Hive 2.0 is out!

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BONES wrote: Wed Jun 12, 2019 6:00 am
Same thing with the Elektron sequencer. Like any instrument I have to spend time practicing to become competent with it. But once done, it is fast, fluid and creative fun. But maybe I'm the only person in the universe who thinks so :hihi:
Well, I read a lot of reviews before I bought mine and every, single one of them said the same thing, so maybe you are. Again, for me, I can't get a mental picture of how it works, which makes it harder to get my head around. With the sequencer in the M1, O1/W or Trinity, I could see what was going on but I can't in the AK. To be fair, I've not really put in a lot of effort because I haven't seen any point but that mental picture has never formed.
No doubt there is a learning curve and it is not immediately self explanatory by looking at it which is more what you meant by it not being intuitive and from that standpoint I agree with you. One definitely has to just memorize how to do tasks a,b,c, etc

I've had the Analog Rytm mkI and now the Rytm mkII. The mkII is a surprisingly improved workflow. I like that it is bigger with bigger buttons and spaced apart a touch more. I very much appreciate the tilt of the working surface, the bigger screen and the grey makes it easier for me to see what is happening. Also, the buttons are now illuminated. I find it easier to see at a glance which mode is active and which steps are active and also which have trigs. There are also a few more dedicated buttons and an improved layout with less of the 'why did they do it that way' moments.

All those little things combine to make a significant difference. My mind more easily processes the increased visual info and the bigger buttons means my muscle memory works better with less attention needed. With the mkI I often had to hesitate and think about which step/button was which. In the mkII the 16 sequencer buttons are illuminated with big 1-16 step numbers and with a bright square around the 1, 5, 9 and 13. Now my hands find the right one without mental focus needed. Lots of little improvements that each take a small percentage less mental attention results in an overall sense of it being easier.

Like you I have the AK as well. I like the improvements so much with the Rytm mkII that I may sell the AK and get the A4 mkII. I wonder if Elektron will make an AK mkII?

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Funkybot's Evil Twin wrote: Tue Jun 11, 2019 7:24 pm Now that Cubase has a plugin manager that lets you sort your collection, I have mine setup where I have a folder called "Analog-ish Synths" [for non-modular, non-digital, non-sample based, non0physical modeled synths]. After I finally got Hive when 1.2 came out, it was probably the fifth or sixth one down in that folder, behind RePro-5, RePro-1, Diva, Legend, and maybe the System-8. Then, as I used Hive more, it slowly started coming up in the pecking order. Now it sits atop that category as it's my most used synth at the moment. The new UI, modulation options, scope, wavetables, and excellent presets really just make it a wonderful synth to work with, and one that sounds utterly fantastic. It's become my favorite synth from my favorite synth-maker.


This describes my journey exactly. After having a year of using really hyper modern synths i have come back to analog types. Been using Dune 3, U-he, roland cloud - all of which i absolutely love.
But Hive is just so insanely usable...it just seems to sound great all the time.
Whilst there are other synths that do very specific things very well (i'm thinking Roland cloud) Hive sounds incredibly good, no matter what you are doing.

Even the unison sound is becoming my favourite. Really nice balance between analog sound and modern features/workflow.

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Yeah, that's it in a nutshell!
pdxindy wrote: Wed Jun 12, 2019 4:11 pmLike you I have the AK as well. I like the improvements so much with the Rytm mkII that I may sell the AK and get the A4 mkII. I wonder if Elektron will make an AK mkII?
I doubt it, it has already been archived to their "Legacy Products" section. The real problem I have with my hardware is that only one thing gets to be where it's convenient to work with. Right now that's the Uno, so I can just reach out and play it or change the settings. Everything else is out of reach and/or where I can't see it properly. Hopefully one day I'll work out the perfect set-up and be able to use any and all of of my gear easily but I'm not sure how that will work. The ideal set-up would be some kind of "lazy Susan" arrangement where I could just rotate it until the machine I want to work with is right in front of me, with the AK hovering over it. I'd just have to work out the cabling to my monitors to make it all work.
NOVAkILL : Asus RoG Flow Z13, Core i9, 16GB RAM, Win11 | EVO 16 | Studio One | bx_oberhausen, GR-8, JP6K, Union, Hexeract, Olga, TRK-01, SEM, BA-1, Thorn, Prestige, Spire, Legend-HZ, ANA-2, VG Iron 2 | Uno Pro, Rocket.

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BONES wrote: Wed Jun 12, 2019 11:32 pm Yeah, that's it in a nutshell!
pdxindy wrote: Wed Jun 12, 2019 4:11 pmLike you I have the AK as well. I like the improvements so much with the Rytm mkII that I may sell the AK and get the A4 mkII. I wonder if Elektron will make an AK mkII?
I doubt it, it has already been archived to their "Legacy Products" section. The real problem I have with my hardware is that only one thing gets to be where it's convenient to work with. Right now that's the Uno, so I can just reach out and play it or change the settings. Everything else is out of reach and/or where I can't see it properly. Hopefully one day I'll work out the perfect set-up and be able to use any and all of of my gear easily but I'm not sure how that will work. The ideal set-up would be some kind of "lazy Susan" arrangement where I could just rotate it until the machine I want to work with is right in front of me, with the AK hovering over it. I'd just have to work out the cabling to my monitors to make it all work.
I've got 3 desks and I sit in the middle... so I'm the 'lazy susan'. Not ideal, but I can reach everything without having to move gear. Not my favorite playing a synth and not facing the speakers.

Now you got me thinking how your idea could be implemented in this space.

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Yeah, my brain has been in overdrive since I wrote that reply, too. The idea came to me as I was typing. When I lived in an apartment, my synths were on a keyboard stand next to my desk, which meant I could get up and play stuff or I could sit down and do stuff. It sort of worked but the boat doesn't allow me that kind of luxury. The Lazy Susan concept could actually work and it kind of excites me to try it out.

Five more minutes of thought and I now have a really clear picture of it in my mind. I am going to sit down and work out the detail tonight. I think it's something I could actually manufacture and sell, or at least sell the design for someone else to manufacture. Stay tuned...
NOVAkILL : Asus RoG Flow Z13, Core i9, 16GB RAM, Win11 | EVO 16 | Studio One | bx_oberhausen, GR-8, JP6K, Union, Hexeract, Olga, TRK-01, SEM, BA-1, Thorn, Prestige, Spire, Legend-HZ, ANA-2, VG Iron 2 | Uno Pro, Rocket.

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Has anyone compared Synthmaster One with Hive 2? Not so much because of the features but because of the sound.

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Apparently Hive 2 can make some awesome drums and percussion.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DrfwAnq ... e=youtu.be
--After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music.

-Aldous Huxley

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If anyone is interested, I made a blind test between Hive and Diva. It’s NOT an osc test or filter test. Musical Diva patches copied over to hive

Hive 2 is that good.

https://www.gearslutz.com/board/gear-sh ... opied.html

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pdxindy wrote: Wed Jun 12, 2019 4:11 pm I've had the Analog Rytm mkI and now the Rytm mkII. The mkII is a surprisingly improved workflow. I like that it is bigger with bigger buttons and spaced apart a touch more. I very much appreciate the tilt of the working surface, the bigger screen and the grey makes it easier for me to see what is happening. Also, the buttons are now illuminated. I find it easier to see at a glance which mode is active and which steps are active and also which have trigs. There are also a few more dedicated buttons and an improved layout with less of the 'why did they do it that way' moments.

All those little things combine to make a significant difference. My mind more easily processes the increased visual info and the bigger buttons means my muscle memory works better with less attention needed. With the mkI I often had to hesitate and think about which step/button was which. In the mkII the 16 sequencer buttons are illuminated with big 1-16 step numbers and with a bright square around the 1, 5, 9 and 13. Now my hands find the right one without mental focus needed. Lots of little improvements that each take a small percentage less mental attention results in an overall sense of it being easier.
This was really cool to read. You've basically had the same experience as me. I've had the MkI and while I really liked its sound it never really clicked with me. Then I bought the MkII mainly for the sampling - and while you felt at home in it, it also felt like a different instrument. A big big step up in terms of usability.

I also have the AK and I'm thinking of maybe doing the same journey with that one. Sell it and get the AF MkII instead. Elektron really did a great job with the MkII updates.

I guess I am walking on thin ice just by suggesting it, but I wonder if the OT mk2 will offer the same clarity. I sold my OT mk1 not long ago because I simply couldn't wrap my head around it.

/C
CLUB VICE for ARTURIA PIGMENTS
HARDWARE SAMPLER FANATIC - Akai S1100/S950/Z8 - Casio FZ20m - Emu Emax I - Ensoniq ASR10/EPS

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DrGonzo wrote: Sat Jun 15, 2019 4:13 am
This was really cool to read. You've basically had the same experience as me. I've had the MkI and while I really liked its sound it never really clicked with me. Then I bought the MkII mainly for the sampling - and while you felt at home in it, it also felt like a different instrument. A big big step up in terms of usability.

I also have the AK and I'm thinking of maybe doing the same journey with that one. Sell it and get the AF MkII instead. Elektron really did a great job with the MkII updates.

I guess I am walking on thin ice just by suggesting it, but I wonder if the OT mk2 will offer the same clarity. I sold my OT mk1 not long ago because I simply couldn't wrap my head around it.

/C
I was surprised how much more I liked the Rytm mkII over the mkI. I wasn't sure when I bought the mkII whether it was a wise choice, but now am very glad I did.

I never bought the OT as I tried it in the store and I knew it passed the threshold of difficulty where I just wouldn't use it. Way too many complex button presses for me. I also just don't love the sound character of it.

I had hoped Elektron would make an Analog Sampler. There's something I like about the sound of the samples through the analog circuits of the Rytm. I wanted that but in a synth oriented box with some polyphony and a little more sampling flexibility.

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pdxindy wrote: Sat Jun 15, 2019 4:25 am I had hoped Elektron would make an Analog Sampler. There's something I like about the sound of the samples through the analog circuits of the Rytm. I wanted that but in a synth oriented box with some polyphony and a little more sampling flexibility.
I hope Elektron would do something like that one day. Take the sample engine from the AR and put it into polyphonic circuits - and maybe throw in a MIDI sequencer and it would be one of the coolest things ever.

But Elektron never/rarely ever does what their customers ask for. They do what they want to do. For better or worse. It's been bit of a time now when they have just been recycling their tech. Probably understandable considering how big of a problem OB have been.

/C
CLUB VICE for ARTURIA PIGMENTS
HARDWARE SAMPLER FANATIC - Akai S1100/S950/Z8 - Casio FZ20m - Emu Emax I - Ensoniq ASR10/EPS

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DrGonzo wrote: Sat Jun 15, 2019 4:33 am
I hope Elektron would do something like that one day. Take the sample engine from the AR and put it into polyphonic circuits - and maybe throw in a MIDI sequencer and it would be one of the coolest things ever.

But Elektron never/rarely ever does what their customers ask for. They do what they want to do. For better or worse. It's been bit of a time now when they have just been recycling their tech. Probably understandable considering how big of a problem OB have been.

/C
That would be an instant buy for me...

Perhaps OB will eventually turn out fine, but up until now it has not been worth it. I don't even think about it anymore. I don't need it and my setup works fine or even better without it.

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I finally got around to upgrading, with the new job, my new cookie baking hobby (and the testing thereof, thankfully I only eat one or two at a time :hihi: ) and it being spring/summer my studio hadn't been awake for a while (but then thanx to the cookies neither am I even when I'm not sleeping). I really like the upgrade, surely a no brainer at 20 bux.

I hadn't bought a new synth in over a decade until I bought Hive 1 maybe 2 years ago, I like arps and step sequencers for quick jamming to and Hive's really impressed me when I demoed it and watching vids. I'm a guitar player, not a sound designer yet I still find Hive, now Hive 2 to be a good fit for me to program...I gotta admit I didn't mind the blue, but this new gui is a lot easier on my eyes as well :)
The highest form of knowledge is empathy, for it requires us to suspend our egos and live in another's world. It requires profound, purpose‐larger‐than‐the‐self kind of understanding.

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It's definitely capable of producing some good backing to jam to

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Hink wrote: Tue Aug 13, 2019 6:49 pm thankfully I only eat one or two at a time :hihi: )
The trick is not iterating this step, or you'll be in trouble nevertheless. :)

Yes Hive2 is very nice. Not just for jamming but the modulation system is so powerfull, it' capable of generative music.

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