This composition focuses on the use of the real-time sampling features of the Machinedrum. My first Machinedrum-only piece still had a handful of spare machine slots to work with, so I added two RAM recording machines and two RAM playback machines. I kept the original sounds and patterns, simply adding sample playback and recording trigs for my RAM machine tracks. I then used song mode and in particular the song mute feature to create a new arrangement of this atmospheric material that remixes itself in real-time.
This was an interesting way to compose as small changes in the arrangement or the sample playback trigs could lead to drastic changes in the final output. Many interesting results can be had by tweaking parameters during playback/recording, or by manually triggering the record machines, but I decided to limit myself here to a hands-off and cerebral approach. The more industrial sections remind me a bit of the sound design from Eraserhead, like listening to the death spasms of decrepit and decaying heavy industry through a half-broken ham radio. Audio recorded direct from the Machinedrum.
thanks! I love the sound characteristics of the Machinedrum sampling, in a lot of ways it’s more usable/useful as a musical tool/instrument for me than more transparent samplers like the Octatrack, and the workflow is faster - every track automatically has EQ and filter which is pretty huge, and there’s no time spent trying out lots of different insert FX and/or scenes
from what I’ve heard in demos the DT envelopes sound better to me than the Octatrack envelopes, but I’ve never used one myself - the MD sampler envelope feels very much like the Octatrack one
I don’t recall there being “envelopes” in the MD. I always had to rig up an LFO to serve that purpose. Which requires a bit more intricacy(to me)
the RAM playback machines have hold/decay envelopes, if you want attack envelope you need to use LFO like you describe
edit to add: been meaning to see what kind of slow attack string synth type sounds I could conjure out of this box, keep forgetting to try that when I’m sitting down with it
Wow, so cool!
I have MD mk2 and I miss the sampling like on UW. I’d like upgrade to UW… but for me I think it’s more practical add a digitakt now.
Probably more practical but the MD has a 12bit sampler like days of old. I think the best machine on the market must be the TR8S though. There are all the 909/808’s… plus more… and then the ability to add your own samples.