I’m no music whizz kid, it’s a hobby I dabble in somewhere between, family, work and all the things that go with it…be that, I was drawn to Elektron thanks to it enabling me the make sounds I want…my way.
Sounds good! However elektron units can be a bold move like surfing the ocean in a blow-up boat…anything can happen!
As a noob, getting my head around these boxes has been a hard thing, and help from here, the manual (which I struggle with) YouTube videos and heaps of mucking around have slowly brought me to understand my machinedrum, yet I’m far from there yet.
Which bring me to ask, how did or do you tackle the art of learning your elektron? What helps the most? And what do you think helps the magical “click” in your head to understand and move forward?
Short version: I spent several years messing around with synths. Lots of midi layering and multitracking. Always getting bogged down in the part of music making where you have to stop, record, re-record, mix, repeat.
Then I read about the Monomachine. Download and read that manual cover to cover for maybe three months, then I pulled the trigger. Suddenly I could compose music and control all my synths without a computer and the sounds were/are unreal. The immediacy blew my mind.
Everything you learn and do on an Elektron machine helps you understand and use all Elektron machines. Dangerously close to ranting so I will stop.
I think I have some Elektron blood in my veins. I bought a Monomachine, an hour later I had a nice groove going on.
I’ve had the A4 for about 6 months now, still haven’t found the need to touch the manual. The OT manual I’ve had to check a few times, but operating it is much easier than it’s reputation.
I think the UI’s are just brilliant. It’s so easy to just turn them on and start jamming with ideas.
there’s a ton of videos on youtube from Future Music, Slices etc that provide awesome insight to the creative processes and some of the fundamentals to beat/song building.
Even though the hardware and software is much different, the same things can be achieved sometimes much more easily on the Elektron boxes.
As an example, this was fun for me to use as a basis for some songs (cv gate/clock sequencing the microbrute with the a4) Dumb simple for most folks but as a new user this does heaps for my confidence to try something new.
In my case, i play music since a long time and i always wanted to leave the computer sequencing. I’ve first tried with Doepfer products (MAQ 16/3), but it was not suffisant. So i kept on playing with Ableton live.
And i discovered the Elektron machines. I first bought an A4, and that was the machine i always wanted. Create sounds, sequencing, adding effects, in real time, all in one little box. Perfect. Now i’ve got an octatrack too, it brings the mixer function, and i will have a monomachine one day.
By using synth for a long time i know how they globally work. Elektron machines are differents, but after viewing one, it’s easier for the others. I read the manual just once, and i play a lot with the machines. I watched a lot of videos too, but before buying just to see if it’s the stuff i need.
Now i’m pleased to make some simple tutorials for new elektron people.
It really depends on how much prior experience and knowledge you have of synthesis. If you understand the concepts it’s just a case of learning which buttons to press. If you need to learn the basiscs of how to create sounds, I suggest the classic Sound on Sound synthesis tutorials and some basic soft synths.
I got my OT 3 months ago. In the beginning I just placed samples on the sequencer.
To move forward, there are imho 6 ways:
check the forum and see what other ppl are discussing. chances are, they are discussing stuff you don’t know yet, e.g. the fader transition trick or sample chains. Take that inspiration and go back.
work with the machine and find yourself thinking “hm, I’m missing feature x. can this be done somehow?” then read the manual and figure it out, do it. for instance, it took me quite long to sample internal tracks to other tracks.
look at the screen. you will find parameters you don’t understand and you haven’t used yet. take this as an opportunity to browse the manual for it.
open the manual on some random page and read it. see if you really understand everything. if not, go practise.
pick some function - like e.g. design lfo - and find out what functions it offers. did you know about the yellow lights and the tempo button?
pick a function/fx and try to use it in new ways. e.g. make delay stutters with faders and link the delay length to a nice designed lfo.
Most importantly, don’t try to do it all at once. take step by step. everything else will get you frustrated.
spending time learning the instrument is part of the fun IMO
the harder (deeper) it is the better I say
…though I’m not saying the elektron gear is hard, it just has a lot of options, many perceive that as hard…true, the manuals aren’t written very well but the forum combined with videos should suffice and the most important part is the hands-on anyway
With the MD and MnM I like to take a single machine and see how far I can push it before moving on. When I first had the MD all the different machines were overwhelming. I think I started with the TRX-BD and didn’t move on to a snare until I had it sounding exciting to me. I often get more inspiring rhythms out of one or two sounds p-locked into a groove than a full range of different tracks.
The learning single machines approach is even more important with the MnM. It’s too easy to dismiss it as not sounding right and move on otherwise.
The sequencer part of Elektron boxes clicked with me almost instantly. That said, I’m always reading things on here that make me look at it differently and inspire me to try different ways of working.
I honestly didn’t think learning them was hard at all (except for the Octatrack, which had a few quirks too many). It depends on what you mean by “learning them”, I guess. If you want to re-create specific sounds or sound like X or Y or whatever, then it’s going to be more about learning synthesis than the Elektrons.
Just spend some time with them, is my recommendation. I have a friend who’s had some Elektrons for well over a year and still don’t know how to do very basic things with them because he hasn’t invested a bit of time in getting to know them. If you learn say the Machinedrum, you’re going to find the other ones immensely easy to use.
But definitely read the manual. As soon as you’ve learned how to load a machine (on the machines that require this) and place some trigs with different tones, you’re good to go. From there it’s basically just a case of searching online or in the manual for features you’re struggling with.
The Elektrons are overwhelming at first. The learning goes on and on and on, which is because there is so much you can do with the machines. And especially because the manuals don’t explain why or how to utilize certain features in a workflow or musical setting. It’s frustrating because you end up spending sooooo much damn time trying to figure out how to do simple tasks, just because the manuals suck!
Rest assured though, after a few months you’ll be flying around on your machines. It’s sort of like learning to play a guitar or something because you have to develop muscle memory so you can really move around on your instrument.
OT was my first Elektron and I had many roadblocks and still do from time to time. after 2 years…but it’s so worth it so I just keep on trying!
The usual recipe for me learning a new trick on the OT goes:
1 - Read the manual, and have the manual direct you to five other sections of the manual that are about five other different functions that might be related to what you are trying to learn.
2 - Read those other five sections, which each direct you to five other sections of the manual that are about five other different functions that might be related to the original thing you were trying to learn.
3 - Forget what you were trying to learn in the first place.
4 - Go back to where you started and more carfeully this time choose your own adventure through where the manual leads you.
5 - Try to interpret the manual in your own way, go to the OT and be confused all over again. what was that button combo to get started on that new thing I just read and learned about?
6 - Come to Elektron users and read, research, post for help.
I learned by searching for and watching video tutorials, as well as following tutorials in the manual.
The key is to focus on learning one thing at a time. Trying to learn everything all at once doesn’t work - at least not for me. For example, I focused on learning just how to use the pickup machines. Then I later learned how to use the audio editor for a flex machine - specifically to slice audio. Focus on one topic at a time.
Most of my learning has also been by trial and error.
This. I pretty much hit the ground running with my new MnM. Some differences from my OT, but not enough to impede me or anything. Thru machines are still Thru Machines, the effects, while different sounding, still do their thing, the graphics are identical minus layout. Stepping into a new Elektron simply feels welcoming and familiar.
As for learning my first, the OT, well, it was a lot of reading the manual and questions asked, and YouTube videos watched. Which reminds me, I never did send in my voucher for a paper manual lol. Think they’ll still honor it if I find it or was that only good for v1.0? lol…
Dataline’s site says he’ll come tutor you. I’m sure it’s a princely sum, but would definitely be a cool thing to experience I imagine
The Machinedrum was my first serious bit of hardware, having mostly been ITB with some low end hardware previously. While I was fairly knowledgeable after a few years with Ableton Live, the MD really pointed out to me how little I knew, and I spent a lot of time trying to make sense of it-to be honest, it depressed me for a bit, and combined with some other real life issues at the time, I considered giving up music entirely. But the more I kept seeing the awesome things people were doing with it and other Elektron gear, I decided to push on and dig in and overcome my obstacles. From the point I bought it until it truly clicked took about a year, but that was about 6 months of poking through the manual, reading the forums, and fearfully tapping in beats, and 6 months of intensive study into both the MD and synthesis in general.
I bought a MNM almost exactly a year after I got the MD, and I think it took like a week until I had a real “holy shit!” moment. After learning the Elektron way, it just clicked so fast. I was really cruising with it after a month or two. I’ve had it about 10 months now, and while I’m always learning new things, I fly around both pieces and find it pretty effortless to program in what I want, and am finally starting to realize the sounds kicking around in my head. As I’m working through the OT manual while I wait for it to ship, I’m hitting very little confusion, having built upon the other boxes. Furthermore, pretty much every piece of gear I look at from other companies makes sense, after learning how to translate Elektronese.
So I guess all I can suggest is putting in the time. Now it feels like Christmas every time I’m in the studio, because there is gold in those boxes.
Exactly, me too. It’s very straightforward. Especially the machinedrum, I wonder where you are struggling with? Is it the sequencer or the sculpting of sounds?
I started music making when I was 13 years old with one monophone Roland synth and a Fostex band machine. Later I bought nearly every new synth coming on the market but than I started with computer music (Logic, Life).
All this were nice but on the longer run unsatisfactory.
I switched off the computer, bought first a Spectralis (great machine) and a Virus TI Polar. Both in sync are a fantastic tandem. Than I added a OT and latest an A4 and the LXR Drum Synth.
For me it takes some times of experimental usage plus manual reading, video watching and hotline/forum questions to figure out the different concepts (Spectralis, OT/A4). Now I love the physical touchable machines and the creative output is back again. And there is so much to detect…
Here is a video of a live performance (12 min) at Zeche Zollverein, Essen
we performed for fun (but at this time without Elektron machines).
