elektroNegativity

The Lounge General Discussion
#1

hey guys… I need to say this … I think I know why this forum has such a hard time with negativity …

it is the incredible almost insurmountable technical side of our beloved elektron boxes …
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if you known me here for a while, I started really random threads about this and that, VERY OFTEN far away from anyting technical (farting, drugs, jobs, chords, we make a track together, am I an artist, … )
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these threads remain to this very day extremely civilised and supportive… this is who we are…
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if you look at a MS20, ESX, Juno, Sh101, volci, etc… you will not find technical question next to the music creationism… N O N E …
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elektron is so versatile, so deep, so confusing that it ultimately leads to aggresion and frustration.
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why the fuck is the naming scheme so of? why the fuck is this not fully developed? why the fuck is my toaster not quantised? why the fuck is this button not there, this output not routable, the faderspeed not incremental… ?
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other gear does not have this issue… other gear grately telly you 1 LFO, 1 ENV, 3 Octaves, thats it… you get what you paid for…
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but we are required to learn a new set of vocabulary terms combined with extreme menu diving, before we really get to talk about sound shaping, which is generally just the sole conversation of other gear …

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.jepp… that is it! … we are a cool bunch of folk, well aged and pretty supportive… but there is a lot of users on here who arrive here( rightfully and understandably) with a sense of helplessness, frustration and demotivation…
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dubadudduudabbaa
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now some confusing words. … trigless trigs, plocks, slocks, scene, arranger, pickupmachine, ext mode, fx track, pattern vs kit, poly mode, snapshot vs samplebank, incoming folder, c6, song mode etc…

#2

I hear you.

Sticking to fairly common and agreed upon terms and naming conventions would help. I wish Elektron did not feel the need to reinvent the wheel when naming things. But, it helps make them seem even more unique I guess. But, it is one more, perhaps small, but not insignificant mental hurdle in trying to work with these machines.

Sometimes complexity and endless possibilities help you break through barriers and find new ground. Sometimes, a drastically simple interface and set of limitations are what is needed. Have both on hand.

I will say, my TR-8 or Juno 106 is a great break and headache-reliever after visiting Elektron-ville for a few days.

I try to recognize what mood I am in and use the best tool. Complex and endless vs. simple and finite. Grab the Rytm or the TR-8? Or even the DRM-1 or Volca Beats!

#3

ElektroNegativity is really part of the physical reality of our Universe, and we must all learn to deal with it!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_charge

Electric charge is the physical property of [url=“https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matter”]matter that causes it to experience a [url=“https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Force”]force when placed in an electromagnetic field. There are two types of electric charges: [url=“https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proton”]positive and [url=“https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electron”]negative. Positively charged substances are repelled from other positively charged substances, but attracted to negatively charged substances; negatively charged substances are repelled from negative and attracted to positive. An object is negatively charged if it has an excess of [url=“https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electron”]electrons, and is otherwise positively charged or uncharged.

#4

Thanks for starting this thread.
Interesting hypothesis.

You make valid points. As I read the Octatrack manual, in preparation for my purchase, still many months away, I’m like “Parts? WTF?” On MM/A4/AR/MD each, the closest thing to a “Part” is called a “Kit”.
Base/Width - HPF/LPF. It’s madness!

On the negativity points… Here’s how I see it…
I come here to help people. I feel that helping others is actually one of the best ways to learn anything. Someone asks a question, and I think, Hmmm, great question. Let me see if I can find the answer for them. I learn my own machines inside out this way. In doing this, I spend a lot of time on this forum and I come across various persons who can’t seem to either find the stick that’s in their ass, or muster the strength to remove it. What I often find is those who bring the heavy negativity aren’t actually looking for solutions. If they wanted solutions, or better understanding, they would contact support. No, they’re looking to vent. And what better place to vent than the company’s own forum?

They’re trolls, and they are hard not to feed, because they are trolls.

#5

I’ll just affirm that it is a problem on this forum.

I’ve always been a big forum user (gearslutz, muff wiggler, the gear page, so on) and I’m new here. With a experienced by fresh perspective - this is the most negative discussion board I’ve seen…ever.

It reminds me of chat rooms in the year 2000.

But I need information! And I know the negativity is mostly coming from a small minority that posts like crazy.

#6

I agree 100%. The Elektrons look so cool, I think a lot of people expect them to be like a volca on steroids. In reality these machines require a certain amount of technical knowledge. The RYTM is barely audible, until you crank the compressor, boost the gain on each track. There is so much mojo, but it has to be found and learned. They are very much PRO machines in a sense. Based on their cost and their ability, but you have to be a bit of a pro to get the most out of them, and be patient. These are machines you grow with over years.

#7

Yeah, I noticed the negativity but it’s some egos that I find annoying. Still very much appreciate that Elektron built us a place to learn and grow from each other and most people here are great. These are complicated machines and I get stuck often. Though it is getting to be less and less. When I’m bored it’s nice to check out the recent threads. Can’t say I have ever visited a forum nearly as often as I do elektronauts.

#8

Tschernobyl, Harrisburgh
Sellafield, Hiroshima
Tschernobyl, Harrisburgh
Sellafield, Hiroshima
Stop ElektroNegativity
Is in the air for you and me
Stop ElektroNegativity

Discovered by Madame Curie
Chain reaction and mutation
Contaminated population
Stop ElektroNegativity

Is in the air for you and me
ElektroNegativity
ElektroNegativity
Tschernobyl, Harrisburgh
Sellafield, Hiroshima
Tschernobyl, Harrisburgh
Sellafield, Hiroshima
Stop ElektroNegativity
Is in the air for you and me
Stop ElektroNegativity
Discovered by Madame Curie
Chain reaction and mutation
Contaminated population
Stop ElektroNegativity
Is in the air for you and me

#9

People take the internet either too seriously or way too personally.
People are just generally frustrated and seemingly entitled all over the world, it seems.
It makes me laugh because all of this is supposed to be fun.
When did it become life or death to make music?

#10

When somebody gives you a nipple cripple and tells you to whistle!

Not technically life or death but it certainly feels like it.

#11

When somebody gives you a nipple cripple and tells you to whistle!

Holy shit; that’s hilarious.

#12

Okay, everyone gets a trophy! Winner Winner Indian Curry

You cant have + without -, all you can hope for is a bit more + than -.

Nomenclature, is another matter, been thru that with MnM which had its fair share of uniqueness and years before that with the Xpander,
but
you want confusing and stupid?

Try the Tempest, Audio Mod on the front panel is Filter FM in the mod matrix and there are more, (btw its been a support ticketed item for over a year)

#13

Haha :joy:

#14

this was exactly my stance (and mostly still is) - particularly for questions i couldn’t answer in my head w/o looking at kit/pdf - it’s also a great way to stretch your knowledge trying to achieve solutions to questions you’d never have asked - along with hands on time it helps consolidate the knowledge/chops
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re OP topic: you can be critical and constructive/insightful/realistic …
i find the negativity to be in the increasingly frequent posts which offer no insight or constructive opinion, often it can be incredibly naive - but it’s the ‘entitlement’ threads/posts which seem to polarise 'nauts the most and get heated quickly - it sure used to be a lot more civil and, to be honest, engaging technically and communal/supportive - still lots of good folk chipping in now though - there’s ALWAYS something to learn

#15

These negative threads would be buried quickly if people just ignored them, but it seems so hard for some of us not to add fuel to the fire.

#16

:+1: You are probably right. That’s the mistake I’ve maid - adding fuel.
I should have made my point and move on. I tought of it a few times but reading this makes it clear to me now.

#17

I disagree. Elektron-Users was mostly a negative free zone. Same machines (MD, MNM, OCTA, SID, TM1) & same proprietary language. I think this has more to do with Elektron attracting more customers and in turn more flies…

#18

:joy: !

#19

tbh I have witnessed exactly the same behaviour creeping up whenever a particular forum becomes “popular” :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye: Cannot be helped I guess… When it gets too much for me, I’ll stop posting, promise!

(it’s like some of these peeps have no-one else in their lyfe to vent that ish, wtf is up with that? No friends or what?)

#20

I agree that Elektron-Users was mostly a negative free zone. The MD/MnM were pretty much fully-formed by then and there definitely was a more adult conversation going on.

However, the ‘elektroNegativity’ that the OP raised first manifested when the Octatrack came out. Those who can cast their mind back will know there were a number of issues, e.g. build quality (cross faders) and the first sighting of what some might refer to as the now perfunctory ‘pseudo-beta’ hardware from Elektron.

The Octatrack was also notable for a clear shift in Elektron’s marketing approach, which in my opinion has resulted in some of the ‘heated’ discussion seen here. Elektron went from a very niche brand to much more mainstream. And so as someone has already pointed out, that means more ‘flies’.

Yeah, people could be nicer about it, but perfectly fine in my opinion to point out issues. When people say nothing is the time to be really worried.