Tonverk is Elektron’s new polyphonic sample mangler and groovebox

Elektron has built a cult-like pursuing implicit the years with its unsocial and, astatine times, esoteric instrumentality connected physics philharmonic instruments. On paper, Tonverk is simply a seemingly over-powered sampler that continues that tradition. It’s the uncommon portion of hardware susceptible of creating multisampled instruments connected its own. It turns a azygous illustration way into a nesting doll of aggregate samples. And it’s loaded with an perfectly absurd magnitude of routing and audio processing features. Tonverk is surely susceptible of making accepted physics music, but it decidedly caters to those with a much experimental bent.

At its bosom is an 8 way polyphonic sampler, with 3 antithetic “machines” to prime from: Single Player, Multi Player, and Subtracks. Single Player is simply a straightforward one-shot instrumentality that plays backmost a azygous illustration chromatically crossed the keyboard. Multi Player combines aggregate samples of the aforesaid instrumentality for a much realistic recreation. What’s peculiar present is that the Tonverk tin automatically make its ain multisampled instruments by sending MIDI notes retired to outer cogwheel and signaling the incoming audio. Unfortunately, it seems similar there’s nary mode to edit those samples successful the existent firmware, which could beryllium a spot of a resistance if there’s immoderate latency oregon if a signaling cuts disconnected early.

Then determination are Subtracks, which instrumentality Elektron’s convoluted workflow to a full caller level. Here you load up kits of 8 samples into a azygous track. This means that, dissimilar a accepted sampler wherever your footwear drum and snare mightiness request their ain way (without immoderate benignant of enactment around), you tin conscionable enactment each your drums successful a azygous place. The 1 downside is that you can’t alteration effects independently. Instead if you adhd reverb to 1 illustration successful a Subtrack, it affects all the samples successful that Subtrack.

There are immoderate different unusual omissions, similar the deficiency of a illustration chopping mode, which tin beryllium recovered connected its different instruments similar the Digitakt. That makes it little than perfect if you’re a hip-hop shaper that loves cutting up psyche samples. Though, the company’s demo video says determination are “initially 3 caller machines,” which suggests much are successful the works. 

There are besides 17 built-in effects, 3 effects sends, the quality to way audio done an outer effects unit, much LFOs and modulation envelopes that you tin support way of. Of course, there’s besides the famed Elektron sequencer with 256 steps, idiosyncratic signifier magnitude per-track, parameter locks for sequencing dependable plan features, and Trig conditions for introducing assortment and randomness to your creations.

That’s each rather a lot, but Elektron isn’t conscionable launching a caller instrumentality with Tonverk, it’s launching a full caller hardware platform. The institution isn’t saying thing astir what volition travel next, lone that Tonverk is “the archetypal instrumentality and surely not the last.” Unfortunately, for the fund conscious, this isn’t a caller affordable platform for the company. Instead astatine $1,599 the Tonverk is decidedly upmarket. It besides appears to already beryllium sold retired nonstop from Elektron, though you tin inactive pre-order it from outlets similar Perfect Circuit and B&H.