It was a hot-dog cart all along!
Tonverk sounds flagship to me, or software-like. Who here has one ? Show yourself
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You’re exactly right
Changing out the hardware for something new so it can run all the DN/ST/DT machines on one platform probably means rewriting the whole audio engine.
Big job, and one which cannibalises their whole line. Why would they sell one box when they can sell three?
When I say that these 3 devices ‘could be 1’ I don’t mean to suggest that they will or that they should actually come out with something that combines these 3. Rather that I wish that the next generation of devices has a flagship that covers all the bases and has more headroom for firmware changes and updates. I would expect something like that to be very expensive, too expensive for many people to even consider it. They can still sell stripped down devices that have a smaller footprint, less features, stripped down controls on the interface etc.
My biggest personal annoyance in the Elektron world is this: using one single box is very fun. But at some point you start missing something. Either you want to add samples to your drums or synths to your sampels or whatever. Then you connect up a box or 2. And suddenly everything is a lot less fun. Having these capabilities in a single box and not having to fuss with cables, syncing settings etc would ba a dream for me.
As per earlier speculation - it seems likely to me that whatever is coming next is entirely “new” and not another digibox. It would appear that the name of this upcoming device confirms that. Another clue was them hiring developers who would be working with Rust and a Linux based OS. So I have some hope that the dream for a flagship device that drops the current philosophy of compartmentalization between devices could become a reality.
And as for paying for ‘machines’ and your fear of DRM… I’m not an Akai owner so have no first hand experience but people sure seem pretty happy with their purchasable content. I’m also not aware that there are some DRM pitfalls (but maybe there are some, people could pitch in). Besides, you already have to connect your device to a computer to update its firmware so I really don’t see why this should be a huge deal.
I would much rather spend some cash for some extra content than cough up a lot of cash for a new device that could have been a firmware update. Now again, I’m not claiming that the DN or ST could have been firmware updates for DT. Obviously not - what I am saying is that with proper foresight and vision a device could be created that can accommodate massive firmware updates that open up the device.
I don’t think that selling a VA box, a wavetable box, a physical modelling box, a granular synth box, a sampler and so on separately is a good way forward. However I would love to see Elektron tackle all of these different synthesis types (and with the ST they seem to show such a interest themselves). If Elektron were to make a special box for each different synthesis type then it would take them literally more than a decade to cover them all. Personally to me it would make sense to not differentiate devices by their type of synthesis but by their interface and use case. Hardware is about tactility. I would be a bit disappointed if the next generation of devices or the next “trilogy” are essentially boxes with the same interface and the only thing that differs between them is the way that they generate sound. And I say that as a happy owner of DT and ST. A4, AR and OT are a lot more inspiring in that respect - all of them have something unique about them other than that one is a sampler, one is a drum machine and one is a synth…
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IMO (which doesnt mean much), elektron would have to come out with something amazing to really get me to spend much money. I have several elektron machines and hardware synthesizers that I can make music with. I hope they can come out with something really innovative that can fill a real need rather than another drum machine/4 voice synth. There are plenty of synths out there that honestly sound better than the digitone and A4. I think elektron has dominated the drum machine platform. It will be exciting to see what they can come up with tho.
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who is Tony Verk
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Exactly.
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Looks fresh but three bands ain’t enough for a tonverkout.
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this is beautiful
Heheh, proof you can’t please everyone.
It’s a cool concept
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I love this idea, but with 6x as many knobs and 8x as many sliders, it would be like 4x the price of an Octatrack.
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I wasn’t trying to hit a price point to please anyone 
I’d pay 3k for the right device
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Master Volume to the right, reckless. 
Really nice!
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It’s a funny thing trying to put one of these together. You quickly respect the time it takes to commit to decisions.
Having an A4 MKI next to a RYTM MKI used to kind of make me bananas.
I’m left handed only when I eat and write.
Plus I have L/R blindness
I DID put the function button in a spot where most Func+ can be one handed
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After making many Elektron mixer ideas I started to wonder why I would want one anymore.
My ideas and tastes have changed a lot.
I’d almost rather have a digi sized FX box with multiple inputs, 2 pair stereo outs.
No sequencer.
I’d want to be able to midi control all the parameters via other synths.
Some kind of new way for Elektron boxes “perf macros” to easily modulate parameters on other Elektron machines.
So kind of a background fx box master out kinda thing.
You could play fx with a keyboard in a round robin style polyphony, like NIs the Finger.
Fx could respond to velocity after touch, etc.
Maybe some creative way to manipulate input routings.
$800
Later releasing a DN keys looking version of the same device
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I play cards.
Not totally blind but my left eye has strabismus and I have a prescription of +10.25.
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yes but what does the machine do?!
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The trade off with “Single box” approach is the loss of immediacy and flexibility, which might be important for certain styles of live performance and even composition. Sometimes you just had to tweak that cutoff potentiometer at the right moment with a predictable response.
The flexibility in the performance and programming of Elektron boxes today is built on top of a solid, focused hardware-software relation.
Who would want the flexibility of a DAW trapped in an expensive yet unalterable midi controller with a tiny oled screen? That’s right: Ants. Ants and MPC users.
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