The Syntakt Feature Request Thread

Elektron Gear Syntakt
#1631

  1. I’ve been spending a lot of time with the “sy bits” lately and it’s a great machine.
    However what am I missing a lot is a secondary SYN page, where I cound set level of osc2 (would be also cool as LFO destination). And if I could dream, I’d also wished for eith full osc2 amp envelope together with Env. delay or at least osc2 attack and decay.

  2. I often do a variation of the same sound across tracks 1-8, which led me to the idea of linking tracks. That is, tracks 2-12 would have e.g. secondary TRIG page, with a radio button “link to previous track”. If true, they would ignore “their own” sequencer and follow the sequencer of the nearest previous track which has “link to previous track” = false.
    This way we could e.g. use all digital tracks as one 8 layer monosynth or even whole Syntakt as 12 layer monosynth. However, sound locks in the “master” track would have to be ignored by the “slave” tracks, as well as synth related p-locks if the “slave” track machine is different to the “master”.

  3. Together with point 2 above, it would make much sense to add new LFO destinations to the FX track for internal Mix levels. So the LFO would “morph the sound” between all linked tracks by modulating Mix levels. If possible, the Mix targets could be loaded dynamically based on the number of linked tracks. If not, there could be several predefined destinations, e.g. MIX:TRK1-2, MIX:TRK1-3, …, MIX:TRK1-8, MIX:TRK9-10, MIX:TRK9-11

I realize that points above are beyond the scope of an ordinary groove box. On the other hand, Syntakt is also a sound design tool. The ability to naturally create multi-layered complex sounds without complicating the workflow for other users could be an interesting challenge for the Elektron team :slight_smile:

8 Likes
#1632

Option to turn the Mod Triggers into “modulation scenes” similar to the way the buttons are implemented on the Novation Mini Nova

The way this would work is you get 4 different modulation options for each track. Each button can be assigned to several parameters on each track. Also options to modulate the FX track and delay/reverb settings.

Pushing the button will quickly change those parameters to the selected values and then upon releasing those values will snap back to the original state. These will only work one at a time and priority can be adjusted for “legato” changes.

These are like “punch in” modulations. It would be nice to also have a togglable “hold” mode. For example TRK + Mod Trigger changes values to the selected levels and doesn’t snap back when let go. TRK + Mod Trigger would have to be hit again to revert it.

Use case examples:

Quickly cut the filter on each element adding reverb and delay.
Quickly punch in various changes to LFO and the synth engine.
Quickly change filters to high cut for a cut away before a drop.
Quickly Add LFO’s to pitch across various instruments for melting effects.
Quickly change up LFO’s and Distortion for textured moving baselines.
Rhythmically changing Delay Time.
Changing chords played across multiple tracks.
Changing filters types musically.
Quickly changing between “staccato” and “legato” style envelopes.

Slightly related but this would also be a quality of life feature.

The option to “lock” save patterns so if you make changes to it they will revert when switching off that pattern. So you can tweak a song as it plays in song mode and you’re not destroying all of your patterns along the way. This would be separate from the “temp” save state so you can still use the Temp save and reload for jamming but if you reload the entire pattern it will default to the locked state.

The option to sacrifice a modifier to have more midi tracks would also be really nice!

3 Likes
#1633

I’ve never used the nova mini, but similarly I’d like the modifiers to be like pocket operator punch-ins.

hold m1 & trig 1-12 become various stutters, filters etc. can combine em as u please. all tempo synced.

1 Like
#1634

If you could do the type of mod triggers I describe with the option to change the delay aswell you could create alot of those types of effects.

1 Like
#1635

I got a Syntakt last week, I really like this machine, very nice, very versatile sounds to get !
My favorite digital machine is the Syn Bits, with the SRR and the BRR, it really possible to create a lot of weird and nice sounds from the basic waveforms so I would love to see the SRR available on all the digital tracks (as the digitakt).
Also, a wavetable machine similar to syn bits but with a choice between different wavetables instead of the detune parameter would be so great ! For example, we could have 16 different wavetables with various synthesis style (SID synthesis, OPL3 FM synthesis, formant vocal synthesis, etc…) with 128 continuous waveforms inside each of them.

6 Likes
#1636

I know this has been suggested before but I’d really love a performance macro page where the 8 encoders can be configured to program different things across different tracks. I’m working on a build-up in a part of a new song and it requires me to swap back and for across several tracks with @Dataline agility and it pushes beyond “fun challenge” to becoming a big mess.

I’m envisioning an interface that lets you set up to four parameters for each encoder, similar to the velocity configuration page. That way you could achieve something like this:

  • Knob A changes the filter cutoff for track 5+6
  • Knob B changes the decay of a snare and the delay send of that same track
  • Knob C changes the band pass filter’s base point for tracks 1+2+3 while also increasing the feedback of the Delay

This would make performing on the Syntakt so much more accessible for people who aren’t as experienced as the best out there. It would also have the benefit that you wouldn’t have to remember all the track-specific tricks across an entire set because you could just twist the performance knobs to instantly remember all the coolest tricks you’ll want to use for that track.

7 Likes
#1637

@djst, what you’re describing is already possible:

  • Set each track to the same midi channel
  • Configure modwheel, aftertouch, pitchbend etc… for each track
  • Control these parameters with cc messages.

@James_Orvis made a great video about this recently: MEGA MACROS: Syntakt + Faderfox PC4 [Setup Guide] - YouTube

I currently use the OT to control the syntakt, but you could also use a midi feedback loop to control these parameters from the syntakt itself (so that no extra device is required, but you’ll have to sacrifice one of your tracks).

2 Likes
#1638

I can confirm, the PC4 is a winner, or any midi controller for this method! I just started doing similar stuff with the Dreadbox typhon but using digitakt midi channel and macros to open Typhon Modwheel and Aftertouch. Both Mod and Aftertouch are acting as deep performance macros (one knob = many parameters)

#1639

I wish elektron would add performance macros into every box, its always been a dream of mine, like Analog four, or Octatracks Crossfader. ASM Hydrasynth is a brilliant example with the Master Control section! Macros for live performance take things to the next level!

3 Likes
#1640

Thanks, I’m aware of the workarounds but they are just that - workarounds. :blush: I take bedroom producing quite literally and I’m using the Syntakt in standalone, in bed. It’s parked on my bed table when not in use. Plugging in more devices or sacrificing tracks for this wouldn’t be worth it for my use case.

#1641

I’m sure this has been said but I would love like 6 extra digital drum synth machines!

2 Likes
#1642

Syntakt is so fun and sounds incredible played chromatically with a midi keyboard. When I only have an hour to make music it really rules. Control all is such a sweet compositional tool. Can’t wait till they (hopefully) add more machines (including control all machine), track linking for polyphony, more fx, and in a perfect world, parameter slides and neighbor tracks for fx et cetera. All my newer instruments were getting frequent updates for a while but that’s slowed to a halt lately. Not sure why that is. Hopefully another Syntakt update this year though. Getting swarm and raw over last thanksgiving (US) was such a great time to have this machine

7 Likes
#1643

Swing per Track, Swing Trigs

2 Likes
#1644

Have to say I was expecting another update by now since it’s been about 9 months since the last one. They’re building up to something amazing, perhaps? Or I’m just getting greedy? :blush:

2 Likes
#1645

I would rather think that they are not going anywhere. They CEO just left. What they brought last was rather uninspired.

Syntakt had Potential but is very limited. Had a jam just the other day and yeah needed swing per Track.
And also at least I found a strange large amount of parameters don‘t do very much to the Sound. I often found myself twisting and turning knobs where almost nothing is happening.

1 Like
#1646

They have so many devices on the market now, all with so many feature requests from users, that I wonder what their update and discontinuation map looks like going forward. I wonder if Analog 4 and octatrack may be complete, Digitakt may be complete unless there’s another Digi trio update or they prioritize based on popularity, Rytm possibly could be updated if based on popularity/demand. At least one more Digitone update likely, at least one more Syntakt update even more likely, and AH+FX likely since it is the latest. Could be totally wrong, but they did a lot of big ones last year and earlier this year and none since that I can remember. Not saying they won’t do any, or we deserve anything, and I know they tend to surprise us, it just seems quiet and I wonder how they can possibly keep that pace up for long, especially when they all have so many added features already at this point

#1647

If I’m reading my crystal ball I am thinking that they will announce something along the lines of an octatrack successor, but maybe slightly less sampling focused, and at that time discontinue the octatrack, and the analogs. Or maybe it’s a mixer that intends to join the digi’s and ah+fx.

#1648

On which parameters do you see this ?
The parameters of the machines are oftenly tightly linked together. So it can happen that moving a parameter does nothing because another one is fully close or open. On the digital machines, there are often a modulation parameter which is a macro controlling both the modulation enveloppe and the modulation depth, if it’s fully close, you won’t hear any changes when moving other synth parameters.
The only parameter that I find very “transparent” (which I mean I oftenly hear no changes) is the filter modulation of the chord machine.

2 Likes
#1649

I would be happy if the Syntakt could produce cymbal sounds at least as good as from this free plugin:

7 Likes
#1650

-Deeper control over midi, same goes for DT.

-(external) cc control over trigger probability per track

-(external) cc control over octaves per track

-PWM

-3rd LFO

-Noise machines for the digital section

-Option to randomly fill notes in a certain scale

-Option to keep note data on a trigger after (accidentally) pressing thus erasing a step.
The avalon basslines sequencer remembers the note value even after re-pressing (turning off) a step. Pressing that step again brings back the same note that was programmed. Nifty!

3 Likes