Pushing myself to use it for 100 hours is not going to improve the build quality of the machine unfortunately (which is my gripe. I would have loved to have kept it for the sound but I just thought it was not made well enough for the price).
Have now put the MFB money on a new MD instead (not my first so I know its built well) 
I often think about getting another drum machine as I love them… But the I always just get back to the same thing : I’ve got a Machinedrum - so what’s the bloody point 
To be fair,if I had the cash & the space ( I have neither right now ) I’d probably buy a M1AM1 - as that’s basically a new build 808. But other than that I don’t really see the point when you’ve got a MD
Some years ago i bought a Kraftzwerg and returned it for exactly the same reasons as mentioned above. Just could not cope with the size/build quality when looked at in relation to the price. Luckily was from Thomann so it was easy to return.
LXR kits are available tomorrow BTW (18th Oct) - get em while you can!
Kind of the same applies to the Miami BTW but only in its weight - when you get one it feels very insubstantial and it get pushed about on a desk by cable radius if you see what i mean. BUT - it sounds awesome and is built well. I’d love it to be in a nice painted mild steel box with a bit of heft to it.
I recently got a Tanzbär and feel somewhat differently.
It’s definitely not the most beautiful machine - I don’t think it’s ugly, but the interface isn’t inherently pleasing to look - but the build quality seems fine to me. It’s not as high end as the Tempest, for sure, but there’s nothing that really bothers me. All of the knobs work perfectly, nothing’s loose, etc. Maybe that wasn’t the case on yours? For the price I’d definitely prefer something a more solid, but I don’t get the sense it’s about to fall apart.
I don’t find the spacing of the knobs to be an impediment to tweaking either.
More importantly, I love how it sounds! Definitely in the classic Roland neighborhood, but I’m actually getting a good range out of the sounds. And the extra functionality (pattern length per drum, parameter locks) is great for me.
Totally respect your point of view, and sounds like you made the right decision to get rid of yours, but the Tanzbär is really working for me!
MFB definitely does not put a lot of time into “fit and finish.” Their stuff has been pretty solid for me though. I’ve got some of their euro modules and have had zero problems.
Wow that LXR looks and sounds really good! Sounds even better than the machinedrum to my ears (especially the kick). I wish I could solder 
I think there will be some pre-soldered boards available today from the Sonic Potions shop as well as kits.
I was reading the Sonic Potions forum and looks like a user sampling firmware is already available for beta.
It adds the ability to load up to 500k of (as many as you can fit of your own) 16bit hit samples to memory from your SD card for use as extra oscillator waveforms for each of the 6 synths.
Works really well as an unexpected bonus feature. Was suggested on the forums on Monday and the developer released a beta last night(!)
the tanzbar build feels solid to me. I do wish the buttons were raised a bit higher, I think the elecktron buttons are better. The knobs are great.
I love the small size for traveling, its a little bit smaller than a elektron box. I can fit the tanzbar in the same case as the electron case.
I just traveled with it over seas and still works like new.
You’re neglecting the price differential. For $150 the Volca beats provides outstanding value, who cares if the knobs are wobbly. For $1200 (8x the price) the Tanzbar looks a bit flimsy, and this was a big disincentive for me - I seriously considered it because I wanted those classic analog sounds/sequencing but ended up getting a Tempest instead, I was afraid of exactly what happened to Nein.
MFB stuff sounds really good, I have nothing but praise for the circuit designs. I would very much like to get a Dominion too. But the exterior, not so great. I honestly think he would sell more if he increased his prices by 20% and put some more work into the front panel.
Also becoming increasingly tempted by an LXR. My rough plan for 2014 is not to buy any sound-making gear at all unless it’s in kit form. That will limit money spending but I hope yield better results. I did not realize that the firmware is open or that the sequencer is so advanced, I must check it out.
SBsix, if I build one I’ll let you know how it goes. I am OK with soldering and my wife is an EE so I’ve been meaning to do the build thing for a while!
your comparing apples and oranges.
like i’ve had the tempest and that’s just a really good piece but the work flow sucks for me. but it’s way better then the volca beats.
you just can’t compare. the tanzbär has great sounds. the workflow is super hands on and ez. i’m glad i had both the volca beats and the tanzbär now though i think that work well together. the tanzbär built solid it’s just the thin sheet metal that people are judging.
https://soundcloud.com/housewarez/tanzbarvolcabeatsot
Thank you for the heads up, Neil !
Did you get your new baby yet ? Curious to hear it !
I have just been using my LXR for the first time.
I am so impressed by it. It sounds far better than I had hoped. The range of sounds on offer are vast. I can see already that this is gonna be a lot of fun. A genuinely great bit of Techno in a box. You could easily go deep with it but its great for just getting something instant going (which is mostly what I have time for). Whats impressed me already is the amount of mental basslines and drones and other non drum sounds I have had coming from it. Yes I will use it a lot with my OT but I think i can see I will be using it alot on its own.
Thanks to Neil Baldwin who did the build. An absolute gentlemen and really really quick.
That’s really good to know. I guess it’s no accident that I’m interested by this machine when it’s clearly influenced by Elektron at the design level. It’s also a very good value build compared to many other kit offerings.
First time I’ve heard anyone moan about the build of tanzbar. I kind of thought it a given its not gonna be built like a brick and there’s loads of info saying its lightweight.
I think the price is fair for the range/quality of sound… Most people I’ve seen are raving about it but I guess that’s because of the the sound over aesthetics.
Cheers for the opinion. Deffo getting one.
Edit - I’d be more miffed with 4 mono voices and only 2 mono outs, imagine that?.. Oh wait.
the Dancing Bear is dope man… No regrets
For what it’s worth…
The newer Tanzbärs have been updated and seem to have resolved many issues people were having. I got mine used but it’s a more recent serial number.
You can tell it’s the newer one because it says “flam” instead of “flame” and “chain” instead of “fill” on the front panel.
Everything seems to work well on mine. It’s an absolutely lovely sounding piece of kit.