What is "Elektron magic" to you?

So, in releasing their new Model:Samples Elektron says it has the “Elektron magic”? I guess to them that means the sequencer. But what does that concept mean to you?

To me it is not the sequencer. So many synths have motion-sequencing etc. – even entry level stuff like the cheap korg stuff. Instead, it is a question about versatility and inspiration. To me, the Digitone is the best Elektron device in this regard. It can do a lot – from drum machine to pads to sound fx… even makes a decent acid bass because of the versatility of the filter – yet it does so in a way were I also sometimes stumble upon unexpected sounds that I had not thought of in my head. In that way, that machine continues to amaze me. It is the only piece of gear, I never consider swapping for something else.

I hope the next skybox has some of that type of magic.

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I like all the corners.

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Release announcement day on the forums.

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Hahaha. There it is!

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Feature requests appearing on new products

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Well… it is magic in a way… we imagine something, and Elektron conjures it up… somewhere else than we anticipated. What a neat trick.

Second post in. I’m gonna run out of likes on this thread…

So, I guess, following the trend of the thread:

Running out of awkward people positive response arbitrarily on their forum

To me, the elektron magic lies in all the superuser things in the big boxes. Stuff like performance macros, swing trigs, soundlocks, copypasting possibility of almost any- and everything, quick kit and pattn recalls, easy offsetting of step seq data, LFO designer, parts on the OT… these things give a lot of value to operating the units, and make the competition seem anachronistic.

Sad thing is, looks like the new instruments are having less and less of these lil features…

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Magic for me was how much you could do inside of one box. And how many ‘damn, it can do this too?!’ moments of surprise there were.

Its all gotten pretty predictable and overly limited over past few years though. For me at least.

The sequencer is starting to feel like old news yet is still the main validation for the high prices. And the way they’ve totally avoided expanding the fx selection and offer fx per track…Also taking the tactic of reducing functionality in cheaper boxes instead of adding significant functionality in new expensive boxes, to separate their tiers, is getting old and starting to leave them on par with the competition whereas they used to be clear front runners…

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Knowing from the moment something new is announced that there will be plenty to explore and that it will take years to find all the upside down ways of (ab)using it to create something completely unexpected. In that regard, OT probably marked “peak Elektron”. Having said that, this depth and complexity is what probably reduces mass market appeal. I don’t think Elektron will be able to afford to build something like the OT or the MD again, because it doesn’t fit them as a company anymore. Seems to me like a case of the innovator’s dilemma that Clayton Christensen describes in his book.

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Its a little chip inside making magic

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My first Elektron box was the Digitakt. I thought it was magic…never had conditional trigs before, so many things about it opened my mind to new possibilities…then I got the OT…my goodness, what an amazing machine. I have trouble describing what it even is, because it’s so many things. Picking up an A4mk2 this week and looking forward to that. The Digitakt is sold…may just start looking into the legacy machines if everything is just going to become more stripped down and basic from here on out. Fortunately, it’s gonna be awhile before I run out of possibilities with what I have

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Definitely look into the silver machines! Limited sequencer, but closer to the essence of people’s impression of Elektron.

Monomachine is more universally usable(it’s FX processing is incredibly interesting and useful and there are some great sounds in it).

Machinedrum is still my favorite machine- very sonically broad. But if you’re not using it for percussion or crazy sounds then it can be tricky to use

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If machinedrum had microtiming and conditrigs, I’d agree

My faves are OT & A4

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synthesis

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It started with the first machinedrum for me. That was 18 or so years ago so I was 22 and had limited funds.
At the time it was a very expensive purchase but there was no real competition except or the jomox xbase 09 which also had parameter locks which was something special back then.

The machinedrum was digital but that red screen and solid silver body just oozed quality and to me the kicks sounded deep enough that the whole analog/digital argument didnt matter anymore. I went to the musicstore to buy an xbase and after spending a good hour with the machinedrum I left without buying anything because I only had enough money for the xbase. I saved and googled it all the time (there was no youtube back then) and read the reviews on harmonycentral and eventualy got one.

The magic was that moment when you open the Elektron box and unpack the machinedrum for the first time and examine it and just admire the physical build and design quality.

The machinedrum evolved overtime to include sampling and all kinds of other features. Back then Elektron was a smaller company and this was Elektron’s flagship product so the Machinedrum paved the way for all future Elektron products. The elektron-users forum was born out of this too which contributed to the magic because users could help eachother learn and share their knowledge.

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I think both of these SHOULD be able to be achieved with the LFOs(I haven’t been able to crack that code yet) but sonically- those machines should hold the utmost capability- and the most room for abusing

I agree they have immense depth. However, for the types of music I enjoy, I absolutely love being able to microtime my pattns. Without microtiming stuff sounds so on-the-grid and robotic, which is aight for elektro and industrial etc styles, but nowhere ideal when you want a more organic feel.

And conditrigs, ok, without those I can cope… I guess one can pseudo it with LFOs

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I can dig that

Edit: what you’re saying, not electro/industrial which I can also dig

I took a chunky music hiatus between getting kicked out of the band I was in (the famous creative differences) in about 2003ish to about my my 30th (2012). I remember buying Maschine as was on sale and was immediately hooked back into make little tunes and patterns. The OT was the first full hardware purchase I made within a few months of that. In fact, it was the first “pro” piece of hardware I purchased with my own cash come to think of it (Maschine aside).

So “Elektron Magic” means something a little different to me. It was a gateway into where I am now musically. I’m still pretty sh1t but it’s been such a fun “hobby”. I’ll never forget those first few months with that OT though. Still got some recordings somewhere that are mostly crap but I was doing some absolutely wild stuff by accident that opened my eyes up to a whole world of synths/samplers that I barely knew existed.

It’s thanks to this “Elektron MAgic” that I finally grew up a bit too… Well, just a little bit. I was trying to cling on to my younger days a bit and partying way too much for someone with two kids and a lovely lady at home. Made the call to stay in more and to do music. The OT really helped with that with trying to learn things!!!

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