So I decided that the Syntakt will be my first Elekton box I’m new to the Syn/groove box world but I have experience in music.
Could anyone give some tips on a starting guide or video for the Syntakt?
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Read the manual.
Seriously.
Then all you’ll see will enter your mind and complete the picture.
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For someone who has never owned a Groovebox before ?
I always read the manual but it’s rarely the first step. In fact, before owning a Groovebox I came across mentions of octatrack and Digitakt and decided to find a manual. It didn’t take me long to go “you have to be joking” … a description of the parts item by item wasn’t getting me anywhere near understanding the whole.
@Joppy if I were you, I would leave reading the manual till later. Videos from loopop (above) are always a good start to understanding a device. I can also recall a video from @cuckoomusic about the digitone (or possibly Digitakt) that started with a very clear picture (literally) of the way memory is organised on the digi boxes (includes syntakt) … if I can find that I’ll link it.
I think after watching the loopop video you’ll be ready for the manual, to answer deeper questions.
EDIT: Having found the @cuckoomusic video I’m now hesitant about recommending it, particularly as I can’t easily tell where the description diverges from the syntakt. But however it does introduce the memory structure of the digi boxes , projects, banks, tracks etc, so if you find syntakt manual hard going on these topics, it may be worth viewing maybe 5 minutes of this as an introduction.
I’ll leave that link up unless someone advises me it’s too misleading.
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Yes this! The Digi boxes are quite intuitive and straightforward if you know the basics of Elektron workflow and how to operate them. I started with DN and @cuckoomusic‘s tutorial on Youtube taught me all I needed to get started and also carried over to the Digitakt. You could then additionalem watch some tutorials on Syntakt and you’re good to go. I think EZBOT has some on the Syntakt, and his Octatrack tutorials are really good so this should be good as well. Enjoy!
…congrats…st is THE swedish device to get things started these days…
…focus on it exclusively for a while…just fool around with it the first two weeks…meanwhile, print out the manual and read a little, from time to time…
most importantly, for the sake of not loosing any of ur beginners lucky dips, make sure u know the standard saving procedures…
and u’ll find UR way, how to get the most out of it…
captain pikant is always a good first roundup…
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To each their own.
OT manual is as particular as the sampler itself for a reason.
I totally agree that the manual isn’t enough to get the big picture, but in some minds like mine, learning the alphabet is the first step before reading.
To be frank I don’t understand the reluctance to learn a new piece through reading manuals.
Reviews such as Loopop are cool to have a quick idea of what the gear does.
Further tutorials are good to see the workflow, learn tricks and collect impressions, compare to other gear.
But when it comes to learn, I value first-hand information written down so that I KNOW what I’m doing.
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Absolutely. It’s just that, for me personally, reading a manual is rarely the right first step, but I very often read parts of a manual before purchase to be sure I’m buying the right thing, and very often read it from end-to-end, but that may happen after purchase.
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Elektron manuals are exceptionally well written. But they are not tutorials. I would personally put a little more redundancy into a manual, and a lot more into a tutorial, because some things have to be repeated for them to stick or to be easier to locate. Definitely one should read through the manual, but a first read is likely to be overwhelming, and written tutorials are rare.
I don’t have a Syntakt, but from other Elektron boxes and devices, I find Loopop’s video reviews to be a clear overview of features, and Cuckoo’s video tutorials to be gentle and effective. Syntakt is relatively new, so videos are going to skew more towards hot takes, first fumblings, and performances that might entertain but may not illuminate. Still, each of these have some benefits in moderation. And I think the other posters are right in suggesting that videos on older Elektron boxes, notably Digitone and Digitakt, might help in understanding the structure of information and the use of the sequencer.
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Ezbot quickstart guide is a very pleasant step by step introduction imo.
