Help me prioritize

psyclone001 · 2017-05-17T05:58:08.458Z

+1
At least try them all well before making a decision.
It’s such a personal workflow thing.
Some love Tempest, some don’t
Some love Octatrack, some don’t
Some love AR, some don’t
Not sure I’m helping but not sure I can

Cosmic · 2017-05-17T06:01:49.280Z

These guys are telling him to sell the synth he gets along most with. That is strange to me.
He should only sell if he definitely knows he does not get along with the device, needs the money, or wants something else. Reducing 3 to 2 is a fair strategy, but I would only do this for the reasons stated above. However I dont prescribe to the minimalist approach others do.

CallOffTheVote · 2017-05-17T06:04:23.198Z

If you aren’t enjoying the rytm, sell it. If you are enjoying it but it’s just taking time that you don’t have right now and if you don’t need the money/space, just take it slow.

I’ve been in couple of similar situations past few years and it’s frustrating but equally cool to feel like something you have is still kind of new/yet to reveal magic and its right there ready to be switched on without having to order/wait for delivery etc

psyclone001 · 2017-05-17T06:24:24.428Z

And probably unless you’ve owned all three to compare it’s a little hard to give advice.
FWIW I’ve owned both OT and AR but sold them both.
I guess that must mean keep the Tempest

andreasroman · 2017-05-17T06:32:45.018Z

I owned a Tempest for close to three years. I loved it for its groove, its immediacy and its looks (I’m shallow that way).

But in the situation the OP describes, there are other values at play that influence your perception of what’s worthwhile in the end. There are kids in the mix, shortage of time, and so on. Just loving an instrument for what it is, is staying in the moment, and that’s great - but in the end, if you’re short on time and got other duties, you want gear that gives you flexibility as well. You want to find that mix of love and function. And the Tempest just isn’t it, no matter how much you love it.

Now, there’s the other side of that argument - for anyone who’s into this just for playing in the moment, it never has to amount to finished tracks, a post on Soundcloud, a share with your friends, a small private gig at your mate’s party or maybe even a club of sorts, then the above doesn’t apply. Then you go for the instrument that you love the most. If the sitting down and playing is the most worthwhile and perhaps only act that matters, then I agree, go with what feels best.

But had that been the case, you wouldn’t be here, posting what you did. Cause then, it’d be a non issue. And you wouldn’t have three pieces of high end gear. You’re going somewhere with this. You want to get somewhere with your music, and you want a rig that allows you to focus on that, and still manage balance with the rest of your life.

So given the nature of the post, it’s not just about what instrument you love the most, right now. That can and will change. It’s about getting the tool that will work with your ambitions and your overall life puzzle.

And I just don’t think the Tempest is it. If it had been, I would’ve kept mine. I loved it dearly, in the moment. But it’s not difficult to love the AR and the OT too, and once the honeymoon is gone and you wanna get down to work, those just take you infinitely further on your path to music making.

The Tempest is not difficult to love, which is part of its frustration and blessing.

G0n35y · 2017-05-17T06:54:01.854Z

I’ve owned 2 AR’s and never gelled with either. Get rid! Yes it’s nice to have the sequencer and all that but a Tempest/OT combo is killer. Having said that, I’ve owned and sold 2 OT’s too (and 1 Tempest…) haha.

Do you need to sell any of them? I totally get the “mental clutter” comment. HIts me heard repeatedly hence me trying to flog some gear recently. I’d pick one (Tempest or OT), stick the other 2 in boxes and hide away and just use 1 piece for a couple of weeks. If you miss one of the boxed pieces then you know not to sell.

For me, the OT is the one to learn and stick with. Once you get your head round that bad boy you will know what you need to add to take your tunes to another level. If a decision is to be made then let it be between AR and Tempest.

Cosmic · 2017-05-17T07:16:58.719Z

I appreciate your line of thought but respectfully personally I would not be taking your advice. I just do not prescribe to the bare desk approach you endorse regularly. OP may feel differently and thats fine, its his question.

andreasroman · 2017-05-17T07:23:27.532Z

Totally understand and respect that and I appreciate you saying so. There’s a lot of different perspectives in this thread, so the OP’s got plenty of material to take into advise.

In the end, none of us can say what works best for anyone else, only offer our own experience which may or may not be relevant to whoever’s asking.

As you say and I appreciate, as long as there’s mutual respect that we’re coming from different directions and we’re going to different places, we’ll all be fine in the end.

Cosmic · 2017-05-17T07:27:36.495Z

Sure, we are all different. I probably have too many synths but I do not think 3 machines is too many, but the OP is feeling the pressure with 3 so your advice is likely valid in this case. Rytm, tempest and OT is a killer combo. I would not be able to sell any of them as they all compliment each other so well.

andreasroman · 2017-05-17T07:41:15.357Z

Unfortunately, on that note, I agree the three together is beyond awesome

SoundRider · 2017-05-17T07:53:09.404Z

There is a little dilemma you are in, because the Tempest and the AR are at least supposed to do similar things. But be cautious to sell one of them, it might be just the wrong decision. If you are not short of money, put the one you are not in to right now on the shelf.

I would recommend, go with your feelings. All three boxes are musical instruments, after all. The one you like most, will give you the most. Focus on that one and learn at least the basics fluidly. Then carry on.

You can also use all three together. The OT is a nice little mixer too and can be used to work on sounds from external audio sources (see Thru or Neighbor Machines). You can connect your AR and the Tempest to the OT and integrate the various features of the OT step by step. You could also use the Tempest as your melodic synth, because it is not as specialised to percussive sound generation as the AR might be and use the AR as your drummer.

There are many options to connect and use your “Trinity”.

t · 2017-05-17T07:54:39.862Z

Sounds like you enjoy the Tempest most and that it gives you the most pleasure. You also seem to be getting some good grooves out of it.

Why not get rid of everything except the Tempest and only focus on that for now?

If you want to turn things into full tracks, you can do so easily by recording loops from the Tempest into a DAW of your liking and building arrangements there.

Cosmic · 2017-05-17T08:00:39.861Z

andreasroman:

Unfortunately, on that note, I agree the three together is beyond awesome

I should probably take your advice more. I want to buy more more more

mleaf · 2017-05-17T08:21:17.133Z

I always liked the idea of a seasonal machine. Pack the others up and focus on one at a time. I’m doing that at the moment with the Rytm, while the A4 is up on the shelf, and its lovely. Its making me focus on samples more and not just synthesis, and also diving into some deeper functions and programming. I feel like I could make a complete track on the Rytm, but bring the A4 into focus when I need to pepper a track with this or that, or sample it to get it into the Rytm. I also recently sold an OT, and my Ableton Push 2, and the simplicity I find very rewarding. In fact one of the things I love about Elektron boxes, and this is probably true of other hardware, is the muscle memory factor. I couldn’t quite get that with Push. I remember when I first tried an Elektron box in store and the buttons seemed so plasticky and flakey, a friend of mine comments on the strangeness of it too from time to time, but in practice its perfect, it makes total sense. You literally press them hundreds of thousands of times. There really is a big difference between a tap and a push, and I really love that taptic type quality to Elektron hardware. You’ve really gotta Push down those Ableton Push buttons to advance through menus and, funnily enough, its winds up either very preparation based, or directory divey. And the main reason I got rid of the OT was really it was just getting in the way of the AR and A4. Stripping the focus back to these two boxes is amazing, and with Push and the OT out of the picture, I’m barely using anything else to compose, which is to say, Ableton has become less of a focus and more of an assistant. I’m still yet to finish much, but I feel something bubbling up soon. In the end, you have to bounce something out. And I think the mix might be right in a track when you have a bunch of patterns with enough room to move for a performance, and enough variation to keep things interesting. Anyway I think I’m waffling, and not sure if any of this helps, but good luck

kippertoffee · 2017-05-17T10:03:57.327Z

I’d say unless you need the money, keep all three and just take your time. I understand the desire for simplicity, but personally I like to be able to focus on different equipment at different times. Does this mean that, even after nearly two years, I still don’t know the tempest and octatrack inside out. Yes. Do I care. No.

The tempest is potentially 6 monosynths, 3 monosynths and 3 note poly (sequenced from the octatrack), a drum machine, or a bit of all three. I am mid reorganisation of music stuff and have ended up with just a tempest and octatrack connected in my living room. I would love another dedicated drum machine, a la AR, so I could use more of the tempest for synths.

andreasroman · 2017-05-17T13:26:22.756Z

I did listen. Though sometimes, there’s just more to the words than what’s on the paper. Not saying it, doesn’t mean it’s not there.

But you’re right, I’m making assumptions, which is arrogant of me. Apologies offered, I meant only well, and I know this isn’t about my personal journey, but about the OP’s situation. I projected my own wants onto someone else’s situation, typically something you won’t notice until someone points it out to you.

Cosmic · 2017-05-17T13:34:09.340Z

Re-reading the OPs post he is asking for strategies to learn the three machines. I am not an expert in these things, and also feel the pressure of not being able to learn fast enough to produce quality with the time allowed. Only suggestion I can make is consider it a longer journey, you have 3 great boxes that will allow a lot of growth over many years. Try not to force things. Learn each box individually, then work with two together, then with three. At this point you should be close to know enough to integrate them together but give yourself time during that integration phase. There is frustration to be had along the way but it should ease with time. Have a nice creative space that invites you to sit with the machines comfortably, without it seeming like work, but moreso fun.

afta8 · 2017-05-17T14:22:46.917Z

Interesting to read the various replies, I am in a similar situation, bought an OT and an A4 a few months ago and have first child on the way… Time is limited and I really want to focus on having fun but being productive at the same time. After a bit of time learning these 2 machines here are my main reflections…

You don’t have to use the OT to its max potential. The OT is a beast and it can do so much that I find contemplating it all and learning all the various bits can kill the creative impulse. I am having much more fun with it simply using it as a basic sampler and just messing with p-locks and the effects… I know it can do crazy stuff with scenes and parts but I can do that further down the line, for now I am finding it more fun to operate within some self imposed restrictions, ditching the manual and tutorial videos and just figuring it out.
Don’t get too absorbed with reading the manuals cover to cover and watching loads of tutorial videos - I find this just fills my head with possibilities and then I don’t get anything meaningful done. Use the manuals and videos as points of reference… Get stuck in and try to make a tune and then refer to the manuals when you come up against a block. A quick Google search on any particular issue will find lots of answers, the difference with this approach is that you are deciding what you want to do and then finding out how to do that rather than being immersed in all the possibilities in advance.
Set challenges for yourself and self imposed restrictions. For example decide to write a tune using only one track, or jam it out using just one pattern, or make a track with just one sample or pick a feature that you are not too familiar with and go crazy making a track that uses that a lot… Focus on making and finishing tracks rather than learning mastery of the instruments (that will come naturally over time anyway)

Not sure if these are helpful as everyone is different but this approach is working better for me and I seem to enjoy it more in the limited time that I have.

As for kit, it’s a tough call on which to sell, personally I would find 3 machines a bit too much and would keep the Tempest and OT. The Tempest as your go to ‘fun’ machine and the OT as something to explore and experiment with.

InTheAM · 2017-05-17T14:57:08.456Z

Just put the other two in the closet in their boxes. Make it a hassle to get to/unpack them.

JuanSOLO · 2017-05-17T15:04:29.947Z

Seeing that you have 2 Elektron boxes, this forum is a fantastic place to learn. The Tempest forum has quite a few grumpy users, but it’s still a great place to learn about the Tempest, so is this forum.
Tempest AR OT, is an incredible combo.
Don’t see a need in selling any of them really, you have everything you need to make amazing tracks.
Yes, this particular combination of gear is prone to mental clutter.
Each machine is unique, and 2 of them are really deep, OT & Tempest.
Take time to write tracks with each machine individually, and that clutter will start to become focused.
Try pairing them and experiment. 4 voices out of Tempest into OT and lots of neighbor machines.
Bottom line, don’t sell the Tempest unless it’s no longer fun.
Have fun, don’t forget to hit record.

I have the OT AR and A4.
With 3 machines like that, it just takes time to settle in on how you like them all working together.
Totally worth it.
I’d add that machines like this and making music are a perfect way to bond with your kids.