Hello, thank you for your time. I am new to Elektron equipment, and looking to get back into music making after a decade long sabbatical. I have ordered the Monomachine, mainly to run a Minitaur and and an Ms-20 mini. However, i would really like a dedicated drum machine and I have fallen in love with what I have read about the Analog rytm. I don’t believe in investing in crap, it always costs you more money to expand/replace in the long run. I know there may be some bias as I am asking this question in the A.R. topic thread, but are there any advantages to the AR over, say , the Octatrack or the Machine drum? how are you generally loving your A.R? I apologize if this is longwinded, trying to make the best decision before I part with a lot of money. Thank you so much! xjen
For a traditional drum machine you can’t go wrong with either the MD or the AR.
It really just depends on if you want an analog sound engine with sample playback or a digital sound engine with possible sample playback (if you get the UW).
The OT is mostly for loops and controlling other gear, but it’s my favorite of all of Elektron’s units.
It’s really versatile, has the most options for effects and routing, and can also be used as a drum machine much in the same way the MnM can (IE monophonic per track).
It really just depends on how deep you want to get with it, but if you’re just looking for a traditional drum machine that’s easy to get off the ground with little digging, the AR is newer and has more, newer features, plus it has the upcoming Overbridge (any day now).
I’m kind of partial to the MD over the AR, sound wise, just because I think the engines are a little more versatile, but yeah; OT is my favorite and the most useful by itself.
An all-in-one box for sure, but pretty tough to master without some digging.
Thank you, Diapause. If I was rich I would buy all of them right now, haha. The Octatrack is definitely in my horizon, just struggling to decide which one to splash out on first. Do you mind if ask what about the MD engines you find more versatile? I really appreciate your input, and I hope you are having a fantastic weekend.
The MD does excellent analog modeling, as well as physical modeling, and specific types like EFM and E12, which are a bit more specialized to the unit itself.
The sampling is 12-bit which makes the samples you feed into sound really gritty, which is something I appreciate.
The AR is a fantastic machine and I’m glad I got it, but, so far, it’s just a little limited as far as its sound engines.
That’s not to say they won’t update it with new machines, but you really have to feed it with samples to get close to the diversity you can get with the MD.
That all being said, yeah, the AR sounds HUGE and everything you put into it comes out somewhat hotter than what you put in there.
It really just depends on what sound you’re looking for.
I just find the MD easier to mix, but could easily recommend both.
Yeah Diapause has pretty much summed it up.
OT if you want to sample/chop/mangle/mix/effect.
MD-UW if you want a digital drum machine that can sample itself/external material on the fly.
AR if you want an analog drum machine that supports sample playback but can’t sample on the fly.
Other considerations -
MD can seq external kit via midi, AR can’t.
AR has a better sequencer & independent track lengths. MD all tracks are the same length.
OT can play one shots/loops/very long files & can also be a synth of sorts by loading Single cycle waveforms. Has independent track lengths & goes down to 1/8 division of master clock which translates to 32 bar loops. OT also has 8 midi tracks as well as the 8 Audio ones!
Decisions decisions 
Hey JenniferPDX, you probably won’t be disappointed with any of them as they each bring something unique to the table.
I’d say the RYTM is definitely more immediate and very easy to get great sounds out of it quickly. But it also has a lot of depth — I went through a phase of making loops / tracks from just a single sound, like making a track from a rimshot or high hat. It also does sound as huge as everyone says. But it also has flaws: sample upload is clunky, the analog palette is limited (compared with the MD) and the saving preset system needs a massive overhaul. I think all of this will be addressed with OB however.
The MD has tons of unique character and can take you places the RYTM can’t. But, you will soon have a Monomachine and they share similarities: one drum engine is the same and there is overlap with FM. So perhaps you will already have some of those sounds covered. Don’t get me wrong though, the MD is still very capable and I’ve turned back to it more than I though I would after getting the RYTM.
The OT is all about how you feed it. It’s definitely the least accessible initially, but the most rewarding long term. I recently moved to the States and it was the machine I took with me as the others sailed on the boat. The OT can also provide many uses: it can be a drum machine, it can be a synth, a muti-tracker, and of course a sample mangler. But, it requires the most work without question.
I’d go RYTM. It’s likely to see the most updates, benefits from Overbridge. It’s analog will provide a different sound to your Monomachine and it can go pretty far with it’s sample playback.
Maybe check out the recent Elektron competition to get a flavour of each machine. There’s also a great deconstruction video of the winning entry.
Good luck!
I found it interesting (for myself) that almost all my favorite entries were done with the Rytm
Thank you guys for the advice so much. I think I am going to start with the rytm to complement my mono, definitely get the octatrack at some later date. Might have to rob a bank at some point though, ha ha.
Every Elektron machine offers something unique… so to be truly happy you have to buy them all. 
That said, the Rytm is great for drums (and samples) because you can warm up anything that comes out of it with the built-in analog filtering, overdrive, and compression. This allows you to really beef up drums (or anything else) the way you want.
It also has expressive pads that are pressure sensitive for morphing drum sounds, giving it an extra dimension of tactile-ness. This is great for drums or sounds where you want to bang stuff out like an instrument.
It’s basically the ultimate drum machine in many ways: not to mention you can load in sample packs 
(cough cough) … or your own sounds, which gives it multiple personalities but with the same fat Rytm sound.
Yeah, the sound of those filters is really doing it for me
I think I am going to start with the rytm to complement my mono
Excellent choice.
You really can’t go wrong.
Elektron has the most considered product line in that every unit has functionality that doesn’t overlap or step on features of another, at least not too much.
The analog sound of the Rytm will pair nicely with the digital (although strangely warm) sound of the Monomachine.
Now let’s see how long you can hold out before you buy a third one.
Depending on your use, the Rytm is more future proof (Overbridge)
The Rytm sounds great with little effort. The analog signal path adds something that the other offerings you are considering do not.
The individual track lengths and micro timing of the Rytm are important to me. Also, between those plus the scene and performance modes, and the ability to play chromatically, the Rytm can do so much more than simple drum patterns. It is an incredible expressive instrument… and the sound! It just does it for me.
The Rytm is my first piece of Elektron gear and I find it very comforting that they support their products for so long since they don’t phase them out. I’ve had so many machines where the opposite was true (MC-909, Spectralis, etc) and it sucks when you have a piece that is soooo close to being everything you want but it never gets developed as far as it could just because the manufacturer was quick to move on. Rytm is great now and I have full confidence that it will continue to get even better.
To the OP, if it helps any, I will say that I found the AR extremely user friendly, even with no prior Elektron experience. On the other hand, I’ve watched Octatrack tutorials and my head nearly imploded. lol But yeah, my personal experience with the AR so far, I love it! Put it this way, you would have to work pretty hard at it to make this thing sound bad. 
hi jennifer
the Rytm is amazing and a definite keeper over the MachineDrum. I sold my MachineDrum to get the Rytm and haven’t looked back. The physical modelling and SP-12 type machines weren’t my thing, and the AR obviously does a better xox type drum machine. Once a few more FM machines get released there will be little the MDUW has over the Rytm other than workflow.
Since I am guessing you live in Portland, Control Voltage has an Analog Rytm display model to mess around with; I believe I saw a MachineDrum at Muffwiggler’s store as well. You have the ability to try both!
Control Voltage is a great shop… There are a number of Elektron boxes to try and the shop is fine if you spend hours trying them out. They are also very helpful and will answer any questions you may have.
That is where I bought my Rytm and Keys
Two important cons:
AR won’t sequence other boxes. It will sync, however.
MD only plays trigs on the 16 steps, no microtiming adjustments.
I love the AR - very immediate. I’ve owned both, for me I won’t be looking for an MD any time soon, but I LOVED my time with it.
You can’t go wrong!
Control Voltage is a great shop… There are a number of Elektron boxes to try and the shop is fine if you spend hours trying them out. They are also very helpful and will answer any questions you may have.
That is where I bought my Rytm and Keys[/quote]
I will third this. I bought my AR and AK there. I played with the Keys for hours before buying, and Jason even showed me a few things on it to help me make up my mind. Super great shop.
The MD is getting a little old compared to the other boxes. Although technically the md covers more sonic territory, most of it sounds very tiny and lofi. Which is great for a limited number of genres, but not for everyone.
The sequencer part also misses alot of features from the black boxes, like copying multiple trigs, direct jump, microtiming and more.
The AR just sounds alot better. Better FX and fuller sound overall. It’s still an analog box so don’t expext full-blown skrillex brostep snares out of it, those are heavily processed and layered samples.
As said above already the engines are quite limited on the AR (well, the kicks are very versatile, the rest not so much) so alot of the sounds you make on it will sound somewhat the same. Thats why i find myself using samples more and more on the rytm.
Muff Wigler is right by my apartment. They are super friendly/helpful in there too. Love that place, but I don’t think they carry Elektron gear. I haven’t been to Control Voltage yet, but I will def stop by this week due to your recommendations. Thank you all so much for the advice.
Yeah Control Voltage is great and they have the Dark Trinity set up and ready to play with. I think half an hour with the RYTM and some general pointers from the shop and you’ll be leaving a few dollars lighter