Elektron Outbox 8 and Syntakt Twinshot: who needs them and what they cost

Elektron has two pieces of Syntakt news that work best together. Outbox 8 is an "eight-channel audio/CV breakout box and USB host/device" that adds eight configurable outputs to a connected machine. Synthtopia reported on 9 Sep 2026 that it was on sale at 299 EUR, 349 USD, 259 GBP or 3,299 SEK, and Elektron's store lists it at $349 and in stock. Separately, Syntakt firmware 1.40 added Twinshot, a two-sample player, to a groovebox that couldn't play samples before. Later updates let Syntakt drive Outbox 8 directly.

What is Outbox 8?

It's a small box (176 × 90 × 28 mm, about 0.35 kg) with eight 1/4-inch impedance-balanced, DC-coupled outputs and 48 kHz, 32-bit converters, according to Elektron's spec sheet. DC-coupled means the outputs can carry steady control voltages as well as audio. You set each output to one of two jobs:

• Audio: send individual tracks or submixes from a compatible machine to a mixer, pedals or outboard processing.
• CV: turn MIDI into control voltage (CV, the analog signals modular synths use for pitch and timing). The CV types are grounded, pitch in V/oct or Hz/V, linear value, trig, gate and clock, with a range of +/-5 V.

Outbox 8 also works as an eight-output USB audio interface for a computer, tablet or phone. It connects over a single USB-C data port, takes power over a second USB-C port (5 V, 0.5 A or more) and comes with a three-year warranty and a USB-C to USB-B cable.

Which machines does it work with?

Elektron's compatibility matrix shows in-device setup on Digitakt, Digitone, Syntakt, Analog Rytm MKII and Analog Four MKII. Older machines such as Octatrack, Machinedrum and Monomachine are MIDI-only: you set them up through the web app, connected via a USB-MIDI interface. Other USB class-compliant gear is configured through a web app. The compatibility notes come with caveats, and they're worth reading before you buy:

• "Audio/MIDI compatibility can vary by manufacturer and firmware," for non-Elektron devices.
• Tonverk currently has "high audio streaming latency and no in-device setup". Elektron says fixes are being worked on for future Tonverk firmware.
• Model:Samples and Model:Cycles can only route their main outputs, not individual tracks.
• On Digitakt II and Digitone II you can set the outputs as individual mono channels or as stereo pairs.

On Syntakt, support came in stages, according to the release notes. OS 1.41 added Outbox 8 configuration. OS 1.42 added routing of the main outputs through Outbox 8 and quicker channel navigation in its menus. The downloads page dates 1.42 to 1 Oct 2026.

What is Twinshot?

Twinshot is a new machine (Elektron's word for a sound engine on a track) for Syntakt's digital tracks. In its OS 1.40 announcement on 4 Mar 2026, Elektron called it a "dual sample player machine" and wrote: "You have 64 global samples to work with, choosing two at a time." Synthtopia describes the two samples as a transient and a body that you blend, can play backwards, overdrive and modulate with an LFO. You load samples with Elektron's Transfer app, and Elektron recommends updating it before moving samples for the first time. A free Twinshot sample pack gives you something to start with.

The 1.40 update also added track layering and choking, so one track can cut off another. It added key tracking that can modulate up to four parameters, a filter pan control on the FX track, and new trig conditions. All of these Syntakt updates are free downloads from Elektron's support page.

Who needs Outbox 8?

Elektron's Syntakt page lists two balanced main outputs, a headphone jack, two audio inputs and MIDI with DIN sync. It lists no individual outputs and no CV jacks. Syntakt is also "Overbridge enabled", Elektron's software for streaming separate tracks to a computer over USB, so if you record into a DAW you can already get separate tracks. Outbox 8 is for the cases where no computer is involved:

• Live players who want the kick, snare and bass on separate mixer channels for EQ or effects at the desk, with no laptop on stage.
• Modular and CV users who want Syntakt's sequencer to play a Eurorack voice. Syntakt has no CV outputs, and Outbox 8 can work as a USB MIDI-to-CV converter. Our reading is that this lets Syntakt's MIDI tracks drive CV gear, but check the manual for your firmware first.
• People with several Elektron boxes who want one breakout they can move between them.

If you only record into a DAW, Overbridge already covers you on supported machines. If you need CV but not separate audio, a dedicated MIDI-to-CV converter could cost less. We haven't priced alternatives for this piece, so check before you choose.

What it costs

At Elektron's list prices, Syntakt is $1,149 and Outbox 8 is $349, so about $1,500 for the pair. Elektron's store doesn't name the currency next to the dollar sign. The 349 USD figure is from Synthtopia's report of Elektron's pricing. Twinshot and the Outbox 8 firmware support cost nothing if you already own a Syntakt.

What we think

Twinshot is a small feature, and that's the right size for it. Two samples at a time from a shared pool of 64 won't turn Syntakt into a sampler, and Elektron doesn't pretend it does. Elektron's own announcement calls it a "playful and versatile complement" to the existing engines, not a sampler. What it does is let you layer a recorded transient over Syntakt's synthesized drums, or drop in a short one-shot. Syntakt's quick guide is dated 2022, so this is a free feature for a box many people have owned for years, and they get more out of what they already paid for.

Outbox 8 is the more interesting product, because it turns firmware into connectivity. Syntakt was designed with two outputs. Rather than ship a new Syntakt with more jacks, Elektron is selling one $349 box that adds outputs and CV to many of its current machines, and MIDI-to-CV (via a USB-MIDI interface) to older ones such as Machinedrum and Monomachine, as long as the firmware supports it. That works out well for people who own several Elektron boxes, and less well for a Syntakt-only owner, who pays $349 for jacks the hardware didn't have.

The rollout tells you how to buy it. Syntakt got configuration in 1.41 and main-output routing in 1.42, Tonverk support is still unfinished, and third-party audio "can vary by manufacturer and firmware". Check the compatibility notes for your machine and firmware version before you buy, not the product photo. If you play live with Syntakt and want a mixer channel per drum, or you've been eyeing a MIDI-to-CV converter for a modular case, it's a fair price for a box that does both. If you mostly record into a DAW, update to 1.42, try Twinshot, and keep the $349.