I love randomness, its a big part of my music and the Elektron’s are great for this with things like the CTRL ALL machines, randomly updating UW samples to create new kits, loading new kits onto old sequences etc.
I’m looking to get even more randomness into my MD, MnM, OT and some of the contenders are:
Bitstream 3X
Minicommand
SFX-JII
Anyone got experience with these and can make some recommendations?
I’m mainly looking for ways to generate some randomness with sequences as this is an area where the elektrons fall short.
I only have an OT, and not for long so what I know is limited but I do have one thing that may help you if you are not already aware.
Load up a file with many differing hits, say the same snare with varying snap and release settings. Create a slice grid, slice it, go in and tidy up the start and end points, then program your pattern, then go into the Lfo and set the wave form to random and the destination to start point, adjust the speed and depth to taste. Then when the sequence is played a different hit will play each time. You can also set a few of the sample slices to loop in the audio editor for some glitchy goodness
Hope that’s clear and helps
CT
re peripherals, the minicommand has a randomizer as part of the monster firmware, but personally i find it’s more useful for screwing around and exploring individual sounds than introducing global randomness into a pattern. there might be other firmwares i haven’t tried that do more, but for your goals i wouldn’t buy a mc just based on that one alone.
more generally: have you tried aiming free-running lfos at lots of parameters, including other free-running lfos? i find that’s a great and easily accessible source of wild evolving effects.
+1 for free running LFOs
Also, mad FX chains with LFOs.
Maybe copy and past your pattern, open in Step Record mode and go bananas randomly.
If you are in Step Record mode, you can hold FUNCTION and press the arrow keys (left and right) to shift the notes you’ve already recorded into the track, as many step as you want. This is cool for getting new and unexpected grooves.
All good tips and I use most of these already.
Concerning the LFO’s controlling LFO’s, this is good for evolving sounds but I’m more interested in creating solid loops and grooves, but the types of things that I would never come up with myself. I love loading random kits onto different patterns on the MnM then tweaking them back to sound like something else… guess i’m looking to push these kinds of possibilities more.