Elektron makes some of the best machines, improve them, and
people cant yet cope
they gotta
bash
or
fork cash
or step on the gas
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I had actually started to type a similar post, but yours says it all. I really like what they seem to have done to AR MK2, except for the fact that thereās no Midi Sequencing or at least Midi out which would have made the sampling capability so much more valuable. The inconsistent design language in the recent machines also bothers me and Iām wondering whether Elektron are beginning to lose their āElektronnessā which made me spend a serious coin on their stuff in the first place.
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Those pads on the new AR kind of look the same but bigger. If they feel 75% as good as the MPC Live or Tempest, I may have to seriously consider itā¦ If not, thatās a real shame.
New Analog boxes seem more like studio than live pieces.
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Ooooooft. The size is ridiculous.
the pads just gotta be a ton better than the MK1 ones. tbh that would be the #1 reason for me to upgrade - the current ones, I use pretty much for selecting tracks and muting, and that only because itās the only sensible way 
live vs studioā¦ probably true, and itās likely an adaption to realityā¦ just a guess, but I reckon for easily 95% or more of their lifetime, these devices spend their days in studios/bedrooms anyway.
well mine spends a good deal of its time in a backpack, so this size increase to ā15 inch laptopā is a PITA. but anyhoo
PS It even weighs the same as the mk Iā¦
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My thoughts on these and all new Elektron releases:
- Elektron: the A4mk2 and ARmk2 look stunning. Congrats
- Announcing the OTmk2 with the old "boxed" form factor and a couple of days later announcing the "tilted" A4mk2 and ARmk2 would seem like design-madness, UNLESS...
- we have just seen Elektron is diversing their products into LIVE ("boxed") (OTmk2, DT, AH) and STUDIO ("tilted") (ARmk2, A4mk2)
- that explains all new voice outputs on "studio / tilted" but not on "live / boxed"
- and it explains ergonomics versus portability
- it also explains the absence of OB-support on the OTmk2 and at the same time adding OB to DT: the OTmk2 still has the compact flash for data transfer which the DT lacks
- I think OTmk2 only got "updated" to be only aesthetically alligned to the DT
- adding sampling capabilities to the ARmk2 makes sense in a studio environment: its sampling department probably is identical (not just "alike") to a DT. Getting an ARmk2 for studio use kind of means getting an analog drum synth plus a DT. In a studio environment you could first use the analog drum synthesis on the ARmk2, record that into the DAW, and then add samples on different DAW tracks and record those for further arrangements
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Yeah the tilted are deff studio boxes.
You can see it from the enhanced ergonocis tradeoff vs portability and the tradeoff of more edges and corners(harder to pack/ easier to damage) vs the simples box aka deaigns for on the road.
Thereās nothing in the AK that could really be improved upon. The improvements of the A4mkII are things already available in the AK
I donāt think thereās anything the AKmk2 would have that the MK1 doesnāt have. Balanced outputs? Potentially larger screen?
Not worth spending the extra money on, imo
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This is exactly what we have now, what we were always going to have and what we have long since established we will have.
There is no OB premium as such, not in a meaningful sense wrt software, there is Overbridge and VSTs which use this for GUI niceties and audio streaming
The VSTs are configured exactly the same (will be the same, single plugin, imo), the control panel just facilitates more or less throughput of the same stuff depending on which device you have and whether the latter device (the dongle) is activated to allow entry ā¦ it is not possible/necessary to dongle the old devices, so their OS will effectively be the dongle to permit the maximum permissible channels (but obviously not all channels, it will be as it is now due to bandwidth constraints, again there are well known reasons for this )
The only difference between MKi and MKii is that the latter is capable of supporting more streams and, crucially, it needs the device to be recognised as unlocked(premium) for the only applicable plugin which will be identical for both to allow that device to operate in the manner the older ones can
Talk of Lite and Premium has given Elektron their own headache on this matter, but itās been clear from day one that there was no abandoning the MKi users ā¦ there is one unavoidable truth though, it is no doubt easier to juggle the bandwidth factors when youāre not fine tuning to make something just work as best you can, as per the realities of MKi OB usage ā¦ there is a chance that by having relaxed constraints the solutions will come easier for the higher bandwidth devices and slowly the evolutions to OB tech will be lost on MKi users, but there is no ambiguity about the fact that those users bought into that technology, so this will have to be honoured at a minimum. But moving forward, perhaps further down the line, perhaps never, the MKi and MKii OB āsolutionsā may diverge ā¦ but for now, itās just as I describe
MKi owners are in no way compromised by this development
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OT in the middle to the front and A4 and Rytm to each side to the back. Makes sense to make them slanted on second thoughtā¦
Iām just holding my breath for AK MKII. Hoping for 8 voice poly. Sampling. Sustain pedal input. Metal joystickā¦ Sub ā¬2000.
This is a massive thread so sorry if someoneās asked but will internal resampling be added to the RYTM MK 1 in a software updated?
I understand that adding external sampling isnāt going to happen because the HW isnāt designed that way but the MK IIās internal resampling should be possible shouldnāt it?
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Yeah I kinda agree with this. The OT is looking back while the others are looking forward. Which is fine, itās like saying use the OT with the silver or black boxes or with the DT. But even the AH and DT I think can coexist nicely alongside the new ones. Even the OT can. Itās not such a big deal. But I mean, since the AR got sampling, I mean, the only thing really missing is stereo, coz yeah you can sample the A4 into it buts never gonna be the lush stereo chords you hear on the A4. Unless they pull out the wildcard and it does do stereo, which would be amazing (but it probably doesnāt)
This is getting silly, there is no Overbridge Premium as such
Itās just a way to denote that a restricted device is enabled, it will be using the very same plugin that MKi users are using and the same Control Panel
Itās just that the plugin and panel will now know that a MKii device is connected and whether it is known to be unlocked (i.e. the dongle, tied to that unique hardware board of that machine)
MKi devices just walk right in, we donāt need to think it terms of premium, premium is the vanilla state ā¦ no need for the jesting craic of cracking
bad form Elektron asking for 100 for OB Premium
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Can you p-lock arp settings? If so, take my money
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man, if its true that ARmkii has internal resampling like MD, and with a easier configuration (im still struggling), that would be a huge plus imho 
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lol, dude, the internal resampling or similar like on the MD were to be possible on mk1 id pee my pants with a grin like aphex twin
donāt think it will happen tho 
Well thatās a relief. I hate cracked software.
Letās just hope that when OB premium or whatever it is called drops, and Elektron start selling it to its customers, that it works.
They are treading into dangerous waters charging for a seperate product, and particularly that product being software, notorious for problems.
My crystal ball can see big trouble in little china if it doesnāt work as advertised.
If something is given free, as OB has been up to now, people can complain all they like but the reality is it was given free, so people should stop whinging and be grateful regardless.
When someone now pays $99 for a product, well that now changes everything. People will expect a working product in return, or shit hits the proverbial fan
I hope Elektron have OB premium well and truly sorted before it drops is all Iām saying
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