You know, it should not be hard at all for Elektron to simply place raised Braille beside all the surface controls, however the menu system and such would be another bag of snakes! I guess even a placard included with box with Braille beside the deeper functions in a "Quick Start/Short Cuts for the visually handicapped.
For now, “soundwarrior20”, you should be able to have someone assist you and actually have something made up by plethora of companies that help with accessibility. Just a thought.
Why would anyone need 24bit user samples? 16bit would be more than enough, even for very dynamic stuff.
Better signal to noise ratio? Extra dynamic range?
File size might become a bit of an issue though 
Most of the ideas people are coming up with here are like cooking soup on old bones, same with this one!
+1
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Most of the ideas people are coming up with here are like cooking soup on old bones, same with this one![/quote]
The A4 has a digital noise source. If Elektron do ever go analog on the machinedrum concept or produce a MKIII, some type of hybrid is plausible.
A midi , mixer & fx brain for all elektron stuff 
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I would love to see an 8 stereo output expansion for the Octatrack tbh.
Being able to record entire Octatrack jams to a DAW and then access each audio channel separately would be incredibly useful for mixing down tracks.
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Definitely want to see an Elektron mixer-sequencer-recorder box with effects.
It is what the OTB world has been waiting for!
My RME Fireface UFX is the closest to the concept, but until they release the iPad app to control it it is difficult to tweak the eq etc as you go.
Why would anyone need 24bit user samples? 16bit would be more than enough, even for very dynamic stuff.[/quote]
Because almost all modern sample libraries come in 24 bit formats for a start, (When I use my mpc I have to batch convert everything to 16 bit before transfer), it would also be good for compatibility between the proposed new machine and the octatrack.
Also when you do extreme pitch changing 24bit samples are less grainy in play back than 16 bit samples are.
EG: Try taking a string sample at c3 and pitch it down to c1 or c0, if you can’t tell the difference between a 16 bit version and a 24 bit version of the same sample then you have bad ears my friend.
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@AikiGhost: Yes, for more drastic sample manipulation that could be necessary. What I had in mind was drumsamples and alike. Though pitching down samples would require higher sample rates for less aliasing rather than increased bit depth. But the conversion inconvenience is argument enough. Thanks for elaborating.
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While well-recorded 16 and 24 bit samples are difficult to tell from each other, it’s the recording process itself that gains from using 24 bit sampling.
The problem with 16 bit recording is that if you want to actually use the whole bit depth, you have to record really hot, so sudden spikes and abnormalities might produce distortion.
When you record at 24 bit you don’t need to record so hot, you can easily turn down the gain (and thus reduce the chance of distortion) and record with effectively, say, 20 bit depth (which is more than enough for most people), then normalize the sample. If you did the same with 16 bit, you’d have an effective bit depth so low that the difference between the original source and the end result would be audible.
This is of course assuming you want the results to sound exactly like the original signal, (great sounding) lofi samplers are an entirely different topic, with those you often WANT the results to sound different than the source.
I would love to see Elektron resurrect the work they started with the P-I machine on the SPS-1. All of the other broad MD-synth types have appeared in one form or another since. 
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My elektron wishlist:
- Software fixes for the most annoying OT bugs
- Analog 4 Mk2 with better oscillators.
I love both machines, playing them is so much fun. How cool would it be if the last OT bugs were fixed.
And imagine an A4 Mk2 with better oscillators. It would be very easy to make some moogish bass sounds without extra equipment.
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[quote="“snowcrash”"]
Seriously, that sounds very exciting, though I doubt that any company, even Elektron has the balls to do a midi only sequencer these days. Also the Midi-Bus is very limited when it comes to CCs and bandwidth. It would need to have at least 5 dedicated midi-out ports for this massive amount of controller data going out to other gear.
It could be done or complemented with CV-outs like the A4 does, but then again it’s a speciality of the A4. I rather see this as an add on for the existing machines.
Ping-pong, random modes and stuff like skip-trigs or more classical Q960 style sequencing also isn’t very much in the style of what we see now in the elektron sequencers. I’d really love to see a modern “old-school” sequencer that does everything right but a lot is in the details and for certain features to work out one would probably write the sequencer code right from scratch.
One thing I’d love to see in a single sequencer is the possibility to split rhythmical structures from the actual note-sequence, something you can do with analog sequencers like the moon-modulars.
Or how the good old TR909 with a SH-101 trick works: the 909 clocks the sequencer of the SH-101 with e.g. the rimshot trigger out. This way of sequencing (also done with Junos and 808s etc…) is the very core of any true acid setup and also would match the current rediscovery and nostalgia on early kraut electronics etc…
At least I would go crazy if any elektron machine were capable to do this. ;)[/quote]
What’s the market lacking? 4 things:
- Hardware sequencers (more than 1-4 channels and 32-steps…).
People pay over $1,000 for the old AKAI ASQ-10 sequencer.
People pay $2,000 for a Cirklon (and why did someone above say people are “still buying” them as if they are really old products?)
People are bying more and more MIDI gear with the same number of sequencer options- almost always as part of a device that sequences external gear as a bonus. (Or in the case of the Octatrack, because it’s awesome!).
- Analog FX- Spring Reverb, Analog Delay, Tube Distortion, etc.
The prices for vintage stuff are outrageous on eBay- really simple analog circuits and components in these analog FX boxes- so that means there is money to be made for a company like Elektron bringing some of those racks that cost $800 to do one effect into a single box.
- 8-16 bit analog down conversion.
Everyone asks for it, but real Analog sampling is hard to come by- especially the classics with true character. SP1200s are 2 grand, SP12s 1,500, Emax racks are over 1,000. The MPC60 is $800-1200. The MPC 3,000 is 2 grand. The AKAI S900-950 are about $700 in good condition. The Ensoniq ASR-10…I could go on.
- There are hardly any true analog polysynths…and the ones that are available are absurdly expensive.
The point is there’s a major market inefficiency due to the fact that hardware companies scaled down their product line or went out of business in the early 2000s because software took over. Now it is equalizing a bit but hardware manufacturers are still reluctant to release certain types of products.
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I think stuff like this points to Elektron “Expander” modules: things to compliment their pre-existing instruments and improve your hardware setup
•A polyphonic expansion for the A4? Hey, if I’d consider paying $2,500 for an Oberheim Xpander, I’d pay for an Elektron one.
•An analog FX Box/Analog Converter/Mixer (like the Neuron) : Great companion for ALL of your hardware, spit out a recording into a DAW that’s drenched in analog, lo-fi goodness that doesn’t require hours/days of corrective mastering. Resample your OT to get that old school feel in your loops. EQ the A4 and put some much needed analog reverb on those basses! Color up the MnM!
•A hardware sequencer that acts as a MIDI interface for the 4 Elektron boxes and routes the MIDI however you want it to 6+ MIDI outs- but works as a standalone sequencer- basically an OT+MnM sequencer. Should have at least 4 rows of slightly smaller Elektron sequencer buttions to control 4 tracks at a time that you can page through. It would be an absolute dream come true.
^
another shout for a mixer. But a mixer like no other available - & this is what Elektron should make :
there are loads of mixers out there…all with mic inputs & other stuff we don’t want…mixers that haven’t really changed much (even digital ones) onstensibly in about 30-odd years.
let’s have a mixer that the modern, hardware using electronic musician does want :-
how about something with 6 x stereo line ins. digital comp / lim & Eq on every channel. Comprehensive fx section - say at least 3 sends to inbuilt FX machines & maybe 2 x true stereo sends on the back to also send to your fave outboard.
A pair of more ‘simple’ stereo returns ( level, basic Eq / pan ? ) for said outboard to return to, or to patch extra synths / drum machines into. ( these maybe won’t have the full sequencer faclities…just a basic mix in… ? )
Final high quality balanced stereo output - & master buss comp/lim & final overall EQ.
Maybe insert points too…but not a biggie as you could always just go in-line with your favourite vintage compressor.
Similarly I’m personally not to fussed about a USB / FW / optical ( or whatever ) digital out…but I guess you DAW-cats might like say a USB digital out ? I guess it could double up as nice MIDI controller too with CC mapping from it’s MIDI/ USB out…
So… a…nice digital line mixer…then you add the sequencer. Pattern & song automation of everything in the elektron stylee - all MIDI clocked. Levels, mutes Panning / EQ sweeps…fx-fuckery…the lot. Basically it’d be like morphing a compact digital mixer with something like the MnM or OT.
Physically, ideally it’d be kept in the standard Elektron footprint, though obviously there are quite a few more 1/4" TRS sockets on this than anything else…
Some nice rotary controls - certainly no stupid faders - knobs FTW!
I’d buy one - in a heartbeat.
lol @ analog sampler 
what have all the Elektrons in common? They are primarily great standalone instruments with a strong, unique character. Secondarily, they can interface with other hardware very well.
Each of their devices clearly falls into a specific field:
MD -> digital drum machine
MM -> 6x digital monosynth
OT -> 8 track sampler
A4 -> 4x analog monosynth
And all of them have the main cool Elektron thing: a very good step sequencer.
I personally don’t think they will leave this path as they are very good at it.
So what will the next thing be?
a mixer, FX box, “neuron”? not standalone, forget it.
Elektron is not in the business of making accessories.
what’s really missing from the list above? what is the one instrument that’s a staple in a lot of music productions but is not in that list, but that would be the logical extension of the Elektron product trajectory?
it’s very obviously an analog drum machine.
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Or an analog sampler?