Hey guys
Im using Ableton (mouse) from time to time , im not a professional
only hobby , but sometimes felt little tired from ableton and laptop…
other days I want an ableton push to complete integration DAW-controller…
Electronic music is my life ; Autechre , Techno from dark to dubtechno etc…
The history , wants to go a step further.
If you can buy ONE elektron machine to start in hardware world
wich one?
mono , machinedrum?
I saw hundred of videos , love the sound from all elektron machines
but i dont know wich one will be better for a noob in hardware like me.
Now im in a ableton push Vs Elektron machine , scenario…
need to choose in incoming weeks…
What should I do with my money , maybe need to wait a century to save money again… i should choose wisely
Thanks for your time and sorry my english skills !
It’s worth searching for other threads about this - the question has definitely been posed before.
That said, it depends on how you want to write music. All of them are capable of making full tracks. If you enjoy writing melodies, chord progressions, and generally the tonal side of things, I’d say go with the A4 or Mnm. A4 will make sense if you’re familiar with subtractive synthesis; the Mnm is a little more idiosyncratic, but capable of a surprising range of sounds.
If drums are more central to what you’re doing / what you like to do, MD or AR are the obvious choices. You can fill in other tonal bits with them as well, but naturally percussion is the focus.
And then there’s the OT, my personal favorite unit. Probably the most confusing to fully learn out of any of the Elektrons. If SAMPLING is a central technique for you, then go for it; if not, start with something else. In a way the OT is the most capable of them all at making full tracks. For percussion, it’s very easy to load up one shots and get a XOX thing going, and to spice up sounds with effects as needed. Or you can chop up a drum break and go that route. And it’s also possible to get synth-y sounds by playing tuned samples chromatically.
Anyway, I won’t give genre recommendations per box, as you can make most things with most of them. Think about what techniques you want to focus on and go from there. Good luck!
I would also say the OT. It is probably the most versatile. This also makes it the most difficult to use IMO.
You can then sequence and sample anything into it. You can get the sample loops correctly in time at the correct length. Pretty much do anything you want without getting bored of it. It is frustrating at times when you forget a parameter that when it is set a certain way won’t let you grab a sample.
I’ve only had the MD, OT, and A4, in that order. The MD (MK1) eventually became boring. The A4 sounds really nice but is limited voices.
As a beginner though you might want to start with something simple like an MD or A4 to understand hardware side of things. Find a used one or someplace that will take returns after a few weeks if you don’t like it.
how elektron machines develop with age ?, I mean… are they build like a tank?
made to resist time?
are they easy to repair , a broken knob , or something like this?
Im from Spain , dont know if a machine should travel to be repaired
thank u again
Hi my vote is for MD uw i got A4 and MnM too but i always enjoy and got more fun with the MD as a stand alone machine you can make synth sounds, drums, 16 tracks vs 8 or 4 or 6 and you can load samples you can resample, record external sources. alot of machines and its one of the 2 more mature products of elektron the other MnM then A4 i think you got a really small learning curve in 1 week you are almost donei think , and making music without the manual.
MD was my first box at the end i think it really doesnt matter wich one you buy first becouse you will want every elektron box Ableton Live and a syngen II pro
The MD is much much more than just a drum machine, and with the added sample features, it covers pretty much everything you need to make a track. It is a very deep machine, but more or less straight forward to use (with lots of hidden goodies). You can get going quickly, and fall in love fast, with the MD. Get the newest version with the Plus Drive too. Since this will be your first piece of gear, you’ll need to be able to do everything in one box, and the Plus Drive will make that easier to do.
Second chioce would be the Monomachine.
If you like messing with synthesis, you’d love the MNM. It can do percussion too. It can be a simple and thin sounding at first, but as you learn more, it will become a beast of a synth!
A4 or AR. With Overbridge they will integrate nicely with Ableton, as they are analog they have a special something that software doesn’t tend to cover as well, finally they have a better sequencer and effects than the MD and MNM.
There is plenty that you can do with free drum samples, and samplechains of waveforms etc. What you can create with ableton can be thrown into the OT and turned into something else.
If you do not have an audio interface, then The A4 or the AR I would say, because then overbridge will give you an audio interface via the inputs, and USB audio.
Do you want a Drum machine, a sampler, a synth? Digital or analog?
Monomachine has a little bit of drums and is a really amazing synth.
MD UW is amazing, and can be used for a LOT of stuff, and is a sampler as well
You can sample in your synth parts from ableton, or use single cycle waveforms.
go for a second had piece, preferably with remaining warranty …
put out an ad on the internet asking for people to show you their elektron boxes and pay a beer or two in return …
md … get the mk1 second hand, sell it if you like it to buy a mk2 (and the UW and +drive) … sell it if you dont like it … be prepared to make a loss of 50 euro / dollar / pesos …
ot: how good are you with sampling? … little bit more expensive but you can control your other non elektron toys, which you may add in future …
MM : least expensive, does drums AND synths …synths is the strong side … very confusing machine to me!
A4 : hard to get second hand, if you get a cheap one go for it! …are you a composer, keyboard player? do you like warm synth sounds? … you cannot go wrong buyer A4 … only little drums inside
AR : most expensive, if you are a analog freak and want the low base factor this might be yours, also you can use samples … but it is not as good with samples as the OT …
1 elektron is just the beginning… i own all elektron toys, becaue I couldnt make up my mind which one to buy …
gotta catch them all
once again: try to get your hands on the gear before you buy, if you buy, buy second hand, if you make up your mind, buy it all after some time…
If you build your music from the rhythm first then I would recommend the MDUW or AR (although I think the MDUW might be more your sound palette if you’re into Autechre).
The MD is the only Elektron device that feels completely natural to me. I get frustrated by the 64-step limitations of the sequencers on the MNM and A4 as I feel they force me to compose in a specific way. I prefer the Ableton sequencer for my melodic parts.
I always found drum programming a drag in Ableton and the MD made it fun and intuitive. It’s a genuinely inspiring bit of hardware and I think the easiest to learn and get comfortable with of all the Elektron instruments.
Thank you all guys , very kind people here !
Im thinking in a used machinedrum mk1 , i can find for 500 Eur.
No warranty…
Im between an ableton push + soundcard (I have AKG Headphones) or MD…
Honestly, you can do a lot more with Ableton + Push than an MD. I’d recommend working with that for a while and only going the hardware route if you really don’t like using your comp
I had my A4 for 6 months then decided to grab the MDUW+ for perc duties, got it for £650 from a local guy, like brand new with 2.5years warranty left! Instantly i felt a connection with it, the next day a mate called past mid jam and he said “your jammin that MD like you’ve had it for months”. Thats a huge testament to the layout and workflow of such a deep machine, couldn’t take my hands off it, just wonderful!
MDUW+ for me.
It’s deep enough to stay interesting for a long period of time, but instantaneous enough to start jamming on it right away.
If you’re into Autechre & such, than the MDUW will give you the right character of sound to make that style of music.
With 16 tracks… you will be able to make full songs/live sets… you won’t need anything else, but ultimately you will add to it… regardless, the MDUW is a great place to start.
Just to give you an idea of the versatility of it, this track is entirely on the machinedrum… this is not your style of music, but next to using software or a vintage groove-box… not much out there can to this. All voice samples are my own, entered into ROM slots and manipulated live. This is 100% MDUW, stereo out recording… so for a 1st bit of gear… not a bad choice.
Reading this thread, it sounds like everyone is on Elektron KoolAid! I have Ableton Live and Push, and now an Elektron A4. Now I’m on the Elektron KoolAid too, and its addictive.
I can tell you that using an Elektron device will really inspire you and pull you away from the computer. I’ve gone all hardware. Now I’m thinking about adding an OT also! (although I’m not really a house/techno type fan … )
I really like the A4 for coming up with fresh ideas. Push did this for a while for me too (because of the new note layouts etc), but it is much more immediate for me on the A4, and the sound is unbelievable.
the other MnM then A4 i think you got a really small learning curve in 1 week you are almost donei think , and making music without the manual.
