Hi there.
Thinking of picking up either a Tonverk or a Syntakt. Don’t have much experience with Elektron but what little I do have has been positive.
How would people who have or have used both compare the current state of firmware for the devices? My impression is that Tonverk was pretty rough around the edges upon debut, and Syntakt is older so perhaps it is in better shape. But just curious what people’s experiences have been.
Edit: Incredible responses. Thank you guys so much.
It really depends on your expectations, and what you want to do with the device.
Syntakt is a fairly well developed groovebox. It will basically deliver in everyway it is advertised. It sounds great and is easy to use.
Tonverk is still in development. It does most of the things that make Elektrons great; sequencing is amazing, effects sounds really good (and there are lots of them), sampling is easy, track routing is cool, multisampling is a cool if you’re into it.
At the same time, if you are in the market for a powerful allrounder sampler, Tonverk currently has a pretty specific use case (multisampling), and feels a bit limited, compared to other samplers.
Sample editing is super basic - there is no slicing, time-stretching, or even the ability to zoom in on a waveform. A lot of people are having issues with MIDI sync, and the browser feels a bit disorganized. I don’t mean to harp on it, but you might want to take a look at Digitakt.
Each Elektron device has it’s strengths and weaknesses, so it is important for you to define what you hope to achieve. Also, expect a lil scope creep when it comes to these machines; most people find that once they buy one, they are soon shopping for another (due to the strict definitions in design and development at Elektron).
if it’s your first elektron, i’d definitely go with the syntakt
it’s rock-solid, relatively easy to learn, fun as hell, and will be the key to orienting yourself with other elektron boxes if you want them in the future
i’ve been using elektron stuff for years and still don’t know what is a bug and what’s user error on the tonverk - it’s still kind of a mess
Yeah, take my opinion with a grain, but I’d recommend the syntakt unless you have a specific use case for the Tonverk. The Tonverk lacks the polish of the Syntakt, and will likely make for a less frustrating acquisition in the future.
$1,500 for bugs and limitations would be a hard pill to swallow, especially if semi new to the Elektron universe (not entirely sure what degree of familiarity you have, or how you have it).
For a first Elektron, Syntakt is perfect, at least if you’re OK with no polyphony. An excellent drummachine.
Digitone II is a very powerful synth, if you need to play chords and go deep into synthesis. A little less immediate maybe, but with many features to balance this.
I would not recommend TV as a first Elektron, personally. You’d better learn the Elektron ways with a simpler box.
I would go for Tonverk ( I have both ).
You will learn the new platform, it’s future proof and you will know the adrenaline when a new os drop.
Also, it’s much more versatile with samples. You can do old school hip hop, techno, drum’n bass, experimental etc…
I own many elektron boxes and the Tonverk is the one I am the most productive and satisfyied, because everything start from a sample.
Syntakt is also a solid option, despite it have analog part and qol, I didn’t made better sound on syntakt than from the Tonverk (single cycle, muti sampled,…)
For me Tonverk is the most advanced and powerful elektron standalone box so far.
I don’t have that much bugs. Sometimes little things but really nothing that stop me enjoying the process.
Syntakt for first Elektron all the way. This is the spiritual successor of the Machinedrum and it offers its own universe of sounds and neat tricks if you want to dig in, while also being straightforward enough for those who want quick results. Also, along with the other Digis is well-developed and free of bugs.
Tonverk is still not ironed-out as people report (I don´t have one). It´s also an entirely new software paradigm that is embedded Linux. Because of the inherit latency, IMO this is inferior to the “bare metal” boxes and those will remain in history as all-time classics. Not bashing the Toneverk, it has a lot of fx and capabilities that no other machine has, but there is a price to pay for this. Also, if we follow Elektron´s way of doing things, we can expect that they will release a synth-based box in Tonverk format (pure speculation here). This is what I´m personally waiting for as I strongly hope that, by that time, this platform will be more mature. If you get Syntakt now, 1-2 years down the line, you´ll be much more aware of your own preferences regarding which Elektron to jump on next.
I wouldnt bother too much about quality issues. The main question if you want a rather simple analog/digital synth with somewhat limited sonic range, or a complex sampler with lots of FX. It’s hard to compare the two, they are so much different.
Depends how you look at it. Calling ST simple is plain inaccurate. One could say it’s the most complete Elektron package currently offered and that would be more correct statement.
No, it’s simple because only one page of synthesis parameters, with a strong starting point. Simple as in fast to operate. And learn.
i have syntakt, digitone 2 , octatack, and tonverk, just sold my digitakt 2.
in the past i used machinedrum uw, analog4, model cycles…
honestly it all depends if you prefer synths. or samplers
syntakt is the easiest but i had and still have hard times vibing with it. it all come to it’s limitations.
only one page of synths parameter. very few effects.if you’re into techno stuff it’s a no brainer.
it also can do very well ambient and drone .but if you’re into other styles it lacks polyphony.
on the other hand Tonverk is much more opened to every genre, also more oriented to composition with the 16 bar sequencer versus techno jaming on 1 bar loop. it’s still a younger device than syntakt but it’s workable. i’d say fun of use and imediacy > syntakt. long term investment and more various music making with tonverk ( i feel sampler are more utiliy devices you can not get bored because every sound can changes, versus synth are more like guitar instruments you can pick an get which flavour you want each time ).
i would say syntakt is more an inspiration machine but you will need others synth & tools to finish tracks. and tonverk with carefully planed sample curation and sound design sampling on your daw and other synth is a finish track machine. ( be warned as of now there isn.t any multitrack recording on tonverk via usb ).
Tonverk’s firmware is good enough for me.
If you want to work a lot with samples go Tonverk.
and there’s the grainer ! wich i really enjoy and open a lot of explorations a classic sampler don’t have
The Tonverk isn’t buggy—the latest firmware is stable. That said, the Syntakt is the more mature platform. They’re very different machines though, so the better choice really depends on what you’re looking for.
Sampling on the Syntakt is quite limited, but its analog engines are unique and a big part of its appeal.
The Tonverk, on the other hand, offers stereo sampling and supports multisampling, which makes it excellent for capturing software instruments. However, when it comes to heavy sample manipulation, it’s more limited compared to machines like the Digitakt or Octatrack.
The Tonverk’s effects and routing are also strong points, with some options that are quite distinctive compared to other Elektron boxes.
A more basic answer to this question is to think really hard about how much you will like working with samples in general. I got into this hobby because of my long time love for DJ Shadow’s Endtroducing album. I initially thought I would only ever want to use samplers and spend hours crate digging and sampling off YouTube etc.
What I learned after a short time is that I really don’t enjoy managing samples! I don’t like organizing them, I do not like preparing them, I don’t like worrying about bit rates and compatibility and I don’t like worrying about if a sample I use in a track will cause licensing issues down the road if I ever actually release something.
The thought of trying to recreate DJ Shadow’s volume of samples in a track now that I know the reality of working with samples (for me) just gives me anxiety.
I have the Digi trinity and spend 80% of my time with Syntakt. It’s immediate, the perfect size to sit on a laptop desk on the couch and has enough complexity and tricks, especially with the FX track, to keep it interesting. You do have to work with it to push it outside of its standard sound palette, but I find that to be incredibly rewarding.
I disagree. I wish I could recommend the Tonverk, but there are obvious bugs, and it feels unfinished imo.
I have both. Syntakt was my first Elektron and I will not sell it, eventhough the Tonverk does basically everything I want.
I would say Syntakt is the perfect beginner’s choice. It has a well rounded smorgasboard of functions and is powerful enough to make serious music in many genres. It’s not really a sampler, though. But it’s simply easy to love.
Syntakt is perfect, at least if you’re OK with no polyphony…
Syntakt can do polyphony. Since it has as many 12 tracks, you can assign three or four to play chords. I usually do this. Often with the Swarm machine.
And now, with the new selective Ctrl-All, it’s faster to build Chords.
Probably. But I think it’s easier to edit the note locks for each track, than to plock the tuning for each note in the extra tracks.