Planning on buying a RYTM MkI
More important than the sound (for me) is the tightness and ‘feel’ of the sequencer. It sounds good from example videos so far.
I had a couple of questions:
With Overbridge, is the sequencer running as tightly as if it was in standalone mode. Or does it become ‘sloppy’ when used over OB.
Triggering drum hits manually (no sequencer) from Ableton over Overbridge - is this possible? Again, is this sample accurate? Or is there notable jitter?
Many thanks
Overbridge uses it own custom sync designed by elektron it is super tight…
Sending notes from ableton is done with regular midi and is the same as any other hardware,
You may need to switch off delay compensation to get perfect timing for playing live or add Channel delay For midi clips
Thanks… So when you trigger via MIDI, does the audio route back through Overbridge or through the audio outs on the back of the unit?
The audio goes over USB when using overbridge
Thanks … but what I mean is if you are sending MIDI notes to the AR from a MIDI clip (not sending clock). So just using it like a standard sound module… Can you still use Overbridge to have that audio come back? Or will OB audio over USB only work when sending clock through OB.
Yes you can use it as a sound module send it midi and still get audio via USB.
I only use overbridge with my elektron gear to get the audio… it saves buying mixers large interface etc… Really convenient
That really is sounding like a killer feature. Are you using Ableton? Simply dropping the OB in as a VST plugin and that’s it? No other routing?
first of all, maybe. 
it can work flawlessly, but remember, it is still a beta version.
ableton live is supported the best, at the moment.
be aware of operating systems. on windows you need win 10! on mac there were also problems with different versions… take a look at the overbridge requirements and best practices, its all online.
for example it is not recommended to send normal midi and get the audio via the plugin… i guess it is latency related.
also i think the clock/jitter of rytm standalone will always be tighter than any clock from computer (via usb) and with overbridge ableton is the master…
when i multitrack record, everything is tight on the grid, but there sure is some latency compensation going on, it is the nature of the process…
i have rytm mk1, win 10 and ableton live and latest beta runs great on my system. if you want to get all 8 audio channels from rytm, you have to use 16bit (not 24bit, because of usb bandwith) and need one pair of free analog inputs on your audio interface if you also want to record the fx channel.
in general i would only use the internal rytm sequencer and only send parameter automation or lfos from ableton to rytm, because the sequencer is superb and tightly integrated on the elektrons…
Thanks - this is the critical aspect for me - does anyone have any real values or technical data on this? How different is it being clocked from Overbridge/Ableton compared to standalone?
to my knowledge, elektrons are among the tightest in standalone mode. maybe i can find the article later, but if you google elektron midi jitter you should find some useful info.
the computer does handle midi (usb) or din midi via usb interface in a way, where it has not the highest priority and because of that timing may vary more…
for audio it is more optimized and mostly sample accurate… this is the way the erm multiclock works for example… (generates midi clock from audio click signal)
from my personal experience, usb/ob is the least tight, erm clock and standalone are tighter, plus standalone is easier/hassle free… i tried all 3 things…
if you are already clocking/sequencing other hardware from live, elektrons wont be any worse than that, i suspect, so you could also be happy with that…
chances are high, you will love the rytm for many other reasons… 
i have the most fun in using the boxes standalone, even multitracking distracts me and feels like work, when editing the channels afterwards… so for me it is standalone a4 and ar and sometimes one other box… no mixers, no hassle, just jamming (of course without the polished multitracking sound options)
Great thanks. I am actually using Expert Sleepers for all MIDI which is similar to the ERM - it uses SPDIF to generate the MIDI signals. However, I heard that OB uses a similar technique for ‘almost sample accurate sync’ and doesn’t use MIDI clock at all… So OB should be rock solid tight. If not, I may need to rethink…
One other question - are you able to sync the AR through your ERM, BUT have the audio come back in through OB?
With Overbridge has its own sync and it rock solid… it is not midi sync, ableton starts the transport only… you don’t need ERM clock to make it work that is for sure even if some people insist, I also send midi to without a problem but you get audio latency and can easily fix it as I mentioned in earlier post…
Yes overbridge is a killer feature
i also use ob without erm clock, to be clear. it works very good.
(on my sytem, now, earlier versions some years ago had problems, like recordings not on grid)
i just wanted to say, that it is a very complex… and there could be problems, that are not easy to track down, but if it works, its great, no doubt
also op seems to have a working solution for sync already, so just trying to show the options/ possible problems
i dont have the erm clock anymore, because it was overkill for me. in theory clocking via erm and audio should be possible, but it is not recommended by elektron, because ob already deals with timing correction. all midi from daw should be sent thru the plugin and audio comes back thru the plugin, only this way the corrections can work together, to be tight…
Interesting information here:
https://www.muffwiggler.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=183197
According to them, jitter on the RYTHM:
Elektron Rytm Standalone
1.35 / 1.39
Rytm slaved (to Expert Sleepers clock)
1.0 / 1.2
Rytm slaved to Overbridge (usb / Logic pro)
1.38 / 1.4
The figures aren’t so great - I wonder if the best solution is to slave to Expert Sleepers, and use Overbridge for the audio return?
i think at this point, you will just have to try it, to see if it makes a difference to you… all the theoretical stuff has been mentioned
as i wrote above, not recommended by elektron, but may work. you could also try to track the analog out(s) an see if it makes a noticeable difference…
good thing is, you can get a rytm now
Just try it… don’t believe everything you read… I have 5 elektron machines sync fucking perfect
I’m honestly really impressed how tight the clock is from overbridge…
I’m using a decent computer, windows 10 and ableton 10.1
it really couldn’t be any more accurate.
Yep - gonna give it a go. AR Mk I and AF on the way.
Thanks for your feedback
so, analog four also? rytm and a4 are keeping me busy for many years already…
Yes - will report back with an update on timings!