SYNTAKT MAX

Unofficial firmware OS 1.42

Patch your firmware

DEMO
  1. 01 Add file
  2. 02 Patch
  3. 03 Download

Select a file to try the patching preview.

Scenes, an arpeggiator, four-operator FM, and new effects for Elektron Syntakt.

01Scenes

Interpolate between two parameter groups

  1. Filter page with Scene mode enabled and the A/B indicator at the left.

    01Enable Scene mode

    Hold FX and press YES. Open a parameter page, such as FLTR. The level indicator changes to A/B.

  2. Scene 1 selected as A, with highlighted filter and envelope assignments.

    02Set Scene A

    Hold TRIG 13 and turn parameter encoders. Here, E sets FREQ and F sets RESO. White values show assignments.

  3. Scene 2 selected as B, with different frequency and resonance values.

    03Set Scene B

    Hold TRIG 14 and set different values.

  4. Filter page with the A/B indicator centered between both scenes.

    04Blend the scenes

    Release the scene key. Turn LEVEL/DATA to move between A and B. The left indicator shows the blend.

Hold FX + NO to leave Scene mode. The current scene values stay active.

Scene shortcuts & saving

Four scenes are available. Choose any two as A and B, then blend between them.

Scenes 1–4
Use TRIG 13–16. Each scene can contain assignments from different tracks.
Change Scene A
Hold the scene key you want (TRIG 13–16), then press LEFT.
Change Scene B
Hold the scene key you want (TRIG 13–16), then press RIGHT.
Remove an assignment
Hold the scene key and press its parameter encoder.
Copy / paste / clear
Hold the scene key and press REC / STOP / PLAY. Repeat paste to undo it.
Apply to the pattern
Hold the selected A scene, B scene, or both. Press YES. Scene assignments remain.
Save
Save the pattern or project normally. Quick save does not store scene assignments.

02Arpeggiator

Note patterns on digital, analog, and MIDI tracks.

  1. TRIG page 3 with Arpeggiator MODE set to OFF.

    01Open the arp

    Select a track. Press TRIG until page 3 appears. Existing Sounds start with MODE set to OFF.

  2. Arpeggiator set to UP, speed 1/16, octave range 2, and 16 steps.

    02Choose note order and timing

    Turn A to select MODE. B sets speed, C sets octave range, and D sets note length.

  3. Arpeggiator with the third step selected and its pitch offset set to 7 semitones.

    03Write the notes

    Turn F to select a step. Turn E to set its pitch offset. The bottom cursor marks the selected step.

  4. Eight-step arpeggiator pattern with rests, the third step selected, and a dotted end marker.

    04Add rests and set length

    Press NO to disable a step or YES to enable it. Turn H to set length. The dotted line marks the end.

To play a sequence, add a trig, increase LEN on TRIG page 1, and press PLAY.

More arp controls
Rotate / randomize
Turn G to rotate. Press G to randomize visible note offsets while keeping rests.
Reset note pattern
Hold FUNC and press F or G. All 16 offsets and rests reset.
Copy / paste / clear
Hold TRIG and press REC / STOP / PLAY.
Note order
UP and DOWN follow pitch. CYCL moves both ways. RND chooses random octaves within RNG.

03SY FM4

Four-operator frequency modulation on digital tracks.

  1. SY FM4 first SYN page with tuning, ratio, feedback, decay, and modulation controls.

    01Select SY FM4

    Select track 1–8. Press FUNC + SYN. Choose SY FM4 with UP/DOWN, then press YES.

  2. SY FM4 second SYN page with algorithm 5 and controls for operators 3 and 4.

    02Choose an algorithm

    Press SYN for page 2. Turn A to choose ALGO 1–11. Adjust operator ratios, levels, and decays with B–D and F–H.

ALGO 0 uses the original SY TONE engine. Algorithm changes start on the next note.

04FX3

Chorus, flanger, phaser, or bitcrusher as a third send effect.

  1. Audio track AMP page with CHOR send on encoder G beside DEL and REV.

    01Apply FX3 to a track

    Select an audio track. Open AMP page 1. Turn G, labeled CHOR, to raise its effect send.

  2. FX3 chorus page with TYPE, SPD, DEP, TIME, FDBK, WID, DEL, and VOL.

    02Change the effect

    Press FX, then FUNC + AMP for REVERB. Press AMP again for FX3. Turn A (TYPE) to select an effect. H (VOL) sets its return level.

  3. FX3 flanger page with native flanger depth, time, feedback, and width graphics.

    03Flanger

    On the FX3 page, turn TYPE to FLNG. Use E (FDBK) for feedback and F (WID) for stereo width.

  4. FX3 phaser page with FREQ in place of TIME.

    04Phaser

    Turn TYPE to PHSR. D now sets FREQ. Use C (DEP) to set the sweep depth.

  5. FX3 bitcrusher page with SRR, BR, and DRV; unused E and F slots are empty.

    05Bitcrusher

    Turn TYPE to CRSH. B sets sample-rate reduction, C sets bit depth, and D sets drive.

The track send label follows TYPE. Track PAN moves to AMP page 2, encoder E.

05Déjà Vu LFO

Looped random modulation with an LFO.

  1. LFO page with DV-F waveform, 16-step mode, and SPH 64.

    01Make a repeating loop

    Open LFO. Turn E (WAVE) past RND to DV-F. Set G (MODE) to a loop length. Set F (SPH) to 64.

  2. LFO page with DV-T waveform, eight-step mode, and SPH 127.

    02Restart or change the loop

    Choose DV-T to restart on each note. Set SPH to 0 for new levels, 64 to repeat, or 127 to reorder.

Set D (DEST) to the parameter to modulate. H (DEP) sets depth; SPD and MULT set speed.

06SY CHORD wave bank

31 replacement waves, with blending between them.

  1. SY CHORD SYN page with WAVE 64 selected and its native waveform.

    01Choose a wave

    On track 1–8, press FUNC + SYN. Choose SY CHORD and press YES. Turn B (WAVE) to 4, 8, …, 124.

  2. SY CHORD SYN page with WAVE 66 and the blended waveform.

    02Blend adjacent waves

    Turn WAVE between those values. Here, 66 blends waves 64 and 68. The display shows the resulting waveform.

WAVE 0 keeps the stock sine. Other values can change existing SY CHORD Sounds.

07Compressor & sidechain

Use the master mix or one track to control compression.

  1. FX SYN compressor with the SCS cross selected for the master mix.

    01Compress the master mix

    Press FX, then SYN. Set THR, ATK, REL, and MUP with A–D. E sets ratio. The SCS cross selects the mix.

  2. FX SYN compressor with SCS set to track 1 and a gain-reduction bar at the right.

    02Choose a sidechain track

    Turn F (SCS) to select track 1–12. That track controls compression of the master mix. The right-edge bar shows gain reduction.

Use COMP=OFF or RAT=OFF to bypass compression. The SCS cross selects the master mix; it does not bypass compression.

08Dual mono inputs

Independent levels for the left and right external inputs.

  1. External Mixer in mono mode, with separate IN L and IN R level controls.

    01Set separate input levels

    Set SETTINGS → AUDIO ROUTING → EXTERNAL IN to mono. Press FUNC + LFO until Mixer page 3 appears. Adjust IN L / IN R with A / B.

  2. External Mixer in stereo mode, with linked IN LR level and BAL control.

    02Return to stereo

    Set EXTERNAL IN to stereo. The External Mixer returns to linked input level and balance controls.

Delay, reverb, and FX sends remain shared.

09Readable values

Filter frequency shown in hertz.
Filter envelope attack shown as 37ms.

Key parameters now use real units instead of abstract numbers: hertz, milliseconds, decibels, and percent.

Restore official firmware

To remove MAX, install the official Syntakt OS 1.42 .syx with Elektron Transfer.

  1. 01Back up

    Back up your projects and Sounds. Keep a backup made before MAX; official firmware cannot use MAX-specific settings.

  2. 02Send the official file

    Start Syntakt normally and connect it by USB. In Elektron Transfer, select Syntakt for MIDI IN and MIDI OUT, then click CONNECT. Drop the official .syx onto DROP.

  3. 03Confirm the update

    Press YES when Syntakt asks. Keep power connected until the update and restart finish.

If Syntakt does not start
  1. Connect a MIDI interface OUT to the Syntakt physical MIDI IN.
  2. Hold FUNC while powering on. Press TRIG 4 for OS UPGRADE.
  3. In Elektron Transfer, open SYSEX TRANSFER and select “OS upgrade via device startup menu”.
  4. Select the official OS file and physical MIDI output. Follow Transfer’s instructions and keep power connected until completion.

Startup recovery requires physical MIDI; USB cannot perform this recovery. Do not select a reset command.