I got my Rytm last week and overall I am really happy with it . It is a fantastic drum machine both sound and sequencer wise.
One of the very few points I am little disappointed with though is the sound and flexibility of the Hihat “classic” machines.
The basic sound of the hihat machine is not great in my opinion. To me it sounds thin, metallic and lacks the “richness” of other classic analog drum machines like the 808, Jomox Airbase or even an MFB522. Unfortunately there are also only 3 parameters to alter the sound: Tune, Decay and Noise Color. Not enough to fundamentally change the sound of the HH.
Therefore I would love to see that Elektron adds new machines or parameters for shaping hihats with future updates E.g. a simple noise generator with a dedicated Attack-Hold-Decay Envelope generator would be fantastic.
How do feel about it? Happy with the Hihat Classic Machines or want more options?
IMHO the hihats sound a lot better on the AR than on my 522. I’ve always hated the 522 hihats myself and was very pleased to find that the Hihats on the AR don’t sound the same. The hihats on the 522, while sounding ok in isolation, have a strange envelope and tone to them, they always sound too relaxed somehow (ie. not good for beats where aggressive hihats are required like techno bass, footwork, dirty south etc) without extra processing…
It’s also interesting that you mention the hihats being tough to get sounding decent - I have exactly the same problem with kicks (522 kick is nearly impossible to match with the AR) and snares myself (again, the 522 snare detail and snap, I cannot get that outta the AR). So perhaps a matter of personal opinion… FWIW I like the hihat and cymbal engines on the AR the most as far as pure sound is concerned.
Plenty of ways to make hihat sounds on the AR btw, and sampled hihats sound ace with a lil shaping!
No offense, but i think it’s pretty stupid to assume that they won’t be adding more engines. I would assume that within the first year or two we will likely have 2-3 engines per drum type.
Maybe the classic needs work, but likely not as the next machine will cover different bases.
Also: complaining that you can’t emulate other machines with the ar is pointless. The ar is the ar and not other drum machines. On the flip side: id love to see other drum machines try to emulate some of the insane shit that the ar can do.
I am not trying to compare as such, I should rephrase my meaning, it’s more about certain qualities of sound that I find so far unattainable with the AR. The attack part I find difficult I suppose, YMWW.
+1 for better hihat.
lacks highend power, crispness, brightness, versatility.
SN and HH are rather weak compared to other drumsynth. SN is better than in most drumsynths. (I have owned and tried almost every drumsynth). it doesnt get to my beloved 808 SN though.
analog HH is usually done better. my favorite HH has airbase.
overall I feel the other percussion instruments as RD, RM, CR, etc. lack some highend power/crispness too.
more machines:
we’ll see… of course I’d love to see that. very likely the analog hw inside is capable of much more. but adding digital control to analog circuits is very troublesome, will be exciting to see how much elektron has left in the pocket by now
guess its more likely they add a EQ for every track.
apart from that I like the AR sounds a lot btw. very good low end.
plenty offensive actually replying to someones first post by saying hes stupid for asking for something more than 3 parameters
so they will add new machines?
will your rabid fanboism guarantee that?
i’ll eat crow but will you?
whos derek reed that you need to use that type board name in public for other to see?
[/quote]
I wasnt calling him stupid, i was stating that its stupid to assume they wont update the machine with more stuff. Elektron has never released a unit and not tended to it over a long period of time, i doubt they would start now. No fanboyism at all right there… pure fact. Elektron supports their machines with updates probably more frequently and for longer periods than any other manufacture i know of.
The OT has grown immensely since its release, and just because they havent updated it this year yet doesnt mean it wont happen. As stated here and elsewhere, they released a lot of powerful stuff this year and you can tell that they bit off a bit more than they can chew by the current customer relations and shipping issues. The AR has had new machines added already as well as small patches here and there. Plus keep in mind they are working on the overbridge, which im sure is huge undertaking for them. It is still a rather small company.
If they dont add more machines to the AR i will eat my AR … and fuck a crow.
I am Derek Reed… if you dont get it you dont get it.
