With the incorporation of sampling AR MK2 is getting close to being my dream drum machine. Once they release the bag to lug it around and the new synth engine, it’ll be almost there. I fail to see the point of comparing it to x0x style drum machines. There’s a plethora of options to get those sounds in all shapes, colors and flavors, but the AR can do so much more.
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yes - & that’s my problem. despite all the programming in the world, it’s just not a sound I like. The A4 is the same.
I ddin’t get the AR hoping to “replace all existing analogue drum machines!” - got it hoping it would at least produce great analogue kicks, snares & hats.
it doesn’t. Not to my taste anyway - YMMV obviously & that’s cool 
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I would love to see a drum sampler with a load of great bread and butter sounds for layering. 4 layers per sound with good filter per layer, solid effects, individual outs. The obvious answer to this would be using a sampler like MPC, currently using an OT for this purpose and it does a pretty good job. Problem being they’re designed for a lot more than this specific purpose making it overkill.
Imagine digitakt with proper drum layering rather than having to mess about resampling. Plus individual outs and sample management don’t exist yet, but let’s not get into that. VST wise polyplex is pretty sweet but I’m not a fan of reaktors sample map thing and I kind of want to flick on and start going, kind of why I opted for autosaving OT. Also wish DT had some type of drum synthesis, I wonder what the future holds, I am starting to think DT sounds like the closest thing though
That’s fair enough. It was the same for me until I really put in a lot of time and effort. Of course I’m a clueless hack, but changing the OSC levels and fully exploiting the ENV/LFO modulation possibilities alone did wonders for the sounds I get out of it.
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Why do you get hung up about the green stripe, but fail to mention the lack of motion sequencing or p-locking? That is a real shortcoming and not a cosmetic preference that you could fix with a black marker:
http://www.edding.com/organising-and-marking-at-home/products/edding-750-paint-marker/
I like both machines. And I like green. 
Seriously?
Dedicated outputs
Mute pads
Conditional trigs
Sample editing
Decent fx
It’s ok for techno but quite limited, no? Even sp16 is a better drum machine I think.
Agreed
I don’t need motion sequencing or p-locking particuarly on a drum machine. And the green stripe was a joke, mainly 
I was a first batch early adopter of the Rytm. In fact I bought it pretty much without hearing anything other than initial Elektron demos / video.
I assumed it would make the sort of analogue sounds I like, it doesn’t. Some of the later updates / machines got it closer, but not enough to
justify keeping it.
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yeah - similarly I battled for a long time with the A4 : there was just always something ‘wrong’ with the sound for me… I guess it depends what you want
analogue to sound like - for me that’s my Moogs & SEM… the A4, like the Rytm, doesn’t do it for me at all. I think I’m basically a fan of Elektron when they’re doing
digital really - that’s their strong suit IMHO. I am keeping an eye on the Digitone for that exact reason…
I like limited on a drum machine. But the sound has to be there. All the condtional trigs & p-locks in the world mean nothing if the kick & hats don’t sound right.
My fave DM at the minute is the TR-09 actually : super small for gigs, plays just an OG 909 other than that, not expensive so when I’m not using it (i.e. in the studio - its 90% for live )
I don’t feel bad that I’m not getting my money’s worth.
That’s how the Rytm felt : I’d spend a day carefuly programming a pattern, creating sounds, fiddling with samples… think “ok, this is alright…” Then I’d fire up the TR-8, or drop some
samples into a Live Drum Kit & 10 minutes later go “ohh… fuck. that’s how it should sound”. The track suddenly worked. When you’ve spent £1350 on a drum machine that feeling gets to be a problem
ultimately.
I think the Rytm should have been the ultimate drum machine - on paper it is - fucntionally it’s amazing, but I just don’t like the analogue sound. Again, really happy for you cats who dig it, but it’s not for me.
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Working a pattern on tr8 with octatrack midi sequencing it at same time works for me. Just got a DFAM so may get a tr08 so I can sync them. I do enjoy a drum machine.
Holy f#ck. Price at Thomann is down to €259.-, that’s a steal indeed.
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If Elektron could work out all of the bugs in the DT and the AR2, add song mode to the DT, and the ability to sequence external midi gear on the AR2, they would both be incredible drum machines.
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I’m not sure whether the AR MK2 is riddled by bugs (I haven’t come across any, mine behaves identically to my MK1) or poor manufacturing quality. I seem to recall you having a lot of problems with yours. Any word from Elektron?
Am I the only one that would happily pay $100s more for proper outputs? That’s the deal breaker for me.
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That still don’t sound particularly good if you are just wanting to use the analogue engines … 
It’s not about features or bugs … it’s all about the sound.
No
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This
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I know how you feel, unfortunately. You can spend a lot of time with the Rytm and make it sound great, but other things can be so much faster, and ultimately get you back to finishing a song. And for those of us without a lot of spare time, that matters. Some days I love my Rytm, some days I just kinda like it.
All of the above. An all-black (or at least replace the green LED’s with white) TR-8 with sample import, sp-404 fx, more pattern storage, separate outs, all metal box, and that would do it for me. Maybe clean up the layout a bit. Spread things out on a larger face-plate - think AR mkII, TR-909, TR-808 face-plates and spacing.
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