trying to get rid of my GAS.
Recently sold my Spectralis to raise some money for new gear.
I was pretty sure that if Elektron would release an analog Drummachinr i’d get it.
But the more i think about it the more i wonder if it’s worth it.
I owned a MD UW and sold it to get an OT. My favourite piece.
Also got the A4 (from Jonny/excellent seller here).
The Volca Beats for some Analog Kick & stuff…
For the price of the AR i could get a used MDUW+ AND a used OP1.
Any opinions… I failed to get some Good Kicks out of the MD but i am pretty impressed by justinvalers909 Kit.
I’d certainly wait until you’ve heard the AR in the flesh especially as you’ve already got experience of the MD!
The OP-1 is another beast entirely, fantastic if you travel a lot but not everyone’s cup of tea sonically. You’d wanna hear one before you bought one I reckon!
The stock A4 percussive / drum sounds do not do it justice as a Drum box, check out Druma by Darenager, brilliant - then record soundlocks in realtime - it is good enough to help me over the AR GAS, for now !!
I’m embroiled in the Rytm GAS battle myself…I have an A4, MD, OT and Op-1…I always get caught up in full on GAS mode for new Elektron gear and I’m finding it hard to resist the Rytm. I’d have to sell my MD UW to fund this thing and it would still cost a significant amount of cash that I have no business spending. The MD is probably the more capable machine when it comes to drum synthesis and variety of sound, but the updated sequencer and pads on the Rytm have me very tempted…I’m afraid I’d really miss the CTRL-AL, 16 LFOS and all the wild possibilities offered by the MD UW, it really is an awesome machine…so tempted by the shiny new though, like a child Senseless…particularly when I’m a hobbyist wannabe!
I think with the A4 and the OT, you already have everything you need to basically recreate the sound and flexibility of the AR. You could sample basic tones of your A4 into your OT and create drums from that, or just sample completed A4 drums in and start arranging. And if pads are what you’re missing, then a MPD26 pad controller can be bought for like $80 (used for even less).
The MD won’t give you analogue sound, of course, but you already have that covered it seems. The MDUW+ is very very deep (I just watched a vid of a guy using his as an FM synth for goodness sakes!) and will be an endless supply of new and alien sounds, and it will also be a contrasting timbre from your analogue gear. AAAAND, there are going to be some screaming deals on used units once the AR is released.
OP-1 seems okay for a sketch pad. But for $1000, I need much more. That’s just me.
I’m not trying to talk you out of the AR (and I personally wouldn’t even consider the OP-1). My point is, if you’re going to spend the money and effort to acquire new gear, it should add something to your setup, and this may be an opportunity to add a lot more to your setup (besides just another 8 analogue drum voices, sample playback, and small colored pads).
I have a feeling that some people who already own several Elektrons are going to get the AR and realize that they didn’t need to drop $1400 to get whatever perceived life changing advantage they thought there would be. Buyers remorse is a bitch! GAS is a bitch!
OP-1 is about to get an OS update which will add an “Etch-a-Sketch” Sequencer and virtual analog (2-oscillator) synth. It can sequence other synths/drum machines over MIDI, whereas AR apparently cannot MIDI sequence. Also, you can stick it a backpack for mobile music making.
OTOH, the AR has some nice features like individual outs per voice.
I have only an A4 (in terms of fancy boxes) so I should probably not say anything but… I agree with Avantronica and others here - A4 + Druma by Darenager = awesome. Tweak it a bit and maybe you get awesome x 2?
I’d love to be able to afford a ton of stuff but more than anything I want the OT cos personally it seems like you can create just about anything with the A4 / OT combo?
I tell myself give the GAS a rest, save your dough and get busy - it’s all in your head
Bear in mind you will need some sort of USB MIDI Host to get the OP-1 to play nice with your other gear, unless you plan to just sample it with the OT or even UW.
Of course, if that Host is the TE Oplab you’ll get CV in/out, too >.>
The OP Lab looks fun but a little expensive for what it does.
As i said my main Problem with the OP1 is the missing option to replace its battery if needed.
I already sent TE an email but no response yet…
Just because I stated that the OP1 has battery issues:
Today i recieved an Email from TE saying that battery replacement is possible by send-in upgrade…
