Master Effect Eq Gain Tip

Elektron Gear Machinedrum
#1

Tthe Master Effect Eq Gain arrives in a newly created or blank Kit by default at maximum, similar to how the individual volume for a new drum is at maximum.

Just as reducing the individual volume for an individual drum to around midday is advantageous for the tone, same goes for the Eq Gain.

Whereas the Dynamix Master Effect doesn’t require adjusting as it’s makeup gain is set to zero by default in a new or blank Kit and isn’t effecting anything.

But the Master Effect Eq Gain, it certainly is adding some digital volume boosting to the overall signal, possibly too much than is desired.

Anyway reducing Master Effect Eq Gain to around midday does seem to help coax mellow and glassy tones more easily from the Machinedrum.

Easily overlooked yet worthwhile mentioning, the fabulous yet complex environment of gain staging.

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#2

Nice one, I hope that might tame the hi hats a bit.
Not sure if it does much but In the Dynamix I turn gain to max and adjust wet/dry slightly to beef up the output.

#3

yes, the overall upper frequencies around hihat level or higher often need taming.

to tame the hihats and beyond i use the Master Eq’s parameter settings:

High Frequency band 84 with High Gain set to -28.

P Frequency set to 99 and the P Gain at -38,
with P Resonance set to zero.

the overall Master Eq Gain is around midday with a value of 9.

it’s easy for an overarching high frequency build-up amongst a variety of individual drum sounds on the Machinedrum, and to control them would be easier if all the parameters of the Master Eq where available to individual drums.

it’s that high frequency build up of multiple drums, individually unnoticeable yet together quite remarkably rackety, that needs either the Master Eq to deal with it, and yes some Dynamic could help also.

Although i would suggest not setting the Dynamic gain past midday, and therefore adjusting the wet-dry mix differently, to avoid unnecessary digital signal element gain from having the Dynamix gain at max. It’s a very, very powerful gain effect even at quarter way.

although i am reticent to make overall adjustments to a Master Effect if the changes are fairly strong, the area i am trying to change with the Master Eq is really quite high up, just below the “air” frequency.

Hopefully the result doesn’t make a ‘filtered’ sound for the entire mix - the strenuousness of the reduction does not seem to sound overly “notchy” especially when the P Resonance is zero for this setting.

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#4

Thanks, that’s some good ideas to try.

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#5

i guess you’ve come across the click-clack rackety frequency buildup on the Machinedrum before :slight_smile:

i’ve been thinking about how to approach this potential issue for years now and just today achieved some level of encouraging result with the Master Eq … possibly the trick is setting the P Resonance (Q) at zero.

#6

Assignable outs to separate mixer channels for compression and EQ is the best way to approach this IMO, and is what I do.