I’m totally new here. Apologies if I’ve broken any protocol by launching in with questions.
After a long hiatus I’m getting that itch to get back into some music production.
The kids have started letting me sleep at night and I’m beginning to feel human again.
The genre I’m planning to work in would be melodic, but really deep, minimal, glitchy, crunchy house music - potentially adding some live work to DJ sets.
I really like what I’ve seen and heard of Elektron products but my head’s spinning a little at all the crossover. I was leaning toward the Analog Rytm as drum programming was always what I most enjoyed, and I’m drawn by the number of outputs as I’m used to mixing on a hardware desk.
My provisional thoughts would be an approx £2k setup something like this:
Mac (already owned) running Ableton
Analog Rytm mkII
Novation bass station II (to also use as midi controller - I’m not a player so don’t need a full size keyboard)
Yamaha 01V mixing desk (already owned) assuming I can actually get it to talk to the the other kit.
down the line I’d probably need an outboard warmth/effect box.
So, where would I be going wrong with that?
Should I abandon the hardware desk idea and do the mixing internally?
Is the Analog RYTM too much of an indulgence? is there other Elektron gear that would serve me better value? Syntakt perhaps?
Any guidance appreciated.
PS. In the day job I’m a graphic designer, so I can offer a free band/label logo design to whoever gives me the best steer.
I think your list seems like a good place to start.
You can pick up ARs and Bass Stations pretty easily second hand and they hold their value pretty well, so you’d not be risking much financially. Also, second hand leaves a bit of budget for a little poly (maybe a Roland Boutique) for chords and stuff.
The master compressor and overdrive on the AR are really nice, and if you’re using the individual outputs you can avoid things getting too muddy whilst still keeping some of that analogue niceness.
Thanks for the response.
Good to know I wasn’t completely off base.
Funnily enough I almost mentioned a budget poly synth in the list.
I won’t be doing anything until the school hols finish (early September here) so a bit of time to mull things over.
Much appreciated.
This thread will probably end up giving you dozens of suggestions!
Mine: With the price that Analog Keys have hit in the UK you could consider that as an alternative keyboard that could also replace the need to go for the Rytm. Overbridge is really handy when also working in the box, the A4/K sounds fantastic for synths/drums and it’s a nice keybed for some midi controller playing. Worth considering if you’d rather test the water with Elektron stuff first and if you’d rather spend cash elsewhere as a priority.
If you like the Sound of the rytm, and the rytm is where your Feelings guide you- go for it. My advise would be to start with just that and an outboard mixer and learn that setup inside out!
thanks. I kind of ruled the keys out as it’s not something I could likely take out ‘live’ in the way I’d be doing it.
Something like a Rytm would (I believe) plug into a basic DJ setup to add live beats and loops to DJ set.
Whatever you pick, keep it super simple. You’ll probably enjoy it way more if only learning and using one or maybe two devices. Obviously I never follow my own advice, but whenever I try to do too much it just ends in frustration.
Sorry if this advice is too basic for you. Maybe you totally know that already
I think it is a good start. Your goal is basically what I’m currently working on–house-ish music of my own mingled with a DJ set.
I ultimately landed on a Pioneer Toraiz SP-16 sampler as it works with the Pioneer DJ ecosystem. I’ve got a couple synths to feed it sounds and then sample from elsewhere as well.
I definitely agree with “keep it simple” – at least for myself I can’t think about much more than the SP-16 and two CDJs.
Yes, use ableton+AR+Bass station.
For doing techno stuff you will be really good with that.
And at some point you can add a small usb pad to change the scene on abbleton but at the beginning just try what you said you will be really good with that.
Don’t need to warm the sound I think, the AR has already a good overdrive.
Rytm is a great choice for this. You can do analog drums, synthesis using the dual VCO or “single sample waveforms” (short waveform samples that you play back looped, and can be used melodically), and sampling.
The mk2 is much nicer to use IMO and you can sample directly into it without needing a computer, which for me is half of the point of using hardware. This also allows you to “resample” sounds internally, which can be handy for freeing up a voice or sampling several notes as a chord stab.
It’s a really fun box, not too complicated to get started with, and has great performance options. It also has a good sound for house music IMO.
One thing I’m not sure about is how good it is for sequencing external MIDI devices, I think it can only do monophonic (ie no chords) and may be limited in other ways. Other Elektrons are more flexible here, so just worth keeping in mind if you did want to sequence your synths from the hardware rather than ableton
if i were making crunchy house music (as i occasionally do) i’d find the Rytm to be overkill (i used to have one) and i’d go for a TR-8S or TR-6S. great price, all those classic house/techno drum machine sounds, plus the option to go weird with FM drums and sampled drums whenever you want. they’re very performable and less overwhelming than the Rytm. that would free up cash for something else on the synthesiser or sampler front (one of the Digi boxes maybe, or a polysynth of some sort)
Just a general +1 to something that handles sampled one shots if not loops well. You’ll want vocals at some point making house, I imagine anyway. I thought I wouldn’t but here I am : )
I went mad and bought way more gear than I need or can reasonably use over the last 2yrs. I feel I can say from experience that it’s better to start with smaller set-ups.
Yeah, it’s one of my favourite Elektron boxes for sure. Right now the Syntakt is the one I’m playing with most and it covers a lot of the ground I’m interested in, but for housey stuff I think you want sampling.
In terms of simplifying things, I actually think it would be fair to say the OP might be able to create a lot of the music they had in mind with just the Rytm, if they are willing to accept a few constraints. I always find when I add more pieces of gear, my productivity drops and you end up messing with MIDI settings etc. and before you know it, the fun is gone. But if you had a stable set up that probably wouldn’t be such an issue to be fair.
I probably won’t be looking to integrate a live set too closely with a DJ set.
I’m old school and will be playing vinyl, so it’ll most likely be a DJ set… then a live set. Nothing too fluid.
FWIW I’m not one of those vinyl purist snobs. It’s just what I’ve come up with.
In many ways its a right hassle. It costs a fortune. Takes a lot of care. It weighs a bastard ton, and it sounds bloody awful if you botch a mix. But who want’s life to be easy, eh?
In relation to the studio setup it’s reassuring for so many people to agree on keeping it simple.
I can’t justify buying a load of new kit, so it will have be relatively basic, but I’m taking that as a positive; I really like sculpting a sound rather than jumping around between novelties, so getting granular with a couple of decent bits of kit feels like the way to go.
I thought someone would have to through a snapper in the works.
As much as do like noise, crunch, glitch and distortion, I do like subtlety. My favourite electronic music tends to be quite restrained - I think live can bang a bit more, but in terms of studio stuff I’m not looking to do anything hectic or abrasive. I’ll give your suggestions some consideration.
Thanks for the input.
Yea I’d be quite impressed if someone could pull off a fluid set of vinyl and a sampler! Totally respect people who still want to play vinyl, it’s a labor of love.
