Seconded, it’s great bang for the buck
Teenage KO : KOII :: Volca Drum : [nonexistent drum synth that Korg is crazy for not making]
2 Likes
This is amazing 
1 Like
Jomox Mod FM
2 Likes
Another piece of gear whose nonexistence continues to baffle me: Arturia Drumfreak
8 Likes
I would love a Jomox Mod FM and Perkons eurorack voice to add to my techno case. I have Jomox bass drum and other drum modules so I can imagine how wild it would be.
The minifreak can surprisingly churn out some pretty mean drums on its own
2 Likes
After reading again all the pretty nice suggestions from elektronauts on this thread and searching a little bit on the forum. I would summarise the winners. Of course this is based on my personal taste and aesthetics. So the options could be :
Design your own synth : modular
Software: max or even better pure data , because is open source.
Hardware: machinedrum or surprisingly the Volca drum.
6 Likes
Not surprising if you have one and spend a bit of time on it. Great little drum machine with a lot of depth and character.
You could even use my handy editor, VOLDRED, if you have Touch OSC:
10 Likes
You can even do combo for both hardware and software as well
2 Likes
Very cool. Thanks for sharing. I definitely will use it . I don’t have a Volca but I will have one in the future.
Of course the possibilities are endless .
Dream set up a Machinedrum with max.
I found a machinedrum on the market and have it on my hotlist. Is like brand new at 900€.
But also I like the cheaper option Volca Drum with Pure data .
3 Likes
Perkons HD-01 is an inspiring machine, equally adept as a synth/voice module. Unless you just want 707/808/909 style sounds. But for tweaking and sheer joy of use, hard to beat IMO.
1 Like
Really glad I’m not the only one on this endless quest for a better drum. Thanks for dropping some more inspiration into this thread.
As mentioned somewhere up thread, I’m kind of lazy these days and will not spend too much time with it (and on elektronauts as well). It’s unavoidable I will return to that question in future.
Machinedrum would possibly be the exact thing and I learned a lot about synthesis from reading its technical design paper. If there would be one for a not-too-crazy-price, I’d take it.
Generally, I’m not a friend of daw based and software solutions. Modular is a dreaded rabbit hole I like to avoid throwing coins in. The Nord Modular however keeps popping up in my mind, but also here, prices are sky rocketing. Can’t justify that investment for my humble explorations.
And for those who were wondering: I like creative synthesised sound. I don’t care for anything naturalistic. If it’s electric somehow, that’s me.
3 Likes
Would also buy one if there is a option, all i see online is for double the price you mentioned. That’s too much for me.
1 Like
Having recently picked up the Cydrums, I can highly recommend them on the hardware side. For software, check out Microtonic by Sonic Charge:
It’s hard to beat.
7 Likes
What you’re saying in the opening post sounds very familiar to me. After falling in love with the Machinedrum in 2019 or so and spending a couple of years making music pretty much exclusively on that little box of wonders I found myself wanting ”more of the same” but in another box, preferably analog (and def not a sampler).
What ended up going ”wrong” for me was exactly that - I yearned for a similar experience as with the Machinedrum, an instrument I had spent several years learning.
So, in short, as with the Machinedrum, I wanted to be able to do everything in one box - synthesis, sequencing AND fx. Essentially the way I’d been using the Machinedrum was like a groovebox. I also (generally) love the Elektron workflow, p-locks especially.
The (drum) synths I tried in 2021-2023 were:
A4
Tempest
Nord Drum 2
Digitone
Analog Rytm
TheDivisionDepartment 01/IV
ND2 and 01/IV don’t have an internal sequencer or fx. Tempest doesn’t have delay or reverb either. I really struggled with the Tempest UI/workflow but in more capable hands (and given time AND with some fx) I know it could truly shine. 01/IV was a fun, more straightforward box but more limited sound design-wise. I also like doing melodic stuff on drum synths and it was harder to do that with the 01/IV. On the ND2, the UI wasn’t enjoyable for me.
So that left me with the Elektron boxes (DN, A4, AR), all of which I’ve owned more than once actually. The DN is a nice synth but as a digital drum machine the Machinedrum just feels (nearly) perfect for me (also prefer the sound and more voices). What never made sense to me was having only four tracks, so at some point I might want to give the DN2 a try.
A4 is sorta like a mini-Tempest in the sense that in capable hands it can be a monster drum machine (as you well know). At least for me, four voices does take quite a bit of juggling to make full tracks on though (I know it can be done). Having two A4s (especially mk1s cos of the price) isn’t such a crazy idea, to be honest.
Lastly, Analog Rytm, while being the only drum machine I still have (in addition to the Machinedrum), definitely leaves something to be desired as regard its synthesis capabilities, like you said. Some of the engines/machines can give fairly interesting results and pinging the filter with the impulse machine is always fun but as a drum synth, it could definitely be more versatile.
So yeah, even though I didn’t end up keeping them, in addition to the Machinedrum, I’d check out the Tempest and the ND2.
10 Likes
Every box has limits, and limitations spark creativity. Make the most of what you have.
4 Likes
Syntax seems the closest thing to a MD successor, no? I’ve only used it, AR, and DN however
That is a very insightful reply. Thanks for taking the time to summarise your experience @korpinen 
Our approaches and expectations indeed seem to be quite similar. And remembering the music you produced within self-set limitations to a single box I was always impressed by what you achieved with little. I will definitely see if I can picture myself working with a Tempest. Nothing cheap to find 2nd hand and being out of production/support for a while always makes me hesitate a bit. The interface and lack of FX might also be not for me.
Speaking of today I am exploring/revisiting countless patches I did with the A4 and think about sampling a few bits into the AR while embracing its really fabulous sounding signal path and performance capabilities.
Like @DonovanDwyer said, maybe my thinking is stubbornly limited towards a single one-does-it-all solution. Basically I do have what I need. A bit of re-considering and probably adding a controller (faders!!) might be a better option to bring everything together than adding/changing to another synth.
5 Likes
Don’t forget effects also. A Quadraverb and Rainbow Machine will go a long way towards varied sound design.
And since you have an A4, have you tried sequencing the fx track?
4 Likes