I got some spare money and decided to bring another elektron friend to the octatrack (which will hopefully arrive in a couple of weeks lol). At first I thought about A4, which seems to perform very well when combined with OT. I really adore this sound and effects seem to be just excellent. But then I realized that, probably, MnM will do equally well, taking into account music that i try to produce.
I mostly produce some harsh and noisy hardcore techno with loads of acid sounds. I also run a lovely melancholic downtempo/ambient project.
Here’s my soundcloud for reference: https://soundcloud.com/ch3oh https://soundcloud.com/ch3oh
I also plan to shift a little into the drone/dark ambient domain and softer kickdrums, like this:
To sum up, this is what I will use it for:
drones
acid
fx
noises
kickdrum design
Which one will handle this better? I came up with this little comparison:
A4 Pros : excellent fx (but not per-track), warm sound, better sequencer
A4 Cons: less tracks, no per-track fx, only analogue synthesis
MnM Pros: 6 tracks, 5 machines, crazier sounds
MnM Cons: flat sound, not so good reverb, outdated sequencer
I think it is possible to avoid MnM reverb by using OT Dark Reverb, which seems to be quite the same as in A4. I personally think (but maybe I’m missing something crucial) that MnM is better choice here, especially after this video:
A couple other features you may want to take into account.
A4: you can P’lock different sounds for excample kick and snare on same track . CV sequencer and a really good inputs for processing external signals.
MnM: Six track midi sequencer, individual outputs is key especially if you want to separate kick and sub bass outs.
I would start with a MnM first. I feel you’ll get more bang for your buck.
P-Locking different sounds is an interesting feature, but I don’t think I would use it often. How do you modify that p-locked preset other than switching to it?
CV tracks are worthless for me at the time, I have no gear to control it using CV. As well as I don’t need so much midi tracks right now, if I choose OT+MnM, eight tracks from OT are more than enough.
Separate outputs are indeed good to have and I can easily imagine different routing scenarios. This point also goes for MnM.
Search over the internet doesn’t show many interesting results about drones and acids from MnM (there are a lot of videos of A4 making them really well). Hopefully, this is only due to the people using it in slightly different manner.
Been trying to put my self through MnM school the past month or so… so far, all F’s! It is the only synth I have ever played with that I just do not gel with for what ever reason. Not a single sound I’ve tweaked is pleasing.
(plus it is about to have to shipped out for repairs AGAIN… eeeesh)
I think I’ll just go A4 once I can.
This is all subjective of course, I’m just a Mono-Idiot!
My vote is for the A4, though it is a tough choice as they both cover very different territory.
I used to be a big MODPlug Tracker user and the ability to sound lock per step on the A4 reminds me very much of that workflow.
The send effects, mini keyboard, and configurable polyphony are also big workflow pluses when compared to the track sacrifice per effect and all-or-nothing polyphony approach adopted by the MNM.
Also I didn’t end up using the FM+, SID, and VO machines much as I had these types of sounds covered elsewhere.
Would FM+ machine, pitch modulated by one shot LFO be a source of some weird kickdrums? My usual workflow in kickdrum design involves NI guitar rig with loads of parametric EQs and different types of distortion. I suppose FM+ machine would fit very well here. I might end up with using all of the tracks for different layers of kickdrum (that’s how i do them now). What A4 may offer here?
Absence of mini keyboard is not an issue in my case since I use dedicated keyboard.
And what do you mean by configurable polyphony? Is it possible to pick two notes using one preset and other two using another one? cant see big advantages here but still curious
I listened to your music and I think a MM will be a very good friend to you. Its AMAZING when coupled with a OT. The answer to you’re question about poly is yes, you can use three tracks for a chord, a few for mono, and one for drums, or any combination you desire.
The sound per step feature is done on the A4 by holding the trig, and turning the lvl knob that will bring up the patches from the current project audio pool. You can have a BD patch, then two HH patches, then a SD patch etc etc to get the most bang for your buck with the 4 track limit.
You just need to ask yourself what you want. Some people have said the MM is cold sounding, but I love it. You can coax really lush sounds out of it, however the A4 will get those sounds easier.
I would say get the MM MK2 +, I have had mine for a while with no issues, the possibilities are endless, and if you want analog sounds, get a BSII after, or save up for an A4 after.
Its your call, but no matter what you will end up a happy camper.
if i may put 2cents in the discussion:
appart from technical/sound difrences… what i really dislike about my monomachine:
there is no key to quickly reload kit… which sucks if you want to tweak the hell out of it… and get back to your original sounds… Sure the work-around is go into the kit menu and reload the kit… but hmm. i think thats an awefull workaround.
(if i am wrong about this… you can really make my day, by telling me that key-combo)
there is no patch-system… Sure… you can make awesome sounds… but then what??
save them in some pattern in the last bank… nice work-around. but i keep forgetting where i put what… I rather spend 2 days making cool sounds… make a list of choices so to speak… and play with it for a week or 2…
So those are my main reasons to swtich from a mono-machine to an a4…
because i do like elektron-interface… fun machines i can loose myself in…
anyways. very personal opinion… more then likely there are people who can live with it… hell even i can… but i dont like it…
I believe Guga knows the black magic behind the Monomachine kit reload, but as he’s selling a cool controller that uses it I feel it would be unfair to ask him to spill it.
You can still accomplish the same thing by copying the kit when you load it and pasting it when you want to recall it, and it’s only three quick button presses otherwise. Not as convenient as the other machines, but it’s an effective workaround.
looks like a workflow gap. don’t know how significant it can be to me though. I probably have to read manuals for both units in advance, but there’s tremendous amount of information about what yo can do, and almost nothing about what you can’t
I think I’ll go for MnM anyway, just wanted to make sure I’m not missing something that important. expect some newbie questions here for the next six months
looks like a workflow gap. don’t know how significant it can be to me though. I probably have to read manuals for both units in advance, but there’s tremendous amount of information about what yo can do, and almost nothing about what you can’t[/quote]
Yeah, thats exactly why i put in my 2cents… not to tell you what i like about my monomachine.
cause you already named those points… (nice sounds etc etc) but to tell you what i really missed.
Huh? reloading a kit is near enough the same on both machines.
Huh X 2? save a kit and name it so it relates to the pattern, dump to comp how ever you like when full
huh1: kit-reloading with a key-press… like on an octatrack… where you push function-cue
and the active part is instantly set, to the values you saved…
or function+classic on the machinedrum… as far as i know… there isnt a function like that on the monomachine.
while it would be insanely usefull for the music I make… And I do believe the A4 and the AK and the AR has such a function… just like the machinedrum and the octatrack… (and because of this… i really hope i am an idiot and there is a button-combi for it)… I do not mean… how to save/reload a kit or tie it to a pattern…
Huh2: I specifically talked about patches/presets… When somebody talks about a patch… they talk about the settings of a specific sound stored in a preset… (or a bunch of wires in a modular) .
the kit… is in my humble opinion… a collection of patches… And thats where its goes wrong:
if i make a cool sound… I have to store it in a kit… but if i want the sound out… i have to supercopy it out of a current kit… and copy it to the new… the work around… to have a bank full of patterns with each its own kit to supercopy your soudns from… is shit in my book… i keep loosing sounds… to much work to preview one…
So yeah:
For me, and the way I work. those are my biggest gripes with a monomachine…
I dont say i hate it… I dont say it goes for everybody… I dont say its a bad machine.
just my personal opinion… what do i miss…
which is not a bad thing to say, when somebody wants to buy something… the pro’s and the con’s are valid.
and i do think, i explained clearly why in my opinion, its something i truely miss on the monomachine.
quick example of why i want kit-reload…
i love big delays with feedback… the delay in the monomachine does what i want… with the feedback and all that jazz… now i am in the middle of my buildup… and i want it to end… at this point i would press my kit-reload combi… but now i am forced to either… reload kit from menu… (and effectivly keep that menu open)
or turn back 3 knobs at the same time to keep delay from totally getting out of controll…
and I do think i explained why i missed a “patch-system” very clearly
