Why is Elektron soo bad at Pads

Elektron Gear
#124

whatever…I have given up on them even considering. Sold the Cycles because the Pads are just plain crap. Even Ess said they seem to hard for him, but nothing happend. Couln´t be that hard to just patch an option for sensitivity because they have to be calibrated somewhere in the machine.

Rytm Pads maybe slightly better but still same problem. Way too unresponsive for expressive playing and no sighn of even awareness. It´s a nice machine nevertheless. But in my optinion will all those marketing stuff not work (even a hip space in Berlin) in the end if they don´t listen to customers.

#125

One has to admit that their market is not finger drummers (though what’s the chicken and egg here: no finger drummers or no drummers for fingers :thinking:)

Performance, scenes and mutes work splendidly.

2 Likes
#126

yeah but one also has to admit that this 4x4 big pad matrix on the rytm is VERY reminiscent of the MPC and Machine Pads. So on a Drum Machine you kind of expecting it to work. Would it even work at all, but you got so many misstriggers. It´s just not even the expressiveness, it also doesn´t trigger very well in some cases.

#127

Have you actually tried the Rytm mk2 pads?

#128

Have one at my fingertips yeah. If it works for you…fine.

#129

Just making sure you were talking about the mk2 because they are obviously different to the mk1. and yes they seem to work fine to me as I said in an earlier post I’m not an expert finger drummer but it’s easy to hit the velocity I want and have a nice softness

3 Likes
#130

I’m not excusing their finger drumming response: it’s…wanting (though my MKI has improved over this very long time).

I just don’t know its within Elektrons scope to willfully put any of its products up to Akais visavis finger drumming: they don’t advertise or show finger drumming in any of their marketing and stick to mutes, mainly, sometimes performance. Im just curious if they failed according to what we project onto their intentions or succeeded in their actual intentions.

#131

Same here, it works OK enough for me, but I can understand that experimented finger drummers would want something more adapted to their needs.
Might be also that the said finger drummers are used to other kind of pads and have trouble to adapt.

1 Like
#132

Yes agreed I only have a push 2 to compare… and feels well good enough for my needs
the mpc pads and others might be more refined I don’t know,
but I’m pretty sure the mk2 pads would a lot better than the model series and good enough for most people

#133

For me, I would be fine if its not as good as mpc for example but it should at least not misstrigger and it should be configurable. I know its mainly made for techno stuff and I am not a finger drummer myself and even if it works for some. The Pads aren‘t just as good as they would need to be for that price.

And look at the cycles. I mean if it works for you, great. But I am not the only one complaining even Ess jumped in and I suppose he could talk to the devs.
If you are strong guys…ok. But if you have to hammer the hell out of those pads to get full velocity its just dump even if the target is not being as good as akai. I can honestly say, being that I am a small person that I would be afraid of getting hurt if I tried to trigger full velocity on the cycles.

#134

I have had four instruments with drumpads here is my ranglist:

  1. Asm Hydrasynth Desktop. Sensitive and soulful playable
  2. Ableton Push 2 in the range of no 1. Soulful and sensitive
  3. Model Cycles velocity sensitive of course but you need a bit more pressure and a hard table.
  4. Analog Rytm 1 actually I am fine wirh them. You need muscels in the fingers but dynamic play is working. It is a bit like hammering on the table with the fingertips. Good training for volleyball or karate ore so
#135

Does anyone here has the AR mk2 for long enough to tell if the pads get better over time with use ?

#136

Hard to say if it’s the user adapting to the pads, or the pads getting better ^^

3 Likes
#137

Thinking on the problem for a bit if it were me i would set the threshold to near 0 (just above the point when a table vibration would also trig the pad!) and do coarse debouncing i. e. No other hits register after say 150ms. This also means no notes shorter than that using the pads but that to me is acceptable for pads meant for drumming.

If they tried this already then it might be a hardware limitation (meaning they couldn’t build a pad stable enough for this to work without it constantly trigging as you do other things on the machine.)

If that’s the case they should have made them regular buttons with velocity and after touch.

If you appreciate how not easy this is by now, as i do, its nice that they “kinda” work at all!

2 Likes
#138

ummmm…

Unknown-1

3 Likes
#139

Special Edition…don´t be jealous :wink:

#140

Trying not to be. I’d love an extra row.

But it sounds like yours aren’t very sensitive. :face_with_raised_eyebrow:

1 Like
#141

Not enough no…but most anoying are the not triggering if you don´t hit the right spot. You just can´t groove when you need to hammer or be super cautious about where to hit the pad.

#142

I prefer the regular silicone-ish buttons over unresponsive pressure sensitive ones. I wish the Model Cycles was that way rather, like the digis look to be. From my perspective it was a gamble that turned out harming the user experience.
I also send my M:C back for this reason. Even though it ticks all boxes otherwise and really is awesome in many ways, I don’t see myself using it much as it inflicts pain in my wrists.

#143

My Rytm mk2 has nice pads, i had mpc2500 and 500.
And yes , model cycles has terrible unresponsive pads. But so is the price. One of the reasons i don’t have it any more. The sound engines are phenomenal! Physical aspect of it not so much. I wish MC inside rytm mk2 body…

1 Like