Workarounds to Achieve Microtiming with MonoMachine

zfigz · 2014-09-25T20:22:45.000Z

I have been a loyal monomachine user since 2007 and love the machine to pieces as it is the brain behind my whole hardware setup. Though, my main qualm is the fact that it does not have microtiming. I work pretty intensely to achieve more human feel by editing the swing tracks so that certain steps are later than others (e.g. setting swing to 56% and then ensuring that swing only effects certain steps). I also sometimes use the arpeggiator to get looser grooves. While these workarounds give my tracks a bit more of a human feel, I seriously wish there was something else I could do to adjust my hits/steps forward or backward.

So my question is, what (if any) do you guys do to achieve microtiming on the monomachine? Is there maybe a piece of gear out there that would give me more control over the timing of my hits/steps?

josker · 2014-09-26T14:22:38.000Z

""zfigz"":

I have been a loyal monomachine user since 2007 and love the machine to pieces as it is the brain behind my whole hardware setup. Though, my main qualm is the fact that it does not have microtiming. I work pretty intensely to achieve more human feel by editing the swing tracks so that certain steps are later than others (e.g. setting swing to 56% and then ensuring that swing only effects certain steps). I also sometimes use the arpeggiator to get looser grooves. While these workarounds give my tracks a bit more of a human feel, I seriously wish there was something else I could do to adjust my hits/steps forward or backward.

So my question is, what (if any) do you guys do to achieve microtiming on the monomachine? Is there maybe a piece of gear out there that would give me more control over the timing of my hits/steps?

You probably don’t want to hear this, but sequencing the MnM from an Octatrack is good.

On the MnM, adjusting attack values per step can “delay” a note slightly, which is kind of close to what you are asking. Maybe a one-shot volume LFO affecting VOL, with appropriate values to delay the onset of the actual sound slightly? Of course, both these are a bit dodgy with sounds with a distinct attack phase. Drum hits come to mind first.

Maybe you could use an effects track set to 100% wet to delay sounds slightly?

Besides these, I think achieving the human feel is more a matter of turning to things besides microtiming… P-locking various parameters.

Accent · 2014-09-26T14:26:34.000Z

Don’t forget about the “sequencer within a sequencer” of the arp. I find that helps a lot to get notes to better fall into place.

zfigz · 2014-09-26T14:26:50.000Z

""josker"":

Besides these, I think achieving the human feel is more a matter of turning to things besides microtiming… P-locking various parameters.

Yeah, I do that a lot with the 6 tracks of synthesis, but it’s harder to achieve using the 6 midi tracks. This forum post has some of the same ideas that I mentioned at the beginning of this thread, but they’re fairly convoluted or not very effective. I’m kinda at a crossroads with either just accepting the limitations of my setup or scraping the SP606 for an AR to achieve more flexibility with sequencing my drums.

zfigz · 2014-09-26T14:32:35.000Z

""Accent"":

Don’t forget about the “sequencer within a sequencer” of the arp. I find that helps a lot to get notes to better fall into place.

Yeah, I use that a lot with the 6 tracks of synthesis, but I don’t find myself using it as much as I should with the midi tracks, especially with drums. So maybe that could be a workaround to place my snares/kicks forward or backward.

dubathonic · 2014-09-26T15:58:37.000Z

Also don’t forget scale length. If you doubletime your patterns, you get twice the note resolution.

Sometimes I’ll do this along with doubling the BPM as well. This not only gives me the ability to adjust tempo by 0.05 BPM instead of 0.1 (on the rare occasions when I need to), but together with doubled scale length I effectively get four sequencer steps where I previously got only one.

The downside is that you may need more patterns, but along with the arp and swing tricks mentioned above, you can sidestep a lot of problems.

zfigz · 2014-09-26T21:31:26.000Z

""dubathonic"":

Also don’t forget scale length. If you doubletime your patterns, you get twice the note resolution.

Sometimes I’ll do this along with doubling the BPM as well. This not only gives me the ability to adjust tempo by 0.05 BPM instead of 0.1 (on the rare occasions when I need to), but together with doubled scale length I effectively get four sequencer steps where I previously got only one.

The downside is that you may need more patterns, but along with the arp and swing tricks mentioned above, you can sidestep a lot of problems.

This works well if you’re working from song mode, but from pattern mode there’s no easy way to automate bpm/tempo.

dubathonic · 2014-09-27T14:30:42.000Z

^another tool to deal with that: don’t forget you can also adjust tempo with Func held down. the change won’t happen till you release it.

also i take it from your answer you know about song mode … jamming in the arranger is a whole new dimension, i’m discovering.

anyway, these are workarounds, per your question … if you want a full-on solution, then as josker says, you may want an OT or some other sequencer.

Veets · 2014-09-28T00:14:08.000Z

Mutable Instruments makes a cool little gadget called the MidiPal. It has all kinds of nifty functions including humanization (of various kinds it seems). My inner MIDI nerd seriously wants one and it might be the right thing for you as well if you have another sync source. Not too expensive either. Plus you update the OS with Elektron’s C6 - how cool is that

zfigz · 2014-09-28T22:31:12.000Z

""Veets"":

Mutable Instruments makes a cool little gadget called the MidiPal. It has all kinds of nifty functions including humanization (of various kinds it seems). My inner MIDI nerd seriously wants one and it might be the right thing for you as well if you have another sync source. Not too expensive either. Plus you update the OS with Elektron’s C6 - how cool is that

This is exactly what I’m looking for. I’ve known about it for a while (eg poly with a4/mnm etc), but I didn’t realize everything it could do, especially the groove to clock/halftime tricks. I plan on using it mostly for drums and use other of its apps when I construct a new setup.

I ordered one last night (^o^)

Thanks!

Veets · 2014-09-29T14:53:13.000Z

^ Cool! Love to hear how it goes for you. Keep us/me posted

manifold · 2014-10-29T16:00:10.000Z

Pure Data (or Max for that matter) is perfect for achieving “human feel”. If you are on mac or linux, you can route the midi out of the MnMs tracks to pd and to all sorts of stuff to that… ive programmed a lot of small patches that make notes stumble and stutter in very idiosyncratic ways. pd is beautiful as a reactive environment. of course pd requires a lot of time spent learning it. only recommended if youre willing to invest that. But I was and pd has become the only program i will never stop using, theres just so much to do with it.

miketheman · 2014-11-11T13:53:43.000Z

""manifold"":

Pure Data (or Max for that matter) is perfect for achieving “human feel”. If you are on mac or linux, you can route the midi out of the MnMs tracks to pd and to all sorts of stuff to that… ive programmed a lot of small patches that make notes stumble and stutter in very idiosyncratic ways. pd is beautiful as a reactive environment. of course pd requires a lot of time spent learning it. only recommended if youre willing to invest that. But I was and pd has become the only program i will never stop using, theres just so much to do with it.

(Sorry for hi-jacking the thread a bit)

I´ve just recently got a bit interested in PD. Do you have any book/sites that you would recommend?

Owning an NM G2 Engine, I´m a bit familiar (and in love) with the modular thinking. But realize that PD is an different universe.

zfigz · 2014-11-12T02:30:17.000Z

""Veets"":

^ Cool! Love to hear how it goes for you. Keep us/me posted

Pardon the delay

I scored a midipal about a month ago, and alas, it didn’t incorporate into my setup using the midi thru box that outputs all the mnm midi to the rest of the rig.

I’m now primarily using it for composition, having an easy/quick way to incorporate midi automation without a computer.

As for dealing with the rigid sequence grid of the mnm, im just forcing myself to experiment to achieve a more natural feel.