12 tracks, 8 voices… because there are some choke groups. You’re not going to be able to trigger Closed hat synth and Open Hat synth at the same time, they share a choke group. But there are workarounds.
For instance, you’ve got a sample layer and a synth layer on each track. So, you could have a closed hat SAMPLE play at the same time on your open hat SYNTH track. And really the sample/synth layer configuration opens things up tremendously, not just because you can use samples, but in how it is implemented across the tracks.
It’s set up in a very different way than MDUW but not in a more or less way.
You may think that 8 voices is “less”, but the sample layer expands that, the choke groups expand that, and best of all - Sound Locks heavily expand that.
Even without using sound locks, I could have 16 sounds all playing at the same time, like MDUW (8 synth, 8 sample). There aren’t too many people complaining about Rytm’s voice limitation.
The limitations when compared to MDUW come in more on the synthesis side, as it is analog. You can’t have every single track as a kick drum on Rytm, like you can MD. There are only so many oscillators inside, and there are physical limitations. There is less flexibility when it comes to assigning a synthesis type on the tracks. For most people (myself included), it’s not a big deal. For some, it really is. If you use mostly samples, it is even less of an issue (and samples sound really good in the Rytm!). So it’s all going to come down to what works for you and your music.
Your best bet is to watch Cuckoo’s Rytm tutorials, and seriously… read the manual. All of the information is in that free .pdf Between a couple youtube tutorials and an afternoon reading the manual, you’ll have a pretty solid understanding of the machine and if it is right for you.
Good luck.