all gear should really especially when it’s muchos dineros
I think the analog sounds are really good and flexible but i always process a lot mainly with eq. like a lot of other users I wish it has build in 4band EQ. This will made it really complete and give a significant workflow improvement.
The sampling function that came with MKII helps a bit.
Still you have to spend effort to get the sound going best way for me process it in the box and bring it back to the machine as sample. This way also ensures you get something individual and top notch at the end.
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I had the Machinedrum as my first drum machine, so know that when I say that I find the RYTM to be plenty immediate and immediately fun. That said, I am also a techno producer, which I agree is definitely its strong point.
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I agree, RYTM is super quick for me. I guess it really just comes down to personal preference/experience but I’ve only had to look through the manual a few times. IMO it’s just as great for spontaneous and quick beat creation as it is for in depth super tweaky edit fests.
On a larger note, I’ve never focused on making my RYTM sound like an 808, 909, or anything other than a RYTM. I like to embrace the sound/idiosyncrasies of each of my instruments. There is a lot there to explore that goes waaaay beyond the analog percussion paradigm of the 70’-80’s. Some people see that as having a small sweet spot (for the named use of an engine), but I appreciate it’s depth.
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There’s also the ways we listen to these things. Monitors/Headphones vary widely and what’s good for the A4 for eg isn’t always good for the AR.
For immediacy, I sometimes just work with a sample, then when I’ve got the rhythm down I switch the sample off and work on the analog voice. That way I don’t lose momentum, I get the thoughts down first instead of loosing the magic looking for the ideal sound. (Thinking the Mighty Boosh passing the signal thru and old shoe then a crab that committed suicide)
I read in one thread that the AH was made for a reason, the AR. But even from that perspective the AR can be tweaked to get where the AH goes (okay, I’m going too far in some areas). Anyway, maybe that’s a chore, a learning curve, but it leads to some powerful pads.
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My two cents: Some are great, some are too limited.
I love the Kicks, claps, Bass Tom and Hats
I like the snares, CB (cowbell I guess), Ride cymbals, and rimshot
I’m okay with the rest
I’m disappointed in the Toms in the lower register, mid to upper tunings are good.
This is all in respect to making realistic sounds.
As for making weird, glitchy, trippy stuff…it’s all gravy.
Hahaha 
Nah, it’s not that bad.
It just has a kindof crusty warm feeling to it.
As i said, i think it’s mostly due to the envelopes.
It just doesn’t have that ‘zap’ feeling to it. No precise impulses in the drums. And not a lot of punch imo.
More like a ‘wooden’ character. In that sense it reminds me more of old drum machines than, say, a 909.
And before you ask, i have indeed programmed a Bossa Nova pattern on my Rytm.,
Bossa FTW! 
wut - mini-pops / cr78 et al are freqin’ awesome sounding 
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Yeah, that’s true. It’s just not the analog engine itself. It’s mostly the sequencer and performance stuff and the sampling that make it go beyond yer typical drum machines.
About the interface, well, i guess there is just a lot you have to memorize, but once you learn it most things are pretty accessible.
Yeah, i like it too, especially if monitored through a home organs built in speaker. The bass is amazing.
But for most dance music it’s not so, eeh, good. 
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I’m confused, my rytm sounds nothing like a cr78
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That’s when the blazing fast LFO comes in handy.
Yeah, and that was of course my first solution to the problem
But for me the LFO retrigger is slightly wobbly compared to the amp envelope (or maybe the amp envelope is the wonky one?).
So if i use the LFO as envelope the click part of the kick becomes unstable.
I have a similar problem when i make a kick with resonance. It’s just not repeatable enough.
And even when i layer a sample on top of an analog sound, they seem to trigger at a slightly different time.
You have the filter env set to reset?
I really don’t get the criticism that AR is not punchy. A little LFO to a tune parameter, exponential shape, one cycle per trig and it will cut through any mix like butter.
I use both the RYTM and TR-8s; the RYTM has an epically deep bottom end and overall smoother tone, while the TR8 has a crisper top end and a more brittle tone. They do work really well together.
But…RYTM can launch into space in a way TR-8 can’t match. Spend an afternoon with Strom and some judicious use of the randomization function—it can sound like nothing else.
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The AR is quite possibly the best of all of the Elektrons, in my opinion. Sounds like an absolute beast! Great to work/play with as well, just a joy. It’s quickly becoming my “desert island” synth. So yeah, it does the basics well! Really well! In my opinion.
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Do you mean if i trigger the filter envelope? Depends. If i try a resonance kick then yes. If i use a machine for kick, then it can vary.
Well, filter env always gets triggered but i just don’t apply the envelope ammount.
I found that I was often using the Overdrive of the MKII set to about 5-10 just to give things a little more character. Not quite into that distortion or typical overdrive grit, but just something with a little more character. Ultimately I though that the analog synth aspect worked best FOR ME when I used it to flesh out sounds and add weight to them, relying on the layered sample aspect to add the texture and grit to my sounds.
I bought the ARMKII expecting to only use the synth engines, but it was in that relationship between samples and synth per voice that I thought it really came into it’s own and started to sound unique.
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Don’t sleep on the mid tom! It’s my favorite.
Crank up the overdrive. Assign a performance macro to the pitch. Program in some 16 notes as trigger condition fills. Modulate the filter cutoff.
Squishy, fat, juicy analog tom goodness.
Why so angry?