Leaks appear to reveal Elektron’s new instrument, the Tonverk… but we have questions

This year is not the first timeElectron fans are outraged after photos of a new hardware instrument leaked onto the internet. Images of a device labeled Tonverk appear to show what is likely to be a sampler or synthesizerfirst appeared on Elektron’s own Elektronauts forum, then was quickly deleted and Resurfaces on Reddit.

Unlike the previous leak of the Digitakt II, which seemed like it was going to be an update to an existing product line, the Tonverk – if real – looks like something entirely new for the Swedish brand.

There’s very little information available other than the images themselves, but we can draw some obvious conclusions from the interface pictured. Much of the labelled functionality appears to have been taken from existing Elektron devices. There’s a 16-button sequencer labelled with both audio and MIDI tracks. The keyboard-style button layout on the left is similar to that found on the Analog Four, and indicates melodic capabilities, with buttons labelled Chord, Harp and Scale. The ‘Drum/Ptn Bank’ label also hints at percussion capabilities.

(Image source: via Reddit)

The machine appears to be at least partly sample-based, as there’s a sample edit knob at the top left, similar to that found on the Digitakt. There’s a bank of eight rotary knobs – again, classic Elektron fare – and one of the knobs below it is labelled ‘Machines’, hinting at various sound engine modes, possibly offering different sample playback modes or a mix of sampling and synthesis.

Some Reddit users are concluding that the Tonverk is a possible successor to Elektron’s much-loved performance sampling device Eight-part roadHowever, it seems unlikely to be perceived that way to us due to the lack of some of this machine’s most popular features, such as the crossfader.

(Image source: via Reddit)

The leaked images also suggest some interesting features that go against Elektron tradition. There’s no obvious power input on the rear panel, suggesting power will be provided by one of the two USB-C ports, or perhaps even an internal battery? An SD card slot suggests expandable storage in a more usable format than the CompactFlash cards used by the Octatrack. All of this makes the Tonverk seem like a response to the DAW-in-a-box workflows offered by its peers. Ableton Push or Akai’s MPC Live.

Labeled controls also imply the presence of routed effects, a full mod matrix and data bus lines, all of which will add significant flexibility compared to current Elektron designs.

So how much should we trust these leaked images? Electron did It appears that the name Tonverk is registered It was announced as a trademark earlier this year, but that alone doesn’t confirm anything – it’s also possible that someone saw this news and decided to build their own DIY prototype.

The fact that Elektron has deleted the images from the forum seems to lend some credibility to the leak, but it’s also possible that the company is working on it. Something There is a company called Tonverk and they don’t want a fake company with that name floating around.

There are also a few inconsistencies in the two sets of ‘leaked’ images – above and below. The buttons in the top left are different colors, but a few controls also appear to be labeled differently on the two units: the button marked Machines on one appears to say Instruments on the other, and the Browse button on one appears to say Samples on the other. The two are likely different prototype/pre-production iterations.

Tonverk could be real, then, but it also feels like it was built by someone who combined elements of previous Electron machines with a few features from their own wishlist. Either way, we’ll find out in due time.

We’ve reached out to Elektron for comment.

(Image source: via Reddit)