Safe to have a small magnet on the Rytm?

Elektron Gear Analog Rytm
#1

Hello nauts!
I saw someone on Gearslutz talking about using a small neodymium magnet to keep one of the bank buttons pressed down…> for staying in pattern select mode indefinitely: one-finger pattern switching!
Just tried this with a circular magnet around 2 cm wide and it works nicely…

(Seems like an easy way to fix a long running issue that isn’t getting fixed any other way :sleepy: That time-out… Why can’t we press Func+ Pattern and stay in pattern select mode???)

Could the magnet cause any damage to the machine or scramble any memory contents?

thanks!

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#2

…if it’s a strong one and u’d ask for placing it somewhere on ot’s cv card area…i would say yes…but on the rytm it should do the trick pretty fine with no further worries…

#3

alternatively you could you use a few larger coins superglued together?

#4

…or a chewinggum…

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#5

Easy to wedge half a toothpick in there too.

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#6

Neodymium are strong magnets, seems like overkill. I’d start with a regular magnet before trying neodymium. I like the stack of coins idea, or maybe you could use a rock/pebble or other totem-like object?

#7

Fishing weights?

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#9
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#10

https://kvgear.com/products/key-dog

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#11

indeed, depleted uranium is the go-to material for such tasks, much smaller weights :wink:

carrying a magnet around is asking for trouble imho
+1 for flat-ish pebble

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#14

c’mon, you’re a musician for crying out loud! the answer is obvious: duct tape.

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#15

Finally, a professional solution! :rofl:

Thanks. Since no alarms have been raised I’ll go ahead with my magnet…

I have already tried or considered all the other solutions suggested here (except toothpick :roll_eyes: ) but none work as well as the magnet- if they work at all. Anything that doesn’t stick to the panel isn’t suitable as it can get brushed off by hands operating buttons nearby or tapping on the pads. Coins are just not heavy enough. The object has to be small enough to fit between the rows of LEDs.

Those springs under the buttons are really quite springy… Also, chewing gum and other tacky material is just not an acceptable look and not reliable enough.

This is a real issue for me and I was seriously considering selling the Rytm before this idea came up.

It is unfortunate to have to resort to such hacks for something that could have been very easily implemented in the machine. I am sure the hardware can handle it and there are at least 2 ways it can be accomodated in the UI. The easiest would be to simply remove the time-out or add an option in the settings to have it or not. There is plenty of space in the nearly empty screen that comes up when you press Func + Pattern for this option to be added

In a live performance or jamming situation a lot of people would only use the 16 trig buttons to launch patterns so there is no need for the UI to not stay in pattern select mode.

Is there a reason why Elektron is averse to doing this? I have never seen an explanation for this design decision but, browsing back , I have seen many requests for it since the early days of these forums… I have sent a feature request to Elektron but the automated response makes me doubt these requests are looked at these days.

#16

I don’t know. Perhaps prevention of accidental pattern switching?

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#17

…maybe they could implement some double/triple tap functionality for this…because leaving it always open for free instant choice once activated as a default, would lead to lots of happy and unhappy accidents to the average user for sure…
and the chewing gum was a joke of course…
but the magnet versions seems a pretty good solution to me…at least for now…
while duck tape holds the world together already, anyways…

#18

Not really sure about magnets but one time I was practicing for a set and managed to press some unknowable combination of buttons that left pattern select stuck on. It made my set way easier to do. Unfortunately I haven’t been able to recreate it since…

#19

this dude is just using tape

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#21

I certainly wouldn’t put a magnet on the front of my AR2 (or any of my other synths or electronics).

#22

+1.

Neodymium / “rare earth” magnets are very strong. They can easily ruin eg a mechanical watch by magnetising the hairspring. I would not be keen to place one on the front panel of a synth.

A lead weight encased in a bit of Sugru or something (you could mould a lip to stop it sliding off the button) might be a better solution. Or maybe there’s something that could be done with tungsten putty?

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#23

Although it sounds silly I think this method may be the best option mechanically. I was thinking maybe finding the appropriate width guitar pick would work.

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#25

Back in the day, we used to do the magnet to the TV screen to mess with the picture and colors, which, done too much, would be permanent.
So I would be wary of electromagnetism vs. Elektron.
Gorilla tape. It’s black, too.

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