I’ve used my gear to death, and gotten each repaired a time or two.
Definitely considering getting some minty upgrades or just minty MKIs?
Now that the MKII’s have been out a while I’m curious.
For those who’ve owned both, what’s your opinion now?
What’s better, what’s worse?
If considering getting either, just to have newer devices in better shape, which ones would you go with and why?
I’ve had both mk1 and mk2 rytm. I currently have the mk2.
I upgraded purely for the extra sampling features, primarily for the ability to resample. There are other upgrades that are nice like the perf knob and I think the pads are easier to use since everything is more spacious but I wouldn’t have switched over just for that. I couldn’t care less about the difference in screens.
From a space conscious perspective I prefer the mk1 and aesthetically I much much prefer the mk1. If I was happy with strictly loading samples in front a computer (no native sampling/ resampling) I’d stick with the mk1 but the sampling upgrade made the version switch worth it for me.
What are some of the better/practical uses of resampling on the RYTM?
In a workflow situation how do your frequently use it?
Do you do more sampling with that feature?
Do you do new things you normally wouldn’t have with the MKI?
I’ve never used mk2 versions but what I love about MK1 is small and compact form factor. Nowadays mk1 have some popular screen problems.
I have a Rytm mk2, OT mk2 and an A4 mk1. Have also had a mk1 OT and Rytm. For me the key ”upgrade” is the better knobs and the screen. With the A4 mk1 it feels like the screen is ”slow” and also the knobs feel a lot less accurate even though they don’t skip values like my OT mk1 was starting to do. I also prefer the way mk2 displays the values on the screen when turning knobs.
Mk1 form factor is much nicer IMO tho and as I’m not using my A4 a whole lot right now I’m thinking the 200-300€ it would cost to upgrade to a mk2 (second hand) isn’t worth it. But if my unit started dying on me I’d definitely go to a mk2 next.
Mk1s.
Better buttons, cleaner front panels, better layout. bigger screens (OT) longer lasting screens. Nicer to look at.
Mk2s, brighter screens. Melty buttons, horrible LED under the button bullshit.
(I own OT mk1, AH mk2, DN )
I think mk1 screens and buttons and (with exception of OT, as it is similar) form factor is better.
Rytm mk2 is better than mk1 due to sampling and exp inputs, but loses out on form factor.
OTmk2 is better wrt having more buttons (less combos) slightly better inputs/outputs but loses out with button type, encoder type, screen type.
A4mk1 is better than mk2 with better buttons, form factor, but loses out on paint finish, no exp inputs.
AHmk1 is better than mk2 wrt buttons, and screen type, but loses out on screen size, less flexible input.
Some mk1 units have screen problems and paint finish issues after time.
Some mk2 units have screen problems and sticky buttons after time.
This is sort of my main concern.
If I replace my gear with minty versions I want it to “feel” new and long lasting.
My current MKIs have taken a beating for almost 10 years.
I would feel weird to pay more for MKIIs and the buttons are not as good etc.
I like how the MKIIs have proper outs that can all be connected to OB at once.
I like how the new knobs work.
The screens I’m not sure.
I kind of like the new form factor and design, especially the black.
I just have a suspicion that getting minty MKIs might be the better purchase
I’ve bought and sold A4 and AR MK II and both felt like new. I think both are sold pretty quickly after only some fiddling, judging from the condition and very few aves patterns/kits of the units I’ve bought.
With AR you might look a bit closer and ask some questions, as early versions apparently had some pad issue that users might not have fixed after buying them. Shouldn’t be an issue with black units I guess.
I never saw MKIs in person but much prefer everything about MK II units, except that MKI are a lot smaller and thus better to use in combination. AR and A4 MK II are wonderful desktop synths by themselves and look gorgeous, but take up a lot of space next to each other. Also, if you have an OT MK II next to them, it looks a bit off. Might be better with all black versions though.
For me personally I find it just opens up the sound design a lot. I like to make sounds by layering parts, often more than the two layers available on a single pad, so I’ll make a snare of perc or whatever using a few pads and resample that down to a single sample to free up pads. It’s also handy for using multiple instances of the filter for instance. It’s also handy to free up tracks to have more instances of the unique machines than are available in the synth engine.
As for workflow I usually have sessions where I just work on making sounds/ samples but sometimes I’ll be making patterns and want to manipulate a non sample as if it were a sample, easily done by resampling. I don’t tend to sample loops or long passages, mostly one shots. In my head I’m still stuck in the days of sampling memory measured in a couple of megs so I tend to work with short ones.
Reviving this thread because I could use some input. I’m finding that the Rytm doesn’t sound bad per se it just doesn’t lend itself to what I have in mind, i.e. there are other drum synths that are more in line with my vision but I’m wondering if maybe it’s the fact that I have a mk1 with the Scrabble tile pads or just that it does too much and I would be better off with something simpler that sounds great all the time without work. Like ADX1 or DRM1.
I really value velocity mod or hardwired velocity support that affects decay and timbre. I don’t need the Elektron sequencer and it seems that samples aren’t important either like I’d rather get a model samples after all to get the sample sequencing i enjoyed on digitakt as I much prefer the model cycles workflow over all other Elektrons, besides maybe machinedrum.
OTOH the better pads and ergonomics of the mk2 in general might help with the thing that gets in the way with Rytm which is how flexible it is thus a lot of it is programming to get it to sound more like you and less like Rytm. (And I have, kind of. Still other synths sound better to my ear.)
Few things come to mind.
The RYTM seems massively boomy and low end low mid tailored.
Squash it a tad with dist, saturation, eqing, com etc.
Thin it out so to speak.
If you are not sequencing drums on the Elektron box itself, I’d highly recommend an A4MKI.
The drums are fantastic, and they seems to sit in the mix perfectly.
Hope you get it figured out.
I often think about upgrading to MKII’s for various reasons.
Right now I need a new job more than new gear 
I haven’t owned a mkI of the OT, but if it’s of any consolation concerning buttons, I just removed the caps, as they all are just capped with the rubberized button, which is easily removed. I took the button caps that would catch slightly at times and just sanded it off the sides and they’re fine.
I did have an issue given my mkII unit is one of the first batches and some of the trigs ended up being faulty. One of them died on me, but elektron replaced it and repaired some stuff as well free of charge aside from shipping.
And other than crashing it accidentally over doing it with the arranger it’s run like the tank that it is.
Finessing the buttons etc gives me hop for upgrading in the future
You’re right it is boomy. Also I think an easy trap is just a consequence of each track having the same signal path, the distortion parameter has a tendency to build up noise in the same lower frequency bands. I think this is what I mean about it lending itself to certain styles of music? True with a lot of work one can program a unique and clean sounding kit…
I guess it is a marvel it has such a range… But I think the subtitle is truthful, it is not as much an instrument as it is a computer… Not a bad thing, I just hope I’m not wasting my time. I’m still just exploring its sonic abilities and trying to pry open the sweet spots when I find them by setting up useful perfs.
I’m the Ghost of Christmas Past, and I have come steadfastly to warn you that you will regret 2 things in life:
Your gear, take heed!
Do you save them as Sounds?
I found that this was helping me starting from a place I like towards new places I like, instead of starting from the same blank sheet every time.
I did like way more mk2 pads than mk1, and the quick Perf (eg. on FX parameters such as Delay feedback) is a very cool addition!
I don’t know why sampling is considered as impure or something by some people, but it does help adding e.g. a transient or some foundation to a sound, it’s a really useful thing on a Rytm. Especially resampling, which makes it possible e.g. to sample a compressed or distorted sound alone, and keeping others relatively clean.
Resampling also means you can use the toms row with the lowest row sounds, which can be pretty useful at times.
Not to derail the thread, but I use my Rytm (mk1) almost exclusively with samples and imo it’s awesome. As a sample based drum machine, I find it better than the OT in many ways (just missing the crossfader).
Mk2 pads are also nicer to play e.g. with the filter frequency on a high resonance sound…
There is more sensitivity or something, I could really control what I was doing compared to mk1.
Good to know. I love using the perf pads, yet I wish the MKI was more sensitive.
I had to get my pads replaced after years of pressing a few hard