Am I the only one? [Machinedrum love]

Elektron Gear Machinedrum
#65

IMy experience was rytm➡️MnM➡️MD. when I got the md my understanding of the workflow was inherent, yet as everyone seems to point out there is something so intuitive and instantly gratifying about this machine.
Still think autechres coenc3 track is a remarkable example of its depth, power and funk that the majority of its users still aren’t really exploiting.
(Would love to be recommended examples that contradict that statement)
Best song mode in the family so far.
As for the sound of the UW, sorry rytm mk2 users but you’ll never quite have the natural lush filth of its 12 bytes.

There’s a science lab going on exploring what it can do it with even its most basic machines.

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#66

And with 16 tracks, you always have some spare for real time sampling and messing with your awesome groove.

My favorite Elektron :slight_smile:

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#67

Great to see this thread still getting some love after so long.
I know I still go back to my MD before any other box. Still going strong.
And as my understanding of synthesis expands, the capabilities of this little box become more apparent.

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#68

Ack! Forgot about the science lab… Anways, came here to say: I just did a live set that I set up last year. It involves Machinedrum and Monomachine routed through Octatrack. Some seem to like to set Octatrack as the ‘master’ unit here - and in a way, it is, since Machinedrum and Monomachine route through it.

But the master clock has to come from Machinedrum. I manually change tempo a few times during the set, and that big giant Machinedrum selection-wheel-as-tempo-wheel is so much more fun than anything else I’ve got.

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#69

MD is a machine where really nothing was left out…(of course there are no conditional trigs and all the nice new features)
i have it (two actually) since ~17 years and still it is full of surprises…

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#70

Help me to love it !
I have it since 2 or 3 weeks, I found it a bit deceiving coming from OT + A4.

It’s good for glitchy things, recording knobs movements, but compared to OT, midi machines are limited, and I’m very sad that you can’t use lfos with them (except pitchbend?).

I tried the CTR 8P thing as workaround to modulate midi machines with lfos, but I’d kneed 2, and a CTR AL, so in that case I have only 13 lfos, bad luck.

I don’t find drum synthesis part great yet, I prefer A4’s.

Sequencer is too static, the only thing I can use is lfos on CTR AL to have enough parameters to modulate.

I have better acoustic drum synthesis with my Wavedrum.

1 Like
#71

I just love the sound of the thing so much! the drums synthesis is so awesome too

#72

i don’t know, what kind of sounds you are in. most of the fun i have is to use it NOT as a xox drum machine.
fm and pi machines can be bend to beautiful noises… or a 16 track hi hat… i had a patch where it sounded like bird chatter a.s.o. and the gated reverb is something i miss in every other box.

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#73

what are the fm machines?

#74

The EFM MDsynth introduces Elektron’s “Enhanced Feedback Modulation” algorithms. The generated sound ranges from realistic acoustic drums to wild, chaotic effects.

Efm are interesting, but hard to tune, like other machines except ROM/RAM. I wonder if the Digitone would be better for me for that fm drums purpose.

I’ll give MD another week. Maybe I’ll see Elvis.

#75

another tip:
back of the track levels - takes away the harshness.
and try to stay with one instrument for a longer time. very often there is really a lot terrain between 0 and 127… change the decay - use the filters…
but i also know, MD is not an immediate reward. it grows over time.
i wouldn’t use it as an “in the face” drum machine any more - i prefer it for the icing on the cake

3 Likes
#76

I just messed with MD lfos, 15 random hold lfos modulating the CTR AL :
15x16=240 parameters modulated, adding resampling and realtime random playing.

Muting, unmuting to latch CTR AL positions.
Really impressive. A lot of variety of sounds.

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#77

Let me show it to you at the end of the month…
Resampling and Ctl-AL are pretty awesome.

You have to experiment with each machine and try to find your own sound before deciding it’s not good for you. :wink:

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#78

The EFM bass drum can do some lovely kicks when the FM parameters are kept low, can do very powerful and transient attack type techno sounds, I prefer MD kicks to Rytm any day. YMMV.

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#79

I think I found the key to have more control of CTR AL machine randomness : plocks !
Some slides… :thup:
I love it more tonight : I forgot to eat ! :smile:

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#80

Btw you can jump from plocked sequence to “natural” sequence with only one button. You can get interesting variations out of it, especially with over plocked resampling tracks.

My favorite drum machine. Can’t believe it’s this old, a classic for sure.

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#81

The XTom from the TRX Kit when set to the lower Pitch settings (with some Dist dialed in) is great as a bassdrum, or layering with a bassdrum sample.

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#82

Does someone have a machinedrum AND a Digitone? How do you compare them regarding synthesized drum sounds?

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#83

i don’t have the digitone long enough to make a direct comparison.
sound wise the DN can make very good FM Percussion (one of the best rides i ever heard) and to my surprise its the easiest synth to make really great and complex fm sounds (and i have a little history with fm) but of course its limited to 4 tracks.
the md is a drum machine capable to make also very nice SYNTH sounds but of course it is a little limited in that regard.

if you want to stick with drums i would stay with the MD - but the DN is really fantastic in many ways.
if you can afford it, have both

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#84

Ok you won, I keep my gorgeous black MD ! :slight_smile:

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DN have soundlocks, TRC and 8 voices polyphony so I think you can make complex drums with it.

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