Fascinating thread. I like the Rytm because it’s The Jack of all trades. No other machine that I know of can replace the Rytm. When you break down the Rytm’s elements, there are better machines out there, but not without sacrifices.
I recently started adding guitar pedals to my Rytm, and that’s opened up the sound possibilities. As for the other limitations, there always seems to be a work around, which is why I like the Rytm.
Well, easily if it’s not equipped with enough modulation sources, LFO’s.
Sure you can have all the samples in the world but I’d never buy a 1600€ sample player and what comes to the synthesis part, like I said I really like many of the engines and think they sound really good, but in the end I feel it’s a real shame the device is not equipped to bring them to life in a way for example the MD is.
The Rytm is their flag ship model and tbh I think its very boring for me.
It’s my second day of quitting smoking and am a bit on the edge today so excuse my attitude, I’ll be mellow again soon. 
A couple of points raised in the thread:
Chromatic mode works better using a midi keyboard then the pads IMO.
The synthesis can seem limiting if you only use the main page mostly, but if you think of it like a traditional subtractive synth and bring the filter, envelope and fx into play, and think of the synthesis machine as your oscillator (especially the noise and dual vco) some interesting non drum sounds can be made.
I really don’t like to try to talk someone into or out of any gear, but I do think that sometimes looking at the gear from a different perspective can help to make the decision to keep or not.
I’ll be the first to admit (and I have moaned about them in the past) that some of the analog drum synthesis machines could be tweaked - especially the sweep/envelopes in the machines themselves, which don’t always sound very natural in their response as to be suited for a lot of the drum sounds that I like.
But there is enough elsewhere within the machine to keep my interest, and I can easily use sampled drums to layer or replace the analog machines where needed.
Have you tried Pre/Post Reverb (in the Distortion FX Page)? The difference is huge. Make sure your not on Legacy Mode.
Speaking of FX, I love the option of driving the delay into the distortion. That thing is insane and full of character.
I’d have to say the filter is pretty amazing and standout, I love playing that filter as much as the Moog’s I’ve owned. Bandpass can get pretty gloopy.
The filter envelope covers tons of territory, it’s my go-to to pick things up when the jam starts going flat.
Took me years to gel with mine. Felt like a heavy time-sink trying to get it optimised for jamming and learning how to get closer to the sounds I want and totally utilising the performance aspects.
It’s definitely been a bit overwhelming at times.
I would have preferred 8 pads instead of 12 with flexible routing any sound on any pad tbh,
Still love the Rytm though, I think cost is the main reason it is the way it is
I’m wondering how long OP even used it before coming to this conclusion. I had to buy and sell 3 Rytms before it clicked with me. Agree with the comment above. I wish you could freely assign voices to pads, kinda more like MD workflow. But other than that, the RYTM slays in my book.
I feel the opposite, it’s probably my favourite, I think its limitations are it’s strength in a lot of ways. When I first got it (mk1) I was initially a bit disappointed that you could only use the bottom 4 pads for the most interesting engines, but it forces you into creative ways of working around it.
I think the pads are pretty rubbish, the performance/scene modes fairly pointless, but aside from that I really love the thing and it always great to me. I think the 8 voice polyphony is fine, you can achieve a lot with those 8 voices that would be impossible on any other drum machine. It’s actually an amazing achievement imo considering it’s mostly analog pathways and yet has a sample engine built in. I also own a DN & an A4, I’ve owned an OT and a DT, and I reckon the Rytm is top of my Elektron charts.
Are there any other analog drum machines that are as flexible? It has an LFO for every channel, analog drive, the gorgeous filter and an envelope. Yeah I love the thing despite its faults 
I thought I’d use the oscillators to play more bass parts than I currently do. But other than that, I’ve discovered more things I CAN do than CAN’T with RYTM. Preconceived notions about gear change quite a lot once you have it in from of you. It’s deep and the more time I spend dialing stuff in rather than expecting it to be a preset loader, the more I love the thing.
I had an MK1, sold it and bought the MK2 when it came out, so quite a while. But someone else said the more you own, the less you may value the RYTM. I think this may be my big issue. I really like the Elektron sequencer, but Roland is not that far behind now with probability on notes and the ability to change LFO rate per note on the MC-707. OS2 for the TR-8S was a big boost with the addition of FM. Meanwhile the big advance for RYTM is Overhub which is also wonderful, but it does not address the limitations.
That may or may not be true, but every “something else” wouldnt do another thing nearly as well as the AR.
I personally don’t want to hear much more of the TR sounds, so lets say the Alpha Base is a better sounding drum machine: it’s sequencer pales in comparison. Maybe the MPC is a better sampler / player: no analog sound engines at all…and the sequencer pales in comparison.
Even if an MD could be had for sane money, I would never give up the AR sequencer.
I agree there are something that could be better. But I don’t think that should take away from how much is already there.
I’ve come to value my MKI (MKII too big) more over time. It’s truly singular.
But as Daren said, if youre not feeling it, shift it. Little money lost; peace of mind gained.
Off topic: Thanks man! Still doing sample based hiphop on the Rytm. You can find some stuff on my youtube channel:
For the sake of this topic: I couldn’t have made this on any other machine I think.
Using an mpc would give me more sample chopping options, and I probably could’ve gotten better analog sounds from some other drum machine or synth, but to me the combination of these elements, including their limitations, are what make this machine so inspiring.
I guess the point that the AR is great by itself but loses some of it’s appeal as part of a larger setup might be the key to why some people like it and others don’t…
The Rytm is awesome. I wish I still had mine. Should never have sold it. But coin is coin. In truth I bought it when I couldn’t afford it, and have never been able to fit one into my budget since. It’s so immediate and fast. I love it for that. It does have some cons, for sure, I personally love the synthesis machines. I’m constantly scouring second hand marketplaces for a reasonable deal, prices for a mki tho are still super high, it’s a bummer
You are 100% entitled to your opinions and feedback…
But…As someone who was raised on a Boss DR 550…You don’t realise exactly what an awesome bit of kit you have in front of you…
The ARMKII is my favourite bit of kit ever.
What do you consider super high for a mk1? I’m looking into getting one.
I was on the edge of finding the AR a bit boring when I used it in a (too) large setup. It was only when I started using it on its own, playing in a duo where I mainly do the rhytmic and percussive part that I began understanding its power in terms of live tweaking, sequencing, modulating, reverting back to saved states, using the performance macros, etc.
Lots of complaints about the Rytm (or any machine for that matter) often are about features who weren’t there in the first place, like the number of pads/lfo’s, the features in the sample engine etc.
I find that an odd way of appreciating a piece of gear. When I bought the Rytm I knew all of those things, just like any other person could have known. For me the lack of full ext midi sequencing was a let down, but nothing to complain about after purchase.
Love the Rytm, by the way. Now exploring it as an ambient machine. The combination of analog voices and samples + the elektron sequencer and scales + performance macros makes that a great journey!
I’m in Australia so I don’t know what makes sense for you.
I bought mine I think for $2400 here, but after the Mkii’s we’re announced the secondhand market dropped dramatically in 2016 or 2017 or whenever it was - I sold mine for $1500. 4 years later I don’t see them for less than $1500 too often. There’s one locally for $1850. Comparatively, the A4mki sells for around $1000, maybe a bit higher or lower.
I was just looking through my archives and found a jam I did - makes me want the Rytm back bad… it’s not a perfect jam I kinda crap out at the end and mess up the reload but u get the idea
cool stuff as usual, thanks for posting. Nice to see people working outside the norm with different gear. That stand with arm rest is extremely nice too