Anyone else feel almost a bit "spoiled" by Elektron gear?

Elektron Gear
#1

As in, any time a mention of another drum machine/groovebox/synth comes up, you think “Yeah but it won’t have parameter locking or conditional trigs or (insert feature here) so how much do I really care?”

Maybe I’ll get over it eventually, but p-locking was a huge revelation for me. My first drum machine was a TR-8 which I didn’t use very much at all and very quickly got bored with. My favorite part was messing with the onboard FX. Otherwise, I didn’t like how static and robotic and straight forward it was. So I sold it and got a MD, hearing stories of p-locking and thinking it would help solve my problems–and it did! I also realized I don’t really get inspired by drum machines themselves and have to pair them with something melodic/harmonic, but that’s a different story.

But now people talk about, say, the Behringer TR clones or the Korg Electribe or TR-8S or what have you, and I just can’t help but feel they wouldn’t be as inspiring for me. Or I just think that every machine should have something like p-locking or motion sequencing! Because at this point it seems like a crime not to.

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#2

Or use them together with MD, MnM, OT, DT or DN’s midi sequencer :slight_smile:
I think some machines are just about sound and simplicity.

Also, it took a while, but many developer seem to follow elektron slowly with p-locks.
And even if not, there are more elektrons to choose from than I can handle :slight_smile:

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#3

One of the reasons I got into the A4 was that it has p-locking, just as the Electribe EMX and ESX had motion sequencing, which I still find to be both more intuitive and far easier to apply on the fly on the older Electribes.

It would he nice if every sequencer had conditional parameters though.

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#4

Yes yes I can see that…I suppose it depends where we all are in our journey. At the moment I’m definitely obsessed with very deep, time-consuming machines and something simple just seems like a waste of money to me. The only thing I’d consider buying right now is MAYBE a monophonic synth to handle some bass stuff and free up some tracks that way.

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#5

…indeed. i tend to use conditional trigs often and it’s something i miss on the MM. sometimes end up using just 16 steps :open_mouth: …then i remember there’re still few more steps left :smile_cat:

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#6

absolutely. my first elektron was an MD n plocking was a revelation. as a groovebox enthusiast I won’t go near most that don’t have it now.
I also love using elektron synths as a drum machine and vice versa. they all have their irks and limitations but the flexibility in many ways is wicked :slight_smile:

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#7

Again I’m “spoiled” in that the most recent machine I own is the MnM…So y’all are talking about conditional trigs and micro timing like ya gotta have it, and I’m just over here with my p locks.

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#8

I share this feeling. The integration of the sequencer is the key feature of the Elektron products. Other instruments with large mod matrix and 16-track sequencers don´t come close to the workflow an Analog Rytm or Digitakt offers. You can modulate a lot of parameters with a TR8s or a DSI Pro2 but it feels always slow and unprecise compared the the Elektrons. It´s sad but the best way to sequence my Moog Sub37 is with the digitakt or machinedrum while the Sub37´s internal sequencer has sync issues and I have to re-watch the 15 minute long tutorial on youtube each and every time I want to modulate a parameter with the sequencer.

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#9

you can get something similar to conditional trigs (and a bit of micro timing as well but not the same as) on the MM but does take some time to get things finetuned properly :slight_smile: (there should be some posts here) maybe it could be a good exercise considering…

edit: …and the MM is both :smiley:

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#10

I here ya. Im totally spoiled by elektron because of so many of the staple features have grown on me, such as

  • parameter locking
  • sound locking
  • microtiming
  • swing trigs
  • conditrigs
  • easy pattn offsetting with func +l/r
  • snapping to defaults with func+encoder
  • copypasting of pretty much any settings
  • copypasting trigs and sets of trigs
  • mute trigs
  • setting slots (global slots?)

I am so used to having all of those that pretty much any other box makes me cringe when I gotta deal with these not being on board. I know I’m tainted, “its not you its me”

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#11

I recently tested the Minibrute 2s and the synth sounds really wonderful, but when i tested the sequencer it felt quite clumsey to use and Not as plockably as my A4/DN/DT sequencer. Same exoerience with other Synths or Drummachines that offers a sequencer. Those are not as plockably as the Elektrons are. Only the Novation Circuit has that plockability.

#12

DN was my first box and it’s a boss, sequencer make others look week. I just wish I understood all these different terminologies. Plocks, conditional trigs and so on.

#13

For me I am way too spoiled by my daw.
It’s becoming harder and harder to justify any hardware these days

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#14

Totally. All that power of each voice- and they’re grooveboxes which makes each machine a potential All-In-One box.

Elektron was my intro into making electronic music- and now I can’t fathom buying something that just makes a singular voice

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#15

Do you ever play live? I still rely heavily on my computer but ended up with an Octatrack because I always had so many issues with my laptop and soundcard live. It was really stressful at times.

#16

I dont think we are spoiled. Elektron just found the ingredient (P-Locks) that a true Pattern-Sequencer always needed - but it wasnt before the Machinedrum came out until people realized this.

Imho, P-Locks can easily be called a Standard today. Elektron defined it, but every other Company should adapt. I dont understand why most of them still struggle with this. Copy and Paste is NOT a bad thing in this case. The contrary is the case: Always reinventing the wheel; which leads to poor proprietary Sequencers (just so that they are not too Elektron’ish) - this is the bad thing! And should stop immediately!

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#17

I sequence my TR8-S with my octatrack. It is simply brilliant.
(I dont mind the TR8-S sequencer actually, but yeah, probability and other octatricks are nice! LFOs!)

PS you can totally do P locking on the electribes, its just a bit of long winded way to get there.

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#19

Completely agree. I feel like every sequencer should have p locking or motion sequencing or whatever the hell they want to call it. Even motion sequencing–which is fine–isn’t as in depth as p locking. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t think I can tell a specific trig on a Monologue to be a specific filter frequency level, can I? All I can do is “record motions”?

And all the new Prophets and Moogs and Rolands and what have you have sequencers in them. What’s their reasoning for not having p locks? Does Elektron have a special copyright or something?

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#20

The modern computer is more stable than a lot of hardware going around

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#21

I asked myself this question as well. Couldnt find an answer while googeling for Patents though :slight_smile:

I think its just the Ego of the other companies. They know that Elektron nailed it. But they try so hard to distinquish themselve by making something that is equally great (in their opionion and their opinion only!), but something that isnt P-Locking in the end. Sadly, they always fail because of this. Its false bride in my opinion. They are simply stupid! :slight_smile:

Motion Sequencing is another story btw. Its not the same. The Electribes use to have this, same for the Rolands. Its messy. You have to record something in the first place until you can edit it (Electribes) or you have to edit at least two Steps to make a simple change happen on one Step only. Because once you edit a Step, it overwrites the value for every other step the moment it is triggered. So you need to revert back to the “Default” on the next Step to get the effect of a simple P-Lock (Rolands). This is far from intuitive and can therefore be sorted into the Category: Nice try from the old age! :smiley:

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