Noob to Elektron, which model for my needs

Elektron Gear
#1

Hey everyone, entering into the world of drum machines and samplers, finding it all ridiculously confusing, the amount of choice is quite staggering, I’m drawn to the Elektron world, I’m not a complete noob to music but i come from a guitarist background plus using some software synths, also dabbled with native instruments Maschine for a while but I didn’t like the workflow.

The genre of music id like to do is similar (but nowhere near as good as) Thom Yorke erasure/Atoms for peace, guitar alongside some electronic elements, I also like ambient style beats.

At the moment I’m drawn to the digitak, especially the song mode, what puts me off however is the amount of YouTube videos almost persuading me to stay clear because of this really difficult learning curve, so when i think of that maybe i should start with a model cycles or model samples?

My fear is if i do that then a year down the line I’ve outgrown that and then have to sell for a digitak or something similar, I don’t mind putting in the work and investment if its going to be worth it.

Ideally id like a machine with song mode, some great drums and the ability to write in some bass lines/synths, then play over all this with guitars.

Any help or advise is greatly appreciated, i need to take the plunge on something soon because the choice is starting to overwhelm me lol…Thanks.

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#2

If you don’t know what you want, I recommend Rytm as it uses both samples and synthesis. It has song mode, is drum focused, can make great bass lines, and has a natural tone that blends better with guitar than more digital sounds (in my opinion.)

Digitakt is a great one apparently but if it turns out that you vastly prefer synthesis to samples, it will leave you with less wiggle room than Rytm. You can upload what are called “single cycle waveforms” to do synthesis on Digitakt, but it’s not the same as those beefy DVCO oscillators on Rytm (or Syntakt for that matter – but Syntakt doesnt do sampling so i can’t recommend it for a newcomer.)

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#3

Go for a Digitakt.
The workflow is straightforward, at least not more complicated than the Model series.
You can find one second hand for a relatively cheap price (450€ in France), that you can resell if you don’t gel with it.

It’s a really good machine, and it sounds ace.
Even the lack of stereo sample playback is that much of a problem with LFO and FX, I feel.

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#4

I think both Models are very fun machines. The Model:Samples is one of my favorite boxes. It is fun and immediate and I have a blast with it. I also love my DT though, it is very powerful and adds many extra features that I find very handy.

But reading this:

I’d say go for the DT, because the M:S does not have song mode. I don’t think the DT is that hard to learn. There are so many youtube tutorials out there and the manual is pretty comprehensive. And really, when it was released, it was praised for it’s workflow in comparison to the OT. It’s a good middle ground that I don’t think is too overwhelming, and does a whole lot. It’s a very fun machine once you get the hang of it.

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#5

Welcome to the Elektron world! I am big fan of Thom Yorke and those albums too.

I also think Digitakt is a good way to start if you want to make beats and also play some sampled synth sounds. I think you can definitely get some of that kind of genre going. It’s also fairly simple to get going with a few youtube videos (Cuckoos tutorials are great for getting started).
If you have a means of making beats already though - in DAW or Ableton for example, second hand A4 might be a good shout as it gives you analog monosynth options, poly synth option, and it can also sequence analog drum lines.
Smaller screen might make it a bit more daunting but A4 MK1 can be had for good prices 2nd hand now.

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#6

Hi Gordiegords,

I’m in the same position as you. I do have a KeyStep and Behringer Model D that I bought a month ago. Still learning and playing with them. My next purchase will definitely be a Digitakt.

Best,
Tim

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#7

Thanks everyone for the reply’s! Great to be on such an active message board, the Analougue and Rytm models are a bit out of my price range to be honest, i was just looking at the Syntakt and see that you can load in samples? But it has a synth built in so that would help me with bass lines and melody’s, can you do bass lines and melody’s on the Digitakt?

I’m definitely sounding like a noob now!

Thanks again everyone!

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#8

A used rytm can be a nice option in that case. You can pick them up for less than a Syntakt! Syntakt currently doesn’t support sampling unfortunately.

You can do all of the above on a Digitakt (bass lines Melodys etc) but it’s a little less geared toward synthesis. It is more of a sampler.

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#9

I see used Rytm on reverb for £700, yet new it’s double that, does that sound about right?

#10

You can get a used Digitakt for about 480-500
New RYTM and A4 are MK2 models so are more expensive, the MK1 can be had for cheaper.

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#11

Depending on a person’s needs, any in the “Digi” (Digitakt, Digitone, Syntakt) are great entry points into the Elektron world.

Seems like you’re interested in sampling, so the Digitakt it is.

One of the many great things about the Digitakt is its versatility. Even those very experienced with it are always finding new approaches to explore on the device.

Not sure I’d recommend one of the flagships (Octatrack, Analog Rytm, Analog Four) as a first Elektron. The additional complexity increases the risk you won’t gel with the “Elektron Way”, and at a higher price. However, on the flip side, used prices (esp MKI) are enticing, so if you get your heart set on one, who am I to gate keep? :slight_smile:

That said, IMO the Digitakt (sample-based) or Syntakt (synth-based) distill the power of Elektrons into a compact digestible form, but with flexible power under the hood for some serious music making.

Best of luck in your journey.

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#12

Rytm mk1 does not sample. It can only play back samples.

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#13

Yes, the terminology is important for process.

Will you be creating your own samples, and how do you wish to record them?

If you don’t have a sampling workflow set up, the Syntakt (or even Digitone!) might be better for getting drums and synths sounding good and with minimal tweaking.

Yeah, the process for A4 is definitely more complex, though might be useful as an analog drum machine.

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#14

Rytm MK2 or Syntakt. Unless you want a sampler but Rytm has that plus can finger drum beats.

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#15

Digitakt for drum sampler, Syntakt for drum synth. Rytm MK2 for a one ring to rule them all drum synth.

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#16

I would say you can still do some interesting “synthesis” with basic waves on the Digitakt because of the 2 lfos and amp and filter envelopes… its never gonna be an analog synth though. More so though, digitakt is pretty straight forward, a few of the menu buttons are a couple screens deep to get to extra parameter’s but ultimate I found the lack of detailed control on the models line to be more of a hindrance than having a few extra menus to learn.

Kits are I think the biggest barrier to the Rytm and A4, its the type of thing where you are saving things in like 3 different ways and if you go change something in one place you might be accidentally messing up your other projects. I mean you will get it after messing something up but it feels like almost an inevitability when learning it that you will eventually just jack up some old patterns. Kits do have some advantages but personally I find them cumbersome and generally just getting in the way of my process.

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#17

Food for thought here, I’m not use to sampling at all so this should factor into my decision, Is it easy to put samples on the Digitakt? Worth noting I don’t use laptops, i Have an iPad Pro, i keep seeing some info on Overbridge? Is that what’s used to import samples and if so can it’s only be used on a computer rather than a tablet?

Ok so the Syntakt can’t import samples so am I limited to what is in the box then? That sounds quite restrictive.

I’m also into writing melodies and baselines, plus chords so if i have this right the syntake could do that but i need to use the stock sounds? The Digitakt can also do that but i need to load in samples? If I’m playing chords on a synth in the iPad can i just record them into the Digitakt and use those chords as samples?

Thanks very much again this is proving very helpful.

#18

Hmm yeah, first starting with samples can be overwhelming at first… until you really build knowledge of the ones you like and then slowly add more over time. If you don’t have a computer to load samples over with, you basically will be unable to get curated sample packs but you can still sample audio directly into the Digitakt from your ipad or other instruments.

You probably will be more at home on the Syntakt if you haven’t worked with samples before, there is a pretty wide range you can get out of the various synth engines on Syntakt but certain engines have a kind of inescapable character to them, like if you aren’t a huge fan of the chord sounds there isn’t a ton you can do about it.

either one could also sequence your ipad if you are using them as a combo, lots of synth and sampler options on ipad could make up for short comings of what ever box you decide on.

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#19

The Digitakt (DT) if you want to use samples, and especially if you want to sequence other gear (or soft synths), or the Syntakt (ST) if you want to use synthesis. Both have an easy-to-use song mode.

Thom Yorke’s releases in the 00’s famously made extensive use of the Elektron Machinedrum. Of all the contemporary boxes, the ST is the closest to it: it has several digital synth “machines” (which you can assign to any of the first 8 tracks) that focus mostly on percussion sounds, but also a few that focus on more melodic sounds. These digital machines will quickly get you very close to that clicky and snappy vibe. It also has several analog machines (that you can assign to the last 4 tracks) that also mostly focus on percussion sounds, but also a couple that let you make legit analog monosynth basses and leads. Between these 12 tracks, you can build very dense and complex complete tracks. It’s really very powerful. But, it doesn’t support samples.

However, the DT is likely to be more flexible, because as it is a sampler, you can literally use it to play any sound you can find. And there are, for example, loads of places to find Machinedrum samples that you can feed into your DT and program to your heart’s content (like here: ONE SHOT SAMPLE PACKS). As said above, the DT also supports “single-cycle waveforms” which are just that: like, a single sine wave, or single square wave, etc. By setting a track to play a sample loop style, you get access to some basic (albeit limited) synthesis capabilities with the DT, for making basses, leads, etc. But also, it’s dead easy to play one-shot samples from other synths/basses/guitars/pianos etc. melodically with the DT. There really aren’t very many boundaries with the DT. It only has 8 tracks compared to the ST, but it also has 8 dedicated MIDI tracks, so you could sequence your software synths with it, or other gear that may acquire over time. The DT is a really powerful MIDI brain (technically, so is the ST, but with the ST, you get 12 tracks total; how you divide those up is up to you).

I don’t think you can really go wrong with either box, and you may find that if you get the DT first, you end up adding an ST to it later, and vice versa. What’s great about the Digi boxes is their workflow is so similar: once you learn one Digi box, each of the others is incredibly simple to adapt to.

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#20

It has a “chord machine” that you can make chords with, but really each track on the ST is principally a single voice. It’s better suited to basses and leads, but for sure some people have gotten really good chords out of it.

Yes you can. The DT is really easy to sample into. It’s also really easy to load samples from your computer using the Elektron Transfer App.

Mmm…I wouldn’t say restrictive really. There are a lot of different synth machines to choose from on the ST. It’s a synth, so you are constrained to its sound-making architecture, but really there are a lot of sound-design frameworks to choose from in it.

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