My Thoughts On the Elektron Analog Heat+FX 

Thanks for this - I've managed to pick up a B-Stock heat + FX for a great price and looking forward to having a play!

Great video as usual! I’ve been missing these!

Great vid man, I love the Heat it sounds amazing on everything. Just pre-ordered yesterday. Great meeting you at Booth hopefully we'll bump heads in the future!

Great to see you back SURCO. Missed you man!

Hyped for some good SURCO about some interesting gear!

It's a nice but of kit, but if it had maybe 4 sets of stereo inputs instead of one I'd be more likely to buy it.

I dream of the routing idea since I have these Digis. It would be so great to route audio to the L/R and headphone Outputs separately. I always want/have to exclude the low end (Kick, Sub Bass). All the Maschines would be sooooooo much useful then.

It looks sick I wish it had more inputs But that gets me to realise what I would really want them to make… Elektron performance mixer / hub.. something more appropriate than a DJ mixer or band mixer picture something filling a roll like the Roland Aira MX-1 does for the Roland gear…. 4 or more stereo inputs, some in built fx, 2 assignable stereo fx loops, flexible routing possibilities, channel eq, channel filter, maybe some channel compression? master filter and master compressor / limiter… Add a good sounding and conveniently implemented sidechain function and you’ll really get me excited Overbridge so you can multitrack record things and control it And Bonus points if it could handle a lot of midi routing between boxes, either via the usb port or 5pin midi But it acts like a usb hub / midi interface for your pc when it isn’t in standalone mode Double bonus points if there’s some step sequenced fx involved (but that could be a separate product) Basically, performance / Swiss Army knife integrated problem solver tool… Because building all this functionality with other gear, in a way that’s useful for both recording and performance can be a convoluted process that distracts from actually making the music!

Great indepth talk! Have you ever had a look at the HX-Stomp? People don't realize you can have two stereo chains with IO on it, which is great for a synth setup. and at nearly have the prize.

If they add the ability to re arrange the analog components and or add a limiter/soft clipper this would be a lot easier to warrant the purchase. I’m a daw guy, purchased it and love the heat aspect of it the box. The effects are okay but nothing that had me wowing. Even still, it could be a mastering standalone device if they just implemented one or two of those features

hey Elektron..give us MK1/2 users an update with the compressor! Just sayin~

thanks for you,re looking inside great.

Het Surco, thanks for the great vid. How about the Heat+FX playing with the analog four as a video?

I agree the price is way too high and I have the AH MK2 that works well for me.

Thanks for the review!! I'm interested in the Analog Heat MK2 as an end-of-chain processor for mixing and mastering in my DAW, but it's extremely hard to find in Toronto, CAN. (no one in Tor. is selling a 2nd hand copy at the moment and it's listed as a "legacy" product on Elektron's website). Only thing I could easily get my hands on if I wanted it is the Heat +FX, but I don't think I need the other effects aside from the compressor. Based on your experience with the Heat +FX do you think someone in my situation would still find value in picking it up?

Since it is digital, it would be cool if you could have multiple of the same effect in the flow, or 2 chains that get mid-sided together at the end

good video, i woud bet those features are on the way thru an update. only question is how long

Hi Surco . I tried to contact Elektron but they don't give me an answer about analog heat fx. The question is about gain staging. It is normal that by using the rear analog L/R inputs (therefore without using overbridge) and by putting the analog heat in bypass (after having adjusted the input to the maximum possible volume), I have a signal in the DAW that reaches the maximum around at -23 dbfs? Even if I activate the analog heat and adjust the output with the level knob I can push the maximum around - 23 dbfs before activating the exclamation point on the output meters. Can't I get a stronger signal out? If I push the signal more the exclamation points above the analog heat meters light up. Is it possible to increase the output signal without cutting anything? The channel on my apollo x16 is set to +4 dBu and I have no low volume issues with any other external hardware I own to get at least -12 dbfs in my DAW. I just want to know if this is a normal feature of the analog heat fx or I have some problem. Thank you and congratulations for your great work!

How do you think it would sound on guitar? I’m getting ready to buy some pedals and I’d much prefer a one box solution. Thank you so much if you answer this!

Is there any possibility of elektron updating the analog heat mk2 firmware so it has the compressor function (they add new stuff to digitakt all the time), allowing the heat + fx to handle more of the effects role like you're talking about?

Curious as to what “mistakes” you think they made. Will definitely be watching after work.

Do you think the AH+fx would replace the OT strictly used as an fx template?

Hey Surco! Whats your preferred way to time sync eurorack and elektron?

The price problem is real. I’d rather save a little more money and buy a Syntakt. It has like what, 30% of what the AHmkii has or more right? It’s probably pretty tempting if you already have nice gear to plug into it though.

I feel like it competes - somewhat unfavourably - with Line6's Helix products. I recently bought a Line6 HX Stomp XL which is a bit cheaper than the Heat+FX. Its physical interface is better, the effects are much much deeper, it has much better connectivity and strong pre-existing software (both on the device and computer interoperability), a large community developing presets and a proven ecosystem. I guess "analog" and "elektron" count for a lot!

Just came across your video after just buying a used H90. I want to way simplify my gear. I dont dig the interfaces on most Elektron boxes, especially the octatrack. I wish someone would just make a modern updated mixer perhaps like the octatract but with templates and presets that take away all the xomplexities. Also, I dont want to pay $3k for a dj mixer or $1k for a tiny mixer requiring tweezers to make adjustments. With all the folks out there creating music, its truly baffling why mixers are such a meh option.

Too bad it doesn’t have an analog compressor or analog bbd delay. If I didn’t have a mcdsp apb8 I’d get one of these, no analog io though so only for mixing/mastering in daw. But I’m still tempted to get one for my synth setup. The reason they don’t have more inputs and outputs is because it’s more expensive and breaking that $1000 mark loses a lot of sales. But I agree making it 2 machines would have been better, and potentially even more sales.

👍

Through the video you mention the analog effects. The 'FX' part is all digital. It is only the distortion circuits that are analog.

Do you have a nice "Heat and Fx - Mastering Chain Preset" for me ? That would be so great.

I have the H90 and I just added the Heat which I already own and UAD MAX and I am good.

I find it utterly incomprehensible that they didn’t have a p-lock step sequencer in the Analog Heat since the mk1.

mk2 doesn't have a compressor?

I love mine! but it has some flaws- Output level is VERY low in general, unlike the mk2. also would be smart to have 1-2 more sets of input/ out. it's not the Mk3 that we wanted, it's more a crude sneakpeek of an FX/Mixer that we all need in the Synth Market.

Maybe is like dj oriented fx+ end of chain

It's basically elektron take on the Mod Duo X

If they could somehow get overbridge to integrate with mpc standalone, it would be amazing. It'll never happen th Also, maybe a limiter. But I think I see y why they didnt.

is that a push 3 in the back ?

Wandering if elektron can make a patch bay via usb!

Cool video Surco. I'm a massive Elektron fanboy, but personally, I find this thing massively underwhelming. $1000 to warm up the signal a bit, or make a Volca sound a little more interesting, no thanks! What we all want is a performance / Fx box / looper/ mixer in a Digi form factor. Lots of us want the performance features of an Octatack, but without all the other bells and whistles. A Digibox with customisable effect scenes and a cross fader, plus three inputs and power cables for the Dark Trinity. They would sell like hot cakes.

They should made this over bridge compatible and able to process any or each of track separately.

Returned mine

Ppl are getting rid of Elektrons and MPCs on Reverb

Or maybe they want people to buy multiple heat plus fx units..?

Hello hello

Just get 2… 😂

What do you mean by "analog effects"? I think it is digital effects, isn't it? And I do not quite agree with your criticism. The whole point of putting all of this together is to have a sort of modular approach, where you can mix and match the analog with the digital effects. You would loose all of that if you separated the two, because how would you go to the digital bitcrusher, then to the analog eq, and then to the digital reverb? Does not make sense. Also, I doubt a machine with just digital fx from elektron would be able to stand out enough in this market. Who would want a reverb/delay from Elektron when there is already so many great machines out there from respected companies like Strymon, TC etc.? For me, the combination makes complete sense, and I think it is just your special use case which makes you see it that way.

I’m sure they made a mistake of the price.

Direct audio rather than through the phone would be more professional. Just saying.

I think you are overcomplicating things when it comes to the negatives...

ok so we need 2 of them? ... elektron shut up and take my money ;)

A great composite, unit no doubt. But, honestly, it's not professional grade. Electronic music, live application only. But the real sound quality is lacking. Really compressed. It knocks it down but never, ever lifts it up. I work in the recording industry. No one. No one ... touches the Electron stuff. I wish all you fanboys would talk about the SOUND. No one ever does.

Well overpriced. Definitely a market for it though within the generic cool techno crowd

I have a solution! Just buy 2! 🤣