Erica Synths LXR-02 Desktop Digital Drum Synthesizer

The Lounge Other Gear
#366

…but hey…u got instant roll option in performance mode…for each and all voices at the same moment rollin’ in the measure u cun twiddle in realtime…!!!

so don’t worry…THIS thing is MADE for live jammin’ like not many others out there…
and as mentioned…i’m not aware of any other drums synth that sounds instantly soooo big room techno jam already mixed and glued straight to soundsystem like this damned little fella…
so forget about hit a single sound to tweak it…u won’t miss it…since u can’t go really wrong sonicwise along the realtime way…

3 Likes
#367

haha same here

#368

same here.
Love the overall sound of this thing. Great vibes

1 Like
#369

Mine has just kept growing on me - no pun intended :wink:
It sounds damn good and the sound design possibilities are vast. I’ve been working on new tracks with Digitone and Analog Rytm for a while and now I’m not even sure I’ll be using the Rytm for these. I just love it’s clean, powerful sound and it keeps delivering new cool sounds to the palette.

The main feature among many that I really want to see is a free copy/paste buffer like Elektrons so that you can copy anything and paste it anywhere - when you want to.

1 Like
#370

Maybe I need to read the manual again, but I couldn’t find a way to copy/paste a single voice from one kit to another. It would be useful.

#371

It’s not possible I think but I’ve emailed my suggestions to them so I hope to see it in a big update soon.

1 Like
#372

This is very annoying

I would not like this

#373

Now that I think of it, given that voices can interact (with lfos and retrigs), it may not be so simple to implement.

#374

Anyone have this and a dfam? Obviously this is a lot easier to sync up with other machines…I wonder how they compare with dirty raw sounds. I have this and have had the dfam but not at the same time. It would be interesting!

#375

It’s just values pasted so there should be no problem in that. Whether pasting it makes sense or not is up to us. Their support guy said it was a good idear.

1 Like
#376

I finally made a video with the LXR-02 used in one of my new tracks.
Digitone and LXR are running into Octatrack for scene effects.

16 Likes
#377

I’m trying to find some love for this instrument, but there are a few things that kind of stop me from really enjoying the journey, maybe I missed something ? Correct me if I’m wrong.

  • The Init kit is a bit weird, especially all voices respond to the same MIDI note. Any way to change this ?
  • Audio Routing is quite confusing. But once you grasp it, the FX routing makes sense (route a voice to FX instead of an OUT when you want to use an FX)
  • FX sends would be more than welcomed.
  • The “two automation lanes” concept is quite disappointing when you come from Elektron machines where you can virtually automate anything on any step. When you automate a 3rd parameters, it just erases the previous one without a warning !
  • Shuffle is global and not linked to kits or patterns. That’s weird.
  • I’d like a sustain option when triggering sounds via MIDI. I wonder if the sound engine would allow this.
  • Also, I’ve got mixed feelings about the use of the faders. I tend to leave them maxed out and set the voice volumes in the Kit, to help me to retrieve kits as I want them to be.

I probably have many of them, but that’s for a start.
How are users feeling about it ?

1 Like
#378

I only use it in an improvisation context, I think that’s where it shines (almost like the TR-8S but with a different sound palette).

all voices respond to the same MIDI note

I just set a different channel per voice globally. I can easily sequence it from the Torso, making melodies with toms, etc.

Audio Routing is quite confusing

I don’t have a problem with audio routing other than it being normalized to the main stereo out when nothing is plugged in the aux outs.

FX sends would be more than welcomed.

I’d welcome a reverb send, even a basic algo. But again, there are aux outs…

When you automate a 3rd parameters, it just erases the previous one without a warning !

Yep… that was a surprise for me too. I think we’re spoiled by Elektron sequencing to the point that we are blind to other qualities from other gear (see current Blackbox thread)

Shuffle is global and not linked to kits or patterns. That’s weird.

I think my TR-8S works the same, I’ll have to check.

I’d like a sustain option when triggering sounds via MIDI

What do you mean ?

Edit: get it now… just like the one on the Model:Cycles.

Also, I’ve got mixed feelings about the use of the faders.

Again, they’re invaluable while improvising. But I understand how they can be useless otherwise.

5 Likes
#379

First impressions on this bad boy.

1.) MY GOD is this thing loud. Damn near blew out my eardrums just now using it with headphones. The insidious thing is that the volume slide is just near the hats slider, making it easier to accidentally grab the wrong one and crank it up. Normally I’d adjust the device’s maximum volume in the config menu (similar to what you can do on the DB-01), but I don’t see an option for that. Am I missing something?

Normally I’ll be going through an OT, which could have some limiting of its own, but I might resort to putting electrical tape on the damn slider.

2.) This machine really invites you to get down and dirty with some heavier industrial styles (perhaps at lower tempos, which to my ears sounds better). Normally I’ve been doing improv techno with more traditional drum sounds, but it’s inspiring to use this for a whole new sound palate. At the same time, it doesn’t seem too difficult to coax out more analog sounds by laying off the drive.

3.) The overall button/menu layout seems pretty logical. That said, it does suck not having the more sophisticated Elektron sequencing options. One workaround would be to sequence on the OT and pipe it into each voice via its own MIDI channel (I think this is doable?).

4.) Since some of the voices can produce melodic elements, you could almost do an entire set just on the LXR…similar to how some cats will rock a solo 808 or whatever. Might be too minimalist for some ears, but you could do it. It’s a testament to the wide sound palate and options on offer here.

5.) Performance mode is OK. As others have said, it would be nice to have faster repeats than 16th notes. Morphing to another kit is total genius; you could use it for brief turnarounds/fills, transitions to new songs, or breakdowns (e.g. morph from a heavy kit to a light, airy, sparse kit).

I’ve become an Erica whore…I utterly fell in love with the DB-01, which pairs nicely with the Zen Delay. The jury’s still out on this unit, but there’s a lot of depth here.

(Seriously, my ears still hurt from that assault…be careful with headphones peeps.)

5 Likes
#380

The headphone output on mine is also beheading levels of loudness! I wonder if it would be possible to let users pick a maximum volume. Because as it is, I’m not approaching the top half of the fader

#381

The volume slider got me too a few times. I would reach for it like it was the hats slider. Yikes.

1 Like
#382

This may help to tame the loudness: https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00001P4XH/

2 Likes
#383

Yes the headphone output is insanely loud and it is beyond my comprehension that they have put the unit on the market with such a fault along with the many weird quirks and bugs. Pretty criticizable to be honest. Erica synths should have taken the time to do it right and have made the user interaction smooth and easy. You can make your beats and play them but it’s hard to interact with your sounds in a performance the way you can with Elektron machines.
They could have made a true classic with just a little more work.
I freakin love the drums I get out of this thing that’s why I’m really disappointed they didn’t go all the way. Hopefully firmware updates will make it a better experience.

3 Likes
#384

I agree. It’s still a fun machine, but ironing out a few things in a new firmware would definitely improve it a lot. It’s unusable with headphones as it’s too dangerous.

#385

Agree they need to fix the loudness, don’t ever use distortion 3 at 100 wet with headphones on, almost blew my head off. Still trying to get my head around everything, bit different to a machinedrum where you select a machine and you are halfway there, this machine gives you a lot of parameters and just says ‘you want a cowbell? then you work it out’. There are also four layers of distortion - internal, instrument, global and effect, which I find crazy, I turn it all off and keep volumes low for nice clean sounds. I can’t figure out how to sequence the drum sounds externally chromatically, apparently it is possible though?