I’ve only had the Machinedrum SPS1 UW for a few days. I have just been using it with headphones, I don’t even have a midi connection yet and already (perhaps hastily?) I’m thinking of how I can connect it to other devices in the near future.
Does anyone have any ideas on the best Elektron machine to compliment a machinedrum? I may only be able to afford an older monomachine in a month or two… but I’m open to suggestions.
I like to make percussive raw techno… not much melody, haunting pads… if that makes a difference.
Also, I have lots of loops/samples saved from my Ableton works, so I’d like to somehow transfer some of those to both machines… (I haven’t even yet tried this on the MD) Is there a particular electron machine that’s optimal for this?
Last question. If I were to connect an analog synth such as a doepfer dark energy 2 to the machinedrum, what connections would I need? I do not even own a midi interface:(
So, based on what you suggested:
For haunting pads, you can choose between the Monomachine and the Analog Four. Check out as many examples of their sound in person or online. Both have restrictions that you need to make sure you understand - Analog Four (only four voices if you use both oscillators), Monomachine (effects other than delay are not rated highly by everyone).
For samples, the Octatrack will be most flexible. You can also transfer samples to the MD and to the Analog Rytm but with less ease and flexibility.
The Dark Energy 2 has a MIDI In, so you could sequence it from the MD by connecting them with a single MIDI cable.
Just Today I’ve restored it to factory state (it was bought 2nd hand) and begun exploring how to swap samples between MD and mac. Not fast and not straightforward.
I suppose the MD’s real capabilities are morphing it’s built in drum synths… and not working with your own samples?
I’m haphazardly going about syncing it with Ableton now and running audio from both through a dj mixer which is kind of giving me an idea of how I’d like to use it in future. This will take a while to master;)
hi, i think you got the gist with the MD … it is not a sampler, certainly could be used as such, but its strength is somewhere else… wait till you see the ctl machines
keep us updated about your experiments and implementations!
Just Today I’ve restored it to factory state (it was bought 2nd hand) and begun exploring how to swap samples between MD and mac. Not fast and not straightforward.
I suppose the MD’s real capabilities are morphing it’s built in drum synths… and not working with your own samples?
I’m haphazardly going about syncing it with Ableton now and running audio from both through a dj mixer which is kind of giving me an idea of how I’d like to use it in future. This will take a while to master;)
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You are correct that the base functionality of the MD is the synthesis machines and their interaction with the sequencer. Although the sampling is basic, TrabanT correctly points out that there is a lot of sound manipulation capability there.
There is a strong argument for learning your Live + MD combination inside out before needing to add any other instruments.
The MIDI setup is explained the manual. You can either read it there, or wait for someone to retype it here. But in short, it is really easy to use once you understand the basics of MIDI (do an internet search if you need to know more about MIDI).
The MD has awesome MIDI control capabilities, and specifically because it’s MIDI machine can play chords on external synths via a single trigger in the MD sequencer. Pretty sweet. But it can do a lot more than that too.
The sampling on the MD is a little clunky, but with some practice, it’s not too difficult. I like to sample a beat from the MD back into itself, and then filter/EQ that as a fill or switch up. Sometimes I sample little stabs or hits from a synth, or the television, and that can be great ingredients to mix in with a beat. With samples, it’s easy to make an entire ‘track’ using just the MD.
The MD really is much more than just a drum machine.
