This challenge is for all Elektron (Model/Digi/Octa/MD/MnM/Analog) users.
Inspired by a similar challenge on the Dawless Reddit, the ATC challenge and recent posts questioning and seeking reasoning, inspiration and purpose towards electronic music creation.
This one removes overthinking, extraneous polishing and ego, facilitating a pure Human/Machine interaction.
-All sequencing + sound within one box (no external performances/thru channel etc)
-No pre-prepped sounds/samples/presets or FX settings
-Single cycle waveforms are permitted
-Only real time (within the 5:00) sampling (ie nothing from your banks, any source allowedā¦)
-You can copy+paste the pattern and/or kit onto blank patterns
-You can set BPM before the clock starts
-Submit a live video of the 5 minutes. (timer in shot)
-Press stop (hands off) by 0:00 (decay/reverb/delay trails allowed upto 1 minute)
Primarily explores improvisation, sharing different workflows and learning new expedient methodologies for pattern creation.
One major aspect is to deliberate whether to spend the first minute or so in relative silence undertaking admin/creating sounds or dive straight in, attempting to create a dynamically āinterestingā performance.
MS/Rytm mk1 users can use a computer to capture and import samples.
Use of on board Randomize is welcome and encouraged for sound design.
Itās a pretty transparent, exciting and brutal process but you will end up with a few patterns and kits in a short period of time (eg try doing 5 in 30 minutes and choose your favourite), some of which may inspire development into more considered tracks.
Of course you can mentally prepare/practise what youāre going to do but the spirit of this challenge is to empty your mind and approach a blank canvasā¦
Great idea! I do this with a friend whenever we jam. 5 minutes to make something and then at the end of that, move on to something else. Itās a great way to quickly generate a ton of ideas to build upon later.
Itās definitely fun and productive (and stress inducing if youāre a perfectionist)ā¦
I tried 5 in a row last week but used samples (and realised to include the M:S and Octa heads fairly would need to impose the real time sampling limitation otherwise you could easily get an epic pad/breakbeat rolling instantly and go from thereā¦).
edit: onboard Single Cycle waves are now permitted to be loaded on sample based machines.
The 5 minutes go really quick and itās hard to get over worrying what the viewer may think or if their interest will be maintained.
But thatās just your ego talking. Best approach i found is to have fun with it and that will translate in the recording.
Iām hoping what is shared here will be inspiring. (And not a bunch of similar sounding 4/4 bass synth build up recordings, thinking abstractly and outside of your comfort zone will achieve more varied, unexpected and creative outcomes. Eg try something at 30bpm with no percussion)
iāll also try recording some and uploading one soon. gulp
ok fair questions, and as someone whoās never used the OT bear with me.
No pre recorded samples to be loaded from your CF/onboard memory etc.
you can sample anything you want to which would clearly have to be plugged in.
āno external performancesā = you canāt perform/play the piano/synth/sing alongside through an input/thru channel. confusing cos you may perform whatever you sampleā¦
can you elaborate on what youād want to pre-setup?
you can press stop anytime you wantā¦ but itās a 5 minute challenge. āby 0:00ā
hmmmā¦ just to clarify, hereās what this sounds like to me:
use just a single box
donāt prepare any sounds, tracks, effects, etc. ā just do it live
if youāre sampling, you have to sample something in real time within the 5 minutes, not use anything from sample banks or kits
whatever you end up with at 5 minutes is it
itās not clear to me though whether you can use presets if youāre using a box like the analog four or model:cycles. are presets at all allowed, even preset samples, or is sound design from an init patch also part of this 5 minutes?
it sounds interesting, but 5 minutes is pretty tight even to get started. good luck, intrepid elektronauts!
Kind of feel like this is challenge is pretty massively tilted against using samples, maybe you should allow people to use single cycle waveforms that are already in there machines? I dunno something like model cycles would make this challenge dead easy as its root sounds arenāt far off from being presets. Model samples you would have to be sampling into a computer and then transfering back to them machine?
I think some Elektron machines will be quicker to work with than others too. For instance, if I canāt use a preset and I decide to go with my Digitone for the challenge, I have to create sounds from an init patch. If I choose my Machinedrum, I can pick one of the machines and adjust accordingly, which would seem much quicker.
well this is causing quite the furoreā¦ iāll update main post when clarity is agreed.
no pre recorded, pre prepared, onboard or preset samples.
no saved sounds, presets etc.
no presets, default kit = yes, sound designed from init patch.
something that ends up sounding like the M:C root sounds does sound very easyā¦
iād argue that you have the most powerful instruments to shape whatever sounds you sample once theyāre in thereā¦ your aural palette is infinite whereas the synth based machines are limited to what can be programmed in the time limit.
i see your point but with the M:S (and rytm mk1) thatās their workflowā¦
brutal challenge innit. edit: on board Single Cycle waveforms now permitted
pretty much
this is debatable, youāll be able to tell what efforts people have gone to (how far from the init sounds) in the videos dependent on their chosen machine.
also isnāt there a ārandomisationā feature these daysā¦?
you can pretty easily get around the pre-prep limitations by putting all your desired sounds into a sample chain before recording. then sample that, slice it up, and go. might lose a minute or so to organizational work but then youāve got all your desired sounds at hand.
So you can play anything you want externally to create the sounds, but they must come from the box you are using afterwards.
So on the OT/DT you have to sample everything from external sources. Any limits on the sources?
For DN (and similar) you would have to start from the default sound and modify it from there?
Kinda feels like the OT has a major advantage there? Can literally record an entire song into it as loops with instruments you have already set up patches on? DT a little harder, but would just need to get fast at trimming.
Not trying to be negative btw, itās an ace idea. Just wondering how it will work.
my mind immediately goes to Gran Turismo licensing stagesā¦ you have to hit a certain top speed within a certain distance and them come to a complete stop in a specific zoneā¦
All this is to say that itās generous that youāre allowing for trails to exceed the 5m mark.
As someone who does this regularly Iāll say 5 min is a STEEP limit hell, 10 minutes is. Advice Iāll give anyone is donāt get too attached to any one sound. is the kick in tune? good enough move to the next.
Any limit on submissions? would be fun do one with each Elektron box owned to see which one you have the best chops on and which you need to focus more time with.
: Blank Pattern, Blank(Default) Kit
