Introducing Tonverk

[Fin25]

TV maybe launched a few months earlier than the people developing it probably wanted it to. But a business is more than just developers. In order for relatively small businesses like elektron to stay solvent, sometimes less than optimal decisions have to be made.

But let’s not pretend this is the first time they’ve dropped shit too early.

DT2 was too soon, shit, the OG DT was a buggy mess when it came out.

I think it’s a fair criticism to feel a bit shitty about the state of Elektron gear at launch, it’s often less ready than I think anyone is happy with, but how many people are now complaining about the DT2? Shit gets caught up pretty fast, and TV will likely be no different.

But when I see all this about the TV not being innovative enough, then those same people start soiling their Kleenex over Sequential releasing a 50 year old synth or Roland banging out a fucking 909/808 box, I wonder if I’m understanding the word innovation properly.

Enough of the people that own one are raving about TV’s sound quality and playability and I’ve seen enough YouTube videos now that I can clearly see massive opportunities for innovation.

Elektron’s thing has always been to take things that you can easily do in Ableton or on an MPC, but make that thing into an instrument in its own right.

Jury’s out with TV until they get it working properly for everyone, but I can see their ambition with it.

[Riuozami]

I just also wanted to add the Roland has not been innovative at all…they are doing the same thing over and over again since the 80’s…

how many drum machines and synth have they launched in the last 10 years…tr8, tr8s, tr09 boutique, tr08 boutique, tr08 compact…always the same sound offered in different size.

and now in 2025 they come up with the TR1000 which has exactly the same 909 and 808 sound with marketing shifted towards the "word analog ", in a metal chassis and some features copied from Elektron and others…

[MuttBeats]

@Fin25

But when I see all this about the TV not being innovative enough, then those same people start soiling their Kleenex over Sequential releasing a 50 year old synth or Roland banging out a fucking 909/808 box, I wonder if I’m understanding the word innovation properly.

Yep. Also, I trust Elektron to fix the bugs and missing features that (for me) mean the TV is not on my list (for now). I don’t trust Roland to fix all of the various bugs affecting the TR-1000. Roland will hopefully fix the worst ones (like the fact that this is an expensive drum machine with fundamental MIDI sync issues…) but on past form there’s a good chance some of the shortcomings will not be addressed, ever.

I think there’s a v high probability the TV will improve and grow over time because while Elektron have form in releasing gear that’s bugged to hell, they also have good form in fixing bugs and adding new capabilities over time. Roland… not so much (it can happen eg TR8s new firmware, but that’s the exception IME).

It’s not just about bringing something new to the market, it’s about something new that actually works flawlessly as advertised (eventually).

[jb]

I am skeptical of the potential honestly but I’m curious to see what elektron do with it. Obviously it’s part of a new line but people seem to be a bit exhausted with the product segmentation so I don’t think their next move is gonna go down particularly well either

[Prints]

I think the Tonverk is innovative in ways. I really wanted to justify keeping the one I ended up returning and may buy one again someday. I even ended up unboxing it again after I had it all boxed up for return to give it one more shot.

I just think that the Tonverk isn’t innovative enough in its current form and that’s totally subjective.

[michaeljk1963]

@Riuozami

IMO I think they missed the boat for not upgrading the Analog Machines, both A4 and AR - they could have improved them on the new platform with for example giving more voices to the A4, euclidean sequencer, new and more modern effects, new oscillators

A few years back, I made the same suggestion about the A4 and received some not very nice responses from the people around here. I suggested Elektron update the A4 by making it 8 voice polyphony and 8 tracks so it would be more usable. I love the A4. I love how it works. I love the UI/UX. I love to create sounds on it. I even love how it feels sitting in my lap or on my desk. I also never have enough tracks/voices to do what I want with it, so I barely use it except occasionally as a very sophisticated (but also basic) 4-track drum machine along with my other synths. For this reason, the TV is on my radar, but waiting to see what happens with TV OS 1.1 and whether they fix the auto-sampling feature (would love to use this with my mono synths and Voltage Lab 2 modular system).

[Norb]

I think the TV adds a lot of overhead when compared to the Digitakt. It’s not a simple ‘turn on and go’ device.

In this way it’s more like Elektrons older stuff, but I found a lot of those devices had an experimental edge to them. I felt like the Tonverk was closer to a straight forward workstation.

I didn’t really enjoy it in its current state. Felt like I was putting in a lot more work than on a DT without really getting anything in return. I think with some QoL improvements and a feature update or two it could be really good though.

[Azzarole]

@Riuozami

I just also wanted to add the Roland has not been innovative at all…they are doing the same thing over and over again since the 80’s…

Absolutely! I was also surprised that the comparison I quoted was in relation to TR-1000, which is the total opposite of innovation. That being said, I think it’s great if Roland just delivers heritage instruments that people obviously want, just do it right and commit to it (like they now finally do). Let other companies take care of the innovation part and maybe adopt some stuff when it has been established years later (like now with plocks). It’s probably just not as clear as it might have been 15 or 20 years ago that Elektron is clearly one of those innovative companies pushing the boundaries and inventing new things that lead to bew ways of making music and that others can later adopt.

@MuttBeats

Also, I trust Elektron to fix the bugs and missing features that (for me) mean the TV is not on my list (for now). I don’t trust Roland to fix all of the various bugs affecting the TR-1000.

Also very true! Although I suspect the TR-1000 is such a flagship instrument that Roland will not abandon it quickly and try to fix stuff. I still have way more trust in Elektron instruments not becoming obsolete or abandon ware after a few years.

[StuB]

Yeah I see the TR-1000 being in production for a long span of time.

Long enough for me to buy one at least

[BatoutofHellIV]

I just find it funny that despite all the complaints, the Tonverk Sound thread is alive with people playing and discovering on it and the TR-1000 just seems to have people posting pictures of their TR-1000.

[Riuozami]

yeah indeed, just showing off the Roland and no music…and the few music snippets I have heard Roland T1000 related here and in socials are nothing special, whereas I heard amazing stuff coming out of TV

[rtme]

@BatoutofHellIV

The Tonverk Sound thread is alive with people playing and discovering on it and the TR-1000 just seems to have people posting pictures of their TR-1000.

And the award for the “best comment of the day” goes to…

[Elektron]

Hej,

We wanted to share an update on Tonverk. Many of you are already exploring its creative range, which is great. We also want to acknowledge those most affected by the current issues. You’ve asked for clearer updates, and we plan to raise our game in that regard.

Some issues on Tonverk were addressed in 1.0.1, and right now we’re deep into resolving the MIDI jitter issue. Progress is looking good here, and we have already corrected some other prominent bugs. Work continues as we line up 1.0.2, expected later this month, and the following OS versions.

Why does Tonverk have MIDI jitter, and why hasn’t it been fixed yet?

Despite extensive pre-launch testing that we conduct for all products, sometimes critical bugs only surface at or just after release. In Tonverk’s case, a late-stage optimisation introduced side effects that caused the jitter and some other unexpected issues. Tonverk is unlike anything we’ve built before, and launching on a completely new platform means treading new ground in many ways. As a result, solutions to problems are rarely straightforward.

Nevertheless, we want to say sorry for the rough edges some of you have encountered early on. We’ve navigated one or two of these moments before - stress dreams from the Octatrack and Digitakt launches spring to mind - but it’s very much an Elektron trait to turn such challenges into epic journeys not defined by their beginning. We’re confident the issues on Tonverk will be fully resolved very soon, and that its own adventure is only just beginning.

Thank you again for your patience, feedback, and support as we work on it being as good as it can be. We’ll be back with more info soon.

We’ve really enjoyed so much of the awesome Tonverk music and sound that is being created and shared, and though we’re sure most have seen it already, That Tonverk Sound is an excellent place to check out.

The Elektron Team

[Protopia]

As a none Tonverk owner, I nevertheless appreciate this post and the attempt of better communication. Keep it up!

[Kyunghee]

They can speak!