Advise/opinions needed

Hi…Im a new member here and require your expertise and opinions.

I recently returned to the world of music production earlier this year and with that I am sure I will start djing again. I recently purchased a OT…yaaay price drop! And am getting on well with it. My purpose for getting the OT was mainly for use as a studio tool and a LIVE aspect for dj sets…my first go was this past friday and went ok but I wasn’t utilizing even 20% of its power.

So the advise I seek is, what would you recommend for a studio tool that can also be used as tool for dj sets:

  1. TR-8 - No brainer. Classic sound and so simple to program that my 5 year old can do it
  2. Rytm - Analog, which I can take or leave as I care more about the sound. And pricey
  3. MD - Never heard this one in person…so I am on the fence.

For the price of a new rytm I could get a tr-8 & md, probably, which would make for more versatility with the OT in the mix, I think, or the rytm which looks like a lot of fun…especially the mk2

BTW, I mainly produce dark driving & raw techno

Are you happy with the OT performance? You mention you used only “20% of its power” but then mention wanting to pick up something else… sounds like you have a lot to work with yet on the OT. Are you looking for something more immediate to keep you playing? Or are you looking to add more gear in general? I like my MD MKII when I had it, it was fantastic but a lot more machine than I really needed. I only use about 4drum voices because I play in a more traditional band setting. Others on the forum would be able to give you better opinions on the machines listed.

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By “dj set”, do you mean continuous playback of pre-recorded music? If so, the Octatrack can do this pretty well.

The other instruments you mention are drum machines. The Octatrack makes for a pretty good drum machine.

What other gear do you currently have? What do you want to do that you can’t do with your existing gear?

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I am very happy with the OT’s performance. I only used “20% of its power” this past friday because I just got it 1 week earlier and didn’t want to f**k up. So I was only adding looped kicks, hats, etc with very minimal effects/mangling to my dj set. With more time I definitely be using more of its potential.

I was thinking of tr-8 and/or machinedrum or the rytm to keep those units for percussion only with the OT having the lines from the ‘phonogram’ being fed into it along with the ‘drum units’ to make my dj sets feel more alive

Part of me thinks it might be overkill since the OT is a very capable drum machine…but the ‘drum units’ are just that so the sonic potential is greater

I also produce and do remixes so that is something I am keeping in mind. Which is why the MD really peaks my interest.

I am not a ‘live pa’, yet, by any stretch. But the goal is to get to that point. Right now the machines would just be a supplement to dj sets

@PeterHanes I have rebuilt my studio from scratch in 8 months since getting back into music…I am all set for studio hardware, I think. If I can hit 2 birds with one stone, dj and studio, its a bonus :slight_smile:

Hook a Nord Drum 2 onto the OT’s MIDI sequencer. Process the audio via a compressor and filter on the OT line it.

I know, this will not be of much help … but you exactly describe the reason, why I have the TR-8 and the AR (okay the OT and AK too :wink: ).

My TR-8 has got all extensions and it’s really a quick and easy handling. If I just need a good electronic groove, straight out of the box, I go for the TR-8.

If I want to have the complexity of options, which are given by the Elektrons, I use the AR for the rhythm.

Both are excellent for live jamming.

The AR is good for dark techno, especially really big, really aggressive DOOOF kicks, but you can cover that with the OT if you have suitable samples. The MD maybe has a wider palette of weirder / harsher techno sounds and has lots of live tricks of its own. The TR-8 is a great live instrument, it’s really straightforward but you can get a surprising range of stuff out of it while still having the classic 909/707 techno sounds to fall back on. E.g. what KiNK does with the reverb and delay is really smart. It bothers me sometimes that it doesn’t have pattern switching via MIDI but I came to terms with it not really being about that. I can midi sequence the TR-8 from the OT / MM / MD anyway, if required.

A decent distortion is a nice addition to the TR-8.

AR, MD, and TR-8 are all good studio tools but the Elektrons are more likely to be the source of new and unique sounds in that context.

I pulled the trigger on the TR-8. It really was a no brainer at the price…some people just seem to be giving them away.

Seems more are for the rytm for the modern/current techno sound. I think I might need to make time to watch more videos

First I want to thank everyone that chimed in…you all helped.

So instead of watching videos I loaded some samples into the OT and well, it is all the rytm I need. And once the tr-8 arrives the fun can really begin.

Ultimately the TR-8 and MD for the price of a new rytm is the way I am leaning, and should leave me with some $ left over to take the wife out for dinner…unless the rytm mk2 kills it then I guess I will eventually have another drum machine

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Difficult to advise now you jump on TR8. Anyway in all cases i would have told you to free up the OT with a Drum Machine not the OT is not capable of Drumming… But more to Free up some space for Melodic content it make sense to add a Drum Machine to it.

Therefore, for the others i really dislike all this Roland ACB technology.
More than that Drums require Hi-end equipment to process the way i like. And it’s really hard to get it. So the best workaround for me is Drum Machine with a real good low end and Dynamic + Sample who gives me Classic sounding as well as room to reinvent the Wheel (and on this statement, there is not so much contender to the AR). MD is fine and incredible at Transients. But the Analog RYTM suit me even more better.

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I feel you. I was thinking the same initially and will probably eventually evolve into that if I decide, or become skilled enough, to go completely ‘live’. But for my immediate needs the MD might even be overkill for DJ sets, but I know I will be making immediate use of it in the studio. Plus the TR-8 just pounds on a system and as @SoundRider mentioned ,its good for getting quick grooves going with little thought. With subtle usage in a dj set it can add a lot of dynamics run through an OT.

The MD and the rytm being more pricey is my dilemma. But ultimately for where I am planning on taking things musically the MD is the way to go for me.

And if the rytm mk2 does what we all think, or hope, it will do, then there is a chance it will be one of the greatest performance tools of all times.