Elektron Syntakt

I upgraded from the Model: Cycles, which I really liked, to Syntakt. You get 12 tracks instead of 6 and two LFOs per track. The sound design machines seem a bit more limited but there are more of them so, overall, you probably have more sound design options. I've not owned a Digitone or Analog Rytm but it seems like you've got both combined in one box. There is no sampling, obviously, and you are limited to a specific set of FM-type synth sounds - although the analogue dual VCO can create a surprising range of sounds because of the multitude of waveform combinations available: from Moog-style bass to disruptive noise. And the analogue drums are great. I've only had Syntakt a week but I can see that it's going to get a lot of use. With a bit of imagination you could almost certainly do a live set with the Syntakt alone. It's easy to create generic house, techno etc but if you experiment with varying track lengths and probability settings you can go beyond rigid, grid-like dance music. It works really well for ambient and generative music, for example. As with all Elektron products, the manual is long and there is a steep learning curve - but if you are familiar with their sequencers from other products then that will speed things up a bit. For me, the advantage to Elektron products is their portability: they get you away from the DAW and allow you to make music anywhere - and with 12 tracks that really can mean complete songs. Mine will be going on holiday with me this summer.

Edit: I've had this for about three months now and it's probably the best piece of gear I have ever bought. I own a modular synth and loads of other stuff but this is getting far more use at the moment. The range of sounds you can get from it is really surprising: Aphex- style IDM, cold wave, chip tune, dark ambient - even gamelan-style percussion. It's a complete analogue and digital drum machine AND analogue and digital synthesiser. Yes, there are limits to it - as with all gear - but there are usually workarounds. The only thing it doesn't really do is lush synth pads - so I bought the Digitone for that. The Digitone has more depth for pad sound design but it's difficult to put together complete songs with only four tracks, even with sound locks etc. But together they make a pretty fantastic combination. In fact, Elektron gear is so good that I'm now thinking of getting the Digitakt in the distant future when I can afford it. I'm definitely a convert.

As an all-in-one groovebox without sampling, the Syntakt is ok. It doesn't have a compressor (even though you can use the amp section in the analog FX for a somewhat similar effect in some cases). It can't use samples, even though a gig of sample memory would have cost €0.50 extra, and the software is already finished (inside the Digitakt). What's also strange is that the analog sounds are fixed to slots 9-12, you can't assign slots according to function in your tracks. Makes playing live a bit harder, and unnecessarily so. Ok for people who do this as their main job, but for everyone else, this is a mess. I was looking for drum sounds, and I would have preferred more variation in the digital models here, because 40% of those are synth sounds I'm not interested in. And the variation of the analog models is still extremely limited, i can choose between 10 cymbal models, but only use one of them in my track. Same with the other analog tracks: 15 models, but only 3 simultaneously. What's more, when I want to use Midi tracks, I have to sacrifice a (digital or analog) track. The Digitakt or the Octratrack each have 8 Midi tracks, so why the limitation here, the analog tracks don't use more processing power than an MIdi track anyway. I also don't get why the macro controls are hidden so deep inside the menu structure, because Macros give you a lot of control over the machine, almost like a performance mode. A real performance mode would be even greater, but that is also missing. And of course kits, because every piece of music that uses more than one pattern would benefit from having kits, or else you end up copy-pasting each an every change in sound to the other patterns, and with 12 tracks that is 12 separate copy operations between patterns. So easy to mess this up.

So basically the thing gets in the way of what I want to do, due to all the strange limitations, which are entirely by design, and not by coincidence.

I really wanted to like this thing. Over the years, I have owned 7 different Electron boxes, of which I still have 3, and after 6 months, the Syntakt is still the one I find the least inspiring.

Definitely a versatile groovebox. The sound is very hi-end and complete yet very distinguished and characteristic, for better or worse. Aside from sampling, I find that you get every prominent next-gen groovebox need fullfield, but just enough to deliver the wanted result. For example the analogue fx section and the entire idea of the ability to sequence it is great, however, if i want to use it's ducking envelope, that means I can't use the analogue drive on the kick, so I might use workarounds like using lfo trigs but then I sacrifice one of 2 lfos, or use velocity trig locks though it's a bit more cumbersome etc etc. So I believe that there is a learning curve regarding on how to engage this box and not just how to operate it technically. Though once you 'click' in to it and get the ins and outs, the workflow becomes very tactile, creative and enjoyable. I find that this box can elevate and push forward creative and musical Ideas very easily within a fast workflow to a point where the amount of versatility and possibilities can become overwhelming. Now, using it alone, you won't compose a Hanz Zimmer score nor will you produce a mainstage anthem for that matter, but it's more than capable of creating full beats and many kinds of contemporary music tracks on it's own, let alone very solid backbones for songs and all kinds of productions, all in a box that can stay on your lap. that is for me very convenient. Very happy with this one.

I own, and have owned, several different Elektron boxes such as Analog Four, Analog Rytm, Octatrack, and Model:Cycles. In essence, I really like them, but my feeling is that Elektron often artificially hampers them in order to not cannibalize on their own devices. If not, they're not doing a convincing job of explaining why certain features are confined to certain boxes.

For example, on the Syntakt, I really like the ctrl-all feature, a function which isn't, out of some unspecified reason, available on their more expensive boxes. On the other hand, on the Syntakt neither the kit function, nor the possibility to change patterns immediately exist. Also, I can't help but think that it would be fairly easy to implement a sample machine on the Syntakt, but my suspicion is that since this would render the Digitakt more or less useless, Elektron chooses not to do it.

There might be really good reasons for why the feature set is what it is on the Syntakt; my point is that for me as a consumer, because of the non-transparency, it _feels_ like Elektron makes the box less capable than what it could have been, not because of any technical or user experience reasons, but because of economical. So, while I really like the Syntakt in many aspects, I still have a hard time using it without feeling irritated.

With all that said, Syntakt is a quite capable and fun groovebox. Having twelve tracks (which even can be midi out tracks) along with both digital and analog sound engines, as well as the dedicated FX bus gives you a lot of options.

I am coming from a SQ64 + Volcas background. So this is slowly becoming my love to hate device - but also my main groovebox.
Pros:
- Incredibly productive! It's just much more easier to sketch out an idea on this device and built something resembling a full song, using the new song mode! This is becoming my main tool.
- 16 tracks with decent quality sounds - you can built anything
- 2 LFOs per track + a sequencer that records knob moves - we can get wild results!
- somehow the overall sound is very good and polished, even though track per track Korg Volcas are far superior. E.g. compare Volca Drum or Bass to the Syntakt Sounds. Volca sound far superior. However the end result sounds much more pro and full with Syntakt. It might be the 16 tracks, or the LFOs/motion recording.

So while I am using this constantly (and probably for this reason as well) there are things that I absolutely hate:
- pattern based save/load functions- this means that all your song improvisations etc essentially needs to reside on a single pattern (16 different tracks) or else its getting extremely difficult to keep things organized. Korg SQ64 is far superior to that! Please add track based save/load. I think the pattern based workflow is totally unusable and simply rubbish. You end up composing in a single pattern with a 16 track limit.
- No capability to save kits - this is related to the above. Makes live composition across patterns difficult
- Sound wise - I have reevaluated whether I would sell my Volca Drum or not - Volca sounds simply on a different league - much better! But as said the overall mix somehow sounds better in Syntakt.


Conclusion: I would definitely buy it again. Hardware is great but the software needs a lot of small improvements to reach its full potential - especially in terms of performing with this live or improvisation. Is it for you? If you are looking for an all in one device (with some weak drum sounds, synth sounds are better) definitely. Is this for a beginner? May be. While deep and it packs so much features together that probably if you can invest time I would start from this one

When I bought this, I already owned a Digitone and a Model:Cycles.

My reason for buying the Syntakt was that, while I loved the sound of the Model:Cycles, I found myself missing some of the features and user experience of its Digi siblings. Originally, I had been saving up for a Digitakt, but the idea of replacing my Model:Cycles with the Syntakt grew on me and I decided to make the purchase.

And I was not disappointed! The Syntakt takes the best of the Cycles and adds a ton of its own features. It has twice the track count and triple the machine count, while still maintaining the same minimalistic sound design approach. The extra LFO and actual ADSR, along with the song mode, are wonderful additions.

The Syntakt sounds great; I especially love the analog cymbal track. It looks great too, especially when paired with its Digi family. Using it in my workflow has been amazing. Currently, my go-to workflow is using song mode on both the Digitone and the Syntakt at the same time. The Digitone has all the melodic stuff, including MIDI tracks to layer more sounds from the Syntakt if needed. And does all the transport duties. The Syntakt is more detailed and drums-only song mode, and all of the Digitone's sound goes through an FX track for a bit of overdrive and sidechaining.

Overall, I am thoroughly impressed with the Syntakt. It has added a lot of character and sound design possibilities to my setup, and I love it.