I think, the problem of reaching “true”, warm, thick sound for all MD owners can be solved by adding an external analog filter.
for a number of years i played the machinedrum’s kick drum parts out through an individual out, into the line input of a Universal Audio 610 tube preamp. Very, very nice, the sound of hot glass vitalised, electrified, funkified and deeply enriched the sound of the internal synthesis kick drum machines in the MD.
to get a nice warm sound from Machinedrum, first use the function-tweak to bring all individual volumes to 12 o’clock. This is the point where no extra internal gain is applied to the sound, beyond the natural volume the oscillator is producing.
always (or 90 percent of the time) use subtractive EQ techniques on the one-band filter to gently reduce a part of the sounds spectrum, to thereby enhance the sound via subtraction. working this way basically ensures that no extra internal gain is applied to the natural drum synth’s oscillator.
keeping the MD’s master volume knob no further than 3pm ensures no further gain is applied to the MD’s natural top volume output.
working to keep a clean signal path helps to achieve warmth and avoid clipping/digital shredding distortion, unless that is specifically desired.
I’m unlikely to purchase an AR at least in the short term, as I have my GAS tamed, I also have a jomox airbase tethered to my MD so I feel covered for analogue sounds.
I just wish Elektron would tweak the sequencer to include length per track á la the machines post OT (this goes for the MnM as well). I’ve heard talk that there are code issues why this may not be immediately feasible but I’d like Elektron to make a definitive statement on the matter.
Is this in the wrong thread?
i personally love all of elektron’s gear, though i am more than happy with my MD - and i don’t even have the UW version.
there’s always more/different things each piece of gear can do, but it’s also about how you use them.
as another person said, sending the kicks out to another processor can help refine the sound. plus, you can always stack voices to create unique kicks.
if i didn’t have a MD, i’d consider the AR, though, i’d probably still go MD. and if i really felt the need, i’d use my AK for analog kicks.
Love, love my MD UW. Wouldn’t sell it for the world. In fact, I think I’m going to order a + Drive upgrade soon. 
this is pretty relevant as far as a decision between the AR and MD is concerned…
Agree. Sound signatures are the heart of the matter. What constitute them border on the philosophical: not only the actual sound produced, interaction models, or feature lists are relevant - the relation between the object and the subject is equally important. Conditions, ambitions, reciprocal connections to events outside the purely musical, the mediation of a passive/active weltanschaung, the whys, ifs, and whens provoked by the actual object etc.[/quote]
The A4 has triggered lots of old memories of toys I’ve owned as a child that I’ve long forgotten about.
For instance, when someone else plays with them I do feel like they leave behind a little trace, or imprint of their personality on the hardware that I cannot disconnect unrelated to the actual settings/patterns/etc I revisit after they leave.
The last month with the octatrack/A4 has been very illuminating for me and I am very thankful that these far off distant non quantifiable factors are also pondered by the creators themselves.
I’m interested in how Dataline’s and other artists’ use of these machines change the way others view their own tools and processes. Not looking for an answer, instead I enjoy observing/listening to reactions and all the great music that comes along with it.
Cuckoo & DJ Thomas White are individuals that also come to mind with a similar effect on the OP-1. Always puts a smile on my face to see talented, professional artists sharing their knowledge and time for the greater good
AR- USS Enterprise
MD-Romulan Bird of Prey
MPC 4000- Borg Mothership.
Choose your weapons wisely…
Does this unit offer anything new if you already have md/ot/a4+drumpads(drumkat,mpk) ? I like elektron stuff but first time I don’t feel like I ‘need’ the new one.
AR=Gandalf the grey
MD=Gandalf the white
AR = Masters of the Universe
MD = Thundercats
…I’ll show myself out 
I am super excited to use them together.
Shouldn’t the question be “AR VS Tempest” as they seem to be very similar specs?
I wouldn’t even compare AR to MD, AR is analog so there is only so much you can do in terms of sound design (IMO, never used an analog drum synth), but with the advantage of a great analog sound.
Where the MD is digital with many features you can not do with an analog voice.
AR = Autobots
MD = Decepticons
I always think the baddies are cooler and more versatile.
That preamp costs as much as the whole AR!! 
I’m sure that it sounds nice.
EDIT: no, I selected the wrong preamp of that series. uhm, interesting
ah yes, the Solo 610 … single channel budget version. still worth a pretty penny good sir!
i came to the opinion that it was a luxury i did not need, while scaling down my studio, and sold it.
am now on the market for another one.
the hot glass became like a sound shaping unit… driving the tube at different levels via the gain knob on the front, or louder/softer signal at the input.
magnificent as a vocal preamp too.
but what the 610 did to the MD’s internal synthesis kick drums was amazing, really took sound design to the next level, another universe of glowing hot glass presets.
for some people though it is totally unnecessary, as they can gain the same results using simple EQ and light compression in the DAW.
Everybody is talking about the sound, which will be nice no doubt. But what is really important to me are the realtime performance features. The MD is all-out glitch or static patterns to me, nothing in between.
My hopes for the AR are features that enable easy fillins and variations with the press of a button. I have the feeling the scene mode will do this kind of stuff on the AR.
And transferring samples over midi was no fun on the MD. Unhook md from midi cables, insert TM-1 midi cables, upload samples, unhook TM-1, insert other midi cables every time you wanted an extra sample. Not to mention the 2,5mb per project…
Yeah, I really hope it’s USB transfer with the AR seen as an external disk.
@previewlounge: slightly off-topic but interesting info about the 610… the new UA apollo Twin interface presented at Namm features brand new active pre-amp emulations of the 610… wonder if it’ll do similar things to drums!