Elektron has released a firmware update for its Syntakt groovebox, and it’s not one that users will want to miss. Not only does the 1.30 OS add four new sound-generating ‘Machines’, but also adds some cool new sequencing tricks and welcome quality of life improvements.
Elektron’s Syntakt was the third arrival in the Swedish brand’s range of hardware grooveboxes that started with the Digitakt sampler and Digitone synth. Unlike those two digital machines, Syntakt combines analogue and digital sound generation, primarily focused on percussive sounds but also capable of producing basslines, chord stabs and synth melodies.
When we reviewed Syntakt, we were immediately impressed, describing it as “possibly the most versatile of the Tone/Takt range, yet it feels like the most immediate and streamlined too.”
This latest update looks set to add even more versatility to the design. The four new Machines here are all inherited from Elektron’s top end Analog Rytm, and offer a mix of analogue and digital sounds.
First up is SY Chip, a Commodore 64-inspired engine. Elektron has history in this area – its first synth, released in 1999, was the SidStation, a compact instrument built around the MOS Technology SID chips used in the C64 home computer.
When Elektron added these SidStation-inspired sounds to the Rytm, it created plenty of excitement among the user base. Now, in the company’s own words, “SY Chip spreads those SidStation ripples even further, offering magical C64-esque goodness to dive into – but with an analogue touch."
The remaining Machines are named SD and BD Acoustic, which aim to add additional snare and kick tonalities, and HH Lab, designed for flexible creation of metallic hi-hat tones. Syntakt’s existing BD Sharp has also been enhanced with a new square wave generator. These new additions bring Syntakt’s total Machine count up to 15.
The instrument’s sequencer also gets upgraded with the new OS, adding the Euclidean generator also found on the recent Digitakt II. This works by spreading two pulse generators evenly across a user-defined range of steps, then using a Boolean operator to dictate how these interact. OS 1.30 also adds a new Page Loop function, whereby users can focus on a single page of the sequencer when working on programming patterns.
According to Elektron, the update also adds various UI and performance improvements, along with workflow enhancements such as the ability to preview parameter locks more easily and use a random pattern name generator.
You can read the full release notes and download the update over at the Elektron site.
