Elektron’s premier analog drum device is better than ever — meet the Analog Rytm MKII 8-voice drum computer. It combines the sonic depth of analog with precision digital control, plus all of the practical sequencing abilities you count on from Elektron. This second-generation update adds sampling competencies (balanced audio inputs), a bright OLED screen, ultra-rugged backlit buttons, hi-res encoders, and extra devoted buttons for a quicker workflow.
You may discover large pads for better playability, expression/CV inputs for outside management, and a burly, solid aluminum enclosure. Start exploring the big analog drum sounds, first-rate sampling talents, and notable performance control — you will be surprised if there may be any limit to the Analog Rytm MK2’s creative opportunities.
Elektron Analog Rytm MKII Review
A unique drum: Fuse distinctive analog percussion with virtual samples. Deliver in the energy of sequencing and overall performance controls. The Analog Rytm MKII is a one-stop solution beat machine.
True Analog Punch
sense the depth of booming kick drums, the snarling chew of snares, the bellow of cavernous toms, and the ethereal shimmer of hi-hats. What honestly unites the Analog Rytm MKII aside is its very best analog sound. Pick out from more than one uniquely tuned synthesis fashion for various percussive sounds and extra. First-rate music to your liking, and get running.
Extra than a drum device
For the last innovative versatility, you can layer digital samples on a pinnacle of analog synthesis. Seize your own sounds, or use pre-recorded material to make those fused beats as smooth, tough, practical, or top-notch as you’d like. The ear-watering combination of analog filters and overdrive on each tune for jaw-dropping outcomes. To complete off, send all 12 tracks through the Analog Distortion and Compressor circuits while adding shimmer and glitter with the virtual send FXs. The twin VCO synth engine adds another bass or melodic degree to your compositions.
Overall performance first
When you have your refined sounds ready, release them precisely using the twelve speed-sensitive pads or perform exact programming the usage of the all-effective Elektron sequencer. The spontaneous performance or meticulous composition: it’s up to you.
Inspiration dynamite
The Analog Rytm MKII and Analog 4 MKII arrive loaded with unique manufacturing unit content to kick off your song-making. The likes of Eraldo Bernocchi, Lucifer’s resource, Spit masks, (d) glitch, and the intrepid Elektron crew. This has collected together a new financial institution of styles and kits to dive straight into – supplying you with the right of entry to a hearty and sundry bunch of musical thoughts right out of the container.
Pros
- Amazing sound quality
- Extremely versatile
- Great for live performance and studio recording
Cons
- Pricey
- It can be overwhelming for beginners
System Common
The MkIIs all have aluminum bodies and a lighter gray finish than their predecessors, contrasting them with the darker paintwork of the Digitakt and Digitone. They all have the brand new fashion ‘trig’ buttons with inner red‑yellow‑green lights. Legibility of the controls (something mentioned as a complex with the aid of Paul Nagle in his unique opinions) is progressed as functions are now printed in bold white on the buttons themselves, with secondary features under. As I stated while reviewing the Digitakt, I love the antique‑school feel of these chunky buttons, although their constant, mild motion comes at the fee of velocity sensitivity. The Rytm by myself gives built‑in dynamic entry thru its 12 drum pads.
All knobs were replaced with the new high-resolution encoders, checking some other items off Paul’s MkI wishlist. Those have an excellent silky clean response and a secondary push feature. The displays use white portraits on an inky black heritage, which is plenty simpler at the eyes than the preceding gray on barely‑much less‑grey. The shows on the four and Rytm are double the original top in phrases of pixel lines. On the Octatrack, the pixel counted stays equal, but the show is smaller and denser.
The Octatrack MkII’s standard form remains similar to the original, but the Rytm and 4 have fantastic new raked panels angled flawlessly in case you’re sitting in front of them. Despite lacking in this, the new Octatrack continues to be lovely, and its flat issue works in a stay setting. The primary front‑panel format trade is the addition of a few more excellent mode buttons to all three gadgets. These offer direct entry to all the principle views and working modes, lots of which have been reached via secondary shifted functions at the MkI models.
The Ins & Out
All of the MkIIs advantage from upgraded connectivity on their rear panels. The Analog four now has separate outputs for each of its voices in addition to a first-rate blend output, turning it into a fully-fledged multi‑timbral sound module. The Rytm MkII has 8 outputs to be had for individual sound outputs as compared to the precise’s 4. Half of these convey channels give you the discrete output of all 12 drum channels. The Ext Audio via is now thru two ports, rather than the MkI’s single stereo jack, and greater appreciably, there are two new audio inputs devoted to sampling.
The A4’s four CV/gate outputs had been cut up to individual jacks, formerly shared among TRS connectors. The A4 and the Rytm now have a couple of Expression/CV inputs for external modulation with foot controllers or modular synths. Barely inconveniently, CV connections stay on sector‑inch connectors, so I had to root out four mini‑jack adaptors to patch in different synths. As before, all the units have fashionable-sized MIDI in, out, and thru ports, which also can be used for old‑school Sync24/48 tempo control.
Again, the Octatrack is short‑changed here and does not use additions to its I/O. As I’ll contemplate inside the Overbridge section, there’s a defensible argument for not having cut-up tune outputs at the Octa. But a separate entry for each song might be extraordinary for those using it as a stay hub and mixer. It would be high-quality to get the ones CV/Expression ports. One consolation is that the inputs have been upgraded to balanced connections.
Analog Four MkII
Underneath its stunning new exterior, the Analog four MkII is the equal beast: a four-voice digitally controlled analog synth with more than one track of Elektron sequencing. It’s a flexible synth: it may be a high‑class groovebox, with each voice internally sequenced as an independent ‘track,’ or it can be played from external MIDI as a lush‑sounding synth. Once more, either as a multi‑timbral monophonic sound module, an unmarried synth with as much as 4‑word polyphony, or something in between. This poly capability was not possible when the A4 was reviewed in those pages at the beginning. However, it became a later replacement and is to be had in both MkI and MkII fashions.
The factory styles amply demonstrate the A4 MkII’s sonic abilities. However, the synth structure might appear rather traditional at first look on a blank canvas. It’s an oscillator‑plus‑sub sound engine running thru a ladder clear-out, multi‑mode filter, and overdrive in the collection, with more than one devoted and assignable envelopes and LFOs. But, this precis misses many details that add as much as making the A4’s synthesis more profound and extra exciting than it might appear.
Variable pulse‑width on all waveforms right now pushes the synth out of the familiar territory and shapes the A4’s character. PWM has devoted, unbiased LFOs on each oscillator, with intensity and velocity, controls right up front on principle Osc pages. Each oscillator has complete‑range tuning, excellent tuning, and uncommon linear tuning management that adjusts in absolute Hertz rather than cents, giving variable detuning throughout the notice range. This emulates upbeat analog classics, as does the oscillator go with the flow choice.
Analog Rytm MkII
The Analog Rytm is a 12‑music, 8‑voice analog drum machine that also can play returned samples. The headline new function on the MkII is the ability to pattern immediately from the audio inputs and use imported models like the original. Further to the numerous physical enhancements, the Rytm has many stepped-forward pads, with a more excellent regular response. It will help if you hit them to get to maximum velocity. However, if you want loud, you may play with fixed velocity; alternatively, use the step trig buttons.
The new onboard sampling may be finished thru an MPC‑style dedicated web page, with the recording threshold triggered. To be had assets are the man or woman hardware inputs, each input as stereo, any person drum tracks, or the internal mix. There’s additionally a right away Sampling alternative, allowing you to document without delay without going into the sampling web page. That is armed with a button combo, and then recording starts routinely when the chosen sampling supply exceeds your level threshold.
This is, in particular, useful for resampling a performance. An instantaneous Sampling recording is going into the sampling buffer, so you want to go into the Sampling page to store and assign it. It’d be first-rate if you could have it auto-keep or give the buffer to a pad so that you can use it right now, the Octatrack model.
Octatrack
Of all the gadgets, the Octatrack has modified the least, gaining excellent new buttons, encoders, and displays while maintaining identical internals. The significant aspect is that the new OS is equal throughout each generation, so MkI users preserve to benefit from new capabilities such as Conditional Locks.
To recap, the Octatrack is an overall performance sampler, presenting eight audio and 8 MIDI tracks. It’s far from the maximum intuitive little bit of kit to grasp. However, the more time you spend on it, the greater you recognize its particular potential. It may be used as a stand‑on my own drum sampler/groovebox, much like the Digitakt with prolonged functionality (loop time‑strething and reducing). Still, it comes alive while linked to different tools as a stay sequencing, sampling, and mixing hub for improvised performance.
Each Octatrack audio music can carry out exclusive roles:
- A normal disk‑streaming pattern‑playback voice
- A RAM‑based sampler for tremendous‑nimble stay sample manipulation
- A live looper
- A slice sampler
- A stay input
- A grasp channel
One of the Octatrack’s maximum powerful abilities is to stay patterned from its four inputs (or inner sources) both at once into tracks or to buffers freely to be had to all tracks. You may set triggers within sequences to start and quit recording, both constantly or as available photographs while you arm tracks. (The popularity of report trigs is lots less complicated to peer with the new self‑lit buttons).
In this manner, the Octatrack can robotically pattern neat, in‑time chunks from your external tool that you can juggle and mangle without preventing. In case you ever questioned why the Octatrack is so famous with synth heads, it’s because it’s an excellent device for turning the spew out of your Eurorack into usable musical building blocks.
Conclusion
If you’re reading this, chances are either you or somebody you understand has an Analog Rytm and is curious about learning more about how to use it, or you’re thinking about purchasing one and want to know if it’s the right piece of gear for you.
The Analog Rytm MKII is excellent gear for anyone who wants powerful yet easy-to-use drum machines. It’s perfect for both the beginner and the seasoned producer alike. The only downside is that it doesn’t come with many built-in sounds, but thankfully, plenty of great sound packs are available online.
