So we were playing an outdoor gig yesterday and I had to attach a piece of cardboard to my AR in order to see the pad leds at all. All in all, the experience was painful. Does anyone have any good tips on how to use the mutes/scenes/perfs effectively when you can’t see the leds?
Elektron might want to develop some assistive feature for the lcd display? The main lcd is ok & readable even in sunlight…
I’ve always been proud of the AR… that is, until yesterday 
a contrast control on the A4/AR would be a welcome addition, but an Easy-Up tent is always a solution. It’s usually a good idea to protect your gear from direct sun light as this can cause devices to overheat and shut down. The tent can also save your machines from unexpected rain showers…
dergit
3
You can’t really see the AR here but I’m on the left so you can imagine it wasn’t easy… 
Seeing LEDs on guitar stompboxes etc. wasn’t possible either fwiw… The AR coped quite well, I just used my left hand to create some shade when I needed to see more.
I don’t have a hand to spare for shadowing the pads, at least not all of the time (other hand is operating another box)… Just saying, I started to really appreciate the MPCs pad mute view (LCD shows mutes) after that experience. I guess I haveto DIY some kind of foldable shader solution…
dergit
5
This was taken during sound check yesterday. As you can (barely) see, my RYTM is in Chromatic mode. In Mute and Scene mode, the pads are even less visible which makes it a guessing game at festivals.
Lmk what you come up with, tsutek… 
alfred
6
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961)]there’s ultra bright LEDs if you are brave enough to open the box and void the warranty. you might also have to swap a resistor to get into the right voltage range for the new LEDs. but it can make a huge difference in brightness and LEDs are usually easy to swap. maybe there’s a DIYer here who can direct you to the right sources.
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961)]i swapped an LED on a pedal once for a mod and it was a day and night difference. the light was almost blinding afterwards.
I think I found a design that might do the trick:
http://www.amazon.com/Generic-Control-Shading-Phantom-Quadrocopter/dp/B00YHDUWC2/ref=sr_1_129?ie=UTF8&qid=1438600439&sr=8-129&keywords=Folding+Sun+cover
Unfortunately, this product’s dimensions are way too small to accomodate an AR. But it shouldn’t be impossible to DIY a bigger version and to cut holes for the cables to the rear wall’s lower edge. Wondering which material would be best, thin plastic or nylon with reinforced edges, or even wood? Lightweight would be plus…
Ideally, this should be a tip for the Elektron merch dept 
Lukree
8
The thing is that A4 and Rytm aren’t usable in too dark environment either… You cannot see red labels at_all when it’s too dark…
I have already came up with a solution for too dark environments. I’ve attached small stickers to some buttons so I always see those buttons no matter what. After this it’s just a matter of memorizing which buttons are adjacent to which stickers. However, I put the stickers on the buttons that are most essential to my workflow, so I rarely even have to know what the other buttons are…
I was thinking to do this a bit better in the future by opening up the upper case lid and painting the stickered buttons with a white permanent marker. Would look rather neat methinks!
dergit
10
Haha, a festival we played at the other day just posted some pictures…
Lol. I have been that squinty guy so many times. I have had to build a shadowbox with cardboard and gaff tape so I could block the sun and see my displays.
dergit
12
… and another shot of me at this year’s first open air trying to figure out what’s muted and what isn’t:
sigh…
Aargh! I feel your pain guys.
Cmon elektron, just hire an art student from a design dept and give us a neat, foldable metal/plastic shader with cabling holes already!
Sorry folks, just couldn’t resist…
1 Like
4.33
16
[quote=“” dergit""]
This was taken during sound check yesterday. As you can (barely) see, my RYTM is in Chromatic mode. In Mute and Scene mode, the pads are even less visible which makes it a guessing game at festivals.
Lmk what you come up with, tsutek… 
[/quote]
What’s the name of the case, please?
I wouldn’t put too much blame on Elektron to be honest.
In a recent study they found out that the average Swedish person is ten more times likely to suffer from an attack of dwarfs riding airborne elks than ever seeing the sun.
On the positive side, I’m pretty sure the AR can handle an elk-attack pretty well.
/C
dergit
18
Does it smell like rotten fish if you pry it open, though?
What’s the name of the case, please?[/quote]
it’s custom built by a company here in Germany called “megacase”. I’m sure most stores will offer a similar service!
bwahahaha!
Brilliant. I’ll be wearing hoodies from now on.
//edit: this forum is a disease.
Hey, man. Are there any clips of you in action with the Rytm on stage?
I’m super curious what a guitar player is up to with a Rytm on stage!
(i’m a bassist by education/training/gigs and don’t bring much extra curricular gear on stage with me… the worlds have yet to merge outside of the laboratory.)
