Oh, I just read that it’s your first piece of hardware. In that case, I’d recommend going with the AR. It’s a little pricey, but you get a little bit of everything. Analog synthesis, sample playback/manipulation, a bit of granular, and hella good drums. AND you can OB the tracks directly to your DAW.
If you’ve already got the A4, go with the MD. Otherwise go with the AR
Edit: if you’ve got an iPad you can get the Strom app and near instantly transfer the samples from your iPad to your AR.
You should clarify that the AR has sample playback, but NOT sampling…
Right. It feels like a hairs difference when you’re writing it, but a WORLD of difference to people reading it.
Thanks!
Ha, you really do miss your Ar!
I don’t have any experience with either A4 or AR, yet. Machinedrum UW was my first Elektron instrument and it was a game changer for me. I highly recommend it if you get a good price (I’d consider 900 USD / Euro or lower to be good).
Among the positives people have already mentioned, it’s also probably the most simple and straightforward Elektron instrument to use and provides the foundation for just about all of the boxes to follow. It does mean that it’s missing out on some of the more advanced features of its more modern siblings, but it makes up for that with its unique collection of drum synthesis options and the freedom to use them however you want. There’s so much you can do across those 16 available tracks.
That’s the setup I’ve got. It works great. MD is quirky and weird, but also is a great standalone drum machine (he’ll, I’ve written entire tracks only using the MD), while the A4 is sonically deep, and its effects help it sit well in the mix.
The benefit about the MD/A4 combo as a centerpiece of a studio is its versatility for working with other gear: I also use my MD to sequence a Waldorf blofeld, and the A4 to drive some eurorack gear (which sounds dope when run through the A4’s effects track). Furthermore you can use the A4’s pair of ins to bounce audio via overbridge.
Just be patient and really explore both machines. They’re both relatively intuitive for powerful, menu-driven, multi-timbral synths, but the secret sauce is in exploring how the sequencers interact with, and complement the synth engines.
Oh, also, the UW features are rad.
MD users have generated a massive library of knowledge. It’s worth considering that people have aggregated tips and advice about this machine since it was released. So in that respect it has a small advantage over some of the newer machines.
The MDUW is the Swiss (Swedish?) Army knife of electronic music. There’s almost always something I find myself trying to do that 9/10 times I can do with the MD. It does show its age a bit in 2017 as a “modern” drum synth/sequencer, but it has so many different applications and can be used in such creative ways that the biggest limitation it has is with the user. I use it as a trigger sequencer, FX box, midi sequencer, sound resampler and mangler…oh yeah, and as drum machine/synth, as well. It just depends on what I’m going for.
That said, I do have little gripes with it, like the rigidity of the sequencer, and it doesn’t always sound as full or warm as I’d like. So…sometimes I sequence it from another sequencer or run the outputs through a stereo compressor and/or my Evolver for extra warmth and character. The RYTM would probably have me grabbing for those things less, but the MDUW is so powerful that I’m fine with augmenting it with other gear. Having 16 tracks to work with is also super handy, as I often devote 8 or so to internal sounds and use the rest for some mix of triggers/sampling/midi sequencing/FX with other gear, and to my knowledge there isn’t a lot of gear out there with that kind of flexibility. And let’s not forget about the magic of CTRL-AL.
It’s a beautiful piece of kit and I’ll never part with it (or the Monomachine) because it always has something to teach me.
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Doch, bei ebay-kleinanzeigen ist gerade ein ganzer Arsch voll. Eine MK2 wird für 700 und eine andere MK1 für 625E angbeboten. Die anderen Geräte für über 1000 wären aber zu hoch gepreist aus meiner Sicht.
The Machinedrum is hands down the best drum machine ever made, and i think it is hilarious that Elektron chose to discontinue it.
and it doesn’t always sound as full or warm as I’d like
Same. I’m thinking Analog Heat is a good partner for the MD.
pro tip: take the volume of each drum or sample to midday, rather than the 100 percent default.
Setting the individual volume (not the level) to 12’o’clock sets the volume to 100 percent. Any further and it is adding gain… that is okay to do, although not for every drum, and certainly not all the way right.
This helps to avoid harshness, and assists in the process of dialling in warmth to a trig sound.
one word: “Mastering Audio - The Art And The Science” by Bob Katz
okay that was more than one word, but anyway, the interviews in there are just brilliant, as are the chapters he wrote.
MD is still very much worth it if you can find one at a good price. Accent pretty much nailed it, it is just so flexible in a larger electronic music set up that it never runs out of uses. I feel bad for the people who sold their MD’s when the AR came out. They compliment each other’s sounds perfectly IMO. My only “complaint” about it these days is the lack of the extended feature set of the modern Elektron sequencer. I really don’t even need the DT, but am seriously considering it for sequencing the MD and MnM
Thanks previewlounge! I’ll give that a try in my next session with the MD.
just watched an interview with Cirklon’s chief scientist… that would also be cool for sequencing the machinedrum …
although really it is possible to achieve random on/off values for a track’s programmed trig notes.
requires the use of a 2nd LFO
so if there was a six drum section and then the next six drums to the right having their LFO’s assigned to the previous six drums, that would work …
or is it the other way around? not sure.
but anyway through the clever use of LFO’s it is possible to emulate many new sequencer tricks on the Machinedrum.
Interesting… Would you mind dropping the link ?
YES PLEASE SHARE THE LINK. THANKS
This one I’m guessing…
yes, very cool interview …