Totally agree with this.
Ciat machines have a level of immediacy that I appreciate.
Otherwise I think coupling an acoustic instrument with something electronic also makes a setup more playable.
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I had a Lyra 8 for a while… loved it and keep going back and considering repurchasing-my problem was that when I sat down to play my gear it sucked me in and I ended up playing solo (wildly experimenting more like!) for an hour or whatever time I had, without touching my other gear.
It was a bit like an unruly child that demanded 100% of my attention!!
With my current set up (SP16, minilogue, TD3 and then some effects) I press play, build a pattern on the SP16 (drums/percussion) find a sound on minilogue-sample that or a loop it in SP16, then grab another minilogue sound and use the internal sequencer to loop that, bring in the TD 3 and mess with the knobs etc-it all works as one ‘system’. Whilst with the Lyra I feel like I would have to leave all the other stuff going and just ‘play’ that for a bit-I can’t figure a way to integrate it, but others surely do it much better than me. (I guess I could grab loops of Lyra and layer them)
This is why I was thinking about the subharmonicon actually-similar in terms of a ‘different approach’, but with a sequencer so that I could leave it running on its own for a while whilst my hands do other things.
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It doesn’t get much more playable and improvisational than the Pulsar-23.
As a standalone machine I recommend the Pulsar-23 among the best, if not the best, most inspirational machines I’ve ever used. Beautiful sounding modules and a never-ending source of modulation. The ability to use both the per-track loop recorders, the clock dividers and external sequencing all at the same time, makes for some incredible patterns. And that isn’t even taking into account the fact it’s also happy to sequence other gear and mangle external audio in a variety of ways. It’s a dream machine worth the investment.
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I’m going to have to look into it. It might be out of my league price wise though.
It’s definitely quite an investment. The value of the modules compared to Eurorack is superb, though that’s not saying much as Eurorack is ludicrously expensive. 
I took months to decide to buy one, even talked to the seller all that time while making up my mind. Sold a bunch of stuff to afford it. Worth it for me.
Before I got it I watched all the YT vids I could find, even sampled loads of them. Had to buy one as I didn’t have any material left to use after sampling everything haha.
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At the moment I’m finding just having a DT with some of my billions of sampled breaks using the time stretching trick, to play quantised loops via an lfo and that second LFO on the sample slot itself, sorta replicating the mega break idea. But I’ve not really perfected it (diff breaks are meant to run at varying tempos) which allows me to focus on getting it sound both unique an fun to listen to with fx, playing with loop points etc etc etc and then Using just my OB6, knob per function and beautiful sound, almost impossible to make it sound shit. I can lose hours improvising with these 2 and my modular which is designed to be entirely hands on. Even without using a sequencer, I can make patches using envelopes and clock it, and build a beat around it or build up intensity.
But, just picking up a guitar and I can get lost for hours. Particular with strange and uncommon tuning which makes me sound better than I actually am technically
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For me it’s the OP-Z. It’s not great for sampling, but once the sounds are in, I can spend hours twisting them and turning them into something else. It’s like nothing else in terms of working.
I always feel like I’m playing it, rather than programming it.
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What proportion of the time would you say you use the sampling vs the synthesis engine? And do you use the app?
I use the built-in drums, and sometimes one or two synths. But I use samples for almost everything. Sometimes a guitar note sampled and use on a “synth” track, but usually sampled to a drum track and chopped up.
If I had one wish for the OP-Z it would be to make the sampler work hands-free, and to be able to more easily load them in and out via the app.
I use the app often, but mostly to chop samples. I can do it without, but it’s easier with the screen. If I forget one of the key combos–like what the step component options do–then I look at a paper manual to check, rather than use the app, because then I remember better next time.
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I got a great deal on a DT recently and I really think it’s a great device, especially paired with the DN. It’s really fun to explore, but I like my TR-8s better for drums, and the OT currently plays a major role in my setup, so the DT will likely be on the chopping block soon. (As much as it is amazing)
Your setup sounds really fun. The OB6 looks amazing and likely plays nicely with the wild and weird possibilities of modular.
Agree. I’d love it to be able to live sample quantized loops like the OT. I’ve had lots of fun with mine, but the sample management, lacklustre synth engines, and fiddlyness has caused me to set it aside for a while. It’s an amazing travel Buddy though. I’m waiting to see what the next update brings before I decide to sell it. It’s near the top of the heap in terms of fun / size though.
I had a brief go with the 707 early on, but ended up returning it. I’ve often thought that was a huge mistake. I was super productive with it, but didn’t known synthesis well enough to harness the power of the synth engine. I got a 101 to try out, but the lack of sound design and number of shortcuts to remember has left me a little disappointed. If they brought out a battery powered unit with 6 channels and the full sound editing engine and the same input / output capabilities, I’d buy one in a heartbeat.
Thanks to everyone for sharing their ideas and experiences. It’s great to hear different takes on this subject.
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i have both 707 and 101 — got the latter for portability reasons.
it’s really cool.
but for me, 707 was the very 1st machine that made me happy with factory presets and delivered me from sound design jobs, so i could spend more time on finishing tracks.
(303 sounds is the notable exception — but this was solved with excellent pack by @darenager)
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I think the Monologue is great for improvising on. The sequencer is not that deep, but it is really fun.
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It does look really fun. I’ve seen some impressive videos with it.
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I’ve recently been testing the flamma fs21 looper, some effect pedals, plus a monotron, and it is instant fan.
I really encourage people to test stuff like that, and they will be super surprised with the results you can get.
Once tested that, you can replace the synth (Monotron in my case) with another one that include effects, and maybe ditch also the pedals, but the simpler the setup, and the more controls to tweak the sound accesible by hand, the easier to focus in actual performance 
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I’ve been giving the Erica Synths DB-01 a heavy workout for a while now, and it’s really revealing itself to be an ultraflexible little Swiss army knife for live improv. There’s something complimentary between its basic guts as a synth and its sequencer, randomizer, motion recorder and arp engines. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts, and it’s just a little thoroughbred for playing live.
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It plays really nice with the Perkons, too!
Rytm, since one can create macros for the performance mode on the fly while performing.
It’s almost like having 16 Octatrack Faders
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