It’s a multisampler. It’s got 16 tracks. It’s an effects box. It’s got elaborate routing and multiple machines. It’s a modulation monster. Or to look at it another way, The Bride of Octatrack beast is here. Here it is at a glance.
I’m a little sad that Elektron stopped doing weird science fiction movies for its product launches (see belw), because Tonverk deserves one.
You’ll see this everywhere, so let’s break this down for people in a hurry.
Here is the overview video, which okay, does show you the product, but sadly doesn’t involve anyone mutating or references to Blade Runner and The Usual Suspects.
I am 100% kidding of course because instead you get an epic choice for leading this — the incomparable Aho Ssan.
What’s in Tonwerk, so you can load, sample, drag-and-drop, record, as you like:
- Single Player, polyphonic one-shots in stereo
- Multi Player is multisampled — a great pairing with Auto Sampler
- Subtracks turn each rack into eight more subtracks, like an Octatrack inside each track — two filters, amp envelope, and modulation dedicated on each.
- Recorder for external sampling and internal resampling.
- Auto Sampler for automated recording of connected gear (including via USB).
- Eight audio tracks, four buses each with two inserts.
- So many effects. Rumsklang Reverb, Daisy Delay, Dirtshaper, Degrader, Chrono Pitch, Frequency Warper, Infinite Flanger, Phase 98, Filterbank, and Comb +/- added to the mix alongside the usual Elektron stable.
- Modulation. Two voice LFOs, two FX LFOS, and Mod Envelope per track. Plus two LFOs on the mix. I mean, basically just wire up the modulation and go join the party, huh?
- Sequencer with 256 steps, and even P-lock for routing. (Sorry wutttt??)
So this is the box that will multisample your gear, or be your main polyphonic sampler, or be a big live performance powerhouse, or the box that you compose with using insane amounts of modulation, or, likely, all of that.
And this sounds expensive, but it’s only 1399 EUR. That’s $1,599.00 in the USA, even with the Coming of Shadows. Heck, skip the new iPhone; just buy this and pick up a burner Motorola RAZR at the flea market, plus a Yashica to take photos with.
There are too many videos, so let’s pick a great one, right away. This has exactly the amount of industrial rampaging and clear explanation of Auto Sampler that I want — perfect work by Catenation aka Dissonant Witchcraft. Also, plus, bonus it has exactly the right Federation Starship in the form of the USS Stargazer. (I would also have accepted the Defiant or the Reliant, though the latter may have something to do with this eel that just crawled into my ear.)
There’s what isn’t here, of course. It feels like Tonverk was the chance to see some different control/hardware/form factor ideas from Elektron, and this is more of the same. You get a ton of effects, but for a fully granular engine, you may want to look elsewhere. Oh, and I expect I speak for a ton of people when I ask, where is the crossfader?
But I’m thoroughly excited about what’s happening in this whole space, at last. There’s the beautiful, compact, boutique Torso S-4. There’s the svelte 1010music Bento. (Ignore the pre-production firmware in those photos. After some extenuating circumstances prevented me from getting to them, expect some deep dives into those in the coming weeks.) Each of those also boasts granular capabilities, as well. There’s the ever-improving Push 3 with its Max for Live capability, plus the compact Move. And now Tonverk is joining the already-robust Elektron lineup (and its regular firmware updates). For fans of the Elektron way of doing things, this is a winner, and it’s hard to complain about its capabilities (even if the Elektron physical form doesn’t get a refresh).
And out of all of those choices, it’s hard to go wrong. It’s hard not to want to get playing. For so many years, we just saw the same Octatrack showing up in live rigs, or maybe a laptop. Keep your AI prompts where you’re writing in some text and spitting out low-quality background music. We have serious boxes to play with and some live jams to play with other humans. (Sorry/not sorry.)
Shipping this month (estimated).
https://www.elektron.se/explore/tonverk
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Tonverk is estimated to ship in the USA this month, too, at $1599 street:
And for those who weren’t around for the Octatrack launch or want to go back in time.
Hector! Let’s host a party and cosplay this one, y’all.
Let’s pour one out for Greg and Lisa.
