Finding it hard to love Rytm for studio use

Hi guys!

Ever since I got this great piece of gear: i’m finding it hard to fit it in my workflow.

I mainly use it in my studio, so not for live use. My style is more or less dark disco/electronica/synthwave
I’m a drummer originally, and am used to playing in my drums as midi parts (using a sampler in logic).

I find myself trying to complement drum samples with the analog machines in the Rytm, but then find it tedious to have to record the individual WAVs in my DAW, and not being able to make small edits later on (as the RYTM kan not export midi into the daw which I could then edit).

Perhaps I’m overseeing something, and perhaps you guys could give me some advice on why it’s still worth it in a workflow as I mentioned above. Or do you agree, that for my situation, I might aswell sell it?

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I found myself having similar issues, but in the end I found it more productive to modify my workflow to fit the AR, than the other way around. I am very happy with it now. Basically you have to start programming drums on the AR instead of in a DAW, and the rest will follow.

If you don’t want to modify how you do things, which is reasonable, then probably sell it.

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My problem is I tweak sounds on it for hours and don’t get anything recorded :joy::joy::joy: but I’m getting better.

Also I just recorded a track last night where I wanted to do edit out a snarish sound from this tom loop I had going, I just edited it out and made a new clip (in ableton) then used that loop… so I dunno that’s one way to handle it

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I seem to work in a similar way to you, except I’ll write everything with hardware, then record everything one-by-one into the DAW and edit the details there. I don’t start writing in the DAW, as it seems you do. but nonetheless, I am eventually recording and editing RYTM (and other drum machines) parts in the DAW.

I don’t get what trouble you’re having “making small edits.” you don’t need the midi. just edit the audio. copy it to a new region/clip/whatever and edit as needed.

how do you mean edit the audio? what kind of edits do you make to the WAVs?
whats cumbersome to me is editing the sequence in my DAW (cutting/copying/pasting pieces of the WAV

yeah just copying/pasting/resizing/chopping audio in place. as you said, “small edits.” it’s not that difficult. with practice (and learning some key shortcuts) it’s quite quick actually. I get that it’s not as straightforward as just entering the midi, but it shouldn’t be difficult for you. absolutely a DAW skill one needs, imho. for small edits, it’s going to be quicker than capturing new audio from the RYTM.

what DAW are you in? I’m only familiar with Logic and Live but in those, basically you just drag the region/clip to lengthen/shorten it. or use the typical key commands to copy/paste, then resize and move as needed.

I do get that it can be frustrating to learn. when I moved from Live to Logic it was very frustrating, until I got the hang of it. just need to do it more and it’ll be second nature.

You guys aren’t using the individual outs? I’ve had my AR (and OT/AK) on full individual outs to my mixer and from there 24 direct outs to my audio interface - allowed me to record every part to separate tracks in Logic.

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Same here, but with ableton. It makes my life so much easier.

whether stereo or individual out, my workflow still entails editing audio in the DAW after capturing it.

I like using individual outs like you, but how do you record the FX for each individual track? This problem has really stumped me. I know there are ways to do it, but not without muting channels and recording each individual track separately. Once I’m doing that, the individual outs serve no purpose. The other option is simply not to use FX. What’s your process? I’d love to know.

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I understand your challenge and we all have different approaches that we prefer. For me, I’m routing the entire fx to the stereo out and disconnect each track’s signal to the main outs - leaving only the fx there. This won’t give you the different fx parts isolated, but for me that’s fine - I’m as old school as I’m old in this sense, used to use fx with sends from each track.

And as you also stated, no using fx from the AR at all is actually what I’m doing 9 times out of 10.

But maybe having a stereo fx audio file separated from the dry signals, as mentioned above, could be a good enough approach to try out?

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I think the OP means

    'small edits' == edit midi

I also prefer to edit midi over audio, and the fact that the AR sequencer does not export midi means that you can’t record and tweak it later. You can export midi live from finger drumming the pads, and the AR accepts midi, so there are work arounds. I would also prefer to edit midi in a DAW later, but make the original seuences in the AR. This seems like it does not work.

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Wait : if you record the MIDI output from finger drumming, then send the MIDI back to the AR, you should get close to the OP dream workflow, no?

Anyway, AR is in my opinion better suited for a workflow that uses its strengths : recording MIDI within the AR, in the famous Elektron sequencer, and tweak it from within (conditional locks, Direct Jump, and of course Mutes, Scenes and Perfs).
Let your DAW-focused workflow on the side for a moment, and get yourself confortable with Elektron workflow: it’s way more rewarding IMO than find a convoluted way to use the AR like a traditional drum machine.

100% agree. You can work around it, but you will be hobbled. I switched from DAW drum editing to in-AR editing, and I am now very happy. It wasn’t easy but it was worth the trouble.

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This is exactly what I mean. I like drafting ideas and crafting sounds on the RYTM, but would love to be able export midi from my drafted idea in my daw and being able to tweak it from there, and not having to go back to the rytm to make small variations. but oh well, it may be just getting used to it!

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As others have said, I think you will come to enjoy editing the audio of what you have recorded, and you will learn some valuable skills when you are able to do it quickly (I do also find it tedious sometimes). I was once more like you, writing midi sequences and then cutting them up and editing them. Now all of my MIDI is composed on my Elektron machines first, as a starting point. I will occasionally record longer progressions and pads via midi in the DAW as well. Best of both worlds.

It is possible after all of this that you will want to return to the old way of doing things, and that is fine too. I just know that I went from working 100% in the computer to setting up a studio of live gear that is linked together, and it has really improved my process, but it took a while before I felt things really ‘click’. I purchased the Rytm in November, and it is now the centerpiece of all drum work in my music.

By the way, I use the individual outs in the RYTM so that I can be more flexible in my editing later one. I bought a couple of cheap Focusrite Pro 40 interfaces so that I would have plenty of inputs for all my gear.

That means you record the audio from the ar in the daw track {s}?

The sequencer on the Rytm is half of what’s great about it

If your triggering it from daw your losing half its magic

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Writing the tracks in the AR with its sequencer is the main part for me even using it. I’ll then either write track mutes or automation via the overbridge plugin and record the whole track at once or record the sequence and copy it over the track and do whatever with that.
I would love to record the effects (reverb + delay) and use the performance mode in the studio, but I dont like the noisy main out (I’ll use the performance mode for everything that is output to the individual channels). and as soon as I alter the individual tracks, the effects dont really fit anymore. But the distortion is recorded to the individual tracks, so for me the most important part is there.

The AR gives me a groove so fast, which I could never achieve with my daw or ni maschine. To me this thing is a studio beast. sound, speed, workflow and primarily groove just beat everything else I have used the last 20 years.

Just hang on till it clicks. It is so worth it.