Hi everyone. I’m feeling a bit stale with my creativity and so I’ve decided to change up my setup. Recently I’ve been using mostly ableton and push but it’s time to put the laptop away and get the machines out! I’ve accumulated a few bits of hardware over the last couple of years and so I thought it might be fun (and give me some new ideas) to see what you would pick (and why) if you could choose only 2 of my machines in your setup. More than 2 and I feel overwhelmed as it starts to get too complex for my simple brain. My gear list is machinedrum (non UW), digitakt, digitone, Nord lead a1r, microbrute, Roland tb-3, electribe 2. Looking forward to hearing your suggestions!
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Two nice neat boxes in front of you, packed with features, with unlimited potential
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This would also be my choice. Years of fun and possibilities…
Digitakt and Digitone seems like a pretty crazy amount of potential. I mostly work with an OTMK2 and an A4MK2. Plenty of creative options with just those two, a bit overwhelming at times as they’re both such deep machines. I kinda prefer only working with two machines most of the time as well
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I went from Tr8+RNC1773, DT, DSI Evolver, Volca FM, Strymon Deco+Blue Sky, Boss BX-8
to
DT->AR
No looking back. So simple and fun.
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Digitakt and digitone is the obvious choice
But if i had all of that, i would choose the dn and machinedrum. Just sounds more fun to me
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I’d personally go Nord a1r to the DT. But yeah I think DT + DN zen combo you could have running together then leave the room for a few days, come back and the vibe would still be evolving.
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OT MKII and Digitone after using most Elektron boxes besides the Rytm.
Best combo there is IMO, A4 would make a great addition but too much Elektron sequencing is a hindrance to me. I’d rather have a solid analog mono, poly, or Eurorack case if there was an allowable third, to give an idea of possible sonic limitations between the OT and DN.
You just wanted us to say “DT+DN” right?
I will never give in to your devious plan.
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I generally work with DT DN and Eurorack.
I have a few other synths but they don’t get much use right now.
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For me, it’d be Machinedrum and Digitakt. I could make music for the rest of my life with that pair and never get bored.
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DT and DN
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Machinedrum UW and DN. I use it personally and it can sound nice and HiFi. Love 2 digital machines blending together, more than I would’ve originally thought. There is a lot of ground those 2 machines can cover.
Machinedrum for traditional and weird percussion. Samples can also be loaded but their typically pretty short in length. MD can also do some synth work with the SIN machine.
Digitone for bass, lead, Arp, and chords. The DN can also do some pretty solid percussion, coupled with sound locks you will only use 1 track.
Run the Machinedrum into DN to add reverb, delay, chorus, or overdrive.
Run the DN into Machinedrum for 12 bit on the fly sampling / re-sampling. Also can use the MD delay or Reverb for a different, older flavor than what the DN provides. Also SRR (sample rate reduction)
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digitone, microbrute
The 2 in my own setup would no quesiton be a4mkii+op1.
digitone seems like the closest in your selection to the a4, and I also really like my microbrute, esp. sequenced by my a4
What: Digitakt & Digitone
Why: This is Elektronauts
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I would go with Analog Four MK2 and Digitone (or new Keys version). You get amazing analog sound sculpting engine’s and equally amazing FM engines. One limit would be no samples, so the you are limited to the sound engines of both machines. But that limit is very, very vast. Another limit would be 8 tracks total. But with the polyphony of the Digitone, and p-locks on both machines, those are limits I can live with.
Machinedrum and Digitakt
You could make entire tracks off the Digitakt alone, but with the Machinedrum you can give it some crazy glitchy atmosphere.
The DT, I feel, offers a better bass while the Machinedrum is crispy crunchy goodness.
Also, don’t you want to have a setup consisting of only drum machines? What’s not to love about that?
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I’m using a TR-8S, M:S, and Microfreak right now. I put my other gear away. It seems like a good combo for similar reasons. Three things that excel at percussive sounds.
Though DT+DN is monstrous for the same reason.
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True, but someone had to say Machinedrum
Also, I just recently discovered the magnificence of how the DT and the MD compliment each other
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I agree with that as well. 
The MD and DN are somewhat interchangeable in that equation.
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