Analog RYTM MK2 defective?

Elektron Gear Analog Rytm
#1

Hi everyone,

i own the RYTM mk2 for around 3 years now and apart from the problems i will describe below it is my favorite machine ever and i can not imagine to live without it anymore.

BUT:

though the build-quality feels extremely sturdy and solid, i had several problems over the years.
in the first year, sometimes the machine behaved kind of strange but i think firmware updates solved those problems later on.
but around one year ago i had my first really heartache with it:
the play and record button, also the A-H buttons (especially for swing and slide) would behave very strangly, sometimes needed way more force than usual, sometimes did not behave at all until a restart of the device made them come back to life.
i send it to my vendor (musicstore europe) and it was send to elektron for further checkups after they could not find an issue (also my tests over the TEST menu did not replicate the error in 99% of the time). so it spend around 1 month in sweden, but finally came back to me working great and over the last year i got in love with it again and learned to trust it again.

sadly, those button problems seem to come back now, not as bad as one year ago, but still sometimes i think i need to push buttons twice or harder (also sometimes the trig buttons, when i want to erase a step while the sequencer is running, or is this some kind of software bug?)

also yesterday the compressor behaved very strangly: when i slightly turned up the MakeUp-Gain,
the signal would distort a lot (even though i was just between 5-15) and then cut off completely when i turned the knob above around 20. first i thought i was messing something up in the settings but it behaved the same way with different ratios and all other settings tweaked (and never used to behave like this ever before). i got frustrated and turned the machine off and called it a day. ( i am working on an ep right now so it gets late in the night sometimes).

today i was powering the machine on as always and some weird message showed up on the screen, but dissapeared too fast to note what it said exactly, but it showed something like “loading NVRAM failed” or something similar (definitly something with NVRAM failed).

after that, all my projects, kits and settings dissapeared (except the demo presets).

this is not only frustrating as f*** since like i mentioned i am working on a project right now, but also really gives me such a bad gut feeling about the machine. it is out of warranty now (except elektron extended it because of the last repair?) and i need to send it in for around 2 months again while actually i wanted to have everything recorded until july…

how are your experiences with elektron support and the rytm mk2 in such manners?
i really feel like i can not rely on the machine anymore and i am really scared that it will have a meltdown while playing live one day…
what are your thoughts on this?

PS: musicstore told me they have approx 1 rytm mk2 per month in repair, i dont think this sounds much when you think about how many they probably sell per month…

looking forward for your replies folks!

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#2

Time for an Elektron.se support ticket. They respond quickly (during office hours) in my experience, so hopefully you’ll hear back in a day or two. The NVRAM failure seems to be be culprit. BTW, I wouldn’t push buttons harder to make them work - that seems destined to damage the unit eventually. Good luck!

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#3

Unfortunately it is a very expensive product with low QC control and poor manufacturing

#4

Bit of a blanket statement. I’ve had two different black MKIIs without a single issue.

Edit: only thing I had was the level knob being waaaay too twitchy and almost impossible to dial in correctly. I told support and sent a video. Then they fixed it in the latest OS :raised_hands:

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#5

Maybe they have changed now, but i think the price is too high.

When you use it, you don’t have a feeling of using a £1600 product

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#6

it feels like nasa manufactured and when you look on the tear downs online, you see that they are very laborous built… i can not agree that they dont “feel” or look sturdy…
i am asking for same experiences and how you would reach out to elektron…
i am scared that they will say my warranty is gone so i need to buy a new one or pay the repair :frowning: also i am not sure if repairing solves it forever…
i owned a 20 year old machinedrum which looked like the pre owner used to open walnuts with it, but never had an issue with it…

2 Likes
#7

Log in to your account on Elektron.se and contact support. It’s well worth speaking to the experts and getting their help. I find Elektron’s support team to be some of the best I’ve ever dealt with, and you don’t have to send it back if you don’t want to – but hear them out first and see what they can do for you.

4 Likes
#8

I feel for you there. Did you back up regularily? I do it once a week, should probably do it more.

I’ve notcied loads of little glitches with mine. Sometimes it dosn’t start, sometimes the audio won’t route out of main if the usb cable is connected, sometimes I lose sound on a pad until I reload the kit.

All in all I think they’re pretty ropey in firmware terms, which leads me to save every little tweak, and back up all the time. It shouldn’t be this way for such an expensive product.

As Craig said, open a ticket at Elektron, and please let us know how it goes.

#9

That sucks! I have had pad issues with my Mk1 and that took 2 repair trips to get sorted but the Swedish HQ gave me amazing customer service and it didn’t take so long. You may have to pay for the repair but I would highlight that they didn’t seem to fix it the first time round and give em a sob story! They have always been beyond fair with me.

My Rytm would also freeze from time to time but since the last OS I haven’t noticed this issue.
I think almost every bit of gear I have owned has had some kind of issue at some point; freezes, stuck notes, unexplained pitch changes - none of which you wanna deal with live.

Hope you get it fixed no bother!

edit: away to backup my latest projects now!

#10

just a quick update:

elektron said they would check it for free (seemed like an exception as my problem did sound quite exotic to them) but suggested reseting and testing over time if the strange behavior occurs again.

well, it did not so far. but my trust in the machine is damaged and i will backup stuff regularly now. as if it was destiny, the new transfer tool was just released a few days after my machine crashed and offers easy backup solutions now.

i am working on the rytm again and having fun, but espresso the compressor thing is somehow stuck in my head for now^^

#11

thanks for your (psychological) support friends :wink:

#12

little update: elektron refuses to repair the device for free.
as if thats not enough: my digitone has a button problem now as well. luckily it is in warranty, but that’s it for me and elektron devices.
i am now collecting cases like this, reach out to me if something like this happens to you or if you know someone who experienced something like this.

#13

I got the “NVRAM restore failed” thing as well.
It’s pretty annoying.

#14

shoot I just got my unit today … second time I turn it on I get the “NVRAM restore failed” message.
what was the resolution for this ?