Machinedrum vs analog rytm vs other? VI (a new hope MkII)

Elektron Gear
#1

hey there folks. i know this topic has probably been discussed to death already, but i would appreciate some advice. I’m relatively new to the world of hardware synths in general and have never owned a real drum machine, having been mostly a guitar player, so please excuse my ignorance.

here’s a quick overview of my thought process on this. would really love some advice on this:

-MDUW used for very cheap… or RYTM/other (any suggestions?)

-like the sound of both MD and RYTM in different ways

-I would like to do some sampling, but mostly i want a drum machine and not a sampler (i think)

-I find the process of synthesis very enjoyable/interesting but also really love effects and the idea of manipulating samples, but i found it boring on maschine

-I would very much like to sequence external hardware over midi. its not completely essential, but it would be a big plus

-I recently got an A4 when the used price dropped this summer and wonder if there is anything about the RYTM that would make it a much better companion to it. I haven’t really used over bridge and am really enjoying not involving the computer much.

Any suggestions for drum machines would be very much appreciated, whether they are elektron or not. I dont have all that much money to spend, so not too much more than $1k max and preferably significantly less.

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Analog rytm mk ii vs. Machinedrum uw+ mk ii
#2

maybe more like $1500 absolute maximum, but only if it would really REALLY be worth it

#3

synthesis on the MDUW is broader, you can sample and sequence on it- really cool.

AR is obviously good in different ways, but I think the MDUW checks more of your boxes

#4

Buy my MD (or @Ryan’s MD)

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#5

how much? there’s one pretty cheap in oslo, so it would have to be worth it to pay for shipping/import duties. its not the + version, though. how much of a difference would that make?

#6

With A4 you can synthesize sounds you’d be able to use as sample in Digitakt.
Before spending more, synthesize your rhythmic sounds on A4, save the as Sounds, then use Sound locks to put them on a single track.
You still have 3 to play with, then :smiley:

That would have several advantages:

  • knowing A4 better
  • discovering new areas of synthesis
  • waiting for AR mk2 to make AR mk1 prices drop :wink:
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#7

Well AFAIK

… sampling (including recording!) would be Octatrack, MachineDrum, or Digitack
… controlling other gear via midi would be Octatrack, Digitack, MonoMachine, MachineDrum

Other gear … MPC, is excellent at sampling and controlling other gear via midi. Pioneer Toraiz …

#9

I thought about getting a digitakt and doing that, but since i would have to get it new, it would actually end up being a couple hundred dollars more than the MDUW near me. wouldn’t i be able to do that with the MDUW as well?

#10

+drive is absolutely essential. The MDUW is a very inspirational machine, on a non- +drive machine, you’re limited to just one project and then have nowhere to go from there. the +drive not only allows you multiple sample banks, but also multiple snapshots(projects) to work with. You’re going to feel a cold chill when all of your patterns have been filled and you either have to export your pattern onto your computer for backup- or say goodbye and clear everything.

Gotta have the +drive

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#11

hmmm… i dont suppose its possible to add that afterwards? this one just seems like pretty great deal: $639, and i would be able to pick it up instead of having to get it shipped from somewhere else. import tax is 25%!! unless the person sending it lies about the value being less than it is, but i would still have to pay 25% of the stated value on top of it i think

#12

Well, any Machinedrum is better than no Machinedrum at all- I’d definitely jump on that deal if I were you too.

There MIGHT be a way to add it afterwards. Some people are able to acquire the +drive and install it themselves. When Elektron did it, I think they charged about $400 to install it, but I don’t think they do that anymore.

Edit: and this is the UW? Because, that sounds like a non-UW price, which means that NOT that good deal(you can tell, if there are pictures–the non-UW has a pure black border around the screen, the UW has grey/silver bottom half).

#13

Listen to @Ryan, he’s right : UW+ is a needed option on the MD, it’s my opinion too.
Now if you can find one for the price of a DT, I’d go for a MD :slight_smile:
Still my favorite after all…

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#14

ya its a MDUW. just no +.
it has one broken output jack (F), but i have some electronics experience, and its a super easy fix. it says “SPS-1UW, MKII synthetic percussion sequencer”
I think I’ll probably go for it and just hope i can get a +drive down the line if i find i need it. there are some MDUW+ auctions in the UK and US that would be close enough in price that it would be worth thinking about, but the 25% import tax kind of makes buying internationally too much of a hassle. Also, i think i might just go for the AR if I’m spending that much more, but the cheapest one here is $1050, so it just doesn’t feel worth it at $400 more. I do like the analog sound, but i really love some of the stanger and sort of glitchy sounds i hear people doing with MD.

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#15

@Ryan @LyingDalai
Just to clarify, the +drive only matters for storing samples right? The sampling (and price) was the initial thing that made me check out MD over AR, but the more i hear of the MD, the more i think it sounds really unique in a cool way. I haven’t tried that much drum stuff with A4, but it should a fair amount of analog drum sounds right?

anyone have a non-elektron suggestion just out of curiosity?
I’m thinking the MDUW is probably the best I’m going to get at this price, but just wondering.
Does anyone have a favourite low cost option for example? I was looking at the Tanzmaus and DrumBrute, and I just didn’t find them impressive.The drum brute just didn’t sound that great to my ear, and the Tanzmaus sounded better, but it seemed kind of boring.

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#16

The plus drive also enables you to have different projects in the machine. So, on a non+ you’ve got A1-H16 patterns and that’s it. With the plus drive, you can have multiple instances of that pattern potential. The ability for different projects(to adopt the terminology of the newer Elektrons)

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#17

oh right. that makes sense. I still think it seems like a pretty gosh darn neat drum machine for the money, but i guess maybe i should think it over a bit more and see if i can find an MDUW+ or +drive before i pull the trigger. It sounds so cool, though! the AR sounds really good, but from what I can tell, MD sounds so unique and… cool for lack of a better word. I read a post where someone said you can just use MDish samples on the AR, but I dunno…

Anyone have a +drive or MDUW+ for sale in Norway? or maybe elsewhere in Europe if you’re willing to lie about how much its worth and pretend its a gift…

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#18

I see one on Audiofanzine.fr for 900€.
I think it’s the right price, considering it is not made anymore.

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#19

that ends up being 1125€ + shipping after import duties, though. it would be cheaper to get from the states at that point.

i think i’ll just get it, unless i discover something amazing about the RYTM or find something else that really catches my eye. For the price of most MDUW+'s I’ve been able to find, I could almost buy both this used MDUW and a digitakt

one last question, though: how capable is the MD for sequencing external hardware?

By the way, thanks for all the advice and being patient with my ignorance

#20

The MDUW is limited only by it’s sequencer for controlling external gear. No MicroTiming and no Trigless trigs. BUT, you’ve got up to SIXTEEN CHANNELS of classic Elektron control.

(I’m getting really tempted to give up on the DT and just get a TM-1 to control things ITB)

Can anybody tell me if it’s possible to to get a MIDI processor and be able to set the MIDI note on a midi channel via keyboard instead of having to dial the sound in?

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#21

argh!!! i think i really like the sound of the Analog RYTM, but i really dont want to spend the extra $450. how much better would sort of basic analog drum sounds be on the RYTM as opposed to A4? And say if i wanted to use most of the storage space on the MDUW for drums from A4, is it so little space that one kit (16 samples) would take up the whole thing?
Im having a hard time figuring out how limited the storage actually is on the non +drive version. I would be using it primarily as a drum machine and maybe sequencer for stuff i can’t sequence with cv/gate on the A4, but it would be nice to have some samples (mostly that I would make myself). Ive found that the only times I really have fun with samples is when I can make them from scratch, so the RYTM really seems to fall short there, cause whichever one i buy would be my only drum machine/sampler/sample playback in case of RYTM.
Also, I read something about people using the MD to trigger eurorack stuff, and it seems like the RYTM can’t do that? i have a couple semi modulars, and I was thinking of selling one of them, mounting the other in a case, and getting some modules. Ive been building my own effects pedals for years and i just recently realised the diy potential of eurorack. I was thinking maybe it makes more sense to just get a couple analog drum modules to cover sounds I would be missing with the MDUW, but getting a whole drum setup for eurorack is just way too expensive. Has anyone done something similar?

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