What gear would you like to see elektron do next?

[Automageddon]

Octatrack MKII with overbridge, multiple outs and analog filters.

[Uturunku]

I’d prefer to see hybrid machine with 16 tracks:

1. 4+ tracks Digital synth
2. 4+ tracks Analog synth.
3. 8± tracks Sampler.
4. 16 tracks midi sequencer.
   With small keyboard (like in A4) and pads. With possibility to sample internal sound sources. It can has slightly bigger dimensions compared to existing elektron gear to avoid diving to menu and remembering hundreds shortcuts.

[CallOffTheVote]

Yes, a performance-oriented, mixer/sequencer with something equivalent to scenes, and at least 5 stereo inputs (to receive a stereo signal from each of the other Elektrons). Overbridge host is a nice idea although it might end up being awkward to manage the individual levels. And it would just cause Overbridge to eat even more development resources.

Though the mixer could be analog, I’m personally not particularly interested in any more analog machines.

I think the OT is fine how it is. There are now 2 drum-oriented synths and 2 more general synths, and a loop-oriented sampler. I don’t think a polyphonic sampler really gels with the Elektron aesthetic, but something different in the way the Octatrack is but more melody-oriented might be interesting.

Yeh OT is amazing as it is but always room for most hardware to be improved
Curious why you don’t think polyphonic sampler fits with Elektron aesthetic? I’ve only used OT, is polyphony absent on all the rest of their boxes (besides a4, I believe that has 4 note polyphony?). Being able to have 4+ polyphony on one sampler track would be very useful for drum kits etc, not only melodic/chord stuff…

[LyingDalai]

I would add the ability to play chords with samples on one track of the OT mk2.
Having to resample each chord one needs kills the improvisation flow.

[license]

Curious why you don’t think polyphonic sampler fits with Elektron aesthetic? I’ve only used OT, is polyphony absent on all the rest of their boxes (besides a4, I believe that has 4 note polyphony?). Being able to have 4+ polyphony on one sampler track would be very useful for drum kits etc, not only melodic/chord stuff…

There’s polyphony on the Monomachine and A4. At least in the MnM it’s a special mode. The way the A4 seems fancier and more useful but digging through the manual it looks complicated and messy.

That Elektron magic happens for me when squeezing as much juice as possible from one voice, with complete control across a pattern. With all the modulation and sequencer integration you can do things that are impossible or a hassle in nearly anything else. And there’s something beautifully lean and mean about using just one voice without crowding the headroom, it’s a weird way to work but it seems to make things easier to manage downstream into the mixing stage.

When you introduce polyphony into the equation, I feel like much of that elegance is lost. There so many polyphonic samplers on the market (the used market, at least) that this seems like the wrong angle for Elektron. I may be in the minority in this view.

[CallOffTheVote]

I would add the ability to play chords with samples on one track of the OT mk2.
Having to resample each chord one needs kills the improvisation flow.

I totally agree. I’m surprised they haven’t added a poly mode to the OT already. If its due to CPU limit etc then in a similar way to the dynamic ram. So you could merge a few tracks’ voices together if desired and do some polyphonic stuff. Like neighbor tracks etc… Seems like a no-brainer thing to me but I guess it would require a lot of complicated tweaking under the hood and maybe isn’t possible without total rewrite.

[J0n35y]

I can never decide if I want OB on the OT or not. On the one hand, to me, it’s not part of the ethos of the machine. But on the other, it would be amazing to have OB in an OT with how I currently use it (sending audio to /from Live, sampling on the fly, etc). It would just remove a chunk of spaghetti cabling.

I’d like to see Elektron do something very different. We have a cracking drum machine (though getting shot of my AR). We have a brilliant analogue synth. A still amazing sampler. I think the MD still holds up very well though the MnM is a little long in the tooth (still love it though!). So, if anything was to get a new version, I would like it to be the MnM with more polyphony and engines (granular synth, something like that) and FX slots per track.

Anyway, as for something different - I quite liked the Maschine/MPC suggestion. It would cost an absolute fortune though!!! Whatever comes, let it have a proper full on vocoder! I’d love to do whacky shit with live vocals and p-locking. It’s sorta possible with the OT but not in a classic sense.

With moves into software space, how about a box that could hold vsts with the Elektron sequencer tagged on? Im not suggesting any vst, more like tailored vsts like in Reason. But it would work like a mix of Aira with Reason style racks. You could load in a synth and a dedicated FX suite that you liked for example.

[license]

I can never decide if I want OB on the OT or not. On the one hand, to me, it’s not part of the ethos of the machine. But on the other, it would be amazing to have OB in an OT with how I currently use it (sending audio to /from Live, sampling on the fly, etc). It would just remove a chunk of spaghetti cabling.

I’d like to see Elektron do something very different. We have a cracking drum machine (though getting shot of my AR). We have a brilliant analogue synth. A still amazing sampler. I think the MD still holds up very well though the MnM is a little long in the tooth (still love it though!). So, if anything was to get a new version, I would like it to be the MnM with more polyphony and engines (granular synth, something like that) and FX slots per track.

Totally agree on OB not fitting the OT ethos. And I don’t want a machine that’s more computer-like; one of the most beautiful things about the Elektrons is that they’re islands unto themselves where I don’t have to fiddle about with all the fiddliness and configuration bullshit computers inevitably bring into play. No VSTs, please!!!

The only place I feel like the MnM is long in the tooth is in the performance department. You can have plenty of fun improvising with it, but it’s just not quite up to snuff with the other machines, with their scenes and performance modes and macros, etc. I think the right MIDI controller could really open it up but it would be great to for example, control arp parameters, change individual track lengths, etc.

If the next product is a synth, make it a successor to the MnM - digital and proud! But informed by the lessons learned from development of the black Trinity

[djadonis206]

OT MKII with OB support.

Coming around to OB with my other two machines, I’m seeing some real value in working with the hardware and software, if not only for multi tracking purposes.

I guess, in a way, Ableton and an APC or Push act as an OT; but, there’s something to be said about physically programming your beats and P-Locks!

[SoundRider]

Octatrack Mk2
8 ins + 8 outs (via 8 split TRS jacks)
Performance Mode knobs a’la Analog Four
256MB RAM
Overbridge Support
USB 3.0

Exactly +1000

[CallOffTheVote]

[quote="“license”"]

Curious why you don’t think polyphonic sampler fits with Elektron aesthetic? I’ve only used OT, is polyphony absent on all the rest of their boxes (besides a4, I believe that has 4 note polyphony?). Being able to have 4+ polyphony on one sampler track would be very useful for drum kits etc, not only melodic/chord stuff…

There’s polyphony on the Monomachine and A4. At least in the MnM it’s a special mode. The way the A4 seems fancier and more useful but digging through the manual it looks complicated and messy.

That Elektron magic happens for me when squeezing as much juice as possible from one voice, with complete control across a pattern. With all the modulation and sequencer integration you can do things that are impossible or a hassle in nearly anything else. And there’s something beautifully lean and mean about using just one voice without crowding the headroom, it’s a weird way to work but it seems to make things easier to manage downstream into the mixing stage.

When you introduce polyphony into the equation, I feel like much of that elegance is lost. There so many polyphonic samplers on the market (the used market, at least) that this seems like the wrong angle for Elektron. I may be in the minority in this view.[/quote]
I actually agree with nearly everything you say here. Being super analytical of each voice and only selecting samples that compliment each other (especially in terms of eq) has had some kind of automatic effect on my writing/mixing in the past month since I got OT. Going back to works in progress in Daw now I’m finding there’s a lot of clutter and a lot of tracks within songs seem kinda wasted/unimaginative.
But saying all of that, there are still a lot of times when I’d like to see how a sample sounds in chords or overlapping notes, not to mention the thought of pseudo keyboard splits with different sounds in sample chains etc… And it would be super convenient to be able to slice a drum machine (or something more interesting) sample chain in to 8+ slices and use one track as a full drum machine with polyphony…

Thinking about it some more and I’d love to see elektron’s take on a combo like people have mentioned. Something like what roland ‘could’ have done with the fa-08. Combining OT/microsampler/sp555. And possibly with a VA synth + some bread and butter PCM stuff to mess with (pianos/strings/organs/Mellotron…)…Maybe minikeys so it wasn’t huge.
Would be so expensive tho!

[CallOffTheVote]

I’d love to see someone make something serious with this kind of Form factor. Battery powered. 2 octaves. Little speaker to the top left. 4x4 pad grid top right. Screen centre. Obvs with input/output jacks and mem card + usb. OT sequencer steps/trigs above the keys. OT /op-1/volca lovechild…

[filemono11]

I’d prefer to see hybrid machine with 16 tracks:

1. 4+ tracks Digital synth
2. 4+ tracks Analog synth.
3. 8± tracks Sampler.
4. 16 tracks midi sequencer.
   With small keyboard (like in A4) and pads. With possibility to sample internal sound sources. It can has slightly bigger dimensions compared to existing elektron gear to avoid diving to menu and remembering hundreds shortcuts.

Elektron WorkStation…a little bit heretic but why not

[enparticular]

I think that a simple straightforward monosynth with the analog 4 sound architecture and two/three octaves and the fx would be fantastic. cheap of course. shouldn’t be hard to R&D.

[Uturunku]

Also, it can be pure elektron sequencer with automatic learn of midi messages functionality with small form-factor with big amount of midi in&out ports + small keyboard like in A4. With 16 trigs buttons like in current elektrons. You have to just connect midi in and out ports of any synth to one of the pair of midi ports of new elektron sequencer and you will obtain another elektron-like features with parameter-locks with any external synth which supports midi. Just press and hold any trig button, press note on the integrated keyboard and then rotate any knob on external synth – sequencer automatically catch midi message from midi out port of the synth and lock the value of this parameters to the trig.
Midi-file playback can be useful feature.

[rozzbud]

Octatrack MKII with overbridge, multiple outs and analog filters.

add automation of the activation of one shot trigs + one shot trigless locks. Would totally open the 4parts/4bars limitation. And yes a chord machine at least one per part. I’d prefer an additional section of advanced equalizing per track vs analog filter.

[Accent]

I really think the better question is: What can Elektron do next?

I’m really curious, because if part of their ethos is not to make products that greatly overlap with their existing lineup, where do they go from here? With everything they currently have on the market, it seems like it would be very hard not to infringe too much on a current product, unless they discontinue something.

Thus, I can see them going a few ways. One would be to maybe partially cannibalize their existing gear, for instance making some less expensive modules without sequencers, but maybe with a deeper FM module or a single analog voice. Another thing I could see would be the “Neuron” that people were speculating about a couple years ago, some sort of mad sequencer/mixer/FX unit. I’d be really interested in something like this personally, even if it carried a high price, if it had options like longer/more flexible sequencing capabilities, Overbridge, and some ways to maybe optimize the older machines for a more modern setup (if at all possible).

[knobgoblin]

I’d love to see them discontinue and update the MachineDrum and MonoMachine. Call it the Elektron Classic or something. 16 tracks that can load any of the machines from either classic box with much improved sequencer and a dedicated fx slot per track, as well as maybe the classic machinedrum master fx section of eq comp verb and global delay. Overbridge capable but also having at least 6 physical outputs and 2 inputs. It would be nice to see some additional machines available, but the classic ones already cover a ton of ground.

The other thing I’d love to see is a 6 voice hybrid box. More full on FM and wavetable implementation with analog filters and overdrive per voice. The analog side could be ripped directly from the A4 setup but with more advanced but generalized synth algorithms for the osc setup. Could be cool to do paraphonic parts if it had 3 or more oscillators per voice.

[ignatius]

i’d much rather work within the box of the OT than use overbridge… i tend to use the elektrons to get away from the computer though… now i’m going to contradict myself and tell you of my dream computer related elektron situations…

i’d love more outputs though… stick a couple DB25 connectors on there and have 8 stereo outputs… that’d be great.

as for elektron i’d like to see a MnM MKIII w/more synthesis algorithms and the modern elektron sequencer w/micro timing etc like the OT.

what would be interesting would be some kind of opensource patching builder type thing… sort of a way to build your own synth models with little modules… maybe get a handful of ‘pages’ and a certain number of knobs assignable per page. drag and drop and rearrange a patch. save/compile… dump it in the library of synth models in the hardware ready to be called up from within the machine like any other algorithm.

wouldn’t have to be as complex as reaktor or a nord modular etc… could be high level patching… in the way the roland digital eurorack/standalone processors like the demora etc have the patcher available.

some kind of system to easily hack the algorithms would take a lot of pressure off the elektron staff to come up with new synthesis algorithms all the time and of course would be tons of fun for users.

also would love to see a modern standalone FX box. 6 in 6 out. lot’s of algorithms to choose from… assign multiple algorithms to one FX engine until DSP max is reached then be able to ‘gang’ another or all DSPs for massive algorithms or chains of algorithms.

add same type of patching interface as my dream MnM and syncable LFos and envelopes etc and the mind boggles.

[L4rs3rik]

I really think the better question is: What can Elektron do next?

I’m really curious, because if part of their ethos is not to make products that greatly overlap with their existing lineup, where do they go from here? With everything they currently have on the market, it seems like it would be very hard not to infringe too much on a current product, unless they discontinue something.

Thus, I can see them going a few ways. One would be to maybe partially cannibalize their existing gear, for instance making some less expensive modules without sequencers, but maybe with a deeper FM module or a single analog voice. Another thing I could see would be the “Neuron” that people were speculating about a couple years ago, some sort of mad sequencer/mixer/FX unit. I’d be really interested in something like this personally, even if it carried a high price, if it had options like longer/more flexible sequencing capabilities, Overbridge, and some ways to maybe optimize the older machines for a more modern setup (if at all possible).

Eurorack Modules could perhaps be the next product line.