Well, I’m not disappointed as I’ve checked all youtube reviews on Syntakt and read a lot about it before purchase. Major updates have been delivered to many Elektron devices and the value of the devices raised and not only in $$$.
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I agree. Although it’s generally sound advice to never buy hardware based on what they might become in the future, Elektron, of all electronic music brands, is well known for updating their instruments to become a lot more useful over time. Digitakt had just one LFO initially, no internal mixer, no USB audio, fewer onboard filters. The Model series didn’t have sound locks. The Digitone had no song mode. Etc etc. It’d be crazy if they released the Syntakt and didn’t update it substantially somehow - especially when some features of it currently feel more like proof of concepts, like the Trig Modifiers.
The big question isn’t if it will get interesting updates over time, but what things it will get. A Compressor? An arp? Voice stealing across tracks? New machines? All of the above?
Personally, this is part of the attraction of the Syntakt to me, that it has these seemingly unfinished features/concepts that they are most likely going to expand on: the trig Modifiers, the FX block, the machines. With that type of architecture, it only makes sense that they’ll make these things more useful. Even the UI hints at it with the many dotted empty boxes. If the analog drive page was planned to only have one parameter in the long term, surely they would have designed the page differently, with a massive, nicely animated overdrive knob on the UI. Instead, they put a tiny little unanimated icon in a 4x2 grid. I’d bet money that updates are coming. 
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I don’t have the Analog Heat, but I do own the Analog Drive, which seems to have similar options in terms of gain/distortion.
While the Syntakt FX block has only the one drive option (plus filter and LFOs), I find it good enough for basic analog warmth and some mild to medium drive when pushed. It doesn’t get into truly “nasty” territory easily, or have the variety of drive types and control of an Analog Drive/Heat, but I do like having the basic drive/pump/glue right there in the Syntakt box. Perfectly serviceable for the usual kinds of warming/drive I want to do.
Because analog distortion has a smoother clipping effect with pleasing harmonics, the FX block can also serve as a mild compression to glue the overall sound together if used properly.
I always have the Analog Heat in my peripheral vision as something I might pick up sometime, but then I always realize that for the basics, I’m currently satisfied with the Syntakt running into the Digitakt, and then running that through an EHX Platform if I want even more variety in my compression/drive options.
But my take is, if different drive, compression, filtering and overall finishing options are REALLY important to you, especially controllable in real-time in a self-contained stereo unit, then the AH is certainly worth considering.
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Syntak FX Drive is limited, no high gain, no Dry/Wet. But the filter is probably as good as AH, and you can sequence it. AH enveloppe can’t be triggered properly with midi (unless an update corrected that). It has an envelope follower but I didn’t like its behavior.
Analog Heat and Drive are very different. Different components, gain settings.
The AD has much more gain, you can get harsh distortions. No filters, just eq. Very noisy.
The AH has a kind of limiter, difficult to have high gain distortions like with AD.
Dry/Wet is a game changer. It is much better as mastering tool, but limited if you want huge distortion.
I sold AH and kept 2 AD.
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Interesting, thanks for that insight.
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Can the Syntakt route a single audio input (L or R) to reverb or delay without affecting the remaining single audio input (so it stays dry)?
@prints I guess you mean send reverb or delay independently for each input. No.
Stereo or Dual Mono input settings, but no individual settings as on DT and DN.
I was really hoping that last OS update made this possible. This would be the feature request I would prioritize most besides parameter slides.
- i would love a mix dry/wet knob on the analog fx/filter channerl
- i would love to see an usb audio thru filter/analog fx channel
routing a daw channel thru the analog fx channel for mix or master purposes
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Pretty sure 2. is already possible, as the Audio Routings page in settings has a USB In Pre/post FX option (no onboard level though). I’ve used the USB routing options to make an external FX loop for a couple of the Syntakt’s tracks, and was surprised by the several options the other Digis don’t have.
I’d really like some way to layer the modifiers… either with the option to enable ALL modifiers when triggered with the modifier keys, or the ability to trigger sequence the modifier keys in some way, maybe through step edit mode?
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How about a custom machine plugin system and a SDK? Or just GPL the whole operating system while you’re at it.
ok cool u mean u have routed a track fro mur DAW to the SSYNTAKT over usb and back into the DAW ?!
If so
. can u sum up the steps here for this! 
Some really great ideas in here . Excited to see what comes. Syntakt has so much potential 
Please no. It’s good to have the separation for sound design.
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Confusing indeed but why re-adjust both ? You can set one to max, and change the other one only.
Also, SYN decay depends on Amp envelope mode : with AHD, it behaves as a decay; with ADSR it behaves as a release.
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It’s the other way around: up to two tracks can go via USB audio to a daw or iPad, through effects, and back into the Syntakt—you then need to send 1/4” Audio out to something else to record.
So it’s pretty situational, but folks were asking elsewhere about FX loops, and this technically is one. I wrote up instructions here: ST tips & tricks - #258 by Humanprogram
Without getting into how the UI would have to change I’d love to see an update to trig conditions.
First: If FILL and !FILL were separate from the other trig conditions I think that would be really powerful.
Second: If it was possible to apply ! to each condition rather than certain conditions coming with it by default, then we could tell 3:4 to NOT trig every 3rd time out of four.
Third: An && or || operator between the FILL condition and normal trig condition.
With all this put together we could have trig conditions something like this:
!FILL && ! 4:4 always trig unless fill mode AND this is the fourth iteration of four or
FILL || 10% trig if fill mode OR there’s a 10% chance
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For one op, not both.