This is my first post in Elektronauts after purchasing my first Elektron machine, an Analog Rytm MKII. I’m absolutely new to the Elektron world and in fact, this is my first drum machine ever!
I’m not a pro in any way, quite the opposite, making music purely for personal satisfaction as a hobby, with eurorack modules, a Sub37, and a Beatstep Pro. After realizing a drum machine could give me a new flavor and researching what was available I’ve decided to choose the Rytm MKII simple because was one of the best options with plenty of possibilities, room for experimentations and control without the typical boring and overly used 808/909 sound…
…Being the Rytm MKII my first Elektron machine ever, it is quite daunting and intimidating but I’m looking forward to getting to master this beast!
I’ve found some video tutorials on Youtube, but most of them refer to the MKI version. Now, besides the obvious physical changes, has the workflow and approach changed as much as their looks? Would it be recommended to study those videos just to then realizing it will make more confusion than help?
Can anyone recommend me a Tutorial? From the very basic to the advanced features, from starting a new project, saving, choosing tracks, sequencing, synchronizing with other gear, sending a clock, adding and resetting effects, sampling etc.
It will be much appreciated!
First, it spells Elektron, with a K
To get the most out of your new instrument, one of the best drum machines today, you HAVE to read the manual, you just can’t escape it.
Print it, write your observations, get familiar with the vocabulary, do the homework.
Be patient, all the hard work will pay x1000 !
Thank you all for the replies…You are right. The manual is pretty straightforward…Rather than read it as a book, I use it for answering specific questions just by searching in the index…Also, I’ve started watching a video by cuckoo on the MKI and everything is applicable to the MKII with only some minor differences when it comes to the name of functions and buttons…
…by the way, I’ve noticed the MKII gets quite warm after a while…is this normal?
About the warmth : normal, and the machines has some vents to get cooler, make sure to not obfuscate them.
The manual should be read from A to Z, at least once.
As uncool it could seem, I swear it’s really worth it, especially for a first Elektron. Don’t procrastinate on this one.
Useful beginner tip: You can hold down a “selection” and then hit Rec (Copy) / Play (Clear) / Stop (Paste)…this will Copy, Clear, or Paste that “selection”
So, if you hold down the AMP Page button and hit Play, you will Reset all those parameters to their default value…You can do the same with Tracks, Patterns, etc. If you want to copy a Track’s LFO page to all other Tracks, you can quickly Copy / Paste instead of manually setting values.
Welcome to elektron! Stick with cuckoo videos, he’s very good at teaching the elektrons IMO. Almost all vids about the mk I’s should also apply to mk II’s except for minor UI diffs of course.
You’d also do well skimming through the past hundred or so forum topics in the rytm section of this board… This way you’ll form an idea of the common pitfalls and FAQs about the machine. No need to read all the discussions, just skim thru the topic titles and pick up any interesting ones for closer inspection.
I guess it is normal. When I had the unit sitting flat on the desk it would become alarmingly warm. I ended up making a simple rack that elevates the unit so that it sits with the front edge approx 2 cms above the desk and it is inclined at a 45 degree angle. This allows the heat to dissipate much better so I hardly notice it anymore.
Fair enough, apologies if I’ve hurt your taste (or feelings)…Maybe what I should’ve said is that because those sounds have been used and reused over and over again for the last 30+ years it makes them somehow unexciting, uninteresting too vanilla-ish. When I first thought of getting a drum machine I must confess I look straight into those ones (TR-08,09), probably as an automatic response/reflect of what we all associate to a drum machine (especially if you are over a certain age), but I quickly realized they were not for me.
This was a pretty cheap and nasty solution. I made 2 like this for a cost of about $10 each. Its a bit rough but it gets the job done and is mostly hidden by the AR. The hardest part was figuring out how to bend those aluminium strips accurately - youtube was my friend. My primary motivation was ergonomics, to avoid having to lean over to see the screen. I was not expecting the heat reduction to be so dramatic so that was a nice added bonus.
@bradleyallen is indeed commending you, he means well…
You wouldn’t believe how many times people create an account and/or create a topic for a question that not only has been answered countless times on the forum, but also the answer is 1.5 seconds away in a pdf search of the manual…
Sometimes I see someone hasn’t gotten a response for a few days and I don’t know the answer, so I take the 1.5 seconds to search the manual, and I reply with the answer. They thank me afterwords and they’ve literally waited for days for me to obtain and return the anwser in 1.5 seconds, for one of the machines I don’t have even …
Anyway, welcome aboard, just wanted to let you know nobodies being rude to you…
Its a compact foam that is normally used for expansion joints between concrete sections. I just saw it at the local hardware store when I was buying the aluminium and it seemed like it would work.
