i wish there was a second SRC page for alot of the machines but as is you can still go a heck of a long way out from shore into freekyville, before you even get into bringing in samples. it is a wonderful drum synth
yeh, thats true - you really need to use the scenes and perf mode to get into the full range of goodness from the sounds…
i.e. it sounds best when “played” so you can make the sounds come “alive”
Tweaking, sound design is the thing surely?
IMHO, most electronic music is an art form of two central pillars, rhythm and sound design. It’s rarely complex (or needn’t be to be effective) in terms of it’s harmonic vocabulary like say Jazz, but if it don’t groove and the sounds don’t change then it’s a yawn fest!
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I agree, and that’s where the Elektron way of sequencing comes into play. For a step sequencer, it’s very flexible, allowing you, for example, to change most of the sound parameters per step. And set certain conditions for a step - or a series of consecutive steps - to be active. Combine that with the Scene and Performance macros and the Rytm can sound very lively and evolving.
yeh, honestly the Fill button and the Trig conditions and Sound locks put the box in a whole other dimension when it comes to drummachines/grooveboxes/etc…
for example its very easy to overcome the 4 bar limit, while still keeping very close to the x0x style of free-form looping
Analogue Wool
Sold after over 2 years of struggle.
no thanks. Not for me. YMMV of course - & props to all those enjoying it. It’d be boring if we all liked the same thing 
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2 years! Well you certainly tried
Any more details?
no - fantastic drum machine : I just could never get the analogue engines to make the sort of sounds I wanted - I ended up using samples all the time which sort of defeated the object.
But horses for courses & all that. I’ve got a TR-8S now which is my all-time favourite all-round drum machine…& I’ve had a lot! But like I say, YMMV.
Out of curiosity what samples were you using?
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ironically, kicks made from the Machinedrum I sold to buy the AR… plus usual Roland TR suspects, various samples made on analogue synths etc
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Nah. These sounds are mostly nowhere close to a 909. Simply different engines.
I personally think the analog part of the rytm is lackluster overall. Kindof more 70’s then 80’s. Definitely not 90’s.
I think it’s mostly due to the envelopes. It sure doesn’t have the punch of a 909. Or an 808. Even my 101 does punchier kicks than my rytm.
The channels also are not eq’d for their purpose so a lot of the sounds are pretty unbalanced imo. I don’t need bass in my hihats, thankyouverymuch. You can use the filter a little bit for this, but it’s less functional than a proper eq.
And if you use the filter to cut one side of the spectrum you can’t use it for the other part of the spectrum.
It starts rocking a little more if you put distortion on it. And that’s basically the purpose of the analog engine. Do basically whatever and then destroy it with distortion. That’s the natural place for this engine. It’s tuned for distorted techno.
Thankfully there are samples to add the much needed sonic variation.
70s? Well I quite like that whole Mini Pops vibe. Though the asking price is pretty steep for just a few boops and fizzes!
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The 808 and 909 are just 808 and 909s.
The AR can be a ton of things and itself. If there were TR idioms then it would be a TR. And that’s not the point.
You have perfectly summed up my feelings about the Rytm. It’s a fantastic machine for certain types of music. Just not my music. Moving past the lackluster analog sound (imho), lots of nice performance features and ability to load samples, ultimately, did not justify the price for me. I can do those things elsewhere for much lower cost. I would encourage anyone who makes a certain type of dark aggressive techno to get one as it would be an all-in-one powerhouse. Other genres I’ve heard made on a Rytm always seem so muddy and wooly. All just my opinion of course.
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I think the rytm is not maybe a good choice if you want instant analog drum sounds. The rytm excels when you go OCD tweaky with it and use plocking etc to the max. Only then will you start to reach places where the rytm shines. And tbh that place is pretty hard to reach with most other drum machines.
In a way I see rytm and Roland TR8S as the opposite sides of a coin, even if the TR8S is not analog. One is great for spontaneous, off-the-cuff beatmaking and the other is a box where you spend ages tweaking a single pattn with a wine glass in your hand.
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I’m finding they make a great combo, they really do cover different ground. TR8s is ‘punchier’, has a bit more treble, and you can punch in simple beats really quickly. The AR kicks can get real bassy and thick, and you can program more interesting patterns/variations, but the treble feels a little muddy. It takes a long time to dial in the hats and clap. I was close to selling my AR after I got the TR8s, but now I think they live together quite nicely.
I do agree that the rytm loves post-equing. I find the analogue sounds have a freq slope to them, low frequencies dominate over the highs. But nothing a decent eq cannot fix.
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And then sampling the wine glass to add to the sounds?
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Hmm …
So far this thread is talking me out of an Analog Rytm. What I’m hearing is
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It lacks immediacy
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You need to go digging for the good stuff
I like digging but if you have to dig so deep and for so long that any forward momentum is lost in the creative process then I’m not so sure. It’s a balance. I think I will definitely try before I buy.
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All elektrons should be tested properly before buying IMO. loving elektron stuff is an aquired taste.