Leak: Elektron Tonverk hardware polyphonic sampler: feature set and more details

Leak: the Elektron Tonverk has leaked on a Dutch music online shop, and it looks like it’s coming very soon.

Almost a year ago, a new Elektron device called Tonverk popped up online. It generated a great deal of interest and much discussion. These discussions calmed down and flared up again before the Digitone II release for Superbooth 2025. Then things went quiet again.

Now things are really heating up. Last night, Elektron released a cryptic teaser hinting at a possible release, which could be just around the corner, possibly even today. The Dutch store dedijkmusicstore.nl has crossed over this teaser with a new leak of the Elektron Tonverk.

YouTuber SonWu discovered the leak and reported on it. Details about the features weren’t leaked, but the final hardware and the price were. According to the shop’s leak, the Tonverk will cost 1495€.

The new image shows that some descriptions have been changed compared to the prototype leak. There’s now a Step Edit button, for example. Also interesting is the display. It shows a stereo sample, which confirms that it’s a sampler device.

In the meantime, Rockshop.de leaked more information about the new Elektron Tonverk.

According to the source, it’s a flexible device that can be a polyphonic sampler, a routing playground, a FX mixer, an instrument with tracks within tracks, or even a multitonal sound factory.

Tonverk offers eight audio tracks that can be used in different ways depending on your creative goals. Plus, there are four bus tracks, three send tracks, and a mix track – perfect for flexible routing and a wealth of fresh effects that you can use anywhere in the device. 

There are four machines. Single mode plays individual WAV files (mono/stereo) polyphonically with loop points and crossfade adjustments. Then, multiplayer lets you load multi-sampled instruments and play them polyphonically.

Next to this, you have the subtracks mode that can have an independent sequencer and routable effects, plus you have a MIDI mode. 

Tonverk offers various methods for bringing in audio sources. Alongside importing them via the SD card slot, you can sample live into the device or use the exciting auto-sampler function that creates custom multi-sampled instruments by automatically sampling your favorite synths.

According to the source, it also introduces plenty of new effects that are track dependent:

• comb +/- filter, filter bank, lowpass & multimode filters, infinite flanger, panoramic chorus, phase 98
• warble, chrono pitch, frequency warper, compressor, degrader, dirtshaper
• daisy delay, saturator delay, rum sound reverb, supervoid reverb 

Other Leaked Features

• 8x stereo audio tracks 
• 4x bus tracks 
• 3x send effects tracks 
• 1x mix track 
• 4x selectable machines per audio tracks (single, multi player, subtracks, MIDI)
• 1x digital filter per track/subtrack 
• 2x assignable LFO per audio track
• 2x assignable FX LFOs per audio track 
• 1x modulation envelope per audio track 
• 2x assignable LFOs per effects bus, send effects & mix 
• modulation per track: pitch bend, mod wheel, breath control, aftertouch 
• 16x polyphony per step per MIDI track
• 16x assignable CC controls per MIDI track
• 2 trig modes 
• velocity per step 
• keyboard mode with 36 scales 
• song & chord modes

• up to 256 steps per pattern & track 
• arpeggiator for audio & MIDI tracks 
• polyphonic sequencing 
• individual pattern length per track 
• individual time scale multiplier per track 
• parameter locks 
• trig conditions & trig chance 
• retig (audio & MIDI)
• micro timing & sequencer lanes
• SD card slot 
• class-compliant USB audio 

On the I/O side, it has four balanced 6.3mm audio outputs, two balanced 6.3mm audio inputs, a headphone socket, two USB-C ports, and MIDI I/O on 5-pin sockets.

At first glance, this looks very much like a spiritual successor to the Octatrack Mk2. Let’s see how intuitive the controls are on the Tonverk. According to the Elektron teaser, they will unveil it today at 18:00 CEST. 

Update from September 30, 2024

After the great interest in the Elektron Tonverk leak last week, the Swedish company has now made a statement on the Elektronauts forum, saying that these are prototypes:

Hi there, thought we’d chime in.

It’s great to see the speculation in the threads even if things occasionally drift a little off-piste. At any given time there are a number of prototypes in various stages of development. It would be strange if we didn’t have any since creating music machines is what we love doing. Some eventually see the light of day and others stay in the proto stage.

Even though these are prototypes and not ready products, Elektron says there are new products in the pipeline: “But… we do have other fun hardware things in the pipeline.”. Plus, a major update for Digitakt II is coming soon, bringing Overbridge compatibility to the groovebox sampler

And Overbridge for Digitakt II is soon done for some multi-streaming audio madness. So, speak soon.

One thing is certain. With this statement, Elektron wants to dampen the hype and interest in Tonverk somewhat. I’m unsure if this will work because Tonverk is in development and already registered in the trademarks.

So, it’s not just a wild prototype but a product in the planning stages. Let’s see what happens in the next months.

Article From September 24, 2024

The name Elektron Tonverk has been floating around the internet for some time. Elektron has registered a trademark for it last February. There was hope for a Superbooth 24 release. However, it didn’t happen.

But now things are moving forward. Today the Elektron Tonverk was leaked on Reddit/Elektronauts. 

Leak Elektron Tonverk

Today, some photos of the Tonverk surfaced. I assume that the photos are real and not fake, as they are otherwise very well done. You can see a device that looks like a Digitakt but in a wider form factor. 

The details of the new Elektron device are not yet known. Not even a single one. Since an Octatrack sampler successor has been in the air for a long time, it could be its successor. Or is it an Analog Four-style synth or Digitone successor because there are keys?

It could also be a hybrid device that combines the existing engines from Digitakt II, Syntakt, and Digitone. That would be interesting. 

The picture shows a 16-step sequencer, a 13-key keyboard, ten encoders, and more. In the middle, a display that says: Engine inactive. This indicates that it will have different engines. Also, there are also audio and MIDI track buttons, showing that it will have 8 audio and 12 MIDI tracks.

Exciting is the connectivity. You have a dual USB-C connection, so maybe one for USB data and another host. Then, you have an SD card slot which may indicate the use of samples.  There are four audio outputs as well as full MIDI I/O. 

At this point in time, we can only speculate what it could be. I think it will be a kind of successor to the Octatrack or Analog Four. This is just my speculation so we will see it. 

Source: Reddit