Two years after this review we put some more time into the Oxygene IV / Mini Pops 7 sounds and now there's an entire video where we show our sound design process on the Syntakt :) ua-cam.com/video/J-Hl1pYgLfk/v-deo.html
Good news everyone! We got word from Elektron that they are working on ways to compensate for the filter resonance change during the warmup phase. Functions like these are actually already implemented for the analog voices and aside from the filter resonance they seem to work pretty well. We'll keep you updated.
Update: The Syntakt (along with the Digitakt and Digitone) now has a very usable song mode (make sure you're on the newest firmware). No word on the filter resonance compensation though, but we'll keep you posted :)
@@totalSLACK no update for the Syntakt yet. I hope a few of the new DT2 usability improvements will be ported though :) Do note that on the DT2 changing one pattern's kit also does not change any other kits, kits are basically loadable presets on there.
Thanks, that's what I hoped for! When doing a review for a complex machine like this, the different styles of patterns also help you to get out of your sound design comfort zone so to speak :)
Genius review. Never heard anyone mention the heating up part of this. Great device. At this price point, I will work with what I have in my tool box. Nice job sir.
It’s gonna be difficult for anyone to get me to get ride of my TR-8….but this one definitely made me stop and think about it. I just worry I’d spend a bunch of time making cool, interesting percussion sounds before, inevitably, doing everything I can to make it sound like a 909 and then, inevitably, remembering I already have a tool for that and therefore, again, inevitably, going back to my TR-8. This has already happened 3 times. I am a simple simple person.
Bought a slightly damaged machiendrum sps-1 mk1 the day this was announced and honestly im really happy! The machines system is really great and can go from classic 808 to some weird SFX on the same machine.
Have had my Syntakt for a couple of weeks but was worth watching this very well produced review just to pick up on a few tips (and to enjoy a great, entertaining video). Subbed! Cheers
Thank you so much for your cheatsheet for this synth, it was a lifesaver. That Egyptian Lover song was one of my favs as a kid....I still have the vinyl from the 80s. I'd love to see a reconstruction of that! "I ride across the desert on my camel with style....."
I like to imagine you recording the voice track, then listening to it back as you separately record your hand movements. The AFX at the end was really nicely done.
One tip - the impulse machine is probably like the one on the machinedrum. You can use it to make some limited sounds, but the best use of it is to use it as a cv trigger - it can advance a sequencer or modulate a cv input. I think (?) that's the main purpose of it instead of being a sound generation tool. If you shape it you can get it to act like a ramp. Of course, on the MD you have multiple outs so it's more useful, but worth playing with as a mod source if you have any cv gear or sequencers that use triggers.
@@CaptainPikant Also didn’t know holding modifiers and seamless pattern copies were a thing at all! Awesome! Can’t wait to see the workarounds for the lack of kits.
Not sure how the YT algorithm has hid your channel from me for so long but glad I found it. Quality of these videos are top of class. I have thought about getting the Syntakt. I don't have any Elektron gear but I am interested. The last two times I have considered an Elektron I ended up going a different route, for drum machine I went TR8s and then later I considered this as a groove box but went for the Akai Force instead. Really happy with decisions, but I am still considering an Elektron box. However, the inability to copy track parameters currently would be a deal killer for me, I would find that too frustrating and it is something I would want to do often. Thanks for pointing that out, I would not have known that because I would just have assumed it would do that. Hopefully Elektron will address this. One of the things that interest me most about the Electktron boxes is micro timing. The TR8s is really missing this feature. Not something I would have thought important until lots of time with a drum machine, but make enough patterns and you will eventually be wanting to push things off the grid a bit.
Hi David, thank you so much :) Regarding copying the track parameters: In our workaround video ua-cam.com/video/p1UzZbHaCdo/v-deo.html we show an easy way to do this. Still wish there was a native feature in the menu though.
Nice review, really helps understand the instrument. And off course good to know that it is good enough to do Aphex Twin. (as an aside, bonus points for Romano, love his stuff)
Really good suggestions for future updates! I'm not sure if this is a workaround for your closed/open hi hat problem but you can preview individual trigs by holding the trig button, and pressing Yes. so you can adjust settings on a per-trig basis, but again, not sure if this is exactly what you're looking for. Anyway, great video! Looking forward to the workflow videos 🤓
Oh yes the preview function is awesome! But sadly it doesn't help if you want to adjust the sound of all sound-locked trigs that carry that specific preset sound from the project's sound pool.
@@CaptainPikant ah yes I see what you mean! Hopefully it’s a simple idea with a simple solution! I really do think this box is an update or two away from being a classic
Great stuff. Thank you for the downsides you mentioned. I hope Elektron listens because things like the absence of “kits” - which I even have on my lowly Volca Drum and is critical, IMO - give me pause as I consider whether to invest in this device.
It’s nice to have a channel doing such a good content. I’m trying to figure out what is better for me. An Analog Rytm mkt 2 or the digitakt + the syntak. I need one or the other to create my own drum samples in the studio.. I work a lot with sound design and in the DAW I usually use synth and sample layers to make my own drum sounds. When I say digitakt + syntak it’s because I’m thinking about syncing the MIDI of the two devices and layering the synth (of syntak) with samples (of the digitakt). Example: in digitakt a clap sample and in the syntak a synth model clap. I’m trying to figure out which choice has more sound design power. In the Analog Rytm mkt 2 I can resample… but in the digitakt + syntak it looks like there is a bigger range of sounds for me to tweak and experiment with. What would be your suggestion? Thank you!
If your goal is to layer synthesized sounds with samples then I'd recommend the Rytm. Each of its voices has an analog part and a sample part so you could do this in one box.
Excellent review. I love my Syntakt, and was also wondering if there was an easier way to access specific sounds from other projects, particularly with some of the Factory Patterns, which have some great patches saved in them, but are otherwise inaccessible. Subbed!!
Thanks Robert! I fear the only way to access the sounds from other projects is to save them to the preset pool on the +drive. I don't actually know how much overlap there is with the factory presets, maybe you'll already find some of them in Banks A-E.
It should have multiple effects per track like Octatrack, some basic sampling and a wet/dry for the effects so you can turn off the dry signal. Also the analog synth should have the features of a normal analog synth. It feels so cut down and basic after having owned many of their boxes.
Would you say the Syntakt is your least favorite Elektron device? I feel like the OT has the least effects per track of all the Elektron boxes when you consider that the user will almost always use FX1 for a filter. All the other boxes have a filters (and base width filter) and overdrive or bit reduction as standard... and then have chorus, delay and reverb in addition. You'd be wasting a track on a neighbor machine to get that many effects on the OT. Not to mention the effects all suck.
Well, they are different things but I had the most fun on the OT and the least fun on the Syntakt, RYTM is my second favorite but I have sold it. OT shows me that the Syntakt is very underachieving and could be so, so much more with some tweaks. I think you underestimate how to use the OT and need to read the manual a bit more, lol. The sound of the OT effects is great for what I do and I would not want "better" effects. But these comments are subjective.
GOAL: I want to be like Captain Piquant, and have a manila envelope with color coordinated printouts of every pattern for every cool song ever. Watching this video, I felt like I was totally getting big-dicked by the cool printouts. (I don't even have a Manila envelope, much less a bunch of color-coordinated sequencer patterns of cool songs. I have literally NONE of either of those.) I felt really lame watching this, but I want to change that. I'm going to first work on getting the envelope, and then the color coordinated sheets with the patterns. Eventually, I'll be at a coffee shop or dog park or someplace, and someone will be like; "Oh, remember that song by by that guy about that robot who falls in love with the vajankle?", and I'll whip out my manila envelope and slide out the pattern, then rapidly lay it into whatever Elektron box I have with me, hit the play button, and blast it out through that little boombox/tape delay thing that Teenage Engineering makes. People will be like "OMG, that sounds SO good. You are amazing. That sounds so much like , but maybe even better in certain ways!" (Oh, and if you don't know what a vajankle is, look it up.)
found some aphex twin songs 9:44 obviously stated as Xtal 11:12 might be Flim, im not too sure 27:58 T69 Collapse, also reference with cover art at beginning
You're right, but this only copies the sound of one single track. Worst case is you have to do this once for each track and then you only have copied the sounds from one single pattern to another. There's a workaround though which we described here ua-cam.com/video/p1UzZbHaCdo/v-deo.html
That’s a fantastic walk-though the syntakt, I love how you cover so many things in just 30:00 min. Brilliant! I’m a bit embarrassed to even bring the topic, especially to Elektron versed people as you are; but at 22:21, when talking about track sound locks, I don’t see why you need to overwrite something you’ve done- couldn’t you create a new sound (i think you that your could tweak the sound in context, and save as a new sound rather than override the former one? Then load in the sound pool Hope I could explain my point properly - please bear with my ignorance. (Sorry for the long txt) Again, thank you very much.
Thank you so much! Regarding the sound locks: You need to overwrite the previously used slot because all of the locked Open Hat steps reference this exact slot. It you save the sound to a different slot, you'd have to go into the sequencer, search for all the Open Hats one by one and assign the new slot as a sound lock to them. By just overwriting the same sound pool slot the Open Hats automatically use the new sound. Sadly using a new sound slot in the sound pool is no solution to tweaking the sound in context because you still can't edit that sound on the fly. By default a step has no sound lock, instead it uses the track sound (in this example the Closed Hat) which can of course be directly edited using the controls. A sound lock on the other hand is just a preset in a list which can't be directly edited.
Having different 'instruments' you can modify on the same track would be really nice. As well as different accenting options to apply. Cus when you start parameter locking everything, it can get confusing real quick.
Thank you! I don't have an Octatrack anymore, but if I remember correctly it can send program change messages, so you should be able to synchronize pattern changes on the Syntakt and build your song in the Octatrack arranger.
I've considered a mod for the models to improve the performance. Use a 1.5mm thick rubber disc on the bottom of the pad. Should improve the velocity sensitivity and decrease accidental hits on the corners. I just need to figure out an ideal diameter.
Thank you Captain. I very much appreciate your presentations! I have enjoyed Elektron instruments for over a decade. My go-to is Analog Rytm. I believe Analog 4 has great potential as a percussion instrument. I find myself wishing Elektron would upgrade the analog oscillators , filters and envelope systems in all their machines to sound more unique and powerful like those of the Buchla or Sequential for example. If you are going to be a bear, be the Grizzly. PS can digital effects truly be called “stereo” if they do not have a PAN Control?
Thanks! The Analog Four was actually my first synth :) It definitely has a lot of awesome percussion sounds in it! Regarding the stereo effects: Yes I think so - you might not be able to pan the FX, but even if you feed a mono signal into them, they generate a stereo signal with spatial information.
21:50 - this is probably my biggest gripe with these boxes. Sound locks are awesome but editing them..holy hell... I would love to see your provided solution of editing the sounds inside the pool directly. Speaking of locks, another enhancement I would gladly welcome is being able to copy a parameter locked step and paste those settings onto the track sound or pool sound. Holding the step and pressing copy will copy the step, holding a different step and pasting pastes the step with locks. Let me hold the track and paste the settings!
Wait, I’m a bit confused here. On the A4, Digitakt/tone, I simply hold the locked sound step and make tweaks. If I want those edits on other steps in a sequence I just copy/paste the step. Does this not work on the Syntakt?
@@soundsofsamsara Yes this also works on the Syntakt, but by doing this you just parameter lock the sound locked steps individually after the fact - you don't change the sound preset itself (manually copy/pasting potentially dozens of steps vs. just changing one preset).
Love my digitone, but I can't find any interest in this machine... A mix of digitone and digitakt with sampling would be great .. please try LXR 02 , it's a beast!!!
Hey! About editing sounds from the Sound Pool in context. You can p-lock the parameters on one of the steps where you put a Sound Lock and just copy that step to the others. That's pretty quick. Of course it doesn't save to the sound but it is all in context and you don't need to worry about saving it until later. :)
Thanks David, that approach at least gives you the possibility to hear the sound in context. But depending on the complexity of the pattern it's still going to be a lot of work copying the steps (and updating them every time you make a change), then updating the preset in the sound pool and finally replacing all the p-locked steps with the pure sound lock again. I really hope there is a feature coming that makes this easier.
@@CaptainPikant And the TR-8S too! I know it's been out a while now but would love to see your review of it & what tricks you find...unless youve already done it & Ive overlooked it...*goes off to check!* Do love your channel, it's so helpful & I love the creativity, production-wise as well as content!
i just wish they'd make the 4 analogue tracks selectable on the top row instead, scrap the modifiers and replace the bottom row with 8 midi tracks. i would buy it instantly.
This is super helpful, thanks! I’m curious what would you say it does in drum programming/drum sequencing that the Deluge can’t. I know you’re using it too in your videos and I’m trying to determine if there’s gonna be too much overlap in owning both devices? I currently own Deluge and throughly enjoying it but I haven’t done too much drum programming on it. Thanks again.
In terms of drum sequencing, overview and speed the Deluge is miles ahead with its 8x16 pad matrix, cross-screen editing, triplet view, flexible zoom and multi level undo. But it's a different workflow and I'm very happy with the Elektron sequencers as well. On both devices you can program very complex sequences. The only sequencing advantages of the Syntakt that come to my mind right now are that you have a better overview over the parameters due to the screen and that it's easier to program velocity ramps (one parameter instead of manually adjusting the velocity of each note in the roll). And the steps show you where you added automation (blinking steps for parameter locks, yellow steps for lock trigs that only carry parameters but don't trigger a note). To me the whole UI of the Digitakt is much more accessible. A part of that is of course due to the screen, but when picking up an Elektron device after a few weeks of not using it I still feel right at home, whereas with the Deluge I do not - if that makes any sense.
Hi Albert, glad you liked it, we got the idea to use the pattern from your recommendation back then :) We want to make another Drum Machine 101 as soon as we can, but the stop motion sequences are so time consuming that we don't know how to fit them in at the moment.
First off. BEAUTIFUL videos. Color choices are on point and pastel. I have one question tho. Do you recommend this box for a singer songwriter? I think I like the drum sounds but not the melodic sounds. I’m choosing between this and the classic TR8s
Thanks! That's hard to say, it depends how you want to use it. If you like making your own sounds and want to preprogram everything and just press play at the beginning of a song then I'd say go for the Syntakt (song mode has been added in a recent firmware update). The TR-8S on the other hand has all the classic drum machine sounds ready to go and a few nice fill and performance features - and maybe is a little bit easier to operate with one hand :) The TR-8S doesn't really give you an easy way to enter melodic lines though, that's more comfortable on the Syntakt.
Thank you for responding! I think Syntakt is the one. I like experimenting with new sounds and I think I’d like to leave her running while I play synths and sing ❤️ I hope you have a lovely night, or day where you live.
Great video, a work around for no portamento? So true about copying sounds from pattern to pattern, total drag on MC. I also wish sequencer could record pitch bend from internal sounds.
Sweep erase clears the steps of one or more tracks with the running light of the sequencer. But normally sweep erasing won't create new steps, so at the moment this is not really usable. Yes, the Digitakt also has this feature, and it behaves the same way :(
I quite like Elektron's analog drum sounds. I would love a simple, cheaper drum machine with them, without all the other 'machines'. Like a stripped down syntakt or AR. Just analog drum channels and the sequencer.
Thanks @OllieLoops, great to see you here! We enjoy your videos, too 🙂 I vividly remember your film noir review of the Squarp Pyramid being the first one I saw back then 🖤
@@CaptainPikant Thanks man, deep cut on the noir video. I love making interesting and themed videos, but it's tough for them to find the right audience. Maybe drop me your email so we can chat some more.
Excellent review and showcase. I really enjoy the sound selection here! The only thing still bothering me is the sound of the hi-hats that seems to be exactly as on the model cycles, where I didn't like it all that much. How is the analog equivalent?
Thanks! I really like the analog Hi-Hats. You can hear them in the example patterns section, they're used whenever track 12 is blinking (except in "Egypt, Egypt" where track 12 is occupied by the cowbell).
Anybody have any suggestions on getting good tom sounds? I spent at least an hour trying to get a good tom drum sound and found the Syntakt was only capable of producing a very narrow range of tom sounds…
Very good that you show the weak points, that is helpful (maybe even more than the strong points). Do any firmware solved the problem of copying all sounds parameters from pattern to all patterns? I come from Ableton, and it makes no sense to me, especially seeing everybody saying elektron is the absolute top notch sequencer, its the first thing i saw about the syntakt that is a deal breaker to me
@@MattiasRickardsson But since you're able to put digital reverb and digital delay on the analog signal, don't you think there is already a way to route them back into the digital domain again and process them with digital filters?
@@CaptainPikant Theoretically yes, the analog voices are indeed recorded at the VCAs in order to be sent to Delay/Reverb/Overbridge, and they can be silenced in the main mix - but adding digital filters would need more CPU, and the whole roundtrip would also introduce some latency. So it's not a feature to hope for. 🙂
Just so you know most analog circuits do take time to warm up. It's been a kno2n issue for decades. When I fire up my modular that has a bunch of vcos I let it warm up for 10 minutes or so. That's analog circuitry.
Hi CityFlanger, while that's absolutely true, none of my other analog synths and drum machines exhibit sound changes to that degree while warming up, so I think it's well worth mentioning. And I'm glad we did because Elektron is now aware of the filter resonance change and they're working on ways to compensate for it during the warmup phase (functions like these are actually already implemented for the analog voices and aside from the filter resonance they seem to work pretty well).
Can I ask, do you transcribe the songs by ear, or slow them down, or maybe visually on a computer screen? I find it hard to work out ornaments from a recording, even with the music score in front of me. I'm now subscribed and look forward to viewing more of your excellent content, if this one is anything to go by.
It's a mixture of all these things. The more complex a pattern gets, the more you have to slow it down to actually hear what's going on. With Aphex Twin it's impossible to figure this out on normal speed. But once you analyze how it's done you learn to hear these things even without slowing down because you recognize patterns. In the back of your mind there may be a voice that says this is a bit like cheating, but in quite a few interviews with guitarists and drummers you hear that this is exactly how they learned their trade - they slowed the vinyl records down to figure out what was going on. We thought about making a video on our process, but we don't know if enough people are interested.
cool video I think i would have preferred a digital FM Synth + Sampler ( a model cycles plus sampler) as a sampler open up much more sonic possibilities. re kits - if i'm not mistaken model cycles and model sampler support kit loading
@@user-th6rh8zp3t maybe, digitakt plus digitone gets you 12 tracks 8+4 though not an even split and no 'kits' to load. though the cycles plus sample also get you 12 tracks 6+6 and more knobs to hand at a cheaper budget and kit loading. - options-
Awesome video! regarding the "monophonic" midi sequencing, my understanding is that we have 4 voice polyphony available for each midi track. So that we can sequence a 4-note chord pressing 4 trigs all together (or by an external midi keyboard). Am I wrong? For me this would be essential to sequence external (or internal) synths
Question..I was using my Ensoniq ASR10 rack for sample layback,efx live while doing DJ mixprojects. Would you recommend the Syntakt for that type of live work?I just bought the PolyEnd Tracker recently,yet I have not put it to the test in a live setup yet..
nice video! question: when the captain starts a drum pattern, he presses trk+pattern and then several patterns (holding 2, then other numbers). what is this? making a sort of chain/song mode?
Yes it's pattern chaining. No song mode unfortunately - the chain disappears as soon as you switch patterns again. If you want to chain patterns press PTN, then hold the first pattern. While always holding at least one pattern, add other patterns by pressing their respective steps.
If I'm only interested in using the Hapax for sequencing is there a better drum machine I should look at? I would like to have analog sounds with parameter changes, and possibly even the ability to layer samples.
You could look at the Analog Rytm which offers analog sounds and sample layers. But I'm not sure if you can control the parameters via MIDI CC so you'd have to check the documentation.
Hi Fa8ster, thanks for the reminder! We actually wanted to make a video on the new Elektron song mode back when it was released but we never got around to it. We'll put it in a pinned comment :)
@@CaptainPikant the most amazing thing for me would be to have a step by step tutorial to re-create all the stock patterns from scratch 😅 id even pay for coaching ;)
For all we know he might have crash landed on some remote island and - while trying to survive - adopted your Syntakt as his only friend. Let's hope the analog warmth keeps him warm at night. If Hollywood endings are to be believed, Tom Hanks will arrive with your weathered and beaten Syntakt in a few years.
Two years after this review we put some more time into the Oxygene IV / Mini Pops 7 sounds and now there's an entire video where we show our sound design process on the Syntakt :) ua-cam.com/video/J-Hl1pYgLfk/v-deo.html
Do you have a favourite drum machine? ...I came to this video from the Oxygene IV video
Good news everyone! We got word from Elektron that they are working on ways to compensate for the filter resonance change during the warmup phase. Functions like these are actually already implemented for the analog voices and aside from the filter resonance they seem to work pretty well. We'll keep you updated.
Update: The Syntakt (along with the Digitakt and Digitone) now has a very usable song mode (make sure you're on the newest firmware). No word on the filter resonance compensation though, but we'll keep you posted :)
there hasn't been a kit mode added yet, right? changes to one patterns kit does not change the others, right?
@@totalSLACK no update for the Syntakt yet. I hope a few of the new DT2 usability improvements will be ported though :) Do note that on the DT2 changing one pattern's kit also does not change any other kits, kits are basically loadable presets on there.
Not a fan on how the kits work on the Dt2 @@CaptainPikant
Best channel ever. Unbiased reviews. A real musician not just a salesman for hire like all the others. Keep up the good work! Thanks!!!
Hard to come by, it seems..
Gotta say, always love how you do a few transcriptions for these machines when you review them, really helps put things in context.
Thanks, that's what I hoped for! When doing a review for a complex machine like this, the different styles of patterns also help you to get out of your sound design comfort zone so to speak :)
When you see detailed bugs/improvements/missing feat. sections you know it's a professional review!!! Great video!
YO excellent work on the T69 Collapse sequencing. My favorite Aphex Twin song from nearly 30 years of listening to him.
Thanks Ben, it's also one of my favourites :) Probably the hardest transcription I've done until now, but it was worth it.
yes please, i'd love another tutorial with your drum programming
Your videos always make me stand up immediately and go make music. Thank you!
Thank you so much, that's actually one of the reasons why we started this channel 🖤
Genius review. Never heard anyone mention the heating up part of this. Great device. At this price point, I will work with what I have in my tool box. Nice job sir.
Thanks! Yes we were also wondering why nobody else mentioned it, it was a pretty big difference when we turned the Syntakt on the day after.
It’s gonna be difficult for anyone to get me to get ride of my TR-8….but this one definitely made me stop and think about it. I just worry I’d spend a bunch of time making cool, interesting percussion sounds before, inevitably, doing everything I can to make it sound like a 909 and then, inevitably, remembering I already have a tool for that and therefore, again, inevitably, going back to my TR-8.
This has already happened 3 times.
I am a simple simple person.
😂Jae the struggle is real...
My desk is not big enough for rd8 and rd9 both. My thinking follows yours.
@@PorchBass they vesa mount! yikes maybe I shouldnt have told you lol.
Tr8 or tr8s?
get this and keep tr8
Bought a slightly damaged machiendrum sps-1 mk1 the day this was announced and honestly im really happy! The machines system is really great and can go from classic 808 to some weird SFX on the same machine.
Have had my Syntakt for a couple of weeks but was worth watching this very well produced review just to pick up on a few tips (and to enjoy a great, entertaining video). Subbed! Cheers
Thanks so much, glad it was helpful :)
Thank you so much for your cheatsheet for this synth, it was a lifesaver. That Egyptian Lover song was one of my favs as a kid....I still have the vinyl from the 80s. I'd love to see a reconstruction of that! "I ride across the desert on my camel with style....."
Wow, T69 Collapse of all things...😮. Great stuff - love your channel.
I like to imagine you recording the voice track, then listening to it back as you separately record your hand movements. The AFX at the end was really nicely done.
So happy I found your channel! Really love the vids and your style of presentation!
Yessss tutorials for those sounds please! Especially oxygene, the bells, and idioteque!
I second that
One tip - the impulse machine is probably like the one on the machinedrum. You can use it to make some limited sounds, but the best use of it is to use it as a cv trigger - it can advance a sequencer or modulate a cv input. I think (?) that's the main purpose of it instead of being a sound generation tool. If you shape it you can get it to act like a ramp. Of course, on the MD you have multiple outs so it's more useful, but worth playing with as a mod source if you have any cv gear or sequencers that use triggers.
Yeah no one ever mentions this!
I have no intention of ever buying one of these, but I really enjoyed this and your other videos
Right on time! Just got mine and barely know what I’m doing.
Thanks for keeping up with these great lessons. Love your style.
Thanks! :) Let us know if you have any questions we can answer in our next videos.
@@CaptainPikant Also didn’t know holding modifiers and seamless pattern copies were a thing at all! Awesome!
Can’t wait to see the workarounds for the lack of kits.
everything you mentioned there was the reason I sold my Digitone. Too many little things that make life complicated when actually doesn't need to be.
I wouldn’t call it a stretch to say this review / intro is even better than Loopop’s. Love the pace and depth. Thank you!
As a a swede, I must really compliment your Syntakt pronounciation too. 👍👍👍
Thank you for you kind words :)
I'm impressed with the Univox emulation you did. Very nice!
Thanks! The Quijada sound was tricky but I'm not yet happy with the Conga, I'll tweak it some more to get that ringing frequency out :)
Becoming a patron simply because you played Radiohead followed by The Bells. !!! Amazing thanks !
Not sure how the YT algorithm has hid your channel from me for so long but glad I found it. Quality of these videos are top of class. I have thought about getting the Syntakt. I don't have any Elektron gear but I am interested. The last two times I have considered an Elektron I ended up going a different route, for drum machine I went TR8s and then later I considered this as a groove box but went for the Akai Force instead. Really happy with decisions, but I am still considering an Elektron box. However, the inability to copy track parameters currently would be a deal killer for me, I would find that too frustrating and it is something I would want to do often. Thanks for pointing that out, I would not have known that because I would just have assumed it would do that. Hopefully Elektron will address this.
One of the things that interest me most about the Electktron boxes is micro timing. The TR8s is really missing this feature. Not something I would have thought important until lots of time with a drum machine, but make enough patterns and you will eventually be wanting to push things off the grid a bit.
Hi David, thank you so much :) Regarding copying the track parameters: In our workaround video ua-cam.com/video/p1UzZbHaCdo/v-deo.html we show an easy way to do this. Still wish there was a native feature in the menu though.
I'd love to see a tutorial on that Aphex Twin track!
Nice review, really helps understand the instrument. And off course good to know that it is good enough to do Aphex Twin.
(as an aside, bonus points for Romano, love his stuff)
Thanks! Also be sure to check out Siriusmo, he's the genius behind the beats in Romano's music :)
GREAT and properly critical review. Thanks!
29:16 - LOVE your ending logo bit
I want sid chip machine and voice synth like in monomachine…
Very comprehensive and easy to follow review! Thank you!
It would be really awesome to have those machines in the Syntakt :)
Really good suggestions for future updates! I'm not sure if this is a workaround for your closed/open hi hat problem but you can preview individual trigs by holding the trig button, and pressing Yes. so you can adjust settings on a per-trig basis, but again, not sure if this is exactly what you're looking for. Anyway, great video! Looking forward to the workflow videos 🤓
Oh yes the preview function is awesome! But sadly it doesn't help if you want to adjust the sound of all sound-locked trigs that carry that specific preset sound from the project's sound pool.
@@CaptainPikant ah yes I see what you mean! Hopefully it’s a simple idea with a simple solution! I really do think this box is an update or two away from being a classic
One of the best reviews of the Syntakt I've seen! 🤩👏👏
Thank you! Awesome video as allways 🖤
great review, subbed
God knows why they didn't make an alternate pair of audio outs. That impulse machine is begging to sync/fire envelopes on a modular
Great stuff. Thank you for the downsides you mentioned. I hope Elektron listens because things like the absence of “kits” - which I even have on my lowly Volca Drum and is critical, IMO - give me pause as I consider whether to invest in this device.
I was literally about to hit the buy button until learning of this horrible decision. For $1000 bucks I dont want to deal with a "work-a-round".
Dude.. you're a legend ! Thank you for this explanation for a incredible device I'm scratching my head for :D
, checking out your pattern
My dude, breaking out Egyptian Lover! 😎👌
thank you mate for this amazing review !
It’s nice to have a channel doing such a good content.
I’m trying to figure out what is better for me. An Analog Rytm mkt 2 or the digitakt + the syntak.
I need one or the other to create my own drum samples in the studio.. I work a lot with sound design and in the DAW I usually use synth and sample layers to make my own drum sounds.
When I say digitakt + syntak it’s because I’m thinking about syncing the MIDI of the two devices and layering the synth (of syntak) with samples (of the digitakt). Example: in digitakt a clap sample and in the syntak a synth model clap.
I’m trying to figure out which choice has more sound design power.
In the Analog Rytm mkt 2 I can resample… but in the digitakt + syntak it looks like there is a bigger range of sounds for me to tweak and experiment with.
What would be your suggestion?
Thank you!
If your goal is to layer synthesized sounds with samples then I'd recommend the Rytm. Each of its voices has an analog part and a sample part so you could do this in one box.
Excellent review. I love my Syntakt, and was also wondering if there was an easier way to access specific sounds from other projects, particularly with some of the Factory Patterns, which have some great patches saved in them, but are otherwise inaccessible.
Subbed!!
Thanks Robert! I fear the only way to access the sounds from other projects is to save them to the preset pool on the +drive. I don't actually know how much overlap there is with the factory presets, maybe you'll already find some of them in Banks A-E.
such a nice kick on JMJ pattern. I vote for programming tutorial on syntakt! 🙂
Oh god I love that boot animation
It should have multiple effects per track like Octatrack, some basic sampling and a wet/dry for the effects so you can turn off the dry signal. Also the analog synth should have the features of a normal analog synth. It feels so cut down and basic after having owned many of their boxes.
Would you say the Syntakt is your least favorite Elektron device?
I feel like the OT has the least effects per track of all the Elektron boxes when you consider that the user will almost always use FX1 for a filter. All the other boxes have a filters (and base width filter) and overdrive or bit reduction as standard... and then have chorus, delay and reverb in addition. You'd be wasting a track on a neighbor machine to get that many effects on the OT. Not to mention the effects all suck.
Well, they are different things but I had the most fun on the OT and the least fun on the Syntakt, RYTM is my second favorite but I have sold it. OT shows me that the Syntakt is very underachieving and could be so, so much more with some tweaks. I think you underestimate how to use the OT and need to read the manual a bit more, lol. The sound of the OT effects is great for what I do and I would not want "better" effects. But these comments are subjective.
really like the aphex covers :)
first time i run into your channel. amazing content, subscribed.
great...yes please do a tutorial on this great JMJ sounds
Thumbs up for replicating AFX at the end!!!
GOAL: I want to be like Captain Piquant, and have a manila envelope with color coordinated printouts of every pattern for every cool song ever. Watching this video, I felt like I was totally getting big-dicked by the cool printouts. (I don't even have a Manila envelope, much less a bunch of color-coordinated sequencer patterns of cool songs. I have literally NONE of either of those.) I felt really lame watching this, but I want to change that. I'm going to first work on getting the envelope, and then the color coordinated sheets with the patterns. Eventually, I'll be at a coffee shop or dog park or someplace, and someone will be like; "Oh, remember that song by by that guy about that robot who falls in love with the vajankle?", and I'll whip out my manila envelope and slide out the pattern, then rapidly lay it into whatever Elektron box I have with me, hit the play button, and blast it out through that little boombox/tape delay thing that Teenage Engineering makes. People will be like "OMG, that sounds SO good. You are amazing. That sounds so much like , but maybe even better in certain ways!" (Oh, and if you don't know what a vajankle is, look it up.)
found some aphex twin songs
9:44 obviously stated as Xtal
11:12 might be Flim, im not too sure
27:58 T69 Collapse, also reference with cover art at beginning
comprehensive video
With some ableton/max devices you can play the syntakt polyphonically, there is vid on youtube, quite easy to find
You can copy the sound settings by pressing Track + Copy (Record)
Then paste the sound setting by pressing Track + Paste (Stop)
You're right, but this only copies the sound of one single track. Worst case is you have to do this once for each track and then you only have copied the sounds from one single pattern to another. There's a workaround though which we described here ua-cam.com/video/p1UzZbHaCdo/v-deo.html
That’s a fantastic walk-though the syntakt, I love how you cover so many things in just 30:00 min. Brilliant!
I’m a bit embarrassed to even bring the topic, especially to Elektron versed people as you are; but at 22:21, when talking about track sound locks, I don’t see why you need to overwrite something you’ve done- couldn’t you create a new sound (i think you that your could tweak the sound in context, and save as a new sound rather than override the former one? Then load in the sound pool
Hope I could explain my point properly - please bear with my ignorance.
(Sorry for the long txt)
Again, thank you very much.
Thank you so much! Regarding the sound locks: You need to overwrite the previously used slot because all of the locked Open Hat steps reference this exact slot. It you save the sound to a different slot, you'd have to go into the sequencer, search for all the Open Hats one by one and assign the new slot as a sound lock to them. By just overwriting the same sound pool slot the Open Hats automatically use the new sound. Sadly using a new sound slot in the sound pool is no solution to tweaking the sound in context because you still can't edit that sound on the fly. By default a step has no sound lock, instead it uses the track sound (in this example the Closed Hat) which can of course be directly edited using the controls. A sound lock on the other hand is just a preset in a list which can't be directly edited.
Captain and the intern, fly again.
Subbed on the strength of the T69 Collapse cover
6:55 Nice ❤️
Having different 'instruments' you can modify on the same track would be really nice. As well as different accenting options to apply. Cus when you start parameter locking everything, it can get confusing real quick.
808 = Check! Minipops = Check! 909 = Check! I need to buy this!
Parameter locking without slides is a shame. Sure there’s a workaround but it’s not easy and uses one LFO. I’ll hold on and check firmware upgrades.
no slides (portamento) so no tb-303 basslines then - drat
@cresshead actually with that workaround we mentioned 303 basslines work pretty well :) We'll try to include one in the workaround video as well.
you are the best tube discovery of the year, just one question, if you partner this to an octactrack mk2, could i use some sort of song mode with it?
Thank you! I don't have an Octatrack anymore, but if I remember correctly it can send program change messages, so you should be able to synchronize pattern changes on the Syntakt and build your song in the Octatrack arranger.
@@CaptainPikant thanks!
yes I want a mini pops tutorial!
I've considered a mod for the models to improve the performance. Use a 1.5mm thick rubber disc on the bottom of the pad. Should improve the velocity sensitivity and decrease accidental hits on the corners. I just need to figure out an ideal diameter.
I'd be very interested in that :)
@@CaptainPikant I will definitely keep you updated.
Thank you Captain. I very much appreciate your presentations! I have enjoyed Elektron instruments for over a decade. My go-to is Analog Rytm. I believe Analog 4 has great potential as a percussion instrument. I find myself wishing Elektron would upgrade the analog oscillators , filters and envelope systems in all their machines to sound more unique and powerful like those of the Buchla or Sequential for example. If you are going to be a bear, be the Grizzly. PS can digital effects truly be called “stereo” if they do not have a PAN Control?
Thanks! The Analog Four was actually my first synth :) It definitely has a lot of awesome percussion sounds in it! Regarding the stereo effects: Yes I think so - you might not be able to pan the FX, but even if you feed a mono signal into them, they generate a stereo signal with spatial information.
21:50 - this is probably my biggest gripe with these boxes. Sound locks are awesome but editing them..holy hell... I would love to see your provided solution of editing the sounds inside the pool directly. Speaking of locks, another enhancement I would gladly welcome is being able to copy a parameter locked step and paste those settings onto the track sound or pool sound. Holding the step and pressing copy will copy the step, holding a different step and pasting pastes the step with locks. Let me hold the track and paste the settings!
That is a VERY good idea! I imagine this would be very easy to implement...
@@CaptainPikant Hope so! My attempts to contact Elektron with feature suggestions usually fall on deaf ears. Maybe you have more luck!
Wait, I’m a bit confused here. On the A4, Digitakt/tone, I simply hold the locked sound step and make tweaks. If I want those edits on other steps in a sequence I just copy/paste the step. Does this not work on the Syntakt?
@@soundsofsamsara Yes this also works on the Syntakt, but by doing this you just parameter lock the sound locked steps individually after the fact - you don't change the sound preset itself (manually copy/pasting potentially dozens of steps vs. just changing one preset).
Love my digitone, but I can't find any interest in this machine... A mix of digitone and digitakt with sampling would be great .. please try LXR 02 , it's a beast!!!
Hey! About editing sounds from the Sound Pool in context. You can p-lock the parameters on one of the steps where you put a Sound Lock and just copy that step to the others. That's pretty quick. Of course it doesn't save to the sound but it is all in context and you don't need to worry about saving it until later. :)
Thanks David, that approach at least gives you the possibility to hear the sound in context. But depending on the complexity of the pattern it's still going to be a lot of work copying the steps (and updating them every time you make a change), then updating the preset in the sound pool and finally replacing all the p-locked steps with the pure sound lock again. I really hope there is a feature coming that makes this easier.
@@CaptainPikant yes Sound Locks could be easier to edit and add to the pool.
Amazing video as always. Would love to see your review of the new Roland T-8 Beat Machine!
Thanks! We'll have to do the TR-6S review first though - that one has been in the pipeline for way too long :D
@@CaptainPikant And the TR-8S too! I know it's been out a while now but would love to see your review of it & what tricks you find...unless youve already done it & Ive overlooked it...*goes off to check!*
Do love your channel, it's so helpful & I love the creativity, production-wise as well as content!
@@CaptainPikant Looking forward to that one as well 🙌
Would really like to see walkthrough for mini pops 7 thanks mate.
Someone should make a sample pack of some sounds when the analog components are cold and then when they’re hot
i just wish they'd make the 4 analogue tracks selectable on the top row instead, scrap the modifiers and replace the bottom row with 8 midi tracks. i would buy it instantly.
This is super helpful, thanks! I’m curious what would you say it does in drum programming/drum sequencing that the Deluge can’t. I know you’re using it too in your videos and I’m trying to determine if there’s gonna be too much overlap in owning both devices? I currently own Deluge and throughly enjoying it but I haven’t done too much drum programming on it. Thanks again.
In terms of drum sequencing, overview and speed the Deluge is miles ahead with its 8x16 pad matrix, cross-screen editing, triplet view, flexible zoom and multi level undo. But it's a different workflow and I'm very happy with the Elektron sequencers as well. On both devices you can program very complex sequences. The only sequencing advantages of the Syntakt that come to my mind right now are that you have a better overview over the parameters due to the screen and that it's easier to program velocity ramps (one parameter instead of manually adjusting the velocity of each note in the roll). And the steps show you where you added automation (blinking steps for parameter locks, yellow steps for lock trigs that only carry parameters but don't trigger a note).
To me the whole UI of the Digitakt is much more accessible. A part of that is of course due to the screen, but when picking up an Elektron device after a few weeks of not using it I still feel right at home, whereas with the Deluge I do not - if that makes any sense.
@@CaptainPikant thanks so much! Super helpful!
Well done review, it's not really my cup of tea, but I liked the Oxygene emulation. Is there a new Drum 101 on the horizon?
Hi Albert, glad you liked it, we got the idea to use the pattern from your recommendation back then :) We want to make another Drum Machine 101 as soon as we can, but the stop motion sequences are so time consuming that we don't know how to fit them in at the moment.
First off. BEAUTIFUL videos. Color choices are on point and pastel. I have one question tho.
Do you recommend this box for a singer songwriter? I think I like the drum sounds but not the melodic sounds. I’m choosing between this and the classic TR8s
Thanks! That's hard to say, it depends how you want to use it. If you like making your own sounds and want to preprogram everything and just press play at the beginning of a song then I'd say go for the Syntakt (song mode has been added in a recent firmware update). The TR-8S on the other hand has all the classic drum machine sounds ready to go and a few nice fill and performance features - and maybe is a little bit easier to operate with one hand :) The TR-8S doesn't really give you an easy way to enter melodic lines though, that's more comfortable on the Syntakt.
Thank you for responding! I think Syntakt is the one. I like experimenting with new sounds and I think I’d like to leave her running while I play synths and sing ❤️
I hope you have a lovely night, or day where you live.
Great video, a work around for no portamento? So true about copying sounds from pattern to pattern, total drag on MC. I also wish sequencer could record pitch bend from internal sounds.
Nice video, Thanks!
What is sweep erase? Available on Digitakt too?
Sweep erase clears the steps of one or more tracks with the running light of the sequencer. But normally sweep erasing won't create new steps, so at the moment this is not really usable. Yes, the Digitakt also has this feature, and it behaves the same way :(
I quite like Elektron's analog drum sounds. I would love a simple, cheaper drum machine with them, without all the other 'machines'. Like a stripped down syntakt or AR. Just analog drum channels and the sequencer.
So you'll wait for the Models:Drummer ? (I hope they do something like that)
cool channel. keep up the good work.
Thanks @OllieLoops, great to see you here! We enjoy your videos, too 🙂 I vividly remember your film noir review of the Squarp Pyramid being the first one I saw back then 🖤
@@CaptainPikant Thanks man, deep cut on the noir video. I love making interesting and themed videos, but it's tough for them to find the right audience. Maybe drop me your email so we can chat some more.
@@OllieLoops you've got mail :)
good video idea with these patterns. how exactly can you tune the oscillators? in the cent range?
Yes for example you can tune a Kick in cents, if you hold FUNC while turning the encoder it jumps in semitones :)
FUNC-YES
Excellent review and showcase. I really enjoy the sound selection here! The only thing still bothering me is the sound of the hi-hats that seems to be exactly as on the model cycles, where I didn't like it all that much. How is the analog equivalent?
Thanks! I really like the analog Hi-Hats. You can hear them in the example patterns section, they're used whenever track 12 is blinking (except in "Egypt, Egypt" where track 12 is occupied by the cowbell).
Anybody have any suggestions on getting good tom sounds? I spent at least an hour trying to get a good tom drum sound and found the Syntakt was only capable of producing a very narrow range of tom sounds…
Very good that you show the weak points, that is helpful (maybe even more than the strong points).
Do any firmware solved the problem of copying all sounds parameters from pattern to all patterns? I come from Ableton, and it makes no sense to me, especially seeing everybody saying elektron is the absolute top notch sequencer, its the first thing i saw about the syntakt that is a deal breaker to me
Hi there, no sadly no kit copy feature yet, you still have to use the workaround we show here ua-cam.com/video/p1UzZbHaCdo/v-deo.html
lovely video! unrelated question... what camera do you use to film?
Thanks! We currently use a Fuji XT-3 :)
Great review, great work.
Btw, adding analog filters in a firmware update would be "interesting"! :-D
Thanks! The base/width filters are digital though, they could be added after the analog signal chain.
@@CaptainPikant There's no "after the analog signal chain", since the full signal path is analog from the VCOs -> VCF -> VCA -> output jacks. 🙂
@@MattiasRickardsson But since you're able to put digital reverb and digital delay on the analog signal, don't you think there is already a way to route them back into the digital domain again and process them with digital filters?
Plus overbridge does the same thing, the individual analog signals have to be available in digital form internally.
@@CaptainPikant Theoretically yes, the analog voices are indeed recorded at the VCAs in order to be sent to Delay/Reverb/Overbridge, and they can be silenced in the main mix - but adding digital filters would need more CPU, and the whole roundtrip would also introduce some latency. So it's not a feature to hope for. 🙂
Just so you know most analog circuits do take time to warm up. It's been a kno2n issue for decades. When I fire up my modular that has a bunch of vcos I let it warm up for 10 minutes or so. That's analog circuitry.
Hi CityFlanger, while that's absolutely true, none of my other analog synths and drum machines exhibit sound changes to that degree while warming up, so I think it's well worth mentioning. And I'm glad we did because Elektron is now aware of the filter resonance change and they're working on ways to compensate for it during the warmup phase (functions like these are actually already implemented for the analog voices and aside from the filter resonance they seem to work pretty well).
Can I ask, do you transcribe the songs by ear, or slow them down, or maybe visually on a computer screen? I find it hard to work out ornaments from a recording, even with the music score in front of me. I'm now subscribed and look forward to viewing more of your excellent content, if this one is anything to go by.
It's a mixture of all these things. The more complex a pattern gets, the more you have to slow it down to actually hear what's going on. With Aphex Twin it's impossible to figure this out on normal speed. But once you analyze how it's done you learn to hear these things even without slowing down because you recognize patterns. In the back of your mind there may be a voice that says this is a bit like cheating, but in quite a few interviews with guitarists and drummers you hear that this is exactly how they learned their trade - they slowed the vinyl records down to figure out what was going on. We thought about making a video on our process, but we don't know if enough people are interested.
@@CaptainPikant I would be really interest in that sort of video! I think the YT synth community is missing those videos
cool video
I think i would have preferred a digital FM Synth + Sampler ( a model cycles plus sampler)
as a sampler open up much more sonic possibilities.
re kits - if i'm not mistaken model cycles and model sampler support kit loading
digitone + digitakt
@@user-th6rh8zp3t maybe, digitakt plus digitone gets you 12 tracks 8+4 though not an even split and no 'kits' to load.
though the cycles plus sample also get you 12 tracks 6+6 and more knobs to hand at a cheaper budget and kit loading.
- options-
All I want is elektron
Awesome video! regarding the "monophonic" midi sequencing, my understanding is that we have 4 voice polyphony available for each midi track. So that we can sequence a 4-note chord pressing 4 trigs all together (or by an external midi keyboard). Am I wrong?
For me this would be essential to sequence external (or internal) synths
i like to know also. definitely possible to sequence external gear with 4 voices. but not sure about sequencing by pressing 4 notes together.
Question..I was using my Ensoniq ASR10 rack for sample layback,efx live while doing DJ mixprojects. Would you recommend the Syntakt for that type of live work?I just bought the PolyEnd Tracker recently,yet I have not put it to the test in a live setup yet..
If you need samples you should look at the Digitakt. The Syntakt can't play samples, it synthesizes all the sounds.
nice video! question: when the captain starts a drum pattern, he presses trk+pattern and then several patterns (holding 2, then other numbers). what is this? making a sort of chain/song mode?
Yes it's pattern chaining. No song mode unfortunately - the chain disappears as soon as you switch patterns again. If you want to chain patterns press PTN, then hold the first pattern. While always holding at least one pattern, add other patterns by pressing their respective steps.
If I'm only interested in using the Hapax for sequencing is there a better drum machine I should look at? I would like to have analog sounds with parameter changes, and possibly even the ability to layer samples.
You could look at the Analog Rytm which offers analog sounds and sample layers. But I'm not sure if you can control the parameters via MIDI CC so you'd have to check the documentation.
Does that device have SWING mode to make my percussions non-static and to sound more natural and fluid ??
Yes it has swing :)
Is there any way to puchase your cheatsheet/guide without Patreon? Direct purchase? Cheers
there is song mode now 😊
Hi Fa8ster, thanks for the reminder! We actually wanted to make a video on the new Elektron song mode back when it was released but we never got around to it. We'll put it in a pinned comment :)
@@CaptainPikant the most amazing thing for me would be to have a step by step tutorial to re-create all the stock patterns from scratch 😅 id even pay for coaching ;)
12:34 THANK YOU, AMEN
What I need to know is where the hell is the FedEx diver who was supposed to deliver mine today?
For all we know he might have crash landed on some remote island and - while trying to survive - adopted your Syntakt as his only friend. Let's hope the analog warmth keeps him warm at night. If Hollywood endings are to be believed, Tom Hanks will arrive with your weathered and beaten Syntakt in a few years.
@@CaptainPikant Yep. Tracking indicates that's what happened. Again.
“Öhh okay” 😆