This will be divisive I’m sure, but: Am I alone in thinking I’d even pay money for a big upgrade without having to replace my hardware (which is a big environmental waste apart from anything else)?
It would also mean Elektron can move a Syntakt II back by a couple of years and give their hardware product managers an extra “release cycle” for free.
The only upgrade I would pay for is the addition of sample import and storage. Three or four Sample player machines selectable from the digital Machines list, borrowed from the Digitakt mk1. A few tens of MB to store samples.
That said, it’s not something I miss. It’s also something I’m positive will never happen, due to cannibalisation on other Elektron products. I’m happy with the Syntakt as it is. Any other upgrade is just a (welcome) bonus imho.
Iirc, Elektron has only offered paid upgrades on two occasions. Both required extra hardware, and returning the unit to Elektron to perform the upgrade. (UW upgrade to the SPS-1, and +Drive upgrade to the SPS-1 and the SFX-60).
Want an option to lock the offset params 2, 3, and 4 on SY Chip to the chosen scale. So I can put SY Chip on 3 tracks set to a slow speed and use a knobby midi controller to sweep through notes in scale.
Not at all, I’d certainly pay a hundred for a big substantial update if I liked the features enough. I can understand why some would frown at this, it smacks of Roland Cloud etc. I also wouldn’t love it when I’ve been conditioned to expect a new firmware update to be free from Elektron.
But to answer your question, I don’t think you’re alone. Video game manufacturers started to figure out how to exploit the rabid market 20 years ago (EDIT: okay, I’m sure it’s been longer than that. Forgetting about subscription multiplayer etc. Anyway, “a long time ago.”) Roland and probably some other synth makers understand the cash flow benefit of charging for any kind of monthly service (thereby making those features temporary or licensed). A one-time charge for a permanent firmware update is much more palatable than paying a monthly fee to use Juno pads. The only issue is that it invites piracy, which in turn makes the creators think about DRM can spin off into causing unrelated problems when you mess with the way things are sometimes.
Hell, even Arturia definitely knows how lucrative software revisions and licensing can be, but they still release Micro/Minifreak updates for free… guess we should count ourselves lucky that capitalism hasn’t taken away every nice thing yet I’m certainly not hoping to have to pay - I just prefer to be honest with myself and I know if they charged me for a juicy Syntakt update I’d pay them.
I’d personally much rather use the boxes as they are now and get the free stuff when / if it comes. I see no point in trying to promote enshittification practices for hardware based music instruments. The endless OS update churn is getting a bit old for the likes of me, its is inevitable a machine will reach a point where all the new things it gets are meaningless shallow gloss (like most new iOS / apple “updates” bringing revamped photo gallery or smaller bezels and whatnot - This is not what progress looks like)
Sorry, to be clear, I do not intend to promote that kind of behavior. Maybe it makes me a hypocrite for saying I could see myself spending money on an update. Regardless, it would suck and thankfully I don’t foresee having to deal with that from Elektron. If they started doing that, it would negatively affect the way I look at the company and influence my future purchasing decisions. Still, if I wanted a feature badly enough, I might grit my teeth and pay extra for it. Maybe I’m just weak willed .
Someone asked about it hypothetically and I responded, I suppose I was being a bit literal by going into it I have a bad habit of doing that.
Well that depends entirely on the developer. Aside from the odd bug fix patch, I can’t recall Elektron adding firmware updates that were simply window dressing. Analog Rytm MK1 and MK2 got an update just over a year ago adding quite a lot of machines and features I’d consider much more than gloss. Mk1 being 10 years old at the time.
In terms of hardware revisions, the MkIIs for AR and A4 seem like the closest Elektron has come to what you’re talking about with shallow updates. Those were largely cosmetic with certain feature enhancements and functional tweaks thrown in.
I adore the free stuff. Although I bought the Syntakt for what it already had, I feel better buying Elektron gear because they have a reputation for continuing to support and enrich their instruments for free - guess I don’t see what you mean about the churn of OS updates.
I’m tickled that Elektron implied recently they are planning more future updates for the ST. Getting new features for free is pretty sick
EDIT: Since I’m aware this convo is getting off topic, I should add: I really want the Syntakt to remember which mute mode I used last time between global/pattern and default to the same one when I power it on. I use pattern mutes a lot more often than global so I have to switch it every time… they added it on DT2/DN2 so I’m expecting it with the next update.
Elektron feels like a company with a decent attitude. But even if they changed leadership again and became the Devil (Adobe), they have a long way to go before they can even do that viably fortunately. Roland has a massive arsenal of legacy products and their respective rights + ACB, Adobe has Photoshop. Waves failed miserably, even UAD aren’t full sub afaik. I can’t see why we’d stick around if Elektron went bananas honestly, it wouldn’t work out for them at this stage or anywhere close to it.
ANY sort of a monthly payment is an instant deal breaker for me. Nope. Not happening.
I was thinking of a one-time purchase at a sensible price, eg. 10% of what a Syntakt costs.
Maybe 20% for a huge upgrade (but I don’t even know if the hardware is capable of much more).
The “Syntakt II” can still have plenty of features that the Syntakt can never have, eg. 128 step sequences, true polyphony-per-track, etc., but I feel the existing Syntakt hardware could do a lot more sonically with a few additions (eg. per-track FX on the digital tracks).
I think it worth to try it. It is a great companion to Syntakt. MF has no effects - Syntakt has. Syntakt has no parameter slew - MF has. Syntakt has no polyphony - MF has “extended” paraphony.
Both have 64 step sequencer with different kind of “weirdness”.
Also MF can play samples and some basic (compared to Pigments6) granular synthesis
This my vacation/weekends setup.
Unless I’m mistaken, you can select the filter envelope behavior in the menu. I have the Minifreak and I do find it to be a nice sidepiece to the Syntakt in terms of the sounds you can get. Of course it has 6 voice polyphony / 12 note paraphony. And a much larger footprint
OK, I put my MC-101 up for sale (it doesn’t get much love now I have my Syntakt) and I’ll get one after it sells.
I’ll probably have a bit left over for something else. Maybe a Roland Aira P6 sampler.
Edit: I like the idea that it’s in two pieces (synth/keyboard) so you can pull it apart and make a synth module from it, put it in a new housing… or whatever.
can spin off into causing unrelated problems when you mess with the way things are sometimes.
I’m certainly not hoping to have to pay - I just prefer to be honest with myself and I know if they charged me for a juicy Syntakt update I’d pay them.
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I have a bad habit of doing that.
