I need ideas for my Rytm and OPXY live setup

The Lounge General Discussion
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Hey all. Looking for some specific ideas and just general chat on this. I can get kind of ranty, so thanks if you stick through.

It might seem like such a basic thing, but it’s a bit of a paradigm shift for me.

I’ve had at least a dozen random electronic music groovebox and similar devices but I’ve always been home studio centric and I typically used them standalone as a source material performed into a DAW.

Long story less long. I’m switching up the role music is going to play in my life for a while. I did a handful of video game and documentary soundtracks but I’m finishing a degree and the semi professional aim is burning me out.

Looking to get back into music for fun. Right now, that’s putting together a few sets for a local synth open mic night. It will be sweet to make a different kind of output with lower stakes and just have some fun with others.

I want to base this around my ARmk2 and OPXY. I’m an engineering technician with access to all kinds of machinery, so I already have a DIY sheet metal rig planned for the pair just for the hell of it. (Might make something akin to an octafader for rytm perfs too, but one thing at a time.)

I’m at a loss when it comes to useful ways to use them together. Rytm is going to handle most of the drums and I think I can get OPXY to be the main brain and provide some poly synth / sliced drums / chords / some form of pattern sequencing.

Anyone got ideas for this specific pair? I’d love to get them to a place where they feel like one unit so I can start throwin some ideas together with both at once.

I’m not opposed to some DIY if there aren’t natural synergies. I’m thinking some kind of midi translater to spoof pattern changes on the AR from midi notes on the OPXY (because I don’t think I can do this natively.)

I guess on some level I can just keep a notepad around and make sure to open the right projects on both… hit go with them synced and perform the changes on both by hand?

At the same time, I’m very much a “Systems” guy and half the fun is building that up. Just wanna shoot the shit about cool ideas from those with more experience using multiple boxes together live.

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Maybe this video inspires you (it’s not the Rythm, it’s the TR-1000, but they are at the end similar devices):

https://www.youtube.com/live/3C50pq5VD6o?is=-7UAFBLwhCJ1Am0k

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Maybe if you can’t figure out how they’re going to work together, thenit might be better to pick a couple of boxes that already inspire you when used together?

I have a similar problem. I love my M8, and I realluy want to use it with my OP-XY, but they never seem to make sense together other than using the XY as a keyboard for the M8.

Maybe just use the XY, after sampling your favorite drum sounds from the AR? The XY’s drum sequencer is killer, and you get to use its punch-in FX live.

Totally following this thread, as I also wonder how the XY can fit into a small setup with other boxes.

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I hear ya. To clarify, I know the role I want them both to play and have had some decent jams with the pair.

But logistically, I’ve had trouble getting them to speak to each other in a more meaningful way.

Linking pattern changes is one hurdle I’m working on, for instance.

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I have the same problem. Love my XY and love my M8 but as separate devices.

But I found that XY with my pedals and Heat+FX is a monster ambient machine!

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stumbled over the headless „anbernic“ rs36s community things here and there and copped one from a person framing it as a „game console“ for 10,- I think I’ll install one of the custom ark os specified for M8C handling and a teensy on the back.

the joystick midi control and back button integration are great, hopefully to control the A4 neatly with a joystick, and sequence that.

it’s so cheap that I think I’ll mod it with cherry keys right away, but yeah, M8 with joysticks for 40,- :full_moon_with_face:

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/UG9nApnMaFU

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