This is dope
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Whatever you call it, it grooves.
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Just recorded. I had a great time during this quick session.
You can hear Rytm and modular.
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Yeah, I am really digging that minimal approach and can definetely hear the DFAM going crazy. I am at work head bobbing thanks to you.
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Thanks all for your encouraging words. I’m going to pursue this style/direction & looping workflow some more for sure. It’s always a temptation to want to add more sounds eh but better to tweak what you have, this current approach definitely helps with that and gives a nice spacey feeling.
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I’ve been following the discussion here for a while … nice and lively.
Something that’s beginning to work well for me/us is working in a group. I play in something of a trio – one guy doing backbone duty on a drum machine, the other guys building up interlocking bass/noise/samples/percussion/arpeggiated synths.
Six hands allow us to focus individually on a few key machines, and at least two of us can start with (more-or-less) empty sequences, and write them in on top of drums as we go. Part of the improv is in the live sequencing, the other part is creating elements in realtime in relation to what the others are introducing – and, importantly, having the freedom to dial in a new sound while the other two are carrying the weight.
We run the whole mix through a compressor an effects box for highpass dropouts and echoey transitions, etc. The ‘drummer’ controls the effects box.
One big thing that sets this approach apart from playing in a more traditional trio-style setup is you have to pay attention to mix – when everything is being spit out in a stereo mixdown, it’s easy to overwhelm a particular frequency band.
But the really the biggest challenge is establishing the context for the performance itself. Even for me – I’m not really sure if I care if techno is 'live" or “improvised” or whatever… are people on a dancefloor interested in transitional periods where the music is more ‘searching’ than ‘banging?’ STOOR vs. Berghain – will it blend?
May be worth considering that improv techno is fundamentally different than dancefloor techno, even if the goal for some might be as much overlap as possible.
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Also wanted to pick up on something menioned in this thread earlier – @Bojack_Coarseman finding the Elektron sequencer wanting for writing in a live context. I agree – it’s far from optimal… too squinty, hunty, flashy, screeny, menu-divey… I’m really interested in what works better live.
Something I want to try out is using Arturia’s hybrid sequencer/arpeggiator in the Polybrute. You can cook up a quick arpeggiated synth line, then move it into a sequencer-like environment (while it’s playing!) and make certain kinds of edits to the arpeggio in the matrix editor, including turning notes on and off, adding notes in polyphonic stacks, adjusting octaves and velocities, adjusting the total length (hello 3, 5, or 7) and most importantly by far –moving the whole thing through new chords or chord changes with your hands on the keyboard.
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Some suggestions I didn’t write in my post. If you are looking for immediate ways of changing rythm patterns/melodies:
-Instruments with sequencer randomizer inside are really exciting. I don’t know why Elektron isn’t implementing that stuff that it’s now ubiquitous. The best one I found is Bassline by Erica Synths, it lets you create a range for the different parameters (gates lenght, pitch envelopes, slides, chance of steps, velocity, filter modulation, scales) and then you can randomize each parameter singularly or create a random pattern by the press of a button. It is so much fun, you have practically infinite basslines at the touch of a button. I played my last two liveset with that and an Analog Rytm.
-Then there are a lot of sequencers with generative capabilities in which you can create interesting stuff with a press of a button and a few twists; I am thinking about Torso T-1 (which I mentioned), but I am also looking at the Oxi One, which seems to have enormous capabilities (and it also has a randomizer feature similar to the Erica Synth Bassline’s sequencer); and surely there are others out there. I can’t stress this enough: having an external sequencer which can control every instrument I have has changed my approach completely. When you have different Elektrons (or synths with dedicated sequencers) you are always struggling between the different tracks in the different machines, it draws you back. When you only have to control one sequencer to rule them all, you’ll be much more focused.
-If you really want to go crazy and create your perfect setup, Eurorack is your friend here; a lot of eurorack sequencers are really made for creating patterns on the fly. I am thinking about Euclidean Circles, Malekko Varigate (that is a beast), Grids by Mutable Instruments; there are a tons. When I was into modular I had a phase in which I was sequencing everything with Clank Chaos (which is like having 8x Touring Machines) and had a lot of fun. Ornament and Crime or Temps Utile are other really funny modules to sequence stuff. Especially if you pair them with sliders/attenuators to avoid menu diving. Then you can further process the triggers with sequential switches and clock divider, the sky is the limit here. And everything changes with the touch of a few buttons/knobs.
In the end, you want to be able to create a new pattern with as less mental energy as possible and a lot of immediacy. While in your studio you have the time and relax needed to explore, playing live you are stressed and can’t spent too much time thinking (Surgeon famously said you are 50% more stupid when playing live or something like that). This gives also space to a lot of very happy accidents.
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I think the Elektron sequencer for live drum programming is one of the best sequencers out there. For melodic stuff there are far better alternatives IMHO.
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I was going to say something similar, while admitting I lack experience with other options. I find it really quick to program in a one page element by feel on the Digitakt, and the fact I can add func+trig trigs, set a condition, paste it around and then bring them all in at once gives me a really fast way to add a little complexity to a sequence live.
That said, it can’t be that easy to do live while focusing on other elements at the same time, because I tend to work by jamming out the drum elements on the DT, and then getting them into some sort of order by testing them in ‘groups’. Then when I feel I’ve got somewhere I generally work on everything else.
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I currently own an AR and some other hardware synths. After I bought the AR I did not use it at all to be honest. I thought the workflow was way too clunky and for live improvisation I preferred my TR8S.
Now that I spend some time with it I like it more and more and I am really getting “into the zone” with it. It starts to feel like an instrument now. Even more when I added the Novation Launch Control to add more „hands on“ control. I also use the analog synths on the device. MIDI without polyphony is pretty basic though. So I won’t control my MIDI synth with the sequencer. To add some synth sounds to the setup I thought about getting the Analog 4.
Currently I am owning SH101, Juno, Moog Subsequent, Peak, Pro 800, Digitone, TD3. Now that I think about it and reading what you are saying I am not sure if its a good idea to add another synth to the setup. For full arranging, composing etc. Ableton does a much better job than any Elektron device. And for live improvisation the Elektron Sequencer maybe too static.
So maybe I would be better of with using the OXI as a „master controller“, use the AR and add 1 mono and 1 poly synth ? The Oxi can do parameter locks very similar to what Elektron does and send those via CC. AR also has an Euclidian mode now which I use all the time. It makes a huge difference. Maybe they will add it to the other devices.
What I really like about the A4 though is that it’s basically 4 mono synths in one box and somehow I like the feeling of using those Elektron boxes (cannot really explain why). It just feels different using such a compact setup.
With OXI you just have learn and master one device instead of several (slighty different) devices. As far as I can see you could use the OXI sequencer in a very similar way you are using the Elektron Sequencers (if you don’t need all the other features it has to offer)
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I still wonder if that matrical mode, would spit out notes in the scale, or chromatically only? Would that matrical mode not sound a bit samey after a while ? I found the generative thing on the MPC somewhat ok, but it would need constant button presses to generate the next sequence, and it wasnt making rythmical sense to do it that way. I personally think something which can generates rythms from rythms - would be optimal.
Excuse my ignorance, what is matrical mode?
OXI has LOTS of options. Chromatic, Sacke, Randomness. It would take a long time to explain everything.
Check this out
But this only one (!) way.
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OXI has 4 sequencers that are totally different. The Matriceal is just one of them. What Surco shows is on of the sequencers.
??? Care to elaborate?
I did find it a bit unpractical, , but maybe you could put it to good use.
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Editing while the track is muted is really nice. I know how to program drum patterns without hearing them first. It’s just a matter of practice and experience. And as we play as a duo with @MoeFerris and he makes the melodic stuff I have some time to breathe and prepare while he plays out his stuff vice versa. Btw this is a fully improvised set. Moe uses Cue on his mixer to prepare new melodic coneten and I just jam out with a 909 kit on the Tr8S:
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Nice, having a listen now.