My Mk2 also freezes and also make this strange thinks when i mute hihat the kick also is mute and when i make distortion to hihat the distortion of the kick also is apply.Then i make factory reset but noting after that i make empty reset and now my AR do not freezes and work properly!
Well, after about 6 or so weeks I finally got my replacement RYTM MK2 back, and this one as well has the exact same problems as the last - locking up on boot and randomly displaying MISSING CAL: PADS when it gets to the UI. For those that are curious, the MFGDT is 2018-W16.
Man, this is pitiful. I can’t even sell this thing and move on because anyone who buys it will think I was trying to rip them off lol.
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Mine was acting up (wouldnt boot) when I had a fan plugged into the same power brick. I unplugged the fan and everything worked. Can you try a different power outlet in a different room to see if there is perhaps an oversensitive powerboard in the Rytm.
Yeah I did that with the original defective unit assuming the same thing - it didn’t fix the problem. I tried it again with this replacement unit and got the same results, still wont boot properly. Now waiting on Elektron to confirm inventory at their Los Angeles facility so I can hopefully get a replacement within the month.
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Sell it and get an Alpha Base. Problem solved
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I guess it could be worth mentioning that all the AR MKII serial numbers ends with 72… Its the 72 that signifies that it is an AR MKII unit.
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Update: 2nd defective unit sent from Elektron arrived today, this one has a manufacturing date of W08.
Mine often doesnt boot the first time. Lights flash and then everthing remains blank. The second boot always works. I have the previous OS running that was suposed ti fix this. Im going to upgrade to the latest os to see if that resolves it. Otherwise im contacting the store I bought it from.
What did you end up doing?
Not sure if you are asking me, but I’m going on my 4th replacement unit at this point. Elektron is trying to convince me that their $1500 drum machine randomly locks up on boot due to “normal capacitor behavior”, and that the units I’ve sent back to them are apparently perfectly fine. They then suggested that the units were failing due to a variable on my end (power), and so I did the following before sending my last unit back to them:
- Originally I had it plugged into a Belkin surge protector (Model BE108000-08-CM which is highly rated on Amazon) which also powers a Tempest, TR8S, and a couple of Strymon pedals. The RYTM failed to boot about 40% of the time.
- I then moved it and plugged it directly into the wall, with the same results.
- Finally, I plugged it into a spare $3000 Smart UPS I have at work which is spec’d to power a network IDF and conditions power very well. Again, the RYTM still had the same issues turning on.
At this point I inquired about the specifics of their warranty policy, to which they replied with:
Your unit is covered by a three-year warranty, counting from the date of purchase on the original receipt. If the original receipt is not available, the unit is still covered by a three-year factory warranty, counted from the manufacturing date. The manufacturing date (MFGDT) is printed on the serial sticker as either year + month or year + week.
When the warranty has ended, the cost of a repair is 50 USD per every started 30 minutes. Spare parts and shipping are not included in this price and CA Sales Tax is added where applicable. It’s highly unusual that repairs exceed 30 minutes. The turnaround is usually 1-3 weeks. The warranty for a repair is 3 months.
While the warranty is valid we will make sure you have a functioning unit. If you’ve had for example boot issues while the warranty is valid and report this and the issue goes away and shows up again after the warranty has expired we will most times act as if the warranty is still valid.
It’s sensible enough, but after consideration I don’t think I want to invest time into creating projects on a machine that’s this temperamental when it comes to powering on so I plan on selling the next replacement they send me. In my experience, their MK1 units are way more reliable than this.
For what its worth, I’ve heard that some people have been able to correct the boot locking issue by holding down a pad while powering on. Not sure if it works or not, but thought I’d mention it in case it helps anyone.
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I have not done anything. I have not had any problems since the last time.
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This is unbelievable, the 4th replacement Unit and you have tested it with safe good Power, did Elektron comment this ?
This makes me think they dont give a fuck about they users.
I really want the Rytm Mk ll but i am so glad i did not buyed it.
I’ve got the same problem, sequencer keeps running, but everything else is unresponsive. It crashes within 1 - 2 hours. Also have some other minor bugs like shift + rotary stuff. This all happens after the latest beta firmware. I’m very nervous when playing live, but I noticed that when i’m not using midi thru, I never had a crash. Maybe that’s the issue for me. Now I linked every hardware again and used midi thru on the ar again, and it crashes again. Too bad, my cable management is horrible, so some midi cables are too short. Will buy new ones soon, and try to put the ar as endpoint. (using mk1 tho). (my setup = minilab + keystep (midimerge) -> ot -> a4 -> ar -> dt -> md -> mm -> waldorf, all through midi thru )
They didn’t reply to any of my observations other than providing a return slip to send the unit back. I mean to be fair their support have been courteous and apologetic regarding this whole ordeal, but to date have not provided any concise and/or reasonable explanation as to why this expensive instrument has a tendency to lock up/crash - regardless of when it was last used or the power conditions it was under. To even attempt to rationalize these problems as “normal behavior” under any context is a bit absurd in my opinion considering what you pay.
That being said, I’m not sure why they are choosing to turn a blind eye to this widely reported issue but whatever, it’s their problem at this point since I no longer feel like investing $1500 into beta testing/troubleshooting their products. If you want a better idea of how people perceive Elektron’s current business decisions, go to their Facebook page and look at the July 5th announcement of the Heat MK2 and read the comments.
well I don’t use my Rytm a ton but was on it tonight and had my first freeze 
was playing with the Dual VCO in chromatic mode when it just locked up . the sequencer was still running but nothing else would work. gonna keep a close eye on it. … really hoping this isn’t a problem unit. w22 of 2018
heyo, My Mk2 froze up after the latest 1.45B update. None of the resets work. totally frozen . anybody have any further info on if this is fixable? wtf is going on? this sucks
I had my first freeze tonight. Got it a week ago. I was rapidly setting P locks when it froze. I could lower/raise the volume and that was about it. I powered it down/up and it seems to be working fine. I’ve read allot of the shit that been happening with it so I’m kind of a dope for buying one but could not resist any longer.
I’ve been having this problem with the MK1, I first started noticing it about a year and a half ago but thought it was something to do with Overbridge. I’ve since stopped using Overbridge as it’s unusable on the mk1’s, it still kept happening so I thought it was USB midi, i’ve now got it at the end of the midi chain and I’m gutted to find out that it’s still happening. Not acceptable for what was a £1200 machine.
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short report // had a mk2 unit for 1-2 month. had freezes with 1.40D as well as 1.45B 2-3 times a week. i think mostly when changing many Parameters simultanously. opened a ticket, reported about it and showed it on a video. we decided that i bring it back to the store, where i instantly got a new unit after saying that i love the machine and cant wait for a repair… well i actually paid for a working unit. the new one seems fine so far. havent played that much since yesterday. knocknock.
To everyone who has trouble like this: i think its good to tell them quickly via ticket (just Play around til it freezes and make a video then, cause its hard to reproduce this problem). And to replace/send in the unit as fast as possible. the decision of replacing vs repairing is made by the retailer asfarasiknow.
eventhough i was kind of disappointed by this issue, i definetly want to keep this wonderful drumuniverse and have to say that the customer service has been superb so far.
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i still have mine freezes rarely. I noticed that it comes when i turning knobs a lot. Usually when i searching a right timbre, i do lots of movements very fast, tweaking sound back a forth. on stage i do less that way, more for particular knobs.