Analog Rytm MK2- draw up a list of most common problems

Hi people, I’m willing to buy an AR mk2 but before doing this i’d like to know which are the most common problems you have found on it. I’ve already read a lot about the pads issues when in mute/unmute mode, any other important warnings you could give about this beast machine?
Obviously i will test as much as possible at local store but i want to be completely aware about all the issues i could face. Thanks!

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I would suggest you spend a few hours reading the stuff already posted in this forum. I think it will give you a more realistic picture of how things have been. Asking people to summarize here will probably have little context and create a fairly slanted view.

I bought mine in May, it failed in June and to date I have not received a functional replacement from Elektron despite them sending me 3 units. Now they’re trying to convince me that occasionally not being able to power on is a normal “capacitor behavior”. Issues I’ve had include:

  • Locking up at the Elektron logo when powered on (most common issue I’ve ran into)
  • Failed diagnostics (UI Check and Audio)
  • “MISSING CAL: PADS” error, which effectively locks up the interface
  • Unresponsive pads

I’ll be receiving my replacement unit sometime next week presumably, at which point I’ll be listing it on Reverb new in the box for $1200. As much as I love playing musical chairs with defective replacements, I have a TR8S and a Tempest which deliver just fine every time I turn them on.

Your milage may vary of course. Legends say that somewhere out there, functional units exist.

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That blows. I’m on my 2nd unit, but it’s been stable for several months. Fingers crossed.

i have never had an issue with the rytm mk2

Fingers crossed for sure dude, I envy that you managed to get your hands on a functional unit - the RYTM MK2 really is an awesome machine but damn is it fickle as hell. My original unit simply went belly up one night for no discernible reason. Every unit they sent me thereafter had problems booting properly about 40% of the time. At this point even if they sent me a functioning unit, I wouldn’t feel comfortable having this much money tied up in a failure rate this high (from my personal experience at least). I can only imagine that once the warranty expires and they have no reason to swap out your unit, they’ll simply say that boot issues are “normal behavior”.

Every other Elektron product I’ve owned has been fantastic though, I love my Analog Keys and the Machinedrum is an absolutely brilliant piece of gear. In the case of the RYTM MK2 though, sadly its one of the few things I have buyer remorse over. Either way, looking forward to swapping it out for an Alpha Base.