5MC 🕐

[waftlord]

This challenge is for all Elektron (Model/Digi/Octa/MD/MnM/Analog) users.

Inspired by a similar challenge on the Dawless Reddit, the ATC challenge and recent posts questioning and seeking reasoning, inspiration and purpose towards electronic music creation.
This one removes overthinking, extraneous polishing and ego, facilitating a pure Human/Machine interaction.

5 Minute Countdown : Blank Pattern, Blank(Default) Kit

-All sequencing + sound within one box (no external performances/thru channel etc)
-No pre-prepped sounds/samples/presets or FX settings
-Single cycle waveforms are permitted
-Only real time (within the 5:00) sampling (ie nothing from your banks, any source allowed…)
-You can copy+paste the pattern and/or kit onto blank patterns
-You can set BPM before the clock starts
-Submit a live video of the 5 minutes. (timer in shot)
-Press stop (hands off) by 0:00 (decay/reverb/delay trails allowed upto 1 minute)

Primarily explores improvisation, sharing different workflows and learning new expedient methodologies for pattern creation.

One major aspect is to deliberate whether to spend the first minute or so in relative silence undertaking admin/creating sounds or dive straight in, attempting to create a dynamically “interesting” performance.

MS/Rytm mk1 users can use a computer to capture and import samples.
Use of on board Randomize is welcome and encouraged for sound design.

It’s a pretty transparent, exciting and brutal process but you will end up with a few patterns and kits in a short period of time (eg try doing 5 in 30 minutes and choose your favourite), some of which may inspire development into more considered tracks.

Of course you can mentally prepare/practise what you’re going to do but the spirit of this challenge is to empty your mind and approach a blank canvas…

[pselodux]

Great idea! I do this with a friend whenever we jam. 5 minutes to make something and then at the end of that, move on to something else. It’s a great way to quickly generate a ton of ideas to build upon later.

I may have to give this a go later in the week

[cold_fashioned]

I’m into it!

[waftlord]

It’s definitely fun and productive (and stress inducing if you’re a perfectionist)…

I tried 5 in a row last week but used samples (and realised to include the M:S and Octa heads fairly would need to impose the real time sampling limitation otherwise you could easily get an epic pad/breakbeat rolling instantly and go from there…).
edit: onboard Single Cycle waves are now permitted to be loaded on sample based machines.

The 5 minutes go really quick and it’s hard to get over worrying what the viewer may think or if their interest will be maintained.
But that’s just your ego talking. Best approach i found is to have fun with it and that will translate in the recording.

I’m hoping what is shared here will be inspiring. (And not a bunch of similar sounding 4/4 bass synth build up recordings, thinking abstractly and outside of your comfort zone will achieve more varied, unexpected and creative outcomes. Eg try something at 30bpm with no percussion)

i’ll also try recording some and uploading one soon. gulp

[sezare56]

@waftlord

No pre-prepped sounds/samples or FX settings
-Only real time (within the 5:00) sampling (ie nothing from your banks, any source allowed…)

Not clear to me.
Thinking about OT.
No samples in slots?

I don’t understand “nothing from your banks” concerning sampling…

No external audio, nothing plugged?

Some settings allowed appart from samples and fx assignments?

Can’t stop before the 5 minutes?

[waftlord]

ok fair questions, and as someone who’s never used the OT bear with me.

@sezare56

No samples in slots?
I don’t understand “nothing from your banks” concerning sampling…

No pre recorded samples to be loaded from your CF/onboard memory etc.

@sezare56

No external audio, nothing plugged?

you can sample anything you want to which would clearly have to be plugged in.
“no external performances” = you can’t perform/play the piano/synth/sing alongside through an input/thru channel. confusing cos you may perform whatever you sample…

@sezare56

Some settings allowed appart from samples and fx assignments?

can you elaborate on what you’d want to pre-setup?

@sezare56

Can’t stop before the 5 minutes?

you can press stop anytime you want… but it’s a 5 minute challenge. “by 0:00”

[tomfs]

No pre-programmed samples, but you are allowed pre-recorded samples?
Just not allowed to have them set to tracks with any settings in place?

Could be fun to start from absolutely nothing, so you just have to use whatever white noise you can record from the inputs.

[rockpapergoat]

hmmm… just to clarify, here’s what this sounds like to me:

• use just a single box
• don’t prepare any sounds, tracks, effects, etc. — just do it live
• if you’re sampling, you have to sample something in real time within the 5 minutes, not use anything from sample banks or kits
• whatever you end up with at 5 minutes is it

it’s not clear to me though whether you can use presets if you’re using a box like the analog four or model:cycles. are presets at all allowed, even preset samples, or is sound design from an init patch also part of this 5 minutes?

it sounds interesting, but 5 minutes is pretty tight even to get started. good luck, intrepid elektronauts!

[chiasticon]

sounds very unnecessarily restrictive on the sampling front.

[sabana]

Just pre load the samples. Whose going to know. Only the OT users.

[bwo]

Kind of feel like this is challenge is pretty massively tilted against using samples, maybe you should allow people to use single cycle waveforms that are already in there machines? I dunno something like model cycles would make this challenge dead easy as its root sounds aren’t far off from being presets. Model samples you would have to be sampling into a computer and then transfering back to them machine?

[Cepheid]

I think some Elektron machines will be quicker to work with than others too. For instance, if I can’t use a preset and I decide to go with my Digitone for the challenge, I have to create sounds from an init patch. If I choose my Machinedrum, I can pick one of the machines and adjust accordingly, which would seem much quicker.

[rockpapergoat]

maybe this challenge is really “live sample something, chop it up, and make something from it.” that seems reasonable.

[waftlord]

well this is causing quite the furore… i’ll update main post when clarity is agreed.

@tomfs

pre-recorded samples?

no pre recorded, pre prepared, onboard or preset samples.
no saved sounds, presets etc.

@rockpapergoat

are presets at all allowed, even preset samples, or is sound design from an init patch also part of this 5 minutes?

no presets, default kit = yes, sound designed from init patch.

@bwo

I dunno something like model cycles would make this challenge dead easy as its root sounds aren’t far off from being presets

something that ends up sounding like the M:C root sounds does sound very easy…

@chiasticon

sounds very unnecessarily restrictive on the sampling front.

@bwo

Kind of feel like this is challenge is pretty massively tilted against using samples,

i’d argue that you have the most powerful instruments to shape whatever sounds you sample once they’re in there… your aural palette is infinite whereas the synth based machines are limited to what can be programmed in the time limit.

@bwo

Model samples you would have to be sampling into a computer and then transfering back to them machine?

i see your point but with the M:S (and rytm mk1) that’s their workflow…
brutal challenge innit. edit: on board Single Cycle waveforms now permitted

@rockpapergoat

“live sample something, chop it up, and make something from it.”

pretty much

@Cepheid

I think some Elektron machines will be quicker to work with than others too.

this is debatable, you’ll be able to tell what efforts people have gone to (how far from the init sounds) in the videos dependent on their chosen machine.
also isn’t there a “randomisation” feature these days…?

[chiasticon]

you can pretty easily get around the pre-prep limitations by putting all your desired sounds into a sample chain before recording. then sample that, slice it up, and go. might lose a minute or so to organizational work but then you’ve got all your desired sounds at hand.

[tomfs]

So you can play anything you want externally to create the sounds, but they must come from the box you are using afterwards.

So on the OT/DT you have to sample everything from external sources. Any limits on the sources?

For DN (and similar) you would have to start from the default sound and modify it from there?

Kinda feels like the OT has a major advantage there? Can literally record an entire song into it as loops with instruments you have already set up patches on? DT a little harder, but would just need to get fast at trimming.

Not trying to be negative btw, it’s an ace idea. Just wondering how it will work.

[waftlord]

it’s all good, i think picking it apart now is best so everyones clear going in.

@tomfs

play anything you want externally to create the sounds, but they must come from the box you are using afterwards.

yep

@tomfs

Any limits on the sources?

nope

@tomfs

default sound and modify it from there?

yep

@tomfs

Can literally record an entire song into it

if you wanna spend 3+ of the 5 minutes recording an entire song go for it…

@tomfs

instruments you have already set up patches on

no preprepared instruments/patches.

[shankiphonic]

@waftlord

-Press stop by 0:00 (decay/reverb/delay trails allowed)

my mind immediately goes to Gran Turismo licensing stages… you have to hit a certain top speed within a certain distance and them come to a complete stop in a specific zone…

All this is to say that it’s generous that you’re allowing for trails to exceed the 5m mark.

I’m game.

[waftlord]

@shankiphonic

generous that you’re allowing for trails to exceed the 5m mark.

anyone who creates a 30 minute drone piece out of their trails will be instantly disqualified.

[astricii]

As someone who does this regularly I’ll say 5 min is a STEEP limit hell, 10 minutes is. Advice I’ll give anyone is don’t get too attached to any one sound. is the kick in tune? good enough move to the next.

Any limit on submissions? would be fun do one with each Elektron box owned to see which one you have the best chops on and which you need to focus more time with.