A second new machine? [Analog Rytm launch, January 2014]

XanaX · 2014-01-27T16:04:41.000Z

speaking of that is that “Retrig” button sort of like roll/note repeat on MPC’s and such? can you set a quantize rate and just hold the pads and have them retrigger?

tsv · 2014-01-27T16:12:19.000Z

It’s not working yet but yes that is my understanding. You would adjust the timing with the Retrig+/- buttons. Not sure if they will use straight quantized divisions like MPC or like Retrig in other Elektron boxen.

void · 2014-01-27T16:19:41.000Z

was wondering about that… the arrow up/down keys seem to have retrig time as secondary function… maybe quantized to MIDI clock ticks? aka same quantization as AF arp? but using the arrow buttons for adjustment would seem a bit odd for that imo… so the retrig intervals might be more coarse, like 1/32, 1/24, 1/16, 1/8, 1/6, 1/4 etc…?

tsv · 2014-01-27T16:44:11.000Z

Yeah that would make more sense to have course intervals for pad retrig. Cenk mentioned you would adjust seq retrigs with this too so maybe there is a couple levels to it.

Retrig arrow buttons look like primary function no?

lu_ce71 · 2014-01-29T18:16:35.000Z

Maybe a redundant question, but a different point of view:
is it me, or is this Analog Rytm the second Elektron machine we can live without?

AikiGhost · 2014-01-29T18:43:52.000Z

""lu_ce71"":

Maybe a redundant question, but a different point of view:
is it me, or is this Analog Rytm the second Elektron machine we can live without?

Well surely we can live without ANY of elektrons machines?
Personally I really like my a4 and MnM and Im very much looking forward to adding an AR to my particular “Trinity”.

waffl · 2014-02-10T15:31:43.000Z

Does anyone happen to know if the mutes are midi or audio? Would be really great if midi, so that fx tails and long releases could fade out smoothly.

AikiGhost · 2014-02-10T15:42:06.000Z

""waffl"":

Does anyone happen to know if the mutes are midi or audio? Would be really great if midi, so that fx tails and long releases could fade out smoothly.

Due to the fact that reverb and delay is a bus architecture on the analog four the reverbs and delays work in this way and fade out smoothly. I suspect the setup will be similar on the AR.

rockreid · 2014-02-10T18:40:49.000Z

well, for me, it’s looking like the AR is the most vital Elektron machine for my setup. I have been lusting after a Tempest for over a year now, and I am glad that I held off. It looks like the AR addresses many of my concerns I’ve had about the Tempest (synth architecture chief among these) and offers even greater flexibility with more individual outputs, more voices, and better voice and master FX sections.

XanaX · 2014-02-10T23:59:17.000Z

i think AR looks very promising but fwiw : Tempest synth architecture is open & deeper (2 DCOs + 2 layers of samples per voice + Sub), feedback, dual filters per voice (HPF&LPF), 2 LFOs, 5 envs, Mod Matrix, individual outputs for each voice & master FX section is identical (distortion&compression)

OSCar · 2014-02-11T00:19:50.000Z

It is definitely a no go product for me based on price I’m afraid - especially if the Canadian dollar keeps tanking like it has.
As to stands I can sample A4 Percussion into the OT anyway so it won’t be that big a loss but I want a more comprehensive synthesis engine at the current asking price than it currently has (though I understand these are early OS development days).
It’s not like I’ve exhausted the A4/MnM/OT possibilities by a long shot as yet either.
I could probably get a Nord Drum 2 and not notice much of a difference in many respects on a budgetary front.
No doubt it will sell like hot cakes though.

Prints · 2014-02-11T00:37:35.000Z

""XanaX"":

i think AR looks very promising but fwiw : Tempest synth architecture is open & deeper (2 DCOs + 2 layers of samples per voice + Sub), feedback, dual filters per voice (HPF&LPF), 2 LFOs, 5 envs, Mod Matrix, individual outputs for each voice & master FX section is identical (distortion&compression)

I’ve actually become interested in the Tempest because of all the hubbub over the AR. The synth in the Tempest sounds better than the A4 to me, but I don’t think either will be as good at drums as the AR. They’re all good machines, so every little flaw becomes critical in the final decision.
I hear bad things about the Tempest’s distortion & compressor; why on earth would you fuck those things up? Also, I hear that the sound is bad coming out of the main outs; these things seriously turn me off from the Tempest. I usually look forward to the sound of the internal summing of machines like this; this is a huge fail.
I don’t know what exactly the AR will offer, but it seems promising. I really hope they don’t think of ways to cripple its abilities; rather, I’d like to see them focus on competing with other devices from other companies. No midi out is a big deal if they decide to limit the AR’s ability to synthesize sounds good for melodies (the Tempest’s main appeal). If they’re hoping this philosophy to creating their machines will promote the buying of the A4 along with the AR, it might actually instead be just what it takes to make someone like me choose something like the Tempest. At this point though, so much cool stuff keeps coming out that it doesn’t hurt at all to wait.

XanaX · 2014-02-11T11:15:41.000Z

there is nothing wrong sonically with compression & distortion on tempest, however there are no settings except for a strength knob (in that sense it is fairly limited but far from unusable) as for bad sound from the main outs, that’s total BS… I use them all the time, though like any machine of this sonic density you will get better results when using individual outs for external mixing & processing. this is actually a very requested feature and caused some back fire here among OT & A4 users… Elektron have made a big point of including them inside AK & AR…

SB-SIX · 2014-02-11T12:08:31.000Z

""XanaX"":

there is nothing wrong sonically with compression & distortion on tempest, however there are no settings except for a strength knob (in that sense it is fairly limited but far from unusable) as for bad sound from the main outs, that’s total BS… I use them all the time, though like any machine of this sonic density you will get better results when using individual outs for external mixing & processing. this is actually a very requested feature and caused some back fire here among OT & A4 users… Elektron have made a big point of including them inside AK & AR…

I can confirm this. The distortion can sound good on individual sounds, but when used on all sounds it’s usually a bit bleak. And the distortion is either on or off, there is no smooth way to morph in the distortion.
The compressor can sound ok but it’s nothing special. Works better on synth sounds to me, as I don’t like the attack very much on it for punchy sounds.
There is nothing wrong with the main outs and the synth sounds are huge. Very cool sounds can be made by combining the analog oscs with the VS waves of the digital oscs. But since the tempest has no reverb or delay (not counting the midi delay) it is very advisable to use it along with a mixer and FX, or post-process in a DAW to get the best out of it. But I have to say the drum sounds often need alot of work to sound really good to my ears.
I’m still thinking about getting the AR alongside my tempest. I’ll keep the tempest for synths mainly then. Afaik there is no other 6 or more voice analog device with internal sequencer.

rockreid · 2014-02-11T12:52:43.000Z

I realize technically the Tempest synth architecture is “deeper” but that is part of the problem for me. In a dedicated drum machine, I want fast and easy drum sounds- bam. I want to be able to quickly dial up fresh beats while inspiration hits- something I hear that is difficult using the Tempest. Every YouTube video I’ve seen of someone programming a Tempest seems to take forever to get a usable sound, and complaints about the quality of its internal effects are numerous.

The fact that AR has dedicated synth engines geared towards specific drum timbres - individual BD, SD, hats, etc means ease of use goes way up and dialing in usable sounds can happen very quickly. Inspiration and workflow are enhanced. At least this is what I am hoping the AR brings to the table in real life.

I moved away from ITB because of distraction and workflow. AR on paper looks like it is a great solution for me moving away from the mouse and keyboard for my beats. I will be ordering the AR at the first opportunity and will be happy to post my own thoughts on its real life pros and cons.

XanaX · 2014-02-11T13:26:20.000Z

I perfectly understand your point of view, for what it’s worth i also own [analog] drum machines with fixed drum synth architecture (TR-808 & TR-909) and enjoy them a lot… but the flip side is you are indeed limited to only a few set of parameters making the variety of drum sounds available less wide. another limitation of AR is that each pad row shares circuitry meaning if you want 2 kicks, you’ll only have room left for 1 Snare&Clap, and you have 12 sounds total per pattern. On Tempest you always have access to 32 sounds in any possible configuration. You can’t yet import samples but you do have immediate access to 450 sounds that cover a pretty wide spectrum including a best of goldbaby drum machines, various noise sampled from modulars & the Prophet VS waveforms… you can layer up to 2 samples out of this pool per voice…

I’m also afraid you are somewhat mistaken about the workflow on Tempest being slow, actually I’d say it is a lot faster then on any Elektron unit I have worked with, thanks to the numerous dedicated knobs and synth sections. Just getting access to certain basic params on Elektron can be a few clicks away and you’ve always got to rely on the low-res LCD. a lot of paging is going on and it feels more like programming then actually playing which is what Tempest is more about. You can also of course save/load individual sounds with the turn of a knob even while the sequence is running, so no slow ups there…

where Elektron gear shines imo is Parameter Locking & FX… I also think scenes could be huge and whatever else they’ve got in store… and yes the fixed drum architecture will eliminate any learning curve for making analog drums (definitely not an easy domain to master) and of course user samples is killer

Fundamentally the concepts are opposed. I don’t really wanna get into which is better as that is subjective and even myself will admit to you I like both approaches equally. In the end each unit has it’s advantages & limits… which is better for you will depend on a multitude of factors, as a user of both I am just trying to clear up a few things that might be skewed by misguided brand loyalty… not trying to start a VS war or anything!

Dataline · 2014-02-11T14:11:38.000Z

""waffl"":

Does anyone happen to know if the mutes are midi or audio? Would be really great if midi, so that fx tails and long releases could fade out smoothly.

Mutes are midi unlike the OT similar to A4

XanaX · 2014-02-11T14:51:55.000Z

wise choice… any word yet on retrig/roll functionality we’ve been talking above?

Dataline · 2014-02-11T15:04:09.000Z

^BAa

Soon…

PeterHanes · 2016-07-06T01:44:24.173Z