I’ve read a lot of ST vs Rytm/DT/DN/MC, etc threads… but it seems to me like Syntakt is more like an Elektron TR8S.
Besides the obvious differences (Elektron seq tricks, TR8S has samples/faders), this seems like the closest comparison… the track count, the performance aspect, the machines/sounds, the composition approach.
I’ve got a Syntakt on order. I have a TR8S. I guess I’ll find out… and I’m really looking forward to getting my hands on the ST… I don’t think Elektron could have picked a better compliment to the Digi-series.
TR-8S is more of a freestyle jam-machine IMO. Wise decision to hold fire on selling it until you’ve had a decent play. FYI I’ve got a TR-8S and a DT and they work v well together.
If someone had a Syntakt (12), Digitone (4), and Digitakt (8), they could probably pair up two of those somehow and have faders for all! That would be a cool setup.
Did you ever find out?? On the verge of ordering the syntakt while it’s still on sale at £699. My main drum machine is currently the TR8S which I partner with the Akai Force.
If I was to go the syntakt route then it would be at the expense of the TR8S I think, I can’t justify keeping both.
The Syntakt is capable of working as a really capable groovebox and the melodic side is way deeper and the sound design possibilities are more vast.
The TR-8s is more of a pure drum machine and the fun is in tweaking the sounds within their more narrow, but extremely playable parameters. It is a really great and immediate machine. It’s ram-jammed with all the classic drum sounds, which are absent from the Syntakt.
The Analog Heat is a nice addition to a lot of things, Syntakt included.
But there is a lot of overlap with the overdrive circuit and the FX track parameters. You can get some close functionality.
In terms of the TR8S and the Syntakt, I look at them as being different parts in the chain.
The Syntakt is geared towards pure sound design, and has a raw quality to it. It is more towards the start of the chain.
The TR8S represents the end of the chain to me. It has a more robust effects engine, and the sounds are curated and already formed, but tweakable. It has a cleaner sound and feels more finished.
Local library has a tr8s out you can use, they’re definitely more free flows and hands on. Plus the sounds are iconic and you know what you’re usually getting. Slapping the 16 and slidin’ in a quiet library is an experience.
The syntakt, you weeble and wobble the alphabet to get the sound you desire, and more than likely end up with something different that’s also a good fit.
I’ve still got both, but I use the Syntakt way more than the TR8S.
My TR8S has sat unused on a shelf for 5-6 months now, and I should really just sell it.
There’s something about the TR8S that never quite feels ‘legit’ to me… it always feels like toy-like… I get the same thing with the MC707… I still have both though.
I view the combination as the Analog Rytm Plus Plus.
