707 and 727 kits for the Aira TR-8!

secretmusic · December 17, 2014, 8:52am

[quote="“wascal”"]

secretmusic:

The sounds in the TR8 are modeled from the original Roland sounds. You can read up on their ACB technology here :

http://www.rolandus.com/blog/2014/02/14/analog-circuit-behavior-acb/

I suspect that, even though the originals used samples for some of their voices, the TR8 uses the ACB technology for all their voices, therefore modeling the behavior of PCM samples running through analog circuitry and interacting with each other in an “interesting” way. The new sounds are not samples, but modeling of the originals, recreating not only the sound, but the quirks and unstability of samples running through an analog machine.

One could draw a parallel between this and the AR, where digital samples are passed through analog filters / overdrive / distortion, and are played in conjunction with analog voices, creating a compound sound that is certainly far greater than its constituents in isolation.

I find this new ACB concept fascinating, and I have to say that it does create a very lively sound. It sounds to me that Elektron have tried their own version of this unstable behavior with the Random parameter for the Claps machine, where it does indeed sound like every hit is a bit different, while still keeping the clap consistent. Of course, Elektron’s live recording of p-locks puts them in a league of their own when it comes to subtle (or drastic) variations of sounds over time.

The TR8 expansion is indeed somewhat similar to buying another drum machine. What I do love about it is the easiness with which one can mix and match those classic sounds, and the way they are reproduced in a faithful, loving (!) and legitimate way. I have a feeling that, in a few years time, the TR8 will be a staple in electronic music making studios, not only for its sounds, but for its playability. The inclusion of reverb and delay, although seemingly innocuous, adds incredible depth to those classic sounds, and makes the machine sound decidedly “up to date”. There is room for both the AR and the TR8 in anyone’s studio.

Most of my students still are way more attracted by the TR8, simply because :

it’s dead easy to use

it’s got faders

the sound is just “right”

Interestingly, one could think that Roland may not stick to their classic sounds, and maybe introduce some wildly new, never heard before sounds that could push the envelope a bit further. Right now we’re in safe territory. Further, I see an opportunity for Elektron to take advantage of this and push the envelope by introducing new machines that would really define a new era of electronic music. Let’s see what they got !

Cheers.

Are they paying you commission?[/quote]
No mate, they’re not
Elektron don’t pay me commission either to do my tutorial videos on the OT, A4 and AR, which seem to have a reasonable amount of success, and make users happy and possibly inspired.
I do this stuff because I’m enthusiastic about electronic music, and because I’m a geek who loves blinking lights
I’m as excited and passionate about the Roland gear as I am about the Elektron gear, or the DSI gear. Or any brand really.

Anything interesting to add to this thread ?

By the way, we’re in the “Other Gear” section :

Other Gear
Discuss all non-Elektron gear in this forum.

Cheers !

xmit · December 17, 2014, 12:53pm

damn those dated sounds.

Just like a stereo miked Steinway grand, the chorused Fender Rhodes & an overdriven Marshall + Les Paul … dated dated dated.

Can’t believe Gretsch are still making those snare drums…

Remember : this is electronic music & we must be totally cutting edge & cleverly reinventing the wheel on every track

don’t get me started on string quartets. They’ve been knocking that sound out for centuries. yawn.

snowcrash · December 17, 2014, 1:26pm

@xmit: made my day!

clunky · December 17, 2014, 1:30pm

"secretmusic":

[quote=“wascal”][quote=“secretmusic”]

The sounds in the TR8 are modeled from the original Roland sounds. You can read up on their ACB technology here :

http://www.rolandus.com/blog/2014/02/14/analog-circuit-behavior-acb/

I suspect that, even though the originals used samples for some of their voices, the TR8 uses the ACB technology for all their voices, therefore modeling the behavior of PCM samples running through analog circuitry and interacting with each other in an “interesting” way. The new sounds are not samples, but modeling of the originals, recreating not only the sound, but the quirks and unstability of samples running through an analog machine.

One could draw a parallel between this and the AR, where digital samples are passed through analog filters / overdrive / distortion, and are played in conjunction with analog voices, creating a compound sound that is certainly far greater than its constituents in isolation.

I find this new ACB concept fascinating, and I have to say that it does create a very lively sound. It sounds to me that Elektron have tried their own version of this unstable behavior with the Random parameter for the Claps machine, where it does indeed sound like every hit is a bit different, while still keeping the clap consistent. Of course, Elektron’s live recording of p-locks puts them in a league of their own when it comes to subtle (or drastic) variations of sounds over time.

The TR8 expansion is indeed somewhat similar to buying another drum machine. What I do love about it is the easiness with which one can mix and match those classic sounds, and the way they are reproduced in a faithful, loving (!) and legitimate way. I have a feeling that, in a few years time, the TR8 will be a staple in electronic music making studios, not only for its sounds, but for its playability. The inclusion of reverb and delay, although seemingly innocuous, adds incredible depth to those classic sounds, and makes the machine sound decidedly “up to date”. There is room for both the AR and the TR8 in anyone’s studio.

Most of my students still are way more attracted by the TR8, simply because :

it’s dead easy to use

it’s got faders

the sound is just “right”

Interestingly, one could think that Roland may not stick to their classic sounds, and maybe introduce some wildly new, never heard before sounds that could push the envelope a bit further. Right now we’re in safe territory. Further, I see an opportunity for Elektron to take advantage of this and push the envelope by introducing new machines that would really define a new era of electronic music. Let’s see what they got !

Cheers.

Are they paying you commission?[/quote]
No mate, they’re not
Elektron don’t pay me commission either to do my tutorial videos on the OT, A4 and AR, which seem to have a reasonable amount of success, and make users happy and possibly inspired.
I do this stuff because I’m enthusiastic about electronic music, and because I’m a geek who loves blinking lights
I’m as excited and passionate about the Roland gear as I am about the Elektron gear, or the DSI gear. Or any brand really.

Anything interesting to add to this thread ?

By the way, we’re in the “Other Gear” section :

Other Gear
Discuss all non-Elektron gear in this forum.

Cheers !
[/quote]
you never heard the saying
“dont do something you do well for free”?

as stated, if they add the 78/606 sounds im in, then it becomes a good quick source of all those sounds
even then, theres not much new for me.
i’m driven to make and want to hear new drum sounds, define something of this age 2015,
not the sound of 1982 or 4 or 5, or 94,5,6 been there twice, owned them all multiple times!

Its not like we’re lacking for great (if a little buggy) new drum machines.

snowcrash · December 17, 2014, 1:37pm

More seriously: electronic music is rich with history of different styles, machines and unique sounds associated with certain eras and therefor full of nostalgia, emotions etc…

If one steps away from a pure tech approach and looks on how, when and why certain gear was used one can actually draw a lot of inspiration from this.

Music, Art or any cultural performance is based on personal histories and awareness of what came before. Nothing comes out of thin air. Some people tend to believe, if their way to create synthesised music is most complicated and advanced, it will somehow make their musical efforts more divine.

Respect the tech and respect the history, stay happy.

secretmusic · December 17, 2014, 1:57pm

No I haven’t !

What a sad world we’d live in if everyone followed this saying.

Maybe that’s why Roland are charging for their sounds. They do it well, so they won’t do it for free

snowcrash · December 17, 2014, 3:31pm

Must have been a liberal who said that.

Zymos · December 17, 2014, 3:33pm

Must have been a liberal who said that.[/quote]
Nice try, chum, but it was The Joker from “The Dark Knight”.

MichalHo · December 17, 2014, 4:00pm

@Snowcrash. As a Neal Stephenson reader you should know better than to make snide political comments in a tech forum.

wascal · December 17, 2014, 4:39pm

"secretmusic":

[quote=“wascal”][quote=“secretmusic”]

The sounds in the TR8 are modeled from the original Roland sounds. You can read up on their ACB technology here :

http://www.rolandus.com/blog/2014/02/14/analog-circuit-behavior-acb/

I suspect that, even though the originals used samples for some of their voices, the TR8 uses the ACB technology for all their voices, therefore modeling the behavior of PCM samples running through analog circuitry and interacting with each other in an “interesting” way. The new sounds are not samples, but modeling of the originals, recreating not only the sound, but the quirks and unstability of samples running through an analog machine.

One could draw a parallel between this and the AR, where digital samples are passed through analog filters / overdrive / distortion, and are played in conjunction with analog voices, creating a compound sound that is certainly far greater than its constituents in isolation.

I find this new ACB concept fascinating, and I have to say that it does create a very lively sound. It sounds to me that Elektron have tried their own version of this unstable behavior with the Random parameter for the Claps machine, where it does indeed sound like every hit is a bit different, while still keeping the clap consistent. Of course, Elektron’s live recording of p-locks puts them in a league of their own when it comes to subtle (or drastic) variations of sounds over time.

The TR8 expansion is indeed somewhat similar to buying another drum machine. What I do love about it is the easiness with which one can mix and match those classic sounds, and the way they are reproduced in a faithful, loving (!) and legitimate way. I have a feeling that, in a few years time, the TR8 will be a staple in electronic music making studios, not only for its sounds, but for its playability. The inclusion of reverb and delay, although seemingly innocuous, adds incredible depth to those classic sounds, and makes the machine sound decidedly “up to date”. There is room for both the AR and the TR8 in anyone’s studio.

Most of my students still are way more attracted by the TR8, simply because :

it’s dead easy to use

it’s got faders

the sound is just “right”

Interestingly, one could think that Roland may not stick to their classic sounds, and maybe introduce some wildly new, never heard before sounds that could push the envelope a bit further. Right now we’re in safe territory. Further, I see an opportunity for Elektron to take advantage of this and push the envelope by introducing new machines that would really define a new era of electronic music. Let’s see what they got !

Cheers.

Are they paying you commission?[/quote]
No mate, they’re not
Elektron don’t pay me commission either to do my tutorial videos on the OT, A4 and AR, which seem to have a reasonable amount of success, and make users happy and possibly inspired.
I do this stuff because I’m enthusiastic about electronic music, and because I’m a geek who loves blinking lights
I’m as excited and passionate about the Roland gear as I am about the Elektron gear, or the DSI gear. Or any brand really.

Anything interesting to add to this thread ?

By the way, we’re in the “Other Gear” section :

Other Gear
Discuss all non-Elektron gear in this forum.

Cheers !
[/quote]
I was just kidding
I found your tutorials very helpful when I was starting out with the Elektrons btw, cheers!

poonti · December 17, 2014, 5:34pm

Just started reading this today. So far, so good, the whole timed pizza delivery speed race in the first couple of chapters is right down my alley! Much prefer it to Neuromancer.

Zymos · December 17, 2014, 6:02pm

Apples vs. Oranges.
Though if we are going off topic, “The Diamond Age” is his best, IMO…

clunky · December 18, 2014, 1:52am

No I haven’t !

What a sad world we’d live in if everyone followed this saying.

Maybe that’s why Roland are charging for their sounds. They do it well, so they won’t do it for free

[/quote]
Well actually i dont really know if you do it well, i havent seen anything you’ve done, just going on others.

When i started in this game i found someone to teach me about synths, specifically the MS-20,
It was my first synth and didnt know squat, the MS-20 was an unfathomable alien space ship to me, who could?

Once a week for 3 or 4 months, he was very good at passing his knowledge on and deserved to be paid.
It was well worth it for me, gave me a real kick start and put me well ahead of my friends
who also got into it at the same time.
Lead to quite reasonable success.

So paying for something doesnt seem quite so sad to me.
As you would know, when you pay for something you take it more seriously and expect results.

BTW At the time I also got the Roland series on synths and recording, and read then back to front, front to back,
had to pay for them too.

xmit · December 18, 2014, 9:46am

Apples vs. Oranges.
Though if we are going off topic, “The Diamond Age” is his best, IMO…

The Diamond Age is incredible…

I’m often surprised no-one’s had a crack at a film adaptation, but at the same time I’m sort of glad they haven’t.

switchbox · December 18, 2014, 10:11am

i like. i’ll buy.

Honeysmack · December 18, 2014, 10:43am

First quick look at the 7X7-TR8 expansion. More demos very shortly.

snowcrash · December 18, 2014, 12:07pm

Sorry, yet again, short off topic buzz:

Well the Joker was quite the radical liberal, wasn’t he? cough

Sorry, I don’t really see what the one has to do with the other. I chose that nick for discussion boards over a decade ago and it somehow got stuck, so I’m not necessarily a huge advocate of Stephenson’s recent publications which I’m hardly aware of. Care to elaborate? Anyway, I agree that a tech board is not necessarily the best place to get political. My apologies.

Yes, their style is very different. To me Neuromancer is in a different league, although the pace in Snowcrash is unmatched. I can see why someone prefers the entertaining slack of Stephenson’s earlier novels over Gibson’s sometimes tiring elaborate scenic ingenuities.

Besides that, I can only strongly recommend to read Bruce Sterling. Holy Fire, Islands in the Net, Schismatrix, The Difference Engine (together with Gibson)…

MichalHo · December 18, 2014, 1:35pm

Well the Joker was quite the radical liberal, wasn’t he? cough

Sorry, I don’t really see what the one has to do with the other. I chose that nick for discussion boards over a decade ago and it somehow got stuck, so I’m not necessarily a huge advocate of Stephenson’s recent publications which I’m hardly aware of. Care to elaborate? Anyway, I agree that a tech board is not necessarily the best place to get political. My apologies.

Yes, their style is very different. To me Neuromancer is in a different league, although the pace in Snowcrash is unmatched. I can see why someone prefers the entertaining slack of Stephenson’s earlier novels over Gibson’s sometimes tiring elaborate scenic ingenuities.

Besides that, I can only strongly recommend to read Bruce Sterling. Holy Fire, Islands in the Net, Schismatrix, The Difference Engine (together with Gibson)…[/quote]
Well, i admit i had a bit of a hard time getting through the gun-nut parts of Reamde…
Felt a bit disappointed by Stephenson’s apparent sympathies for the NRA in that plot.
I still consider him a ‘liberal’ (though the european and american colloquial use of the word differs substantially), so i was a bit taken aback by your negative (?) use of the word. Whatever… // politics off.
Agreed, Sterling’s Holy Fire stuck with me as a pretty good one, though i must have read it more than 10 years ago.

** maybe we should have a little cyberpunk thread somewhere? I find the genre to be a great source of track names

Honeysmack · December 18, 2014, 1:50pm

Prints · December 18, 2014, 2:01pm

Not a huge fan of this off topic bullshit. Next time, just PM each other, or something…