The Swedish company Elektron has released a major operating system update OS 1.40 for its hybrid twelve-track drum computer Elektron Syntakt. Ever since the device was released, many users have been asking for proper sample support and now this feature has finally become reality. The update is available free of charge for all owners of the Elektron Syntakt.

Elektron Syntakt

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New SP Twinshot machine - working with samples

The most important new feature in OS 1.40 is the digital SP Twinshot machine, which brings short-sample playback to the Elektron Syntakt. You can select it on any of the eight digital tracks and it is primarily designed for drums and layered percussion. This update does not turn the Syntakt into a full-blown sampler, but it does add a very practical tool for sound layering.

SP Twinshot works with two sample slots:

• Slot 1 is responsible for the transient, the initial attack of the sound. It lets you tune the sample, play it in reverse and shape it using a filter and a decay envelope, which gives you a lot of control over the character of the hit.
• Slot 2 is simpler, offering only tuning and working best as the “body” of the drum sound, adding weight and fullness.

The user can adjust the volume balance between the two slots and apply a shared overdrive effect to both samples. The internal memory can store up to 64 samples that are available globally across all projects. In practice this means that the Elektron Syntakt remains first and foremost a drum and synth machine, but it has gained very concrete possibilities for creatively bringing in your own sounds.

Track Relations - interactions between tracks

Another key feature of the OS 1.40 update is the new Track Relations menu, which lets you define how tracks react to one another. You can now layer several tracks so that they always play together, which makes it easier to build one strong sound out of multiple machines. This approach works especially well when designing complex patterns on the Elektron Syntakt.

The second use of Track Relations is for choke-style groups. In this mode, a note played on one track will immediately cut the sound of another. This is the classic way to program realistic open and closed hi-hat parts and other elements that should not be heard at the same time.

New effects, modulation and sequencer features

Beyond sample support, the latest firmware also introduces a number of smaller but clearly noticeable improvements in the FX, modulation and sequencer sections. Even if each change on its own seems minor, together they create a smoother and more predictable workflow.

• The FX track now offers a filter pan parameter, which allows you to build more interesting stereo effects by setting the filter differently in the left and right channel.
• Key tracking can now be assigned as a modulation source to four different destinations at once, which opens up more combinations when designing sounds.
• The sequencer has gained three new trig conditions, a “snap” function for parameter locks on individual steps and the ability to prepare mutes ahead of time.
• There is also a new configuration menu for the Control All function and a dedicated page for setting up pattern chains, which speeds up programming longer structures.

Is it worth installing OS 1.40?

The OS 1.40 update clearly expands the capabilities of Elektron Syntakt but does not change its core character. The addition of the SP Twinshot machine finally gives users access to samples without the need for an extra sampler, even though the sample memory and format remain fairly modest. Track Relations and the sequencer and FX improvements make everyday work more comfortable, especially when building complex live-oriented beats.

If you use the Elektron Syntakt as your main groovebox, the OS 1.40 update is practically a must-have. If you are only considering buying one, the new features make the Syntakt feel more complete, but it still will not replace a full-featured sampler or a large synthesizer – instead, it strengthens its position as a compact, very flexible rhythmic and synth hub.