#10

Ha, agreed. Think of all the energy that people spent on speculating on what the box would do/be. It’s ‘good business’ I suppose, but perpetuates a lot of the ugliness I find in how so many people operate in the modern world.

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#11

(just chiming in to say that I really dug the demo web interface! surprised I haven’t seen that kind of faux-UI with realtime sample switching stuff)

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#12

pretty excited about this actually. analog distortion with a built in filter / envelope follower / modulation / midi, 8 different types - this sounds very good in theory, so might justify the price. are there any comparable analog hardware boxes with multiple distortion types?

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#13

I don’t know of comparable products with all these integrated functions. But for the money I could assemble 4-7 very interesting pedals made by a number of manufacturers (many of them boutique) that would provide very interesting character for similar functions.

Not comparable. Completely different, actually. But I guess more interesting to me. It’s the whole integrated vs modular debate. I don’t really fall on either side in general, which is why I’ve got ITB software, a Nord Rack 3, the start of a eurorack case, and the start of a pedalboard.

With regard to integrated systems, there are times when I really wish the Nord had a built-in sequencer, but fortunately it has a robust enough MIDI implementation that I can more or less fake it (with admittedly more effort than using, say, a Prophet’s sequencer).

Maybe Heat has integrated its functions in interesting enough ways to make it more than a sum of its parts, which could justify the expense I suppose.

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#14

One thing I really like about the idea of the Heat is that you can store presets. Distortion boxes tend to always have very narrow sweet spots for different sound sources. The ability to save and recall that is quite nice. The demos sound pretty good too.

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#15

I don’t think so, that’s a lot of checkboxes to hit: stereo, analog signal chain, multimode filter, multiple distortion types, AD/DA integration/interface, tabletop form factor. In terms of end result and constituent parts, I do think there are lots of alternatives for a similar price. There are trade-offs to be made then, of course, and how those trade-offs square with anybody is a matter of personal goals and tastes as always. But, the price seems fine all things considered.

End results and constituent parts are more my interest, and I don’t get a sense yet of how much of an identity this thing has beyond its holistic approach, which seems unusual considering the other Elektron devices all very much have immediately obvious quirks and personality. All-in-one convenience is nice, but not so thrilling.

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#16

I love love love Elektron machines. The creativity, quality, thoughtfulness and great sound are for me, unparalleled. Yet I too was underwhelmed. This is only slightly due to the teaser video but mostly due to my rampant imagination and selfish hopes. To explain: The past few years have been an explosion of one piece of amazing gear after another. So much so that I fully expected (even felt a bit owed) that Elektron’s new machine would raise the bar even higher (ok, I really wanted an Octatrack II). Yet Heat, for what it is, is certainly in relation with all of the above superlatives. That is, everything I’ve come to expect from Elektron is there it’s just not what I wanted. To that end I do wonder how they chose what to make next. Why Heat and not an OT 2 or a P locking FX powerhouse sequencer or an Elektron car?

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#17

This makes perfect sense. It’s the logical conclusion of any tech company product line.

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#18

i doubt they would want to introduce a new version of OT any time soon… fx box with sequencer / plocks would be a natural fit for their line but i wonder if what they had in mind was using OT as the main sequencer controlling external effect boxes such as this one. so you get the same functionality but with the ability to choose the effects and all the benefits of having a dedicated analog hardware.

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#19

totally agree, and I hear you on the pedals option, but in their defense I’d point out that there really aren’t a lot of great outboard multi-overdrive units that can operate in stereo (even in the higher end studio market). as someone who has been begrudging the lack of stereo fuzz/overdrive/saturation hardware options (or pedal options - I’ve come very close to ordering a second fuzz factory just so I could approximate a stereo version), this is finally a real solution.

that said, I probably won’t get one any time soon. wamp waamp.

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#20

I guess most guitarists tend to think of overdrive as before any spatialization in their effects chain, and their signal is mono coming out of the instrument, hence few stereo distortion pedal options available.

So, I get your point.

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#21

elektron posted a video of controlling AH with OT:

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#22

I’ve had mine for three weeks now and I’m very happy with it. So far it’s mainly been hooked up to the OP1.

While the distortion circuits aren’t as characterful as some dedicated units, they all sound good and are useful. Even Clean Boost adds a nice weight to sounds, which is distinct from just turning up the volume.

The filter is good. Again, it doesn’t have as much character as some dedicated units, but it responds well and is useful for shaping. The filter self-resonates and at higher resonances can add a very nice percussive attack and punch to synth patches.

Overall, I think it is a useful tool for sound design and recording, especially with overbridge integration. The build quality is very nice.

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#23

It’s not obvious from the dedicated knob interface, but I really think the envelope follower is one of the best features. The output can be assigned to anything so you can create some really cool effects.

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#24

Any reports on how it sounds as an audio interface?

#25

i want one.

If anyone was wondering i have been on an Elektron binge. Machinedrum, Analog Rytm and an Octatrack.

If anyone is selling one or purchased one and is now underwhelmed and wanting to trade for a machinedrum SPS UWS+1 let me know :slight_smile:

#26

This is high on my wishlist!

#27

A year later, any owners want to comment on their experiences? I’m looking for something to warm up my DAW tracks and this seems perfect for that…

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#28

+1

Also still curious about this thing, and also the upcoming OTO Boum.

#29

The Boum looks cool as well! The compressor would be handy. But Overbridge should be very handy in a studio setup…