Complement for Ableton Live Performance

Elektron Gear
#1

Hey,

I’m looking for a drum machine to use as an instrument mainly for a techno live performance.

My performance is based on ableton where I have backing tracks and whole songs which I remix and play over with hard, modular and soft synths

I want a a drum machine to be able to improvise, and do stuff outside the box.

I’ve been thinking mainly about the Roland Tr8S, Digitakt and the MFB Tanmauz.

Octatrak and Model sample also have popped up once in a while.

Wanted to get your advice on this?

Appreciate it!

#2

There is no easy answer, because it depends very much on your individual workflow.

Most of the machines of today have sounds, which can be used right out of the box. They can also be synchronized to whatever master-clock. But there are differences of the user interfaces. The interface has to fit to your workflow, or you will not be happy with the machine, particularly in a live situation.

My suggestion would be, to try to imagine to play an ideal drum machine and how this would fit to all the other things you have to do while performing … and then check out, which of the offered machines fits best to your ideas.

Are you more the XOX-box type of a performer or prefering MPC-like pads? How flexible and spontaneous do you want to be? How much oversight you want to have? Is menu-switching or mode-switching acceptable?

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#3

One of the Elektron Overbridge boxes would be the ultimate compliment to your existing workflow.

I’ve already evangelized the Digitakt once tonight, so I’ll spare you about how the Digitakt is the greatest most fulling and rewarding machine I’ve ever encountered, and instead I’ll evangelize Overbridge.

Overbridge is all encompassing- you design a pattern and you jam while you’re running Overbridge and the plugin will save all of your tweaks for you to edit after your performance. It’s so convenient to use the onboard fx while splitting your individual tracks- or if you have fx you prefer to use, super easy to do that. Also you can combine your groove of jams with the virtual environment of VCV Rack/Reaktor/MaxForLive

It really is all the fun of composing on hardware with the precision of having a software workflow.

That being said- Octatrack will not harmoniously enter into your Ableton workflow as many of its functions need to be done locally.

Model:Samples might be good on the go- when they come out with their battery, but that’s more of a portable workstation than a complementary one.

1 Like
#4

Thanks a lot Ryan.

I´m thinking that overbridge might be the game changer. I´m kind of concerned about the Digitakt workflow for Live Performance (menus, etc…)

But I´m leaning towards Digitakt anyway. I really like the size as well.

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#5

Hey Soundrider,

thanks a lot. I´m not looking to do any fingerdrumming. I want something to play with and trigger drum patterns outside the box. What I´m thinking is the TR8S is only a drum machine, while with the DT (if i´m not mistaken) i could also do basslines, etc… So if that´s true, the DT would definitely be my choice.

I have my sets organized in Ableton. But i´d love something that I could improvise with outside the box, not only for drums, also for bass, and maybe a pad. That´s why i´m leaning towards Digitakts and maybe Digitone in the future.