I am looking for people who have experience with both machines mentioned in the title. I’m currently looking for a new drum machine/groovebox, I want to move away from my TR8 and try new things.
Due to a lack of online information comparing these two, I’m posting here to see if anyone has an experience they want to share.
These are the 3 most important features for me:
SOUND! I love the tanzbar 2, I make minimal & house so this is right up my alley.
Immediacy: When i’m in the flow of making music, the last thing I want to do is go through a bunch of menus and parameters (which is my main concern with the Rytm)
Build quality & longevity
Both machines have similar features, only the tanzbar 2 is basically knob-per function and zero menu diving. From what I read though, it is fairly complicated to learn.
So it boils down to this question:
Is the rytm mk2 worth spending the extra money on? Is it immediate and can I use it without diving into lots of menus? I don’t have any experience with elektron machines at all, so this would be my first introduction to the workflow. I’m a little scared it will rub me wrong.
Thanks for reading, any advice/experiences on this topic would be welcome!
Yes, rytm is worth the money. Owned both, so that’s my opinion based on experience.
TB2 is not really a groovebox. It’s a drum machine in the classic sense. You don’t get any FX, LFO implementation is quirky (and that’s very diplomatic). Pattern and kit - philosophy is… Well… It’s tricky.
TB2 really wants to be a groovebox, but it just is not. TB1 was so much more of a focused box, it was so good at everything it was meant to do. TB2 wants to do so much more but the implementation of its features is just annoying, especially when you worked with Elektron or Roland mc-/tr-line before. It’s so unintuitive.
Just my personal opinion of course, but with the rytm you get a studio unit, a live unit, a drum sampler and a sound design unit in one box. It also has its perks, that’s for sure. But when it comes down to the question “is it worth the extra money compared to the TB2?” the answer is “yes, definitely”
All of the folks I know that used to own the TB2 sold it after a while, including me. It’s too much of a hassle for that one single kick that can be sampled and fed through the rytm.
Rythm is a well-grounded, reliable, compact option
Back in the days, i used to own TB1 and listen house, techno, electro stuff a lot rather than braindance.
Anyhow i still managed to get bored pretty quick both sound and pleasure wise. You should definitely consider getting a sampler. More fun and more flexible.
Its the sound. Less tweaking more focus on other stuff. It hot and young.
I had the Rytm 1 from day one, we had a nice honeymoon period, but we divorced when the kids grew older. In the end I found myself endlessly rotating knobs. Its extremely versatile thou.
Rytm 2 is awesome. Easy to use once you wrap your head around it and it sounds fantastic. The analog filters and compressor work a treat on the sample side of the machine as well. The synth engine can be nicely unstable in a good way. And the sequencer rocks. polyrythm, p-locks, retrigs. loads of fun to be had and nice workflow. LOVE IT!
I had been going through the same or similar decision. I have a rytm and was thinking of a tanzbar mk1 just because of the sound. I then decided not to take the splurge and use the free tanzbar samples found in the web in my rytm. I’ve owned mfb stuff before and the interface always put me off. But that sound… rytm with tanzbar samples, best of both kinda
Thanks for the replies guys! I figure I’ll have to try them both out and see which one fits my personal workflow best. The argument that the analog sounds off the Tanz can be sampled and used in the rytm is a fair point.
Programming the thing is indeed not flexible. I prefer using it in combo with digitakt of octatrack, for example to make use of trick conditioning and recalling sound settings via CC midi.
that is one way to use it.
It probably better for live jamming from scratch and to come up with ideas and new grooves, it can provide some nice happy accidents for live jamming.
Also it still contains some bugs, so don’t expect too much regarding programming, but the most basic things are covered. Programming Wise it is in range of tr8 is guess
Thanks. Right now, I’m leaning towards the T2, because coming to think of it, I don’t really need sampling and the built-in sequencer I won’t be using much anyways. All my gear is sequenced through ableton.
I suppose, as ever, it depends on what you’re using/want it for.
I haven’t used the Tanzbar but I have a Rytm MkII and love it. I bought the DSI Tempest before I bought this and while that is an amazing machine it is more along a the lines of a ‘traditional’ drum machine (well, kinda… it can also be used as a 6 voice poly synth). I sold that and bought the Rytm, mainly because in drum terms it felt like a tranditional drum machine.
The Rytm is so much more than a drum machine, the sequencer is really something else (I can’t emphasis that enough!) and just a pleasure to play with. It invites creativity and its great for just getting lost in musically. There is a bit of a learning curve but I found the MacProVideo tutorial by Thavius Beck worked as a perfect intro and overview…
Once you’ve worked out where everything is it really is very intuitive and there isn’t much of a sense of ‘menu diving’.
Own AR2 and Machinedrum (I don’t count Octatrack) as well as Tanzbar and MFB 522.
MFB pros: great analogue engine, more classic drum machine focus
MFB cons : tedious programing, lack of features compared to AR
I really think TB2 is downgrade. It is NOT a full on groove station, and it is trying hard to be.
As for the sounds, you can get very close, if not the same.
Even with original Tanzbar, I sample into AR or Octatrack.
Maybe look into cheaper Jomox or MFB stuff to support your AR. I use AR2 , Tempest and Machine Drum, with Oktatrack sampling Tanzbar, MFB 522 and Volca Drumm. Or go totally different way and try LRX -02.