Dynamix Help

Elektron Gear Monomachine
#1

I’m starting to experiment a lot with the monomachine FX. Very cool stuff here really opens up the sonic possibilities of this amazing synth. Dynamix compressor has probably been the toughest for me to wrap my head around so far. I know the basics of what a compress does, different uses, etc but am by no means an expert on compression. I’m having a hard time translating what little I do know or have read about to the dynamix. I think if someone could offer some different settings of what they like for certain sounds for instance side chain compression or “I really like using it this way on my kick drums” that might help as I experiment.

As an aside I feel like the Monomachine is tremendous for sound design and ideas. This is the first hardware synth I have ever owned which I think has been a benefit to me because I don’t really have any preconceived notions about how a synth should operate or sound. My past experience has all been with soft synths (Massive, Sylenth) but I had a really hard time committing to them. With the mono I can sit there for hours just working on one percussive sound! I never would have put in that type of effort before. Anyway just wanted to share that I’m hooked as I’m sure many of you are.

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#2

Yeah, I love the MM for how open it is. You can push in one direction and go way past where you thought a practical limit might be, it just gets more and more complex.

Anyway, yeah, the Dynamix. I think they basically lifted it from the Machinedrum, and in that context it was originally designed for drums. There is no sidechain function so it doesn’t really work that way. Even on the MD you want to send the kick drum out separately to avoid it messing up the compressor. A lot of compressors will allow you to filter the low frequencies to stop it pumping with the kick but again, you can’t really do that within Dynamix.

It’s not the greatest sounding compressor either, to be fair. I think it can help in certain situations - the obvious use is where you have a part/track in which you notice the quieter notes are getting lost in the mix. So in that context it’s more for fixing than enhancing.

The one thing I do like about it is you can adjust the dry/wet balance so you can get some subtle parallel compression effects going on. If I sacrifice a track for a Dynamix machine it tends to be for a dbox track or something where things are being p-locked and tweaked and there are a range of different sounds on one track. A bit of parallel comp can help tie it together and make it more cohesive.

I’ll need to look up what sort of thing I had it set to when I’ve done that… in general though I think it’s much better used lightly than when smashing stuff, or if you do smash a drum part at least dial back the wet mix a fair way.

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#3

When I started inserting external signals (modular, MD, A4) into the dynamix, my outlook on digital compressors changed. You can drive it HARD and you get this great “pumping” action along with a pleasant, analog hiss. And a hum. But maybe that’s the PSU in my aging SFX6.

Anyway, it’s probably not great as a mastering-quality compressor, but it’s great as an effect.

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#4

…which i’d agree with, and second for the majority of the MnM’s effects. in most cases i find they’re better suited for sound design than as high-level mix effects, though admittedly i’ve never stopped trying to push them in that direction either.

have you tried the simple tutorial in the manual’s appendix under the DX listing? that’s a good process to run through as you’re wrapping your head around it.

also explore sequencing the effect track vs. trigging it with your source track. sometimes one approach will work better.

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