I’m two weeks into having an Analog Rytm MK2 after having sold my Digitakt. My overall impressions so far:
- The ability to layer samples over the synth engine is outstanding, and really adds a lot of variety to what others have said can be somewhat pedestrian analog sounds.
- This thing is capable of some FAT bass tones using the DVCO. While not really designed for intricate bass lines, the Rytm is very, very good at recording stinkface-inducing bass using the chromatic mode.
- The Rytm takes a bit of work at blending well into a mix; compression helps a lot but the Rytm’s sound is very punchy and prominent. I felt the DT sits better in a mix with less work, but doesn’t sound quite as good.
- The Reverb, Bit Reduction and Delay, to my ears, sound better on the DT, but samples sound amazing when using the analog converters of the Rytm.
- The Rytm’s pads leave a lot to be desired; they’re not great, but the overall build of the box is superb.
- I’ve had a few “banging my head against the wall” moments with its file structure; very annoying you can’t appear to manage/save kits outside of specific projects. Blah.
Overall, I’m super happy I upgraded to the Rytm; it’s an incredible machine and while I’m still learning my way through scenes and performances, I can’t see myself going back to the DT after this.