I have very mixed feelings about the Rytm. I really like how it sounds, and trig conditions/fills are cool. The performance stuff is very powerful, though I hardly ever use it. I think that’s about where the love ends for me.
I was able to deal with the pads at first… they do become slightly more responsive after hours of banging, but they’re still terrible. They actually work great in Performance mode, but I care more about tapping in beats, and they don’t cut it for me there. For many the pads might not be an issue, but I’m a drummer and decent at finger drumming as well, so have been seeking greater expression for my beats lately. That also requires a more robust sequencer, but since the Rytm is a step sequencer I can’t fault it there, and it really is the best step sequencer I could think of for drums. For my own purposes though, I prefer the immediacy of the Machinedrum for step sequenced percussion.
I am really hoping the MPC Live is solid because other than the touch screen, it’s what I’ve been wanting for a while - a modern MPC. The Rytm has been a worthwhile experiment and I made some great tunes with it, but ultimately I don’t need it (prefer sound design in MD, or using samples) and there are better things suited for my goals (if not the MPC then likely Maschine or Push).
Rytm will be the first Elektron I own which I will be getting rid of, but I think for many forms of music it’s probably the best drum machine there is. I know I’ll be using it on several tracks before I let it go so I am happy with it, just not quite happy enough.