Now that the thomann price for the A4 has dropped to 900€ and there’s the MKII on the horizon I think the original A4 on the 2nd hand market will have to drop to 700-800€. Quite a good price for what you’re getting.
As I’ve wrote above, the current design inconsistency among several current / forthcoming products indeed seems like “design madness” like you point out (of course no one should be fired…), unless Elektron is now starting a product line diversification: live (OTmk2, DT, AH) vs studio (ARmk2, A4mk2).
Why, otherwise, would Elektron for the OTmk2 not implement OB, not give it individual outs, not go for “trinity” design consistency? I can understand from a fabrication point of view for the OTmk2 to ditch the old buttons / leds, but Elektron must have a very good reason not to design the OTmk2 in the new “studio” form factor.
The “live” product line ergonomically is best-suited for standing before it while “studio” is best-suited for sitting. “Studio” seems not well suited for transportation. For “live” there is far less needs for individual outs.
I’m expecting new devices that build on Elektron’s current tech stack, hence not too much R&D:
- the “live” product line now lacks analog devices
- the “studio” line now lacks midi out sequencing
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Rubber door stops \o/
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Used A4 has been 700-800€ for a long time where I live. I think you should be able to get one for 600€ used soon.
500 
You expect too much… A small company like Elektron cannot afford to build/maintain so many devices in parallel.
Even Moog has to drop one model, to create a new model… Elektron is for sure not Roland, Korg, Yamaha…
This is just a marketing screwup…
I’m not expecting too much. Instead I’m trying to think of a logical explanation (studio / live diversification is my explanation) why Elektron would announce three updated products (that were once “a trinity”) over a one week time span (in stead of all in one announcement), with two form factors. That can’t be a “marketing screwup” like you suggest… Production-wise it would have probably been cheaper to give the OTmk2 the tilted design as well. Now the OTmk2 is aesthetically alligned to the Digitakt (it’s wider of course but that doesn’t really matter design-wise if you place them next to each other on stage). To me that means it’s alligned for the live product line.
Also the “QPER” button and “Quick Perf Amount” dial on the ARmk2, which isn’t endless, to me seems like a replacement of the scene cross fader on the OT. As a matter of fact, if Elektron builds upon the AR’s sampling capabilities, and if its website claim “The most complete analog drum machine and sampler there is” will be true, then it must outperform the OTmk2 sampling-wise. I think for the studio product line the OT was ditched. The studio line now just needs another device with midi out sequencing.
Jonas Hillman, Elektron’s CEO, said on camera “We will start launching more products than you will ever believe”. I don’t think he was bluffing. Elektron can only achieve a really wide product line in record time if they re-use their codebase, and device functionality, on multiple devices. The “collect 'em all” strategy probably will be far more profitable on lower priced (DT form factor) devices. I’m betting the ARmk2 sampler’s codebase will be identical to Digitakt’s (they are developing the DT’s firmware right now and at ARmk2’s release in october it will probably have the exact same functionality). The DT’s form factor hints at “modular” functionality which only makes sense if multiple small form factor devices will come out with the same tech stack as other devices. For example an “Analog 2”.
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In my opinion they won’t.
The second all stores get rid of MK1s, used prices will climb up. Give or take few months time.
My guess is the $700+ territory or more unless the MK2s offer super significant improvements for some reason OR people don’t find it cool and start unloading.
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lol somebody bent the point a little
I just notice that with each new release of a new Elektron instrument there was always a lot of enthusiasm, up to and including the Digitakt. Sure, there was always some grieve or sadness when a instrument was dropped from the portfolio (like the Sid, Monomachine, Machinedrum…) but that usually quickly faded away with the introduction of new, more capable, innovating instruments (like the Dark Trinity). Even the Digitakt was well received as it added something new to the scene: a compact, more affordable midi+sampling sequencer…
Until the OT mkII was released. People could understand Elektron wanted to standardise on the new DT-style buttons/knobs/screens but the color threw people a bit off… But now that the AR/A4 mkII are released, people really do not get it anymore. I’ve been a long time Elektron user (and will continue to use my AR mkI and might even buy an A4 mkI) but I’ve never seem so much antipathy for a new Elektron instrument.
(Looking at it in retrospect, maybe the OT mkII is just a compromise between the black and silver boxes?)
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I think the mkII’s look pretty cool, but would love to see them offer them with a black or gray case.
So MKII’s should have had smaller OLED screens to better resemble the ones on the MKI’s, been less tilted (or not tilted at all), stayed the same size without additional buttons, and stayed black with red accents so people would be less affected by change? That would have been super lame imo.
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My only problem with MK2s is the size. I simply don’t have room but I really dig the look.
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Yep same thing for me, the old format was perfect, the new one are just too big for me (dont have the space)
Anyway that just me and those new box looks great !
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For a mid-live update, they should:
- keep the same size/layout (or make it slightly deeper or higher but definitely no wider, if needed to implement the bugfixes)
- keep the same color scheme from the Dark Trinity
- have considered standardizing on the new DT-style backlit buttons, knobs and OLED
(especially if it increases the quality while driving down the cost) - implemented some bugfixes, mainly the USB/Overbridge issues and more responsive pads
- charge some extra money for ALL OB users, if it added significantly new functionality (e.g. sample transfer/management), not just for bugfixes on an existing version.
Next work on a completely new machine which is worth the upgrade:
e.g. an AR with the MD machines or an AR with the DT sampler and market it as such,
keeping both instruments alive for a couple of years like they did with the MD:
we were able to buy a MD and the newer MD-UW (at a higher cost obviously).
This is just a major marketing screw up…
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Same. “We’re gonna need a bigger boat”
My room is pretty cramped, so smaller format devices are essential to me, and I doubt the mk2 will fit on the stand I have my dark trinity on, it is not a simple case of just buying or making a bigger stand as other gear resides in and on it, and frankly it would be too much work to totally remodel my room to accommodate them.
Still, I think they look quite nice, not sure if I prefer them to the mk1 yet, the new features are great but I don’t really need them, the biggest pluses for me are the screens, like @bradleyallen reading glasses are sometimes needed for me these days, so clearer and larger screens are a bonus.
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I think there’s a simpler answer really. On the AR and A4 the outputs for each track are analog, so you only need to make a few minor changes in the circuitry to have individual outputs for each track. Since the OT is purely digital you would need to do some more redesign to add more DACs for more outputs (or more ADCs for inputs). There’s lots of reasons why that may have been difficult to do.
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it’s funny how many Specialist we have there. So finally, people don’t make music here… We have a lot of Product Specialist, Object Designer, Advertisement Chief, Life cycle product specialist, Marketing Senior, Responsible of Elektron Artifial Intelligence, Color Specialist, Material Specialist, Programmer in Chief…
Dammit i’m Graphic Designer (From my studies)
So a lot of Hobbyist Musicians i assume… Well well we all have to eat !!!
i will not say anything on this point.
And PASSION is one of the most important thing in life.
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What you expect these days if college professors give their students coloring books and crayons when they have a bad day?
Mass regress has started and it is funny considering how wide access to information lies at our fingertips.
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Yeah yeah, i was trying to put some humor in the thread… So that people take themselves a little less seriously (could failed though)
there is more serious in life … and especially more positive one ! like to move forward in their projects. Leaving marketing and bizness to ELEKTRON it’s their business not ours.
We are not shareholders
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