I’m the owner of an Analog Rytm, that I love so much.
I always liked the digital sound of the MachineDrum too, and I’m looking to buy one to compliment my AR. Yesterday I found a cheap MD SPS-1 MKII (no-UW) to buy, and I have to make my choice before tomorrow.
I’m reading tons and tons of threads and posts of people saying the UW part makes 80% of the machine, or that most people buying a non-UW version is regretting it.
I read that the possibility of re-sampling the sounds of the MD is a game-changer factor.
Knowing that: - I am not interested in “glitch” things - I am more into Radiohead and Thom Yorke’s The Eraser sounds and patterns
Do you think the UW part is still worth the money for me?
A cheap MD with no UW is better than no UW at all. The drum synths in the MD are incredible and a lot of fun to toy around with. A lot of people with the UW don’t see the interest in using samples in it either, but resampling and the snapshots of the +drive REALLY expand the capability of the machine.
If the price is REALLY good, go for it. No reason you couldn’t sell and upgrade later if you want the expanded capability
In which sense it “REALLY” expand the capability of the machine?
To give an example, will a non-UW unit capable of doing that : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvEOWNfx7lY
?
Well, the +drive makes it so you don’t have to clear you patterns to start anew. I had a non-UW and that would have been a hassle. There’s so much to explore with the machine that those patterns will fill up rather quickly, and if you intend on performing with it you can save it within snapshots instead of having to load sysex files onto the machine each time. And the resampling feature allows you to take the pattern as a whole and modify it as a whole in a sample manner. Play it backwards forwards, retrig it and apply the function+knob turn effect without modifying the rest of the kits. Really allows to take your patterns and make them fluidly malleable. With an OT it can only help. I haven’t dabbled with sampling it into the OT and seeing what’s up from there, but the different approaches to what you sample in can only help the final outcome. The convince of doing it from the drum machine opposed to finding a workaround in the OT can only encourage new ideas.
But really, a UW without the +drive might not be worth it for that feature alone. But UW w/ +drive is absolutely tops
I can’t see the point to go for an UW.
For microtiming I have a Rytm (yeah, I know, it can’t re-sample the MD directly, but…), or a DAW to eventually arrange the beats.
And I wouldn’t use it live.
I see it more as a “sound source”, not as an all-in-one machine, and I’m not interested in “industrial” or really weird sounds, but in just nice FM things (again: Thom Yorke)…
Do you still think I’m doing a mistake buying a non-UW unit?
As a sound source you’re fine. I don’t see how you couldn’t do anything in post. The sampling/resampling feature is really cool(but you could use the midi track to trigger samples in a daw. You can resample in a DAW as well. The snapshot feature is really convenient, but can be worked around if it’s not there. If you intend to use the MD live, it might be more necessary, but if you want to sample the MD patterns from a DAW(or even have your DAW sequence the MD also not necessary for UW) a non UW is better than no MD at all
Money is not an issue.
I was just wondering the ACTUAL limits of the non-UW version, apart from the “glitchy” aspect that I don’t need at all…
I like to work with some limits and with just few elements with a great-sounding box, rather than working with a machine that can do thousands of random-things per second…
You cant load or record samples.
MD is the glitch king so if you do not like or need glitch then you would be missing quite a large aspect of the drum machine.
It can however do standard drums very well without glitch. But so can a TR8, drumbrute, or other lower cost drummachines on the market.
i rarely use the uw engine for glitch effects, but i still find it valuable. you may not need to use the md in the ways others do, so maybe ask yourself what you may want it for, and in what situations (live vs. studio, big setup vs. small, etc.).
a couple of things that make it essential for me personally:
its ability to play 1-cycle waves. so many raw sounds that can be shaped into everything from percussion to basslines to chord progressions. all of which can be resampled and resequenced, yes, but even if they couldn’t, it still allows you to use the md as a 16-voice polysynth.
the effect resampling has on the sound of the internals. a video that veets / catabolicdj did awhile back demonstrates its advantages for making initially thin drum hits fatter and more present. i have found the same to be true for short loops, whether created with internal or external sources.
ultimately it comes down to what you need the md for and where it fits into your workflow. i find the uw engine to be an endless source of inspiration, allowing me to do a great deal of composing where the md creates 95% or even all of the sounds i need for a track … but if you envision the md as more of a sidekick to your other gear, save your money.
MD gives you all the internal drum machines and associated synths.
UW gives you sample playing and recording, in addition to what standard MD offers.
You decide if UW is important for you or not.
Personally I think it is worth it, but others do not. Its subjective.
Excellent! I was like you and wanted to save my money and started out with the non-UW. I’ve got the AR and the OT as well and thought the extra features wouldn’t apply to me. Had the drum machine for, like, two months before I sold it and bought a UW. And I’m quite pleased I did!
In my personal opinion, you are making a mistake investing in a non-UW MD. That is simply my opinion. As you can see, opinions vary. And you seem to have answered your own question,
