Sample Playback Dull Sounding

Elektron Gear Analog Rytm
#1

I’m sure this has been discussed before but when you toss sample through the C6 it seems to dull them and the samples lose punch. This is even with ensuring the sample are mono and 16 bit before sending them to the AR. Does anyone have any work around? Wasting the filter to EQ the sample further is really counter intuitive. Any of the older roland machines cut through the mix and same goes with the TR8. Sometime I don’t mind the warm rounded sound but other time you want percs to cut right through. I also take a lot of time to ensure the sample are top quality.

I think the same can be said the OT which I had recently sold.

#2

Rytm’s native sample and bit rate at 48khz, 16bit, mono.

If you import any samples into Rytm that aren’t already that spec, it will convert them to that spec for playback in Rytm.
This will generally make stereo samples sound less lively.

Make sure the filter is all the way open, perhaps switch to HPF if they sound cloudy with the LPF. The peaking filter mode should be treated as your EQ when more shine is needed.

Otherwise, I find Rytm to have a nice big open sound and samples come out sounding a bit bolder and not as clinical (like the OT) as they were on the way in. Samplers always have their own signature sound and the analog juice from Rytm is part of that.

#3

I’d personally make a few test samples to analyze with a spectrum analyzer to really see if any real degradation occurs. That is, if I cared about such minutiae, IME the samps I’ve used sound just fine (unless I am deliberately adding nonlin by filtering, overdrive, compression, bitcrush, having samp vol above 100 etc)

#4

i concur with the two gentlemen above…

i think samples sound great coming out the rytm and i definitely prefer it to the sound of the OT

#5

Fair enough. I’m going to not push any of the sounds above "100’ and watch the master compressor, distortion settings as well.

#6

just to elaborate a bit more, you are not the first elektronaut to question AR’s sample playback. The cursed search on this board didn’t reveal this one big discussion that I recall from back in the day, but here’s at least one related to the topic:

Someone mentioned there should be stickies on this board a few days ago - a big AR faq would certainly be a good idea, as it seems that many reocurring topics recycle themselves every now and then. And with the search being what it is, you can hardly blame the posters…