Okay so I know this is a question only I can answer according to my own wants/needs but let’s take that off the table for a moment.
If one were to have the following:
Ableton/laptop
9U of eurorack
Access virus TI polar
Korg minilouge XD
Sp404mk2
Octatrack
Machinedrum UW
Analog rytm
Analog four
Digitone
And you HAD to ditch one of the Elektron boxes, which one would it be and why?
I personally can’t pilot more than one elektron at a time, but attempting to think logically and objectively about this:
I’d ditch the A4.
OT: nothing else does what it can do.
MD: same
Rytm: You have some analog drums / samples with some great performance tools
Digitone: More polyphony than A4, and just as versatile but in a different.
Then again, if you use the A4 for any kind of CV sequencing, I’d probably kick the DN.
Easy.
Analog Rytm. Because, duh…
Gun to my head? Machinedrum. Best resale value and highest demand, unless you yourself overpaid for it and then in that case Digitone because it is available in spades can still be repurchased at a low cost comparatively.
Personally, as a consumer, I would be trying to acquire an MDUW. Just logically though, as you’ve laid it on the table, it means you’re willing to part with it. Which means your attachment isn’t that strong, if it were you would never even put it out there as an option.
I think you should ditch the SP404. I know it’s outside the rules but that’s what I would do.
I own the exact same set of Elektrons and I’ve been thinking about the exact same question!
And even though I like them all and I said I would never sell it, the A4 is in a dangerous position right now. I mean literally: I can’t put it on my small table or should I say: I decided not to put it there. It’s just a question of voices(4)/space ratio.
At the same time, the Syntakt could give me all the important Analog Rytm engines and more (Well the 1.70 update modifies that a bit for now). The Syntakt being more compact, it would free some space BUT no pads, no performance/scenes macros…
so there’s only one logical solution to this:
I need a bigger table!
Ditch the eurorack
I only put the MDUW on the list so everyone could see the whole layout and compare and contrast…funnily enough the MDUW is technically the only Elektron that’s not on the chopping block at all. I’ve thought about selling in the past only because the prices are so high right now (I had the Monomachine too but someone offered me $3000 for it so I ended up parting with it only because that’s an insane price)
I love drum synths and the MD is the most versatile and best sounding one I’ve ever owned so it’s got to stay.
I’m going to part with one of the Elektron boxes and at the moment it’s between the Analog rytm and analog four but I’m not sure yet.
Truth be told the Analog four is probably the one I use the least but its capabilities make me really question it. I don’t use its CV features much just because it’s kind of cumbersome and I have sequencers etc in my rack.
The analog rytm im considering even though I’m proficient with it because I have the MD, OT, SP404mk2 and in my modular I have the Erica synths lxr02 drum synth and drum sequencer.
As much as I’ve enjoyed the analog rytm since launch compared to other Elektron drum synths it takes a lot more work to get it to sound good although of course it can and does sound great with some work, the sample implementation is sufficient and a nice cherry on top but not the best.
I had the AR packed up and ready for listing then I played with it for 20mins today and very quickly made something awesome so now I’m like man I don’t know.
Did you update it?
My first reaction was to say this somewhat depends on what’s in the 9U of eurorack, but then looking at your list of Elektrons, I’d ditch the Rytm. It might be an unpopular opinion, but the Rytm is the Elektron instrument that least excites me.
Between the A4 and the MD, you have both analog and digital drum synthesis covered. Regarding the sample side of the Rytm: you have an Octatrack!
If you don’t play live, ditch the Octatrack, and the Rytm. 
I’d keep MD cause it rules forever.
OT cause… well, same.
A4 cause it’s analog goodness you can’t really have with your laptop I guess. And cool Eurorack control. Plus I reckon it’s gonna have an OS upgrade comparable to AR, which makes it even cooler for CV control, and definitely nice for a 4-voice synth.
AR cause you definitely have to master last OS before ditching it.
So I guess Digitone, if you have a good controller to make use of Operator on Live (Suite btw?) Especially if you want a Push 3 with the money…
Either Digitone or A4 but that depends entirely on your preferred workflow and sound.
…more than three elektron devices at once in use is max…
as mentioned here before, if u don’t play live, there are not that many arguments left for the ot…
and also mentioned before, u can’t ditch the rytm before u have not tasted it’s actual update…
while i always say, if u know ur a4, u don’t really need the rytm…
recheck and reflect on ur machinedrum relationship…those prices u can get for it right now, won’t last forever…
digitone might be the most obvious, since apart from plocking fm fun, there’s nothing essential to miss out on, if u know ur daw inside out…
while same goes for the minilogue xd…
but who needs a sp404, seriously…kick that out for sure and replace it with the latest device from those swedish teens…best bang for the buck ratio since ages…
I feel like the AR stock just went up majorly with that new firmware. Dont own one but if I did, I could see a renewed sense of excitement about it.
If one day I woke up with that setup, and there was a note that read, “you can keep it all but only if you get rid of one Elektron box”, I think the A4 would be the one to go because for me it is the least interesting (note that I say least, and not that it isn’t interesting).
If the note read, “…only if you get rid one thing on it”, then absolutely the Eurorack would go. I get bored with modular and patching, I rather spend my time doing most other audio production tasks, so I know that no matter how much I would say that I will commit to using it, I will not by nature, and it would sit on a table collecting dust.
After taking a closer look at the Rytm update, I’m not as sure of this answer as I was yesterday!
DN or A4 depending on which sound you prefer. I’ve already done similar and it was the A4 that went in my case. It’s the least immediate IMO, I loved it for mid range and hi mid sounds and textures but it’s not a synth that I could use across the whole frequency range. It has its strong areas, where as DN is more useful (to me) across a wider area of our hearing range.
But of course A4 can do stuff no other synth can such as tuned audio rate LFOs which is quite a unique feature, so depends if you’ll miss that.
Also performance mode is super powerful on A4 but like the whole machine IMO it takes a fair amount of programming time whatever you do with it, as the default tone is lacklustre to me. It’s the only Elektron I’ve owned that I’ve since let go.
of all the Elektrons you listed i think i would probably look at the OT or the DN.
your laptop+live could probably replace the OT and the DN too… so mh…
i would say:
