Whatsup fellow Elektronauts! About 6 months ago I got my AR mk2 after months of doubting whether I should upgrade from my DT to the OT, the AR or perhaps the mpc live. This forum was a lot of help!
After using it extensively for the last couple of months, I thought it was a good moment to write down my thoughs so far, hopefully this helps other people looking to upgrade from the DT, or any other machine.
I primarily make samplebased hiphop/triphop, so I used the DT not as a drummachine, but as a groovebox/sampler to make full tracks/beats on. Right now Iām using the AR in the same way: Its not just the drum machine in my setup, it basically IS my setup. I sample stuff, synthesize sounds, make full tracks, and mix them, all in the AR.
I have to say: I never expected the AR to work this well as a one stop production machine at all. Most videoās and reviews online only describe and judge this machine as an analog drum machine with some sampling capabilities, and the people using it to make full tracks are far outnumbered by the people using it as a drummachine in a larger setup. Some would say Iām actually misusing the AR by making it do more than drums, but I guess the same goes for all the people who started making songs on old mpcās and sp1200ās.
After a slow start (I thought the machine sounded great, but was way less userfriendly than the DT), Iām now in complete awe of the AR. Iāve learned to appreciate the machine for what it does, instead of wanting it to do the things other machines/daws do. The AR doesnāt try to do everything (far from it), like a daw, or the new mpcās/maschine+, but within the limited structure of the AR you can do a lot of things a daw doesnāt excel at:
- The limitations make it very inspiring to work on, youāre not overwhelmed by options, and you quickly build up muscle memory, making it a machine you can quickly operate without thinking too much. The box feels sturdy, and all the knobs and buttons feel like theyāre built to last.
- The sound (both for synthesis and sampling) is warm, alive, weighty and organic (canāt think of better words to describe it, even though I dislike using terms like these). It truly does have its own character, and things sound better after youāve sampled them into the machine.
- The combination of analog synthesis/circuitry, digital fx and sampling/resampling make this machine perfect for sound design. Itās awesome to create drum or synth sounds, combine them with samples, warm them up using the filters/drive/distortion and resample them into new samples you can use.
- Itās not just a drum synth, thereās actually 3 very capable monosynths hiding inside the machine. Using the rk002 smart midi cable, you can even use it as a fully polyphonic 3 voice polysynth. The dual vco has its quirks (it goes out of tune a lot, and doesnāt track well) but you can always resample it.
- Itās also quite capable as a machine to warm up sounds, like the AH. The analog circuitry can go from subtle to extreme. It takes some practice, but things sounding too sterile or clean is never a problem.
- I was used to the awesome elektron sequencer before, because of the DT, bit this one is even better: thereās songmode, scenes, perfs and parameter slide, making it very easy to compose full songs with endless variation.
All of this makes this machine the perfect all in 1 groovebox for me. If I want to use more (unlimited) options, I can just open my daw. If I want to be inspired to make music within a very limited, creative structure, I can fire up my AR. I donāt need any additional analog synth, sampler or overdrive pedal anymore, Itās all achievable within this one box. In this light I wouldnāt actually want Elektron to add to many more features to it. There are, however, some weird omissions which cripple the machine a little, like the inability to reset the amp envelope, the lack of samplestart finetuning, and the lack of visual feedback on the compressor page. I really hope elektron adds these in a future update.
Even though iām in love with this machine, Iād hesitate to recommend it as a complete groovebox in favor of some other machines to anyone. You have to be aware of all the limitations, and accept the machine for what it is. When in doubt, you should probably pick the alternative, but if you like working on a machine which is awesome within itās limitations, I highly recommend the AR as a one stop beatmaking machine!
Is anyone else here using the AR in this way? Iāve basically left my other gear untouched for a couple of months now haha.
maybe an issue with Overbridge betaā¦
