New Elektron Model:Samples A Groovebox With ‘All The Elektron Superpowers’

Ahead of the 2019 NAMM Show, Elektron has announced the Model Samples – a 6-track, one-function-per-knob, sample-based groovebox.

According to the company, “You get pretty much all of the Elektron superpowers in a sleek, lightweight, and accessible package.”

Here’s the official intro video:

Features:

  • Control All lets you twist your sounds to oblivion. Then use Reload to take you back to where you started
  • Use Parameter Locks to automate parameters. Each step can have a totally different sound
  • Load six samples at once – just like a kit. Great when you have made a Pattern with Parameter Locks, LFOs etc… Load six new samples to instantly experiment and come up with unique and unexpected results
  • Write basslines and melodies using Chromatic Mode
  • New Chance parameter. Chance determines the possibility whether the sequencer steps on a track are triggered or not.
  • Combining Chance with the Control All functionality can lead to many interesting results and happy accidents
  • Record sequences with or without quantization. Steps can be micro-timed with individual Swing control per track
  • Individual Step Length per track
  • Individual Tempo Multiplier per track
  • Class compliant USB audio 2.0

Specifications:

  • 6 Audio tracks (all of which may be used as MIDI tracks as well)
  • 6 × Velocity sensitive pads
  • 96 Projects
  • 96 Patterns per Project
  • 1 × Sample playback engine per track
  • 1 × Resonant multimode filter per track
  • 1 × Assignable LFO per track
  • Delay and reverb send FX
  • Elektron sequencer up to 64 steps with unique length and scale settings per track
  • Real-time or grid recording of notes and parameters
  • 64 MB sample memory
  • 1 GB storage
  • Class compliant USB audio 2.0
  • 1 × 1/4? Headphones output
  • 2 × 1/4? Balanced main outputs
  • 1 × Hi-speed (micro) USB 2.0 port
  • 1 × 3.5 mm standard audio minijack (TRS) for MIDI In
  • 1 × 3.5 mm standard audio minijack (TRS) for MIDI Out/Thru
  • 2 × slots for attaching Powerhandle BP-1 (battery pack to be released at a later date)

Audio Demos:

Here’s an example of it in action:

Pricing and Availability

The Elektron Model Samples is expected to be available in Feb 2019, priced at US $449. See the Elektron site for more info.

103 thoughts on “New Elektron Model:Samples A Groovebox With ‘All The Elektron Superpowers’”

  2. Seasoned Elektron veterans are not going to want this, and possible new prospects won’t know what Elektron Super Powers is. I really do not see where this fits in the market. It looks ok, but still too expensive for what it may be.

        1. they offer different, the circuit is synth focused with the sampler as an afterthought – none of the slicing and editing in this machine is in the circuit. Don’t get me wrong I love my circuit and have quite often played live with just it as an external instrument but this looks to be a different animal with a lot of cool features that don’t exist on the circuit.

    2. I think you’re look at it wrong. All last year I was a “possible new prospect”… i.e. I’d never used anything Electron, but I was watching videos and lusting after the octatrack, digitakt, analogue four, etc. It took almost a year, but just last month I finally took a chance on a digitakt. If this had existed, it would have been a much easier decision, and I would probably have bought into the elektron world 6 months ago, gotten hooked, and started saving to buy more. I think they’re counting on getting more people in the door and hooked on their gear. If this thing is 60% the machine the digitakt is – I think it’s going to work really well.

        1. I think people are willing to make do with the 3.5mm midi breakouts but ask anyone and they’ll always say they prefer to have standard sized midi sockets.

  5. It seems like all Elektron devices are designed with new and unexpected limitations in mind. Instead of trying to make the best possible music making device they could (on a given budget), they just avoid cannibalizing the sales of their pre-existing machines.

    1. so true. same applies to roland with their aira stuff. tr8s still has no song mode. still no aira sequencer out. mc-909 and mv-8800 were way better than everything roland did in the last decade. back to elektron. the analog keys had great potential as a cuttiing-edge workstation. but: display was too tiny. multitimbrality bad, also polyphony. instead of improving those specs they make toyish low-fi sounding crap now imo. *facepalm*

    2. Yeah, it’s sad. Perhaps Digitakt sold so well in comparison to the older devices that they wanted to try and reiterate the same concept by lowering the price and reducing the feature set further.

    3. It’s called making models for different markets.

      Most people don’t have the money, time or patience for something like the OctaTrack, but they recently updated that, too.

    1. This new box is priced $300 less (that’s a 40% difference) than the Digitakt and will encourage people who don’t have unlimited funds to try Elektron for the first time. It looks like a quite capable device for the money.

      1. Don’t know where you live, but you can definitely get a used Digitakt for $550, and I’d make that choice over buying this any day.

  7. 1. Does it support stereo samples (probably not) or just have stereo outs for processing?
    2. Is it 16-bit 48k like the digitakt (probably)?

    Probably plays nice with the digitakt if you want to add 6 tracks for 14 total.

    I read somewhere that it does have a few tricks up its sleeve that the digitakt doesn’t, such as tempo per step.

  11. Only two outputs…no sampling input options ….and the look of Korg Volca Sampler…

    It seems like Elektron is going into devolution and not evolution…

  12. Overpriced and under-featured: 1gb memory lol, $400, what? Talk about regressing on ideas and design. Not sure who this is for. So many options out there like um the Digitakt.

          1. Wrong. I picked up a brand new (not used, not B-Stock) TR8S on Reverb for the same price as this new DigiTurd. TR8S blows this away.

            More voices
            Gate/Trig out
            6 assignable outs
            More FX
            etc.
            etc.
            etc.

  14. I think this is smart of Elektron. This is a great entry into their stuff for almost half the price of a Digitakt. Sure, it lacks a lot of the Digitakt’s features, but adds velocity sensitive pads and knob-per-function workflow and it just looks like more fun to play. I’m guessing they’re hoping this will grab the Guitar Center crowd who may not be familiar with their stuff.

  15. im curious.. could be a great replacement for an underused, aging octatrack mk1, wondering if that thang will work w the new overbridge too?

  16. It definitely begs the question of what drives up the price on the digitakt, since it has the same 1gb memory and 64mb ram AND velocity sensitive pads.

    At first glance, I think I’d rather have 2 of this than 1 digitakt. You get 128 ram, 2 gb storage and 12 tracks. The external sequencing that I rarely use is more robust on the digitakt.

  19. This is going backwards. Seems like they are looking for a market for their products and money which you can understand to a point. This is less innovative and more catering which kind of sucks. The rythm and the A4 are great, I’m not sure what this is. A sampler that doesn’t sample. It’s like an sp404 that doesn’t sample, and has 2 effects. Just strange. And that screen?

  20. I think there is a definitely a market for this product. Folks that have been on the fence about Elektron because of barriers around either cost or hands-on usability will find this attractive. A 6 track, Elektron sequencer for outboard midi devices is a pretty nice prospect on its own.

    Personally as an owner of a whole stable of Elektron machines (including the DT), this one brings nothing new to the table for me so it’s a polite pass. Also, if I’m honest, understand why long-term Elektron customers may feel a little underwhelmed by this one. There’s really nothing new to get excited for here. That being said, I do understand how this will attract a new market of consumers to their product line so it makes sense from a business perspective. Either way, if one was sitting there next to me, I’d definitely give it a go.

    One question I do have: Can it sequence 6 tracks of midi autonomously from the 6 sample tracks (giving it in essence 12 separate tracks) or do the 6 sample tracks double as the sequencer tracks?

    1. Looks like the sequencer sends mono note and velocity to both the sample track and midi out (if you have midi enabled on the track).

      So, I’m guessing you’d need to turn the level right down on the track in order to mute it, so to answer, no, 6 only, and for each one you use for midi you lose a track on the box.

      So you could use it as a 6 track mono sequencer, or hook up a couple of monos and run 4 sample tracks, seems fun!

  21. Yeah, I was in the market for either an Electribe or, at 3x the price, the new Akai Force. The velocity sensitive pads on this make it tempting over the Electribe for sure, which is priced about the same…looks like I may soon be an Elektron owner. I’m fine with the 1gb storage…
    What features is it missing from the grander Elektron boxes?

    1. see – I am with you it is only $50 over the launch price of the electribe and seems way more usable, especially live.If there is a sale, I get one used or such at some point I will definitely be in on this – I get that people who have something that is 2x to 3x the price have something with more functions but again, that is 2x-3x the price

    2. The Tribe is a nightmare in terms of usability, whereas I was an advanced DT user after about 2 or 3 days. I would absolutely take this (with its more limited parameters) in a heartbeat over the Korg. And it’s listed for $400 on the gear sites, so it’s not actually 50 bucks more.

  22. All these low end toy like electronic instruments these days what a wast of resources and our environment.
    But it is a perfect product for an entry level user that is a child.

    I prefer instruments that have a good interface and are deep when you want to.
    Less devices is more, brings more focus to your work and results in instruments that you will keep and cherish for a long time. You have to ask yourself are you a collector or a musician some times 🙂

    1. Excellent points, LEEder.

      However, it is difficult to determine which products might hit the sweet spot for someone as an entry in the the wonderful world of music, and which devices are just extraneous. I agree that these products can and should try to be flexible, versatile, and resistant to obsolescence.

      However, ultimately ALL these devices end up in the landfill, and their production, shipping & use all pollute our air, water, and land, and exploit people. Most of us would love to see that change.

      We should be defeatist, this isn’t a futile problem. But it seems humans can’t help but make a mess.

      I just don’t think it is fair to pick on one product or one company. The “waste of resources and our environment” is more wide spread than this lowly elektron.

      For now, my way around it is to strive to reduce my environmental impacts wherever I can.

    2. I would argue that a “musician” doesn’t need the most expensive and deep instruments – and that putting a high bar for an instrument’s validity only creates an elitist condition for entry. I am always reminded of a Steinberg clinic I went to at GC back in the 90s where the guy said “what is the difference between a professional musician and an amateur? An doesn’t have the money or isn’t willing to spend it on the gear” and I walked out.

      1. Seriously… if the guitar was invented now days it would need to have $200,000,000+ spent on R&D but cost $199, have a screen, built in WiFi, hybrid sample based analog modeling with true string resonance for layering with the optional real strings, individual outs for each string, has dedicated iOS app, has both full size and mini strings, can be rack-mounted and or desktop’d, comes in both a DIY or assembled version, blah blah blah.. or it wouldn’t be a viable option for “professional” musicians.

      2. True, sometimes limitations spark creativity. Its not the price its what you can do with it. There are so many cases where people created wonderful songs with old limited gear.

  23. I haven’t dug deep, but if it provides tempo changes per step, and tempo scaling per track (but it depends on how flexible that is) then it might have some rhythmic capabilities that are lacking in other devices. The glitchy stuff is pretty fun.

    When you see someone aggressively manipulate the knobby interface, you can see why this kind of thing couldn’t be replicated with a stupid touch screen.

  24. I really wish the Digitakt had ability to swap/load “kits” like this appears to have. I also wish the Digitakt had a automated “slice to all pads” feature that would take a raw recording and with a few basic settings (slice on transient, slice length..etc..) would slice and distribute those slices amongst the pads/tracks.

  25. Yup.. Elektron has jumped the shark… Been predicting this kind of crap since they took in outside hedge fund money a few years ago… I’ll call it it now… Elektron will be gone by 2021.

    And congrats all you Digitakt owners! You now get to experience the complete destruction of your resale value like the Rytm and A4/AK’s owners got to experience over they last couple years…

    Access Virus, Nord Leads as far back as V2x or 3, still hold their price. You can’t GIVE away an A4 or AK. THAT shows what the true demand that Elektron now brings.

    This thing is just stupid. For same price, get a new iPad and a good midi controller and enjoy nearly limitless possibilities.

    You want Elektron’s Magic/Secret/whatever sequencer? Get GrooveRider 16.

    Hell GR16 and a good midi controller mapped to it (even without using other FX/AUM/etc) will WIPE the floor with this POS plastic abomination.

    What someone needs to make is a hardware docking unit with integrated soundcard and a good selection of midi knobs & faders so the iPad becomes one integrated unit.

    3. Hi,

      You will forgot your iPad idea after some of your favourite apps stops working because of iOS upgrade.
      I experienced already all: non supported apps on iPad/Computer (Rebirth, Nanostudio, …), non supported controllers (Xone 1D) or non supported audio cards, etc.
      Since i bought my first real gear which is Casio CZ-101 from 85, and Roland MC-505 from 2000 which still works perfectly i decided to go with hardware.
      So good luck with iPad and computers, shortly you will notice money spend on hardware is cheaper and much more stable.

      Cheers,
      Seb

    4. Ha! Exactly my thoughts re: the GR16. I have been spouting off about this very fact on other forums! Buy a base model iPad along with $150 credit on itunes and you come out waaaaay ahead from this little plastic noise maker and possibly even the Digitakt !!

  26. Always so much squabbling about what features new gear doesn’t possess here

    Jeez

    Maybe these companies don’t do exactly what you wish them to because they hear so much negativity, and its not that they arent listening

    This looks like a cool new bit of kit to have a simple jam with or use with OTHER existing gear

    Have we forgotten why we love hardware?

    Please look on ebay for something immediate and fun close to this for same price or even cheaper ?

  27. They´re just playing games in a businnes manner with us … This is lame and not futuristic! This restricton madness between their own environment caused by self cannibalizing is disgusting!

    I really hoped this is a hoax ….

  28. I like that it is portable. I have to spend a lot of time out of the studio and I don’t want the deluge because it’s expensive and looks fairly complicated. I have an op-1 and love it but it has a limited yet fun sequencer and erasing mistakes is not much fun. The electribe and volca sample were midi nightmares. The sp-404sx sequencer let me down too many times. I have a po33 but calling it limited is an understatement. If I can pair this with an iPad for real time recording and then use usb 2.0 audio as it says for recording my performance with 6 individual tracks then for me this is a winner. I record most my samples to my phone anyway. Velocity sensitive pads and battery power with an Elektron sequencer is something we all wanted. Why complain? It’s definitely a step in the right direction. I’ll take it over the op-z.

  29. I don’t care what most of you say here. I have rytm, am happy with it. Also seeing people perform only elektron gear in front of them sucks (in my veteran point of view). Limitations are cool, they make people experiment more. Take 303 and say how vast are its possibilities. As long as it has automation I like it.

    1. I respect your opinion, but for me, LIMITATIONS ARE NOT COOL.

      Limitations, are in many cases necessary. From children’s toys to professional gear, decisions are made about how to keep things simple/managable, and cut costs.

      But we don’t get excited about limitations, we get excited about possibilities.

      1. I have to agree. I don’t think limitations are really good unless the complexity of an instrument is a barrier that keeps you from making music with it. And at that point, limitation isn’t really the word. What you’re wanting is simplicity. An intuitive interface. A linear approach. A shallow learning curve. These are all good things in the beginning. But an instrument should also have enough depth and/or challenge to keep you coming back to it as well. It should grow with you the musician and continue to engage you and NOT feel like it is stifling your creativity after you’ve become proficient with it.

    2. realize that when the 303 came out it was perceived as a toy and derided by a lot of people as well – and analog synths were considered primitive and useless in the 80s/90s in favor of digital and a lot of PCM and ROMPLER synths. when it comes down to it, if it feels good and sounds good – who cares what bells and whistles it is missing or whether or not it fits into what people expect – there is an audience for gear that some people just complain about. Personally I look at this and it looks like fun – and small enough to throw in my bag – that is enough for me……

  30. This thing looks amazing! It’s obviously more entry level. It seems to me that the reason this exists is because menu dicing is so rough on the other Elektron devices.

    I’ve been using their gear for a few years now and i still get frustrated by their system.

    Not everyone wants to spend years perfecting every bit of kit and the menus in them. Some people want to load some samples and just get jamming!

    For $400 you can do that with a top name brand and know that you’re getting great features.

    What do you want for that price? Every company should look at their market and see where there are holes. Elektron surely did that. Not everyone can she’ll out that cash, and there are people that would buy this as a starter or an extra bit of kit to round out a system. Not everything has to be all features, all new, all money!

    If you aren’t creative enough to make music with a piece of gear like this with the amazing features it does have, you aren’t going to make good music, period.

    Don’t blame the gear, blame the mentality that more features make you a better musician.

  34. Not what I was expecting, but my first piece of gear was a Korg EM-1, I’m sure I have it somewhere in a drawer. It was about 900 AUD, which 15 years ago was worth more than 900 now due to inflation.

    So there’s this, that’ll cost quite a bit less, and have a lot more features than the EM-1. I think that’s great. I have no doubt people will be making cool stuff on it. Knob per function is awesome.

    I’d rather have this than an OP-1 or an OP-Z.

    I’m happy for 19 year old me who is about to get their first groove box at a lower price!

    I got a takt and a tone, I’ve had an octa, I’m not sure if I’ll get this but I’m interested!

  35. Elektron has lost their way since the venture capital group started funding them. All there products are so severely and artificially limited. This in particular is ridiculous. It’s just a digitakt with a few more knobs and no sampling. It’s just regurgitation. Far removed from the days if the monomachine, machinedrum and octatrack. Perhaps the A4 and Rytm were the beginning of the end by intentionally leaving out midi so as not to cannibalize Octatrack sales and then the Overbrdge development debackle. Elektron’s downward trajectory towards limited hipster garbage toys is obvious. As a Elektron owner I’m disappointed in them and don’t expect I’ll be buying much of anything from them in the future.

  36. I still haven’t heard which features are missing from the complainers, just ‘it’s missing features’. I guess polyphony or memory or something could be increased, this is almost always true. But what features are missing entirely?

    1. the lcd is smaller so its possibly missing quite a bit but for starters: this is 6 voices, DT is 8, DT has 2 LFO (i believe). DT has bit crusher (useless), overdrive and the master compressor. The DT sequences 8 pieces of external gear IN ADDITION to the 8 voices. Model Samples sequences 6 pieces of external gear, but at the expense of a voice each time.

      DT is metal and has those cash register keys, this looks plastic and has velocity sensitive pads. The DT samples internally.

      That’s all I can gather being different from reading the specs. it has the same 1gb memory and 64mb ram.

  38. people are so sour on here… wow!

    i don’t know what it’s like to be in high school these days, but when i was trying to afford gear back then, the difference in price between a digitakt and this new thing would’ve meant many months of additional saving up. maybe this product is opening up elektron products to a different, younger audience. i really don’t understand the perspective where this is so upsetting.

    1. “i really don’t understand the perspective where this is so upsetting.”

      It’s the Internet, most people just want to complain about stuff.

      With Elektron, people always gripe about how their latest thing is lame, and then a month later, everybody’s got one and Elektron is backordered.

      See also Teenage Engineering…..

      1. I was noticing that. Many of the negative comments I am seeing around about this new machine, are similar to those said about the Digitakt when it came out.

  41. Finally something accessible, affordable and potentially portable by Elektron. This one is for the kids, the beginners, the producers on a budget and musicians in parts of the world where the price of an Octatrack is half a years salary. So stop whining, there’s enough high-end gear for rich white kids already.

    1. True. For me digitakt was a piece of gear with affordable price tag. With this new price i believe lot more people from my country which is Poland will become an elektron customers just because of quality, sequencer, midi and small learning curve. Elektron gear is very popular in Poland but for many of us just to expensive so now dreams will come true for many of us. Cheers

  42. People are so wrapped up in what this isn’t that they haven’t thought through what this is.

    This looks like a completely new approach to interfaces for Elektron, with a big emphasis on making it much more usable.

    Even though it’s not really a one-knob-per-function device, this looks to be way more straightforward than anything they’ve ever done.

    This is a huge deal.

  43. These jumped out at me:

    1. Individual Step Length per track
    2. Individual Tempo Multiplier per track
    3. 6 × Velocity sensitive pads

    At least with regard to 1 and 2, DT owners can hope.

  44. Elektron is using Mcdonalds tactics!
    Hook them jong to get them for life.

    In the end this is all about money for the investors and the want to see more in the future.
    But will this pan out electronic music is poplar and cool now but will it hold, it could be that it will shift more in favor of more traditional instruments. In my country rap is currently more poplar under children.

  47. Elektron has been one of my favorite hardware companies for the past 8-10 years but between this and their ill-fated move into guitar pedals you really have to wonder what they are doing. Trying to break into new markets I guess but they’re losing something special in the process. Trying to grow the company into an Arturia or some other behemoth instead of making incredibly deep and powerful devices with a cult following.

  49. I just thought about this machine while making drum beats in logic last night. I was looking at the akai mpd 232 for 200 used because I hate editing midi in logic. I use my circuit but setup wasn’t super easy and it’s only 4 voices. This seems like an incredible midi controller. The sequencer and pads make this fantastic for midi drums but if there is a template and you can use the knobs for logic or ableton then that would be magic. The only real problem that I see is one Elektron could fix. This thing needs overbridge. 6 tracks usb recording and the ability to record performances.

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