Machinedrum RAM R/P tips

Elektron Gear Machinedrum
#1

Heya,

I own an md for quite a while but never got the hang of how to usefully use the ram record and play machines in regards to creating a loop/song. What are your approaches?
Do you record a whole beat with it? If yes hoe do you integrate that recording back into the loop? Since pitching it down or up will timestretch and not sync with the initial loop.

Or do you just ram record single sounds and then re use them in the beat and save the new sound as a rom file?

Curious to hear your creative methods and tricks/tips :slight_smile:

Thanks in advance!

1 Like
#2

Also interested to hear… not dug deep enough yet

#3

Hi @scarlit.port, welcome to the forum :), hi @Kultschar!

I’ve used the MDUW RAM machines a lot. I cannot say I’m the most original user here but let me share about that. To be honest, RAM machines must be the ones I have most used.

First of all, I’ve used them in a live improvisational context, with other musicians sending their signals into the MD. That allowed me to sample bits of their playing on the go, FXed them and to throw them back in the mix. Or to use them to make up a pattern. The folks liked hearing some unexpected, disguised alter ego of their instruments :slight_smile:

In some solo impro sessions, I had kits with -always- at least a couple of R/P machines in order to sample a whole bar of the pattern and loop it while I edit the pattern tracks. To achieve that, the RAM R machine ILEVEL paramteres should be minimized and the MLEVEL should be set above 0.

I used that in a more traditional project too: a rock-electro duo with synths, guitars, vocals and the MDUW as a drummer. I sometimes used a couple of RAM machines to sample the pattern and play it back for some occasional transitions, applying an effect to it: filter, filter sweep, rate reduction etc. It was easier than programming the FX on all the tracks.
I did that in song mode: the RAM R machines was always muted except when it had to sample; the RAM P machine was always muted except during the said transition.

As you said, playing back a whole bar is limited to pitch settings 0, -1 octave or +1 octave if you want to say in the tempo. That being said, with bits of pattern sample and a little programming, I’ve already managed to make something interesting. Just try out.

RAM R machines are also a good way to have external audio signals through the MD track/global effects. You can use the CUE settings on the first parameter page.

Finally, yep, I used RAM machines to sample some audio and send it into the ROM slots.

I should mention this video @Allerian once did, where he programmed a RAM R/P track pattern and let the MD sample a vynile by itself. … I cannot seem to find it…

EDIT: here it is!!

4 Likes
#4

Thanks a lot for these tips and sharing your methods! :slight_smile:

Why would you use multiple ram R machines for a sound source?

#5

Right on - glad this was useful.

#6

something that i will do a lot is send a few channels out the same output like output f, then patch a cable from that output into one of the inputs. then in the ram record you select that input, which lets you loop specific channels. (a more complex method would involve using the nfx machines in the new hardware to “sum” channels before this process)

#7

Mcls ram machines do a lot of useful heavy lifting with some instant slice and dice of ramP after recording ramR.

But what they do is a good tip. Assign start points to each trig and rearrange the steps over the sequence. Slip in some reverse and re trig time variation. It’s a fun area of md to just explore and see where it takes you, and often can inspire a whole track out of nowhere.

Reminded me of this two year old post with a re sampled and sliced up cz101 pad sound.

1 Like
#8

Interesting, thanks for sharing that :slight_smile:

#9

Well you can.
The benefit is related to what the RAM R machine can do besides recording, i.e. processing the input signal. That being said, an audio input machine will do the job (but cannot record if something feels inpiring at a point).
I usually use a RAM R machine with 1 or more RAM P machines. What is allows is to have two versions of the same sample. E.g. I use one at nominal speed and a second one twice as fast or twice as slow.

I recorded a short track lately for another topic here, where I used this technic.

#10

I’m glad to read you here, mate.
Was away for some years and met PaperTiger and Nils here a few weks ago. It felt strangely familiar :slight_smile:

1 Like