Elektron Model:Samples

T
here was a time when
the words ‘accessible’
and ‘Elektron’ were
rarely seen together.
Despite a devoted
cult following, the
Swedish company
had a deserved reputation for creating
high-end gear with deep, slightly
impenetrable workflows. That
changed with the release of their
Digitakt sampler and Digitone synth,
both of which – while hardly entry
level – were designed with immediacy
in mind, at a sub-£1000 RRP.
previous instruments. The unit itself
is mostly plastic, with chunky backlit
buttons, rubber-topped rotaries and a
fairly small screen providing browser
and parameter info. I/O-wise, the
instrument has a balanced pair of
1/4-inch jacks as a main output,
along with a 1/4-inch headphone out.
These are joined on the rear panel by
a power input, micro-USB port and
two 3.5mm MIDI ports, providing
MIDI in and out/thru via a pair of
included adapters.
The unit is slim, compact and
fairly lightweight – at less than 1kg,
you could easily slot it into a laptop
bag to create a portable production
setup. A forthcoming battery pack
looks set to add to the portability
considerably too. Although the
desktop footprint is pretty small, the
layout doesn’t feel cramped; each key
parameter has its own, good-sized
rotary, and although the pads for the
sample triggers and step sequencer
are fairly small, the whole unit feels
ergonomically well-designed. If we’re
being super-critical, the abundance of
plastic perhaps makes
Model:Samples feel a bit cheaper
Model:Samples is an even bigger
departure: with a street price under
£400, it’s the first Elektron
instrument within reach of cash-
strapped bedroom producers. Its
design is considerably less
intimidating too. Broadly, most of the
functionality is kept accessible from
the front panel controls, with fewer
sub-menus and under-the-hood
settings to get your head around.
Understandably, with the reduced
price point comes a change in design,
and Model:Samples both looks and
feels more ‘budget’ than Elektron’s
THE PROS & CONS
+
Some excellent
sequencing tools
Compact and
portable without
feeling cramped
Immediate and
intuitive workflow
-
Browser and memory
is overly complex
Odd lack of info
on the USB
audio capabilities
Faces stiff
competition from
Elektron’s own
Digitakt sampler
Elektron Model:Samples | Reviews
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FMU346.rev_elektron.indd 85 12/06/2019 10:31