How’s everyone feeling about it? Feels kinda like an Apple move to me. New products with minimal effort/legit difference. Seems to work as a business model tho. Existing customers struggle to resist upgrading their phone/ipad etc and new customers get more hyped for something shiney.
Apple at least bring out new OS with each hardware revision (not to mention packing more cpu punch and ram etc) and its backward compatible across earlier models (as is OT mkii OS it seems, so probably safe to say the same with the A4 and rytm mkii’s), so hopefully Elektron have taken that Apple standard move too and a bunch of new OS features across all boxes…
People have said it could be motivated by manufacturing considerations, wanting to streamline their processes/stock requirement etc and have same components on all boxes. Guess this is fair enough if the case. If that’s the reason tho it feels like bad timing to implement it. The stingey feature set/spec of DT, OB premium and then a bunch of mkii revisions has totally flipped my perception of Elektron as a company. Announcement of new big box/es soon hopefully will remind me why I held them in such high regard not too long ago…
From my perspective I’m happy the way it turned out because I saved a ton of money on new hardware while not feeling like I’m buying something outdated (apart from the new look which I really like).
From business perspective it streamlines their process which in the end might give us new machines that will run on dedicated software.
Digitakt is a great example here. That thing is brand new while keeping core elektron workflow that people like.
Once they squash the bugs on it they will have a great platform to work on OT2 or whatever it will be called.
It’s because they have better hardware now that’s made the old hardware obsolete. THere’s no point in them not changing the hardware on these devices, it would be silly to keep producing them the old way when there is a better way now.
It’s not an “apple move” it’s simply a logical move. You don’t NEED to always have the newest latest design. Your old unit is just fine, but anyone that wants to buy a new one will have a newer version of hardware. It’s only logical.
Still banging the retired Silver ones, they just don’t get old, packed as they are with smart features and great sounds.
We’re not talking about computers whose power get ridiculous after 10 years : we’re talking about instruments that can alone still make a whole room dance years after they’ve been designed, and made, as the build is quite solid and far from the programmed obsolescence that is more and more the rule.
The shadows one can see are projected by their own mind.
Apple comparison doesn’t apply, like even a tiny bit.
First it’s only a second iteration of OT, while A4K and AR mk2 are still smoke.
Hard to draw a curve on that.
And one has still to find a single word from any Elektron official that could be taken as cynicism.
Stating that the makers of the instruments that make me vibrate the most, that such people who have always shown passion and respect are simple crooks just doesn’t fit, makes me sad and even feel a bit insulting IMHO.
Huh, who said that? I definitely didn’t call them crooks or imply it… People sometimes seem to take criticism/debate of Elektron as if their religion is being slandered/questioned. It’s just gear I wasnt even stating these things as fact. Just saying how things seemed to be heading to me after all the recent Elektron moves and questioning/asking for opinions…
Parallels to Apple seem blatant to me? I’m sure they’ve probably even studied Apple’s business models. What tech hardware business wouldn’t?
Either way, people seem to be getting upset so let’s agree to disagree None of this is worth falling out with humans over
I am not glad at all about the direction Elektron is heading and that is of course a shadow projected by my own mind (does any other of that type exist?). Elektron does not have to say anything to be viewed upon as cynical. Ideally it should be their actions that decides the judgement upon that matter and so far it has been.
I am sorry I do not like the smell in the kitchen and no matter what delicious treats they have cooked up in the past does not remove the foul stench stuck in my nose.
I don’t see any blatant parallels between Apple and Elektron at all. One is a behemoth mass selling general purpose lifestyle goods, the other is a small team selling a niche product range within a tiny market.
If these mk II models perform better than their mk I counterparts, and have more robust hardware (50M cycles and all that), then its’ all only positive I think. Nobody slags technics SL1200’s because they are built to last. This will only mean that even the “discontinued” models of the future will work for longer, long after official support ends. Unless there are other bottlenecks, like powersupply or OLEDs going bad…
I love my rytm and will upgrade ASAP if a longer lasting version becomes available. The rytm is an instrument I want to keep with me as long as possible. And even though I have not yet gelled with my OT as much, if that ever happens, I’ll go mk II there as well. As long as mk II doesn’t nerf mk I, there are hardly any downside that I can see.
Guess we will see Jamie Dornan live performance on next elektron night of machines at berghain don’t forget what’s happening there kept there… grey trinity and ropes too…
Edit :
And reading what I write and now I know I have no opinions on the subject. Lol
I’d love to see less cynicism, less nit-picking and more interesting or thoughtful insights (of all opinions) and more selfless community minded contributions … more humility & evidence of a healthy perspective too
A less entitled, more self-accountable user community would be a benefit to us all, the acid test would be whether a contributor would be truly comfortable for their mum, loved-one or employer to read their posts. Positivity is not about being a fanboy though, making a positive difference can include healthy constructive criticism particularly for legitimate reasons
I don’t really follow the assessment in the opening post, seems simplistic, I have no issues resisting the upgrade train and I can’t see any Apple parallels with Elektron or the thinking behind any of these potential facelifts (besides a superficial leaning towards good industrial design and a streamlined workflow experience) … I mean, what criticisms could we level against, say, Fender and Gibson then
That Octatrack MKii is the sharpest looking Elektron yet, I’m sure the os isn’t the most elegant, but if the other instrument boxes eventually get this makeover I’m defo gonna start getting a little bit jealous, but I’m also a happy camper because there’s likely no strong sense that I will have been left behind with my dark trinity either (i like the trigs+leds) … keeping customers on board this way is a win win situation and it negates any sense that an upgrade path is being offered up … we’re all grown ups, we don’t need the latest thing …
These boxes will work forever (yay MIDI) unlike your average Apple machine (sadly, that’s an empirical observation)
I’m absolutely enthralled by the look of the new OTmkII, also quite surprised that there is a mkII and yet it does make sense, the addition of Trig conditions is worthy of the update … a few extra buttons certainly add to the ease of realtime functionality performance.
as regards the OT os, it is what it is. Does the job and yet maintains a wide-open modular framework as it were. Scalable, lateral thinking encouragement, quality all the way. Gain staging needs to be kept in mind as a theoretical volume level for each sample, etc … either it works for a musician or it doesn’t.
For previous OT owners btw, it is actually really really easy to achieve conditional trigs using just two of the LFO’s on a track.
I love Elektron, but I have lost a teensy bit of respect for them given this disappointing OT update. In isolation, and as an individual product, the OT2 looks great and is a good piece of kit, but it’s really not good enough given the history of OT and how much they could have done to make really small changes that could have been life changing for OT users. It seems like they have just answered the cries for an OT2 with a very lazy and below average response. Here’s hoping that they will actually release something exciting in their product map over the next year - to be fair though DT is quite cool
Oh! Cheers for the elucidation
Well, i thought there was a button for Trig Mode on the faceplate of the mkII. Slightly crestfallen now lol … Not to worry, LFO’s achieve trig conditions anyway. Anyway the new OLED screen is something to feel fabulous about. Hope they provide the option to user-customise the colour and brightness and contrast, via their midi app perhaps?
For me, there are lot of potential buyers that were looking at the Octatrack since day one but reports of “complicated use” and bugs kept them from pulling the trigger. With a new facelift and success of the Digitakt, will bring back these potential buyers and turn them into actual buyers.
I wasnt even stating these things as fact. Just saying how things seemed to be heading to me after all the recent Elektron moves and questioning/asking for opinions…
Cheers for the elucidation