Let's really dig into Rytm's gorgeous distortion...what is it?

Interesting topic :thup:
I to love how nasty things get when you crank up or down the SYM distorsion parameter.
Your hypothesis could be tested by recording the signal and visualizing the waveform, maybe.
Offsetting the signal would produce some clipping until the signal disappear, so coud be.

@Olle @Ess would you mind sharing some insights on this?

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Yes I think that is correct.

Bugbrand wavefolder module acts very similar, but it is a module rather than standalone.

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Following this thread. I haven’t spent enough time figuring this out. I have heard tweaking the compressor output mentioned elsewhere but yet to try this. Thanks for the tip : )

I use distortion on all my kits. Absolutely essential Imo to bring out those crispy highs.

Clipping the compressor is also gorgeous.

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If you don’t send the tracks to the master out and just use individual, does it have the same effect? In my limited experiments there (i route each track out into my DAW so sending them also to the master casues phasing) it appears to not do much and looking at the architecture diagram seems to confirm this unless I am misunderstanding.

It also appears that sending the 2 mix back into the Rytm will only get it to go through the compressor and not the distortion.

So basically if you don’t send all the drum tracks through the master FX buss, you can’t use the distortion - correct?

Individual outputs are not affected by Delay, Reverb, Distortion, Compressor.

Yes. Compressor only.

I think I prefer it!

This thread motivated me to experiment more Distortion, with an lfo on Symetry for example…otherwise I don’t really like this parameter. I feel like acts as a gate I have on one fuzz distortion pedal.

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Yeah I know the indvidual outs dont get effected but what I am asking is if you can send the outs to the distortion or compressor like you can with the reverb and delay. So it would basically be parallel. Right now the master tracks have the verb and delay on them the way I set it up.

Not sure why I get phasing when I send all the tracks to the FX channel (in audio settings - 12/12), but everything sounds better when I have it at 0/12.

Guess this means I can’t use the distortion and will just keep doing it with a 3rd party pedal or plugin.

It’s adds a little something at a very minimum setting. Otherwise yeah it’s kind of awkward.

But I’m sure you’ll find a good use for it.

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Hmmm, I could swear I remembered plugging a synth into Rytm MKII’s external inputs and that stereo signal went through the clipping distortion, too. I think I might need to test this.

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Which pedal, if I may ask?? I’m looking for standalone devices which do this.

It’s a Nitrogen 21, germanium fuzz made in France.
Similar to The Zvex Fuzz factory, the gate helps to control the crazy internal feedback.
I didn’t use it since a long time, and hearing this :

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I have it set up to introduce a small amount on every kit, but have a kill switch set up that takes it back to zero on a scene pad. Because when no signal is passing through the hiss noise is overbearing. I tried to do without it but the huge difference it makes to each kit is just to good.

It does break up the signal like some fuzz pedals, but I havnt seen any that kill the signal like mentioned.

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i’ve always looked at this as a little bit of a secret sauce. i remember getting really excited the first time i figured it out and kinda tamed it a little lol

i’ve used this ‘breaking through’ in a few tracks as well if anyone wants to hear it in action. really gets very dirty/abrasive at times, but when that fits the track you can do some really quite interesting things :slight_smile:

The Rytm has such a beautiful distortion! I only fell in love with it after I had already sold mine, but hadn’t yet shipped yet it because I needed time to sample my patterns into ableton. On my very last night with my Rytm I had a little jam and discovered the beauty of overdriving and distortion… Regrets… Need to get one again soon! Willing to swap my mpc live for one…! I made a video from that distorted techno jam if anyone wanna tsjek -> https://youtu.be/5bjQT1UIyP4 132BPM Raw Norwegian Unholy Techno

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Yup…that’s cool…

You have to get one in again…!!

Do you have an audio example of that? I haven t been able to apply symmetry in my music yet. (But i m a fan of some hefty distortion :slight_smile:)

I’d be interested to hear some more examples. Couldn’t find any of your tracks.

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^first track i made using this trick, i think it was running through some compression in Ableton as well, but the distortion/breaking/cutting out is Rytm


^it’s pretty clear here on this track as well (this one gets pretty noisy/dirty at moments). the distortion breaking thing is used on some other tracks on that album as well, but it’s probably most obvious here on this track.

both tracks also have synth sounds into the input of the Rytm, so in conjunction with the distortion/compression breaking and cutting out it ends up really being pretty twitchy stuff. :slight_smile:

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Cool stuff! Need to experiment…

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