Sold my Syntakt. Bought a Play shortly after.
Probably won’t buy a Syntakt again. The Play is a keeper.
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Had the privilege of buying a used Syntakt for a very good price so I finally got to try it. As someone who owned, loved, but ultimately sold the DN and DT last year because I upgraded to an MPC to make full songs on, it’s nice to get back to that Elektron sequencer and workflow. It’s like riding a bike and I almost never had to guess the keyboard combo for stuff.
However, I can’t escape the feeling that everything just sounds very Syntakt on it. It’s hard to make melodies on it, it’s hard to dial anything interesting from the chords machine other than unison, and things just sound a bit tinny to me. I know there are some really cool, fat synth sounds in there, but writing tracks on it just ends up sounding like it’s all made on a Syntakt. It has too much of its own signature sound, and that sound still reminds me of a 16 bit video game. If I were in love with that sound, this would have been a huge pro I guess, but to me, as a synthesizer, it’s just way too limited for my taste. The DN was so much more interesting to explore in comparison.
And even if I only used it as a drum machine, I can’t dial in one single hi hat sound that I love. Any sample sounds better to my ears. It’s like they deliberately designed this drum machine to have its own distinctive sound signature, presumably because they love that sound. Since I don’t, I’m thinking this isn’t a keeper - for me.
Edit: see also my follow-up post further down.
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syntakt should have its own partner - a real fully equipped and fully functional synth - like all other elektron drum machine use to have. Not just a digi trinity concept to finish the development of digi line
When the digi trinity concept was publicized by elektron，i sort of disappointed a little, a syntone would be very good thing to waiting for
Same formula of syntakt is just good enough:
syntakt is digi form plus md legacy, add ar voice and cycle stuff
Syntone could be Digi form factor and some legacy of mnm, analog voice from a4, add poly sample ability(elektron gear never had this)
Boom!Great new combo born and I give my word I will pay for the new combo,
By now, just couldn’t understand the usefulness of digi trinity, do I need daisy chain the audio of all 3?
syntakt: 12 track drum computer & synthesizer
Syntone: 4 track(or 16 voice) polyphonic synthesizer & sampler
Please think this! Elektron gentlemen
If you could not create a new thing have ability to beat immortal octa, just don call it trinity, fair enough!
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As someone who hates samplers I love the Syntakt. I also tend to draft out tracks on it rather than complete them. When I have a structure I will start to turn some of the tracks into midi machines to control other gear and flesh out the sound a bit.
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Yeah, that’s the way to use it I suppose. And it was what I intended. I just don’t know if these sounds are vital to my music. I could just as well draft out the track on something with sounds I enjoy more.
I could sell my monomachine and buy syntakt, digitakt and digitone. 
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I’d recommend getting Jogging House’s Soft Spoken sound pack off the Elektron site.
It gives a bank of sounds that are great in themselves, but an easy way to deconstruct more interesting melodic sounds on the Syntakt to help you make your own.
My Syntakt had been sounding quite hardcore before getting that pack, because I think it naturally pushes you in that direction.
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Cool, thanks. I did listen to all of its demos but I can’t say it sounds very different from the sounds I’m already making on the Syntakt. It just has this very distinct sound, just like I guess a Jupiter has its distinct sound too.
I just love the sound of the Digitone much more I guess.
Yes, I don’t think the Syntakt is a Digitone replacement at all… I have ST/DN side by side with an A4mk2… with an Analog Keys arriving tomorrow to take the A4’s place.
Syntakt has ousted my Analog Rytm for now. I think I can get everything from it that I was getting from the Rytm, and more… but there’s no way it would cover the DN and A4 for me.
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Yeah, I tend to gravitate more towards synth sounds than percussive sounds, so to me, the Digitone fits the bill much better than the Syntakt ever will. Unless of course they release a bunch more “machines” and add polyphony and the Digitone arp and chorus. But I strongly doubt that all of those things will happen anytime soon.
My Syntak replaced MD, AR, DT, DN ! 
Keeping OT of course, not sure about A4.
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It does feel like polyphonic capability should be there for the ST, especially with the Digi engines… feels like it is purposely restricted.
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Yeah it’s strange. The logic for voice stealing/sharing is already written in the Digitone, so it would seemingly be straightforward to port that over to the Syntakt. So, maybe you’re right.
If if would guess, I would assume that their strategy, just like with many other companies today, is to launch a product before it’s “complete” to 1) capitalize on the investment more quickly, and 2) ensure a steady stream of positive product updates that generate even more sales over time.
Did you sell your MD?
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Yes. I bought my UWMKII+ 600€ as new. Sold around 700€ to fund AR MKI.
When I see prices today !
I whish I could keep everything but I don’t like to keep machines I don’t use enough.
Happy with OT+ST, no regrets.
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Keep practicing
I guess it’s more of a matter of taste than practice. But I will definitely explore it more before flipping it.
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I thought you may have had it longer, or more recently. Did you sell the rytm eventually as well? I am thinking of selling MD and Monomachine but it’s a really hard decision.
You’ll miss their interfaces. I sold my machinedrum and really wish I would have saved it to pair with the Syntakt. The mix between the MD sound profile, and the analog/digital hybrid of the syntakt, makes me believe that those two would compliment each other very well.
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Exactly why I’m into it!
But I get it. It does have its own kind of territory. In ways many of the drum sounds I make on it remind me of when I started making drums on the Digitone, just way faster for me to dial in.
Turns out the Syntakt is what I wanted out of the DN in the end.
Minus polyphonic tracks of course.
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