Heavyweights: OP-XY vs Tonverk!

Since both of them are AMAZING multi-sampler groveboxes (and not focusing the entire debate on price)…

What experiences, advantages, weaknesses do you see in each one?

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Just to start of with the clearest to me:
XY is portable, has two octaves of velocity keys, a synth engine on top of sampling, a lot of performance features. Sample length and folder depth are severely limited, also just two send FX. Multi sample recording per button though, which sucks for synths but is great for acoustic sources. Oh and it has a mic! But no banks of patterns for quick access to tracks live. And you can’t jump between scenes on the best without preparation. Also no mute mode.

TV has loads of FX with sequencing and LFOs and envelopes, busses and inserts and that auto sampler that will hopefully soon work. Also polyphony on sub tracks. And longer samples (6 min onboard recording, 45 min transfer with PC). Negative is it can’t do everything I listed for XY.

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Tonverk crushes the OP-XY. It’s way heavier.

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XY lacks synthesis depth. synth engines & modulation are somewhat basic. my 1 real gripe with the machine.

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I was going to make a joke here, but I can’t find out how much the OP-XY actually weighs. Fucking broken Internet.

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They both seem to lean heavily on effects in their respective workflows (though I haven’t tried a TV yet), but in completely different ways. You don’t necessarily have a lot of fine control over the effects in the XY, but they’re immediately accessible and performable. XY also has more “midi oriented” effects (fills, slides, retriggers, etc), which I wish more grooveboxes would embrace.

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Thomann list the weights of equipment.(think its the only one)

Its 0.9kg.

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I have both here, and you could probably put the XY inside the Tonverk, theres enough room below the pcb under the keys :sweat_smile:

My XY will be going up for sale over the weekend as I can’t see myself using it much at all now given their overlap. EDIT: Ended up keeping since the sale dropped the used XY prices :confused:

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I own the OP-XY. As a sequencer, it’s superior to Elektrons — really fun, performative, and much quicker to use than any Elektron.

Sound design is limited, though, and it gets boring quickly if you don’t pair it with a good synth.

I don’t really see them as competitors, even if they’re both multisamplers and sequencers.

It all comes down to what you need.

The OP-XY works great as the brain of a small setup. The step components and the brain track really help you finish songs faster than on any Elektron.

But if you want to go deep into experimenting with your samples, I think the Tonverk is definitely superior.

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I have barely used my XY since I got an M8. It’s just full of little annoyances, not least the truly awful sampling, and sample browsing. Which is a shame as that’s what I bought it for.

The Tonverk looks fantastic for really messing with samples, and looks great even just as a fx box.

But the XY has a ridiculously long-lasting battery, and boots in seconds, not minutes.

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personally, I prefer my xy to my m8. the ui is more my thing n I make better music on it. I can’t deny I wish it was deeper in the sound design department tho. for realsies.

I’m currently saving for a tonverk. I don’t see much overlap vs the xy, multisampling aside.

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I feel like elektron should’ve just waited a bit longer and made the Tonverk more portable, battery powered, slimmer and get rid of the stupid rubber coating on the buttons. As powerful as it is I’ll probably still keep my opxy vs getting the Tonverk.

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It may be not be a hydra synth but compared to a NL2 wich has a 2nd LFOs and a mod AD envelope … it has much wider range in its OSC section with its varrenty of engines, and as of latest OS it can all be para locked … and you shelden hear anyone complain about the NL being too simple

wondering if it really is too simple or just a matter of user twerking (?)

Entering this topic as I am soo on the fence here … :space_invader:

Tonverk is like my dream sampler, amazing mod and bus routing, like everything is modable it’s just my dream machine, love the way it sounds has great texture, dimension and detail (XY sounds more round HIFI to my ears (still superb sounding … no problems there…

But I am very busy these days, and only get few breaks a day in my on the go life. If this was just for studio use I would go TV all day its like my dream instrument

Now Im toying with the idea of traveling with TV a battery pack in a backpack (perhaps a small powered speaker) some cables … Etc …

But these factors play in so favor of the XY

It fits inside the side pocket of my jacket in its foam case

  • Battery power incl.
  • Speaker incl …
    (how usable is the speaker, is it loud and balanced accurately to be used to adjust levels properly and work on arrangements and grooves
  • Mike incl
  • BL incl
    (for direct connection to the bar, car or home stereo system where ever I go)

TV is just an incredible future investment, a true powerhouse, pro production tool + cost significantly less than XY. the XY strikes me as a fun instrument capable of pro tracks but maybe not at the same level of avant-garde sound design (?) any commentary here welcome!

Other factors

  • XY Boot time is considerably less if I am not mistaken
  • Synth engines ! are a huge and a time saver vs browsing folders & samples

another + XY sequencer and arrangement structure seam to be much in favor to the XY, more fun & creative plus a hot chick blink me everytime I do cool FX :kissing_heart:

The unfortunate XY stuff I can make out (I can live with 64mb)Is
sample chopping where all samples share the same filter envelope
(I assume they have at least independent DCAs envelopes? and the filter can be bypassed per pad/note?

The Fx and the modulation are basic so resampling has to be super quick on the XY is it?
How capable are the FX vs TV?
Does it have a pitch shifter (semi real-time timestretch?

How do the Fx and routing compare between the two in quality and creative use (both have FX lanes (the XY can even switch the lanes and FX presets per line IIRC. tonverk has built in LFOs in its FX blocks

How’s do the XY tape FX vs Tv loop FX compare?

The XY has 1900 PPQN
which should result in remarkable smoothness in animation of tape, step Fx and automation …

Ok I need to stop …
Just trying to convince myself out of my dream production tool into a more immediate and creative on the go instruments that cost more is a bit of an agonizing paradox

TV has more depth, with a lot of FX and modulation and easy resampling.
It’s also sounds a lot better, and will age well.
Even the sequencing has evolved compared to DNII, and you can plock the routing towards the bus as punch-in FX…

OP-XY is very capable, especially on the go, but for studio, improvised sessions with friends or live PA, TV is my choice.

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How exactly do you determine that? As user of both devices, I do not share this opinion.

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I’ve only used the OP-XY briefly, during an afternoon, so I cannot say I know it as much as the TV that I’ve been testing for months.
I found the OP-XY FX were neither as tweakable nor modulable as on the TV. I also thought they were sounding rather bland/sterile compared to what I can get from the TV. Very subjective description though.
Anyway, taking FX to their limits is a thing I like to do, and with TV I can stack multiple FX with huge power then some FX to tame them, it makes the end sound way less digital than what I could do on OP-XY.

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The process of resampling is quick, but (and it’s a big but for me) is that sample management is terrible, and once you’ve added a few sample packs etc it’s really slow to navigate through samples to find what you’ve resampled onto the machine. It’s no a fluid resample workflow. I think someone mention that you can get around this issue by naming all your resamples with AAA etc but I’ve not tried that.

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When I have time and energy, TV. When I don’t have time and no energy, OPXY
I like a lot both of these machines.

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I said it in many threads. Repair Sampling, bring one good Drum Synth and one deeper FM experimental Machine and OP-XY is the shit.

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