I bought a beautiful Machinedrum

Elektron Gear Machinedrum
#1

I finally got this glorious drum machine! I bought it last week from a first owner and it is in top notch condition! Pretty much as new. Imagine my joy when I found that the screen protection film was still on :star_struck:

Then the exploring began and after a while I actually got really disappointed. I found the machines boring and couldn’t make any great sounding kicks. I thought that what I had heard other people do with it had to be because they were using samples because how could you do anything interesting with these boring machines haha!

Ok, I continued my exploring and improved the beats and the sounds. Then I installed OS X.06 and I really like the new machines they have added. Big saw and pulse width chords are possible and also you can still make percussion sounds with these. I twisted things further with Control All and holy flying… it started to reveal a plethora of sweet sounding IDM clicks and bleeps along with big kicks :grinning:

So I’m very happy with it as I can hear it’s a great sound design tool and every beat can be changed radically in performance. I really should have bought a Machinedrum many years ago for sure but well, better late than never and it will still serve me very well now.

Here’s a track with some of the beats I have made and doing a bit of Control All.
Digitone plays the pad and sub bass. A bit of limiting has been applied.

IMG_1278
IMG_12783903Ă—2125 2.19 MB

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#2

It’s not as immediate as some of the newer boxes like for instance the rytm, but it’s a really cool machine. :grin:

My favorite trick is parameter locking the hell out of a control all or control 8 machine and muting and unmuting that track, as it leaves the machine in the state of the last unmuted trig :heavy_heart_exclamation:

11 Likes
#3

Congratulations!

I especially like the FM machines on this box.

CTRL-AL + reload is much fun (save your Kit often)

I always set T13 as a RAM recorder R1, and 3 last tracks as RAM player P1 for OT-like live sampling, with crazy retrig times and a LFO on filter width… It makes great bass lines.

For chords, you can setup tracks so they trig another one.

I like to have some FX behind, something like a Strymon Deco for instance. Or just use a good old cassette player ^^

Check @Tarekith’s compilation of tricks:
http://tarekith.com/assets/machinedrum_tipsandtricks.htm

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#4

Yeah the @Tarekith tips are really good, almost certain I got the “mute/unmute control all machines” trick from him as well.

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#5

Or from @pix’s video:

:wink:

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#6

Use the square or saw shape lfo, trigger on, set to modify decay. Try playing with the lfo time and decay parameter to get really cool compressed kick sounds

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#7

Oh yeah :thinking: I forgot about that :unamused: one… such a good MD advert :grin:

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#8

Just wanted to say I really enjoyed this track you posted. Love the chords and the drums.

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#9

Most people don’t get past that first level of disappointment with the sounds of the MD. Make a kit of all FM or all TRX and ask “is that it?”. I was there for awhile, and ended up having sold the MD for a Rytm and then back again before realizing what it could really do. Good job for sticking it out!

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#10

Every kick:

FLTB = around 32
FLTQ = around 64

Or boost 32 with the EQ

Okay not really every kick but it can fix a kick with the right attack but no oomph.

EFM is the best kick in terms of instant gratification

Sound shaping with the “effects” is the bread and butter of this machine.

Also it is definitely the worst Elektron for a newcomer (not saying you are one) . Sound design skills are a requirement. (Or just use samples.)

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#11

The worst? And worst in what way? Don’t think I would have rated it the least newcomer friendly box in almost every metric :thinking: MNM OT (A4) perhaps :man_shrugging:

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#12

Oh just in the instant gratification category

Actually OT probably holds the crown overall so I retract my state me

Nvm i got like 4 hours last night and just talking out my aaasssss

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#13

Ah I get you ^*^. have you tried the MNM? it’s particularly dense in that sense :joy:.

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#14

Congrats, MD was my first exposure to Elektron gear and I really enjoyed it. However, that said, after trying out a friend’s Analog Rytm MK2, personally I would get the Rytm. Nothing against the MD but the Rytm MK2 offers more of what I want in a drum machine. Well the Jomox Alphabase comes close in many ways to a modern version of the MD to my eyes and ears anyhow.

1 Like
#15

Well I do kinda get wat you mean because both the MD and the monomachine have this particularly imbedded menu system to set up your kit. Which at least for me takes away a lot from the immediacy that I associate with instant gratification. But yeah calling it the worst seemed slightly extreem :joy:

#16

Cmon… we all wanna know what non-reverb prices are out there…

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#17

Not mine but here Is one currently on ebay without a Single bid

Edit:And it is Ending soon

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#18

It really does seem like Syntakt has affected MD demand and pricing.

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#19

I would consider this as being “momentary” given there Is something new by the same company -> thus a Good time to Keep an eye out for a Good deal. For me the lack of individual outs and flexible Routing alone set the MD far apart from the ST as being more of a studio tool.
While ST is a masterpiece in its own regard, it would Not, IMHO, fill the void of a MD if One decided to let it go

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#20

Congrats on the purchase! It really is a beautiful machine both inside and outside. Have fun!

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