Hi there, I was walking the dog tonight, white snowy ground and full moon light, I live on the countryside so its pretty dark otherwise, no streetlights or other cheats.
Anyway I was in my mind sketching on a elektron DAW, at first I was pretty skeptic but I think it turned out pretty well after an hour or so.
I can see it in my head and might draw it down sometime. it has five engines:
Kit engine (drums and samples)
Analog engine
FM engine
Synthetic drum engine (Synth/FM drums)
Wav engine (this one is pretty interesting and off limits, granular but also for vocals and instruments)
The interface design has the color of Digitakt and Digitone not Overbridge… and the song mode looks like something from Renoise but the sequencer mode are Elektron exclusive “steps” with p locks and ALL features… 8 steps in two rows (16) but with the 1:4 - 1:8 or more.
There is a nice browser to the left - lots of LFO:s top right. Filter page with EQ:s and more goodies.
There is even an FX engine with old school Reaktor (early versions) interface but simple design…
Don’t give them any ideas!!! Seriously, tho, I don’t think it would work, as they excel at focused hardware and OB hasn’t exactly been the best, smoothest experience. Plus, why bother when Bitwig, Ableton, and others are already great?
It does work. The advantage with Elektron hardware though is the ease of use / access to multiple parameters. You need to partner with a good midi controller for best results in my experience, else too much mouse action / clicking.
The survey had a couple of Daw questions, so that gives me some hope
Elektron could disrupt the market in such a good way. Polyrhythm note lanes in a piano roll, a unified overbridge, seperating instruments, effects, and mixing tools from their hardware as individual components in a DAW, and the aesthetic design I am sure would be absolutely killer. Owners of hardware could have some additional functionality, not to mention it opens up a huge door for Elektron to develop new and exciting products that would integrate with the DAW.
I would kill for a hybrid system like Maschine with the Electron’s workflow. Not DAW, but some kind of a VST/standalone groovebox with deeeeeep controller integration.
I love the Electron’s workflow and features, but I prefer work ITB. When I use Overbridge with A4, DT or DN, it’s like plugins controlled by hardware. Okay, analog boxes are analog, but I don’t see any reasons why the Digi-boxes can’t be ported to PC.
+1 on the not a DAW but a plugin. There’s just no point in competing with Ableton/Bitwig etc at this stage imo.
But lets say they turned the Digitone/Digitakt OB plugin into a plugin, with a built in sequencer allowing you P locking etc within the plugin? now that’s big - bring in a tightly integrated hardware sequencer that could perhaps operate as a standalone box (either pure midi sequencer or maybe you can load a “plugin” or 2 into it) that’s HUGE.
They could very much compete with Ableton and Bitwig. Very much so. In fact, I would say that they would be at an advantage because they are miles ahead with hardware
I’d love to see Elektron come out with a digital modular: Create patches with HW (with sequencer of course) connected to computer/iPad, Then when done, disconnect from computer, and play, sequence, p’lock, jam, perform your own-rolled synths, drums, drones etc. And some analogue filters and overdrive etc in the hardware. Oh, and crossfader and scenes!
What? It’s not THAT easy. And the amount of time they took to complete OB suggests otherwise in terms of software skills. Plus, they’re just not a software company right now. They would need to hire so many people to even remotely challenge the Berlin massive. And what would they even bring that’s better than Bitwig and Ableton?
Something like a Nord Modular, then?
I can see that working. It’s not miles off already, with one Overbridge use case already being to help make complex patches which can then go off-line.
Totally agree: Elektron’s reputation and achievements are in hardware, To try and compete with the big boys of DAWs wouldn’t work. I don’t have any Elektro device with OB, and very limited SW knowledge, but Elekton’s experience with OB development makes me think they could implement my suggestion / big wish above, without too much trouble.
I do think the dream of perfect hardware/DAW integration can be a phantom, a ghost that slips your grasp when you try to capture it. You always end up at the same slightly unsatisfying place, with the same roundabouts of software updates and packs to install and hardware that feels like a dongle [et bloody cetera] and the same question of, why not just a DAW and MIDI controller?
Which is why I enjoy my Elektron devices, which have about as much complexity as you can reasonably expect without reaching the point where you’re better off carting a laptop around and dealing with that world instead.
Absolutely. The Nord Modulars were ahead of their time in many ways and before the eurorack boom. I reckon there’s a much, much bigger potential market now.
Does anyone even know if they really dont have the capacity to do a daw? Unless you work there, no one really knows for sure. Frankly, all Daws have so many similar features anyway, so it wouldnt be so much as being better, or different than another daw, as much as it would be about the tools, hardware integration and environment. What if they are thinking about it for the future, but maybe not right now? Why wouldnt they be able to do it if they had the manpower in the future?
Look at Colugo, he is developing a DAW by himself called Blockhead. The man is doing it by himself for gods sake, and its actually really innovative.
