Art DJ Pre II http://www.thomann.de/de/art_deejaypre_ii.htm
Maybe a phono preamp does the job…
A phono preamp applies a RIAA equalization curve to the signal, so no go…
How do you mean?[/quote]
as far as i understand and as you mentioned, the input signal goes, together with the main mix, into the compressor.
the compressor is digitally controlled and could have a parameter to control i.e.: the gain of the input signal at mix level (i’m looking at the internal main mix and the input signal as two separate channels so to say…)
what i don’t understand is why the input signal gets lower on the AR; shouldn’t it be at the same level it has before it gets in the mix? or am i missing something in the chain 
I understand its well possible this is hardwired, eg. u have no digital control. well possible too the input signal was louder before mix. an engineer could explain that better.
dont think elektron “overlooked” this, it was a design decision for - very surely - already cramped space in such a little box.
I concur they should add it in a mk2 edition.
not my first concern as i should be able to iron it out with a reasonable workaround: pick up a tiny stereo preamp for well under 100$. or hookup a tasty fx unit.
but to be honest I havent tested much if u can get a decent mix if AR runs at high volume itself (I tested with iphone to distortion fx unit, so I may not have noticed unwanted clipping).
/mr
No input gain or individual level setting on the inputs of Analog Rytm.
The inputs mix with all the internal drum sounds.
Compressor then affects them all.
/mr
The analog input signal just mixes with the analog internal main mix going into the analog compressor.
guga
as far as i understand and as you mentioned, the input signal goes, together with the main mix, into the compressor.
the compressor is digitally controlled and could have a parameter to control i.e.: the gain of the input signal at mix level (i’m looking at the internal main mix and the input signal as two separate channels so to say…)
Not sure if it could be said much more clearly, but here’s a third try:
The external inputs and the internal drum sounds are mixed to one stereo main mix signal. This main mix signal goes to the compressor.
There is no way to adjust the levels of the external inputs individually. 
guga
what i don’t understand is why the input signal gets lower on the AR; shouldn’t it be at the same level it has before it gets in the mix? or am i missing something in the chain
Why would it stay the same level?
(Consider a mixer, what would happen if all the many input signals were mixed without lowering them a bit from input to output? (Rhetorical question galore))
if any of you guys own an OT or a multi input interface, mixer etc start using those individual outs 
had good results sending BD, BT etc to get more punch to the OT’s compressor and FX. I’m sure some of you guys own both! 
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Making all others levels much lower… buying gear to amp the input source… Yeah…
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Would it be a possibility to add some kind of macro control to lower the individual levels of all twelve tracks simultaneously? Some kind of global parameter?
I’ve given up using the inputs for now, just routing everything separately into either a mixer or my interface.
dont freak out… I have tons of equipment with INs i never used in a studio or live setting.
not to say I dont want to freak out too!
[ul]
[li]freaking machinedrum stereo inputs let you trigger drum sounds or process external sounds as a drum voice[/li]
[li]freaking 1 stereo out for CY/CB-RS/CP instead of individual CY/CB, RS/CP. instead we have a pretty useless stereo in.[/li]
[/ul]
now I am gonna torture this sucker for the meanest beats ever. take this elektron!
/mr
There is no way to adjust the levels of the external inputs individually.
that’s by design, so there’s not much that can be done there, i’m aware of that…
/mr
Why would it stay the same level?
(Consider a mixer, what would happen if all the many input signals were mixed without lowering them a bit from input to output? (Rhetorical question galore))
in a mixer i can control the level of each input signal though. on the AR this is true only for the twelve drum tracks but anyway, all in all, to me this not a big deal…i’ll surely be using the AR for what it does on its own but it would have been nice to be able to add some extras without having to look too much for solutions…in the end is just an external audio input right?
Did you try setting the AR master volume to the max? im trying my nl4 stereo output to the AR input and the volume is pretty much the same when set to the max, so i don’t think ill have the master volume to the max, so don’t have the AR internal mixer channels channels to the max either…i guess thats the best way to go…
Are you kidding man? Have you ever owned an ER1? They are the fucking bomb. I’ve seen guys do entire improve minimal tech sets on a single ER-1.
For me the ER-1 is the single best electribe they ever made. I’ll never sell mine.
I suggest we change this topic to which nice compressor/amplifier you use to route the A4 into the AR because we have to deal with the fact that the AR input is low.
I currently use the RNLA. This is a small compressor and can still be easily used in a live set-up. It works very well for increasing the volume of the A4 and adds some compression.
However, I am thinking about building a small modular rack for the A4 including a compressor/mixer, well hack maybe Ill trow some oscillators to have an additional voice. This can than be placed neatly below the a4/ar…
Also Nicolas Lem has shown that the Elysia Xpressor is very good for compression/amplifying the A4 (check on youtube).
btw the Elysia Xpressor is available in API 500 next to your modular…mm this A4 / AR combo gives so many beautifull idea’s for making your own machine.
Here is is a clip I made. The first part is me running the a4 through the rytm and then I disconnect it and go into the tape in on my mixer that is set to unity gain. The rytm is also on 2 channels of the mixer. You can hear how much its being attenuated by the rytm. Not good. Not good.
https://copy.com/9Wmhha0vP6FiStVW
[url=“https://copy.com/9Wmhha0vP6FiStVW”]
wow this is pretty crazy. just judging from my laptop speakers this must be at least 10-12 db less. not so good.
i have enough options in my studio to adjust the incoming gain but im not keen on having an unnecessary extra link in the chain especially not on compressing the signal just to compensate. apart from not being a fan of over compressing things i don't want to raise the noise level by adding extra gain or compression. the other thing is that you can't just crank the incoming signal to infinity beforehand. i dont know how much headroom the inputs have but at some point they will distort.
hm.
I personally do not have a problem using a small mixer for anything I want compressor’d by the RYTM… that way you have a nice dedicated control interface for tweaking the inputs, EQ and whatnot.
as for distortion on the inputs… not a problem.
that said, having an AD stage in there to use the FX with external sounds would have been pretty nice, also would have been cool to have the inputs be affected by the distortion circuit…
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So, about that “cheap stereo preamp”, let’s hear some suggestions! I am having difficulties in finding a suitable device…
Even with a device with relatively hot output levels, I am having difficulties in gainstaging everything against the input level, mainly the AR itself (the tiniest of volume change blows up the speakers, and delays and reverbs cannot get enough signal from the internal sounds). So without a line pre, I am abstaining from using the input for now.
Not everyone has the luxury of lugging a heavy mixing desk around for every gig/jam… Sheesh, perhaps one of those 2-4ch mackies then idk… My backpack is already 99% full - Time to buy a bigger one.
I pictured the Rytm as something I could run the Analog Four through, while running a CV controlled synth through the A4, eliminating the need for a mixer when going portable. Will the required attenuation of the Rytm’s internal levels mean I will get a less-than-ideal level for recording directly to stereo?
The internal levels of the AR are fine, only the input is “padded”
EDIT: misread your question… IME the AR has a very low noise floor, so unless you’re using a lot of makeup gain with the compressor, you should be good (apart from the logistical agony that a highly reduced dynamic range with the internal sounds can cause)
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Haven’t used this myself, but a friend swears by it:
http://artproaudio.com/art_products/audio_solutions/di_boxes/product/dual_rdb/
Thanks for the suggestion, just checked the product and the “manual”. This is a passive DI box? I don’t see a power supply anywhere…
Also, the manual states “insertion loss: 25dB”, no mention of any signal gain range anywhere… AFAIK this box will only attenuate levels, not boost them (like a passive DI does). Am I missing something here?
Or are you suggesting that I use this box to sum 2 mono signals? I’d prefer to keep the AR stereo, at least…
Looking into this again, the best solutions I’ve found so far are:
or
or
Anyone have any experience regarding these? The mackie is a no-brainer of course, but a bit intrigued about the other two as well since they’re smaller…