The digi boxes and the syntakt just dont offer the same flexibility as the MnM/MD.
I agree the Octatrack is very impressive but as far as I know it is the same generation of products as the MnM/MD. The newer generation just does not come close to the older one.
And the funniest thing is, that my innocent comment was about Syntakt vs LXR, and not MD 
But yes, I’d love to see either more MD stuff in future ST updates and would love to see an MD MK3 (in other words, an affordable MD with warranty).
Not really, the MD and MnM came out in 2001/03, whereas the OT came out in 2010, a couple of years before the A4 and then the AR a couple after that. In fact, the OT is closer in generational terms to the Digitakt than the MD.
I have a Machinedrum UW, but the only way I’d say it was objectively “better” than the Syntakt is the individual outs and sampling/re-sampling capabilities. Everything else is a matter of preference. MD is more flexible but that might be a minus for someone who wants something more streamlined. The sound quality is totally subjective. The assignable individual outs (and inputs) are a huge plus for the MD, but then again, so is Overbridge and all of the new sequencing tricks on the Syntakt.
There is no perfect drum machine; use what you’ve got.
The main thing that makes me wish I had a Machinedrum is the way they implemented Control All. Having a dedicated machine to control everything sounds far more fun than the manual Control All on the Digis. I think the only way I’ve approximated it is on the OT with MIDI loopback, but it’s still not the same.
I would be stoked if they added a Control All machine to the Syntakt. In fact, I think I would buy one for that feature alone.
On the hardware side, the OT share lots more with the MD/MnM than with the newer Rythm/A4.
Just look at the PCB.
You have always this coldfire Motorola CPU for the core to boot the system and bring the OS up and running.
But the DSP5630 for MD/MnM/OT and the Spartan and analog chip for the A4/Rythm.
And PCB layout are quite different, could be completely another team which made it.
I’d say OT is between 2 generations. Its OS was closer to Silvers, (notes starts from C-1 as on Silvers for instance), but it evolved with some of new generation features.
Aesthetically, it is part of a unique OT / A4 / AR trinity…
The new generation have ADSR envelopes on filter and amp. Isn’t it basic synthesis features MD doesn’t have ?
You do know the Machinedrum doesn’t have a dedicated attack parameter….? 
Thanks, this is exactly what I would have guessed, it actually makes so much sense.
The point is, it’s about personal preference. There’s probably tons of people that consider themselves allergic to anything that calls itself “reference manual”, or looks like one.
Just gimme keys and some knobs and tape then I can mark my favourite knob positions kinda style. They make up with playing, or maybe not. They might just enjoy a simple instrument.
If you consider yourself a musician (hohoho), you probably have some artistic vision - or maybe you just like music, but aren’t interested in the technical side of things, so you don’t give an F about all those terms, what they meam, how they work and whatnot.
There’s no feature set that automatically blows some other device. Man, could things be simple…Elektron would still sell the silver boxes and make tons of money off them, Roland would bring back their classic machines…
Personally, I don’t get it why people shit on manufacturers if they don’t like an instrument or maybe even only certain aspects of it.
Obviously not directed at you, but we had some recent threads that seemed to entertain the notion that some instruments are now is obsolete, because of the new best thing in town.
It’s all in the mind, you know?
Could be?
Possibly maybe?
with MD’s being as cheap as they have been in a loooooooog time, y’all should be posting in What’s your latest purchase & what are your intentions with it? [pics ftw] (Part 2) instead of here.
26 lfos per track vs 16 per track or more like 2 vs 16? Can you route lfos on other tracks like you can on the MD?
OT = 3 LFO per track
MD = 1 LFO per track [or] 1-16 LFOs for 1 track. an LFO can only affect a single track. so you can disperse them as you like. but there is just 16 total.
16 for 1 track, and 0 for others ?
Not for me. I usually need at least one per track. And as you need lfos for “attack envelope”…
MD free lfo routing is great on paper, and trust me, I tested lots of lfo configurations, including lfos on CTR ALL machine etc, but it was always frustrating compare to the 48 OT lfos (3 per audio track is confortable).
Midi loopback: up to 15 lfos for 1 track on ST, 27 for OT…
loopback is fucked unless you do some filtering. you can mess shit up pretty bad [not damage mess up, just sounding like shit messed up. but im sure you are WELL aware]
Works great on OT and afaik on the others as well (not 100% sure about that, tho. Does it?)
On the Octa, if an audio track and a MIDI track share the same MIDI channel, the MIDI track will block the audio track from sending out data while the audio track will block the MIDI track from receiving data.
Hold lfos for instance…
Otherwise yes, more than 3 doesn’t seem reasonable. 
I sold my md a while ago and I have never been interested in the Syntakt. I just don’t like how the Sntk sounds and to me it’s not as flexible as the md and miss the character of the AR, but that’s subjective.
I was just asking because I read 26 lfos and I thought you could route lfos like you can on the md. Well, anyway even having 4 lfos on a track vs 2 opens up a lot of sound design possibilities.
Afaik MD is the only Elektron that can do it, but it gets more complicated if you want to add lfos to midi machines (you need a CTR 8P machine iirc).
Lfos on CTR ALL machine is excellent!