This is an excellent idea. I’ll try this
Honestly, as of right now, making the kick is really struggling for me. They sound too boomy despite putting short decays. I really like 909 kicks and I know that the machines by them self cannot create this sound, so I would generally have to reach for 909 samples, but then I’ve noticed that the samples sound different once I’ve loaded them into the analog rytm. Even without any distortion or parameter settings. Another issue im having. I loaded the samples from another module I have into the analog rytm, and when I do an A/B between the samples on the module , and the same exact samples on the rytm, they are different. There is a loss of attack from the rytm, and the samples sound more punchy on the other module.
To what module are you referring?
I feel this. Seriously, try that one-shot, fast exponential LFO on AMP volume or pitch. Also try layering in a sample with a super short end point as a transient. Mix the synth volume and sample volume to taste.
909 kicks are very specific, the noisy transient part is hard to do on the Rytm without using two tracks or resampling, because the noise/click on the Rytm has no envelope.
I managed to do some pretty cool 900-ish kicks, recently. It has this 909 type noisy attack, but for 909 sounds in general I use samples on the Rytm.
Samples with a bit of distortion into the comp can sound amazing on the Rytm! 
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I had a similar experience with an AR Mk1. I probably didn’t spend enough time experimenting with it but ended up with sounds that seemed too ‘muddy’. It was a shame because I liked the concept of the AR and love Electron sequencers, which I’ve found intuitive since getting to know them.
The sort of sounds I really like are Vermona DRM (needs separate sequencer) and I also have a MFB Tanzmaus (sounds great but doesn’t get used much because of its fiddly interface and programming).
I also had a A4 Mk2 for a while and loved the concept and sequencing but found the synth sounds a little thin (I have Moogs and a DSI Mopho X4). I preferred it as a drum machine actually but did sell it.
The box that gets the most use is the Digitone for its accessibility and quick work flow. And I find the sampler in the Digitakt much more useful than the AR.
An really analogue-sounding synth with the Digi form factor would be my dream…
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Vpme quad drum. It’s filled with drums and kick samples. When I load the sample files into the rytm, they don’t sound the same at all, despite the samples being mono. Less punch and loss of attack when I load into the rytm
When you mean one shot lfo, do you mean putting the setting of the lfo as “one” ?
Make sure you’re not neglecting the filter and envelopes (both filter and amp) in your sound design, OP. The filters in particular are very nice on the rytm and can really clean up or transform a sound. They’re a big part of its vibe and shaping each engine imo. I felt similarly about the raw engines until I started considering the filter more deeply as part of the sound design process on the rytm. The peak filter with a bit of envelope can really turn around weak sounds and give them some punch in the mids, high passes to tighten up and enhance the bass, and low passes to smooth out the more plastic-y tones. Add some overdrive and you’re cooking. Messing with the amp envelope could clear out some of that boominess, too, and don’t neglect the compressor either!
Yes.
One thing I ensure to do when loading samples is process them in Audacity for mono, 16bit, 48hz and, crucially, normalized. I found a lot of samples weren’t coming to me normalized and they didn’t mix well with the rest of the machine.
The AR is my favorite machine, I use it as a sampler with analog signal path and some synthesis built in. It has the best sound+sequencer of any sampler I’ve ever used. Compared to other samplers the AR sounds alive and heavy by lack of better ways of describing it. It does cut some high end for sure but I actually love that.
My advice for getting the most out of it:
- spend some time making cool sounds and resample em as samples in a folder. After this you can use the filters, distortion, lfo etc to make those samples sound ever better!
- really dive into the sequencer and performance modes/scenes. These add so much to the AR in terms of performance. I still discover new things after 2+ years of daily use.
- Most important: Don’t try to make it sound like another machine. The AR has its own sound and soul, try to embrace it for what it is, quirks, limitations included. I still sometimes curse it for some simple things it doesnt do, but in the end, the AR has a unique combination of sampling, synthesis, signal path and sequencing which no other machine has.
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I’m not adding much new here but what the hell why not jump in.
I was also kind of disappointed when I first got my AR2. It took awhile to wrap my head around it, even the idea of different machines for the same type of sound. It seemed too based on the x0x box sound template (claps, cowbells, and I love cowbell). For the $ I guess one would expect more of an all sweet spot synth but to me the AR is not one - it takes going through some kind of garbage sounds to get to where you really want to be.
The gain staging is tough: lost of places to adjust volume (I find even adding like 1-3 on the amp drive page makes a big difference) and it took me a long time to realize how essential the compressor is. There are some oddities (for example overdrive amount is zero but symmetry still affects sound??). I also think finger drumming certain sounds (especially hats) w/o fixed velocity helps a lot.
But eventually I really came to love it, maybe too much as I’ve used it extensively and I’m a bit sick of the sounds now ha ha, but I know some of that is me not pushing it hard enough in certain directions, especially sampling and REsampling as I tend to think of it synth first sampler second.
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Transfer takes care of the conversion. With stereo samples, apparently Transfer takes only the left channel, it does not sum both l+r to mono.
Nothing in the manual besides Transfer converts to 16 bit 48 khz, but there are posts here that mention it’s only the left channel that’s used.
Aside from that, samples should sound fine in the AR, if you’re not clipping the master (AR clips pretty nasty).
Normalizing is a good tip.
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I’ve had my Rytm for going on 3 years I believe, and still am “learning” it. I’ve read the manual a few times and still get more out of the instrument. Weeks and months are nothing to learn a new instrument. Give it some time.
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This is true, yeah. Adjusting the volume at different points in the chain will change the characteristic a bit. Maybe try lowering the volume of the machines going into the filter? Driving it too hard adds some warmth, but at the cost of a bit of smudge.
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Smudge is a good word for what can happen, yes.
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Tbr sometimes I really like that effect, especially when driving a sample and a synth into the same filter, that smearing adds a LOT of glue. Bring in the compressor to control the dynamics and bring back some punch and wham. I think a lot of people’s issues with sound design on the rytm is that like the A4, you often have to be pretty intentional and geeky about minutiae compared to their other boxes. Compared to the syntakt or MD or even DN, it doesn’t reward exploration as much as intent. Definitely not a “pick a machine and take it for a spin” kind of box.
I would recommend playing around with the noise machine (short decay) together with LFO modulating decay or lowpass. Add some delay and you should end up with some pretty organic percussive sounds. Also modulate the delay feedback with p-locks or LFO.
Here’s my thoughts. If you don’t like the sound and you need to get up and running quickly for performances or whatever, maybe return it. If you have the time to keep working with it some more, maybe hold onto it. Rytms hold their value well.
My overall advice would be to try and focus more on the machine as it is. Rather than trying to get a sound that you absolutely love, get one going that’s just good enough. Like maybe carve some of the boom out with the filter, sample it, and move on. Focus more on the box and the sequencing and the overall structure more. Sequencing FX, building chords and resampling them, pinging filters, try to make a whole drum pattern with just one voice. Or maybe load a sample chain of drums and sequence them on one track. Basically, just explore the machine and the philosophy more than the sound itself. It might be that you get so caught up in exploring to the point where you forget that you don’t like the sound of the machine that much but are having a blast anyway. Hope this helps!
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I didnt get on with it either.
Apart from the 1st one I had being faulty, second one being buggy as all shit (they’ve now fixed said bugs) my experience was-
Didnt really like how long it took to get a decent sound, everything seemed to take a lot if effort and thats just not what I want from a drum machine. Note- my use case is drum machine, not groove or making full tracks on it. But a reliable drum machine, that works really well for live performance. I found the Rytm jusy way too fiddly, and yeah not fun. So I swapped it for some thing else.
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Took me more than a year to love my AR MK2
A lot of drum sound design is needed to appreciate this machine