Uploaded April 2023 | Updated September 2026, 16 hours ago

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Welcome to Bad Gear, the show about the world's most hated audio tools. Today we are going to talk about Elektron Syntakt. Is this member of the Elektron Dark Trinity just a rehash of recycled technologies taken from instruments like the Digitakt, Digitone, Model:Cycles, Octatrack, Analog Rytm and Analog Four? Does it provide real innovation?

Thanks to Klangfarbe for letting lending me one of their floor models:
klangfarbe.com
instagram.com/klangfarbewien

Chapters:
00:00 Intro tune
01:07 Overview Elektron Syntakt
01:27 Analog vs. Digital Voices
01:36 Analog Voices 1-3, Synth Functionality
02:15 Analog HiHats/Cymbals/Metallic Stuff
02:25 Analog Filter
02:36 Digital Engines (Drums, Claps, Percussion, FM, Chords)
03:07 Polyphony (or lack thereof)
03:15 Workarounds
03:32 Analog FX Block
03:46 LFOs, Envelopes
04:01 Reverb, Delay
04:06 Workflow, Philosophy
04:17 Probability, Parameter Locks, Retrigger, Fills
04:44 Song Mode, Unquantized Rec, Microtiming, Trigger Modifiers
05:04 UI, Lack of Velocity, Outputs, Overbridge
05:18 Midi
05:26 What else??? Pricing! Thanks!!!
05:56 Hate
06:23 Jam 1 (Downtempo)
07:19 Jam 2 (Hard Synthwave)
08:20 Finale (Tech House)
08:50 Verdict