Looking for a perfect synth wingman for my OT

Elektron Gear Octatrack
#1

Greetings!

Proud owner of the Octatrack here, happy about every single bit of it thus far. My setup currently consists of OT, with an occasional sampling action from the iPad (AniMoog = fun times). I am however considering buying an actual hardware synth to complement it. I guess the obvious choice here is the A4, which I am GASing recently about to the point where I’m considering selling my laptop to get it (as the laptop is mostly a dust collector for me recently). Then again, there is the AR which appeals to me with its pads (Maschine was my weapon of choice before the OT, and fingerdrumming jams are the only thing I kind of miss since it’s gone), and a plethora of other gear I am more or less aware of (been through “must have an OP-1” not long ago, for instance).

A perfect solution would be the infamous Dark Trinity, but getting 2 Elektron units is way beyond my budget for this year. And honestly, I’m a fan of mobility and streamlining (I travel quite often) and DT is not that much of a portable solution (the gig bag makes it a bit better, I guess, but still there are more compact solutions out there). Then again I guess I’ll be traveling with my OT only…

So the question is: if you were to get a single piece of hardware to feed the OT with, what would it be? Considering the limit of my budget is a single Elektron unit (actually it’s a bit beyond the limit, but GAS).

Synth to pair with Octatrack?
#2

Would a Mk1 MonoMachine be out of the budget? They go used for $500-$600. Quite versatile. As for portability, you could fit OT+MM in a Thomann/M-Audio Producer backpack, or carry on Pelican/HPRC case.

Otherwise, look at the Audiothingies P6. Great sounding poly synth with a good interface, and ultra portable.

#3

Fingerdrumming:
A MPD (or similar controller) could be a good solution if it is matched with the correct gear.

Synth for your OT:
Depends what kind of music you want to do, so many option out there.
Do you prefer analogic? Digital?

An A4 with MPD?
If Elektronauts have feedback about this combo, please share!

#4

Just purchased a Roland System-1 synth. Very spontaneous, light, has up to 4 voice polyphony (depending on the plugin used) and you can get a wide range of sounds out of this synth, however nothing far beyone what you’d not expect in a bread and butter territory.

I think it’s a great companion to the OT 1) because of the price obviously and 2) because it’s such a spontaneous, flexible sound source. Twist some knobs, sample it, twist some more knobs, sample again. You could basically with an empty OT, build all the ingredients for a track on this synth and sample them along the way, twist more knobs, replace sample buffers. Gotta be fun! :slight_smile:

There was a video of an Elektron guy (Erase?) where he used such a workflow with a Korg Volca Keys. Crazy stuff! The System-1 is definitely far more powerful than the Volca Keys, so the limit of the power of this combo should be very far away.

#5

works nice as well, assigned to the performance channel (?) when you set it up so that note +1 modifies sound +1. in this setup you replace sounds via octave changes, which you can do by setting up different MPD presets. using a MIDI keyboard is easier to set up, I used split mode on a 48 keys keyboard, 2 octaves for melodic sounds on the auto channel, 2 octaves for drums, which can be quickly replaced via the octave buttons.

However, I’d recommend just getting a fast, intuitive synth in the OP’s position.

#6

Thanks guys for the replies thus far! Really loving the feedback.

Regarding what kind of music I’m making… Recently I’m trying to break out of the genre fuzz and just make music. But if I were to classify, I’m somewhere starting from ambient / deep techno, through future garage (hate that name, but if you know Burial, that’s what I mean) and recently picking up on juke/footwork (drum machine sounds, yeah!). So what I’m expecting from a synth to do is anything from pads to dub techno chords to nice subs to “reese” bass (actually most basslines in my tracks is reese + lowpass). OT handles the need for sampling and drum machine sounds for me perfectly. Would you say MM can handle all (or most) of the above?

P6 looks great! I believe I didn’t stumble upon this one yet, but I’ll probably get one for the sole reason of soldering action (I was considering Shruthi, but drove myself away from the idea once I got to actually play around with one).

As for fingerdrumming pads: I was considering getting an MPD and hooking it up to OT for triggering machines, but that gives me 8 sounds maximum… or am I missing something? (like sample trigs for instance… just a thought)

EDIT: one thing I didn’t address: I’m not one of the “analog or gtfo” guys, so either analog or digital will work just fine. :slight_smile:

#7

Haven’t been looking into Roland’s new stuff too much honestly, guess I’m one of those driven away from it cause of the Tron-ish design :wink: However the fact it’s patchable widely extends its sound range, I guess.

#8

Most definitely. And then some, if you spring a little extra for a mk2, as the user wave machines broaden the capabilities incredibly.

#9

P6 looks great! I believe I didn’t stumble upon this one yet, but I’ll probably get one for the sole reason of soldering action (I was considering Shruthi, but drove myself away of the idea once I got to actually play around with one).

Oh it is good! P6 is really cheap and it is awesome.
Interface is MUCH better than Shruthi and perfect for live!

#10

You need to define what it is that you can’t achieve with the OT + iPad combination. The only thing to that end that you mentioned in your posts so far is finger drumming. Until you define what is missing, you won’t know what to choose.

#11

I try to go by this certain rule when buying gear, if I obey this rule, I am always satisfied, if not, well then I usually end up selling what I bought.

If you’re GASing for a piece of gear, you’ve done all the research, some time has gone by, you still want it just as bad, and maybe you’re holding off because it’s expensive, save up and get it.

No other piece of gear is going to satisfy you like getting the thing you actually want.

Personally I say go for the A4.
Considering the title of the thread, and what kind of music you eluded to making.
The AR is cool, it sounds great, the pad are fun (not designed for major finger drumming though), yet the A4 has a huge pallet of sounds.
When it comes to the A4, it has the sequencer, 4 CVouts, built in effects that sound great, 4 analog voices with various configurations, Performance mode, and it looks bad ass sitting next to your OT.

If you dont like it, you can sell it for what you got it for most likely.
The only drawback to the A4, is the same with any elektron box, not all parameters are on deck at once. So if your one of those guys that hates modes/menus and multifunctional UI’s then maybe look into something else.

I will add, at a similar price range, the Tempest seems to be something you might be into. It does have finger drumming pads. Sounds incredible. Granted the sequencer and projects are far more limited than the A4, and it has no built in FX. However, paring the Tempest and OT is pretty fantastic. The OT can provide fx. You can also sequence everything from the OT, wheich would keep the project management based more in the OT which would be nice. You loose a but of Tempest functionality doing it that way, but there’s some trade offs here and there. The Tempest felt more immediate when sculpting sounds that the A4 does. The Tempest just feels really different than Elektron gear, but it pairs nicely thats fer sure.
Dont think you’d be saving money shooting for the Tetra instead, thats a terrible idea. Just sayin.

Good luck!

#12

You need to define what it is that you can’t achieve with the OT + iPad combination. The only thing to that end that you mentioned in your posts so far is finger drumming. Until you define what is missing, you won’t know what to choose.[/quote]
My beef with the iPad is that… well, that it isn’t really hardware. My jump on the OT was primarily because I wanted to detach myself from the computer for making music, as my regular job as a developer revolves around staring at the display most of the time. And then there’s the interwebz a.k.a. distraction factor, too. So the OT replaced the laptop, and I am looking for a synth box to replace the iPad.

#13

The Roland JD Xi looks cool.
Once again: any feedback from Elektronauts?

#14

I’m assuming that you don’t want a keyboard.

You should seriously consider the Tempest if you want an analogue/digital hybrid poly where finger drumming is a bonus.

The AR might work well for you if you’re prepared to load samples from a computer.

Otherwise, the AF is a safe bet if you only need four-note polyphony.

If you want to keep it small, what about a DSI Tetra?

For a digital poly synth module, it’s hard to beat a Waldorf Blofeld.

#15

Wow, the Audiothingies P6 sounds great, thanks to the person who mentioned that. Much better price than the other options I was considering and I really like the sound of the filter. If those are endless rotary encoders on the front I am probably sold.

#16

Once again thank you all very much for your input!

I think I am now torn between getting A4 vs Monomachine (apart from the DIY kit of Audiothingies P6 I just ordered - if I don’t like it, I can just sell it soldered). Maybe I can just search for a Mk1 MnM as they won’t hit my budget as hard as an A4 or MnM Mk2 would. I just seem to enjoy the Elektron way of doing things (and multi-menus and button combinations are actually a blessing for me, I used to be a hardcore gamer and playing with the OT kind of feels like playing a game with a lot of combos to memorize). Now to make someone ship it to Poland…

Cheers guys!

#17

For finger drumming, it’s worth considering a Beatstep (or the forthcoming Pro). On the basic model you get 16 pads and 16 endless encoders, all assignable - so you can really expand your tweaking options - and you also get the step sequencer mode, which can be a really useful addition.

#18

As AdamJay already wrote I would definitely go for th MK2 if you’re interested in a Monomachine. The UserWaves will give you a lot of additional options. I loaded the Immortal Waves Soundpack (waveforms from a Minimoog) into mine some days ago, and it’s like I’m having a whole new instrument :joy:

#19

It’s cheap and a few of my mates use these to sequence their gear, might definitely be something to put into consideration. Not sure about the pad quality though (since it’s neither AKAI nor NI). Not too concerned about the sequencer part - guess the OT covers that ground on an “industry standard” level.

Which reminds me I’ve lent a friend my MPX8 a while ago, and I guess it does have both ways MIDI… About time to retrieve it!

#20

Yeah, but is this feature really worth double the price? Since the price gap between Mk1 and Mk2 is pretty huge. Then again, I’m browsing through MnM demos since yesterday and while I love the mid-high range coldness of it, it kind of sounds somewhat lackluster in the lows, which again makes me look back at the A4…

Decisions, decisions… :smiley: