now is not simply worth it, it should be in the same price range as the Digitakt. The Syntakt is really just a a little frankenstein box that consists of some of the concepts of three earlier boxes, it’s really nothing new. The lack of arpeggios, polyvoices and much more. Also this is just my opinion on the color of the screen, it is a boring white color, I prefer the yellow color graphics of the DT’s. I do still like the form factor. The price would be more accurate if the box had a built in battery. Just saying, i think this was a missed opportunity. The box feels kinda just same same, it doesn’t feel bold enough. love ur videos, Cheers

the rooster in the background :D

are you on a farm? That sounds like a cockerel crowing in the background! Big change from the car horns in NY 🙂

Just FYI, "munching on box" is slang for something dirty.

Patch 05 is gooood

Music is SO TIGHT too!

Chord machine gets a bad rap, but it’s a dub monster both in the M:C and in the ST

A groovebox is always a compromise between sequencer and sound engine. If you use anyway several synthesizers in your setup I would recommend a Deluge for its sequencer, sampling and audio multitracking. I think the Syntakt could be interesting if you are a minimalistic person who wants to use and own only one single device.

Is there anything comparable to the Boum that’s not 700$?

You should get the Rytm mk1 instead, the design is way better and goes with the octa well.

You make this instrument sing ! First video who makes me want it but nevertheless, I will not buy it ... Sure the Oto Boum helps to warm the sounds of it.

“I prefer smaller devices” Vermona perfourmer 😀

But I paid 650 for my mpc one....Im spoilt for it...hard to BELIEVE that anything can surpass that thing in versatility....well...lets see what superbooth has to offer us...

it is like the new monomachine

"Is It For You?" I still I don't know cause you used a audio processor on top it :))))))

How are you making the rooster sounds? 🤣

It sounds harsh even through the Boum imho

My take on what I have seen so far with the Syntakt is that as an owner of an Octatrack, Digitakt, and Digitone, I wouldn’t swap out any of those for it or buy it in addition. However, if I didn’t already have a Digitone I might consider it and if I didn’t already have any Elektron box at all, I’d definitely consider it. My main issues are the price, which takes it into MPC territory, and that too many of the machines are based on the Cycles which used to own but found too restrictive.

👍❤️🙏🇬🇧👌

The Syntakt was probably going to be part of the Model: series but seeing how that lineup is not doing as hoped, especially with the battery handle issues...releasing it in the Digi lineup and at a higher price was the best option for them.

Its just too expensive

It s a elektron, so no it s not for me :)

I'm just tired of Elektron withholding features for no good reason. I didn't really care all that much about MIDI arp for Digitone, but I loathe Elektron for being cynically petty enough to withhold it from me. Not interested in playing that game when there are other companies around who always make the best products they can. Sold all my Elektrons, not buying again unless they change.

No mode song, no sampling... Th sound is weak.. not for me

I can afford it, but I think it sounds bad, the drums sounds very alike, where are the hats and good snares?

This thing looks so UNinspiring to use (like all elektron products). And has really thin sound. Like 12 synth worse than volcas in one complicated and limited box.

No idea how anyone can have an opinion on what is 'for me' when they haven't even met me and know nothing about me.

1000$ and no Polyphony hard pass

Elektron makes everyone sound generic

Per iquel prezzo non mi manca per niente. YES! You talk about the price point! You DA Man! I am glad to hear you did not get a free one because every other reviewer did and all they do is suck up to Elektron and do not criticize the machine at all. Even if they did not get paid, getting a free 1000 dollar unit is getting paid. Right after seeing the first reviews of the Syntakt I was excited, but then I looked up the price -- NOOOO!! That is the real issue on this unit that no one seems to be talking about. For $999.00 is it really what you want? I saw the videos for this on other channels and lack of the ability to make chords, which only one video had talked about in detail up to that point, is what made me say - ARE YOU KIDDING ME? No chords 1000 dollars. I had watched your video on the Sonicware Liven 8 bit warps; I share that video widely because it really shows how powerful the little thing is for so little cost. It was your video and the ridiculous price of the Syntakt that made me finally buy something new. I am waiting for delivery of my 8 bit warps now, which I found used for 150 dollars. Again, 1000 dollars and no chords vs. 200 dollars and chords. If 6 voices in the bit warps isn't enough, I may buy the Liven XFM and then for less than 400 dollars I get 12 voices! When I hear the demos on Syntakt half of what I am hearing seems to be internal effects. Well, I can buy a powerful shimmer verb for half the price of the Syntakt and then use it on anything I want. I'm still getting a better deal. I am rambling a bit, but for the price - You've got to be kidding me! Only a Elektron Fanboy would spend so much for so little. Are synth users just ignorant consumers who will buy anything shiny and new? I recently built a new system after having been out of music making for decades. I did it with new and used gear. I spent about 1000 dollars on the entire thing, granted I already had some gear. Yet, there are a lot of us who cannot afford to get the high dollar gear. I apologize for my extensive rant, but I felt the cost issue needed addressing. Love your show BTW. I watch it frequently.

I returned mine. I simply don't like their "machines" type approach for the synth modules. I still love my Digitakt and Octatrack though! I gel way better with their sample based machines.