Ok… after 2 days, M:C plugged in, sitting on a clean desk, headphones plugged in, chair carefully positioned for maximum ergonomic comfort, and me trying to stay focused on work… I have finally had an hour and some change with this new member of my musical family.
I gotta say, those calling this a toy don’t quite get it. Those saying that it’s cheap don’t quite get it. Those saying that it’s limited don’t quite get it.
It’s definitely not a toy. This is built quite solid. I don’t feel any wiggle / play in any of the knobs, even the clickable ones. The resistance of the knobs is really good. It’s solid and smooth and gives the impression of quality. Time will tell obviously but the entirety of the moving parts feels like it’s good quality.
There is a difference between cheap and affordable. It’s one of those things I guess. Pictures and videos don’t give you the tactile experience of sitting down with it and twisting knobs and pressing buttons. This would still work at a slightly higher price point but I think they’ve found the sweet spot and are going to sell a ton of these.
I can tell that it does have limitations. It’s not something for dedicated nearly unlimited sound design. If you buy it for that you will most likely be disappointed. This is a drum machine with a crap ton of extra sound potential. This is a special piece of gear. It’s a combination of a lot of different factors including the handling / immediacy / build quality / and most importantly sound quality. This thing smacks! All the machines sound good together.
The only neg- which isn’t even a neg for me- I do see the comments about the pads being stiff are correct. If you are a finger drummer, as everyone has said, you’ll probably want another solution for pads. I kind of smack with the side of my thumb and get decent playability with some variation but I prefer to just set to 127 and p-lock the volumes I want.
I think @Ess said in another thread “can’t wait to hear what will be made with this a year from now, I guarantee it will be different” That statement has a high level of confidence to it and I 100% agree. It’s going to take some time to ”get it down” because the menu system and some of the shortcuts are different from the other boxes. The reason for that is because it’s a different instrument, but still has the Elektron taste if that makes any sense.
I was really considering an Arturia Microfreak when the teasers for this dropped. I’m sure I would have enjoyed it but I’m glad that I waited and got this. I really see why everyone is taking a second look at the model:samples too.
Just wanted to chime in and give my perspective on this awesome piece of Elektron goodness. If you got one already, keep on digging, if you are considering one and it seems like it fits your needs, get it. The next few months are going to be interesting and I can’t wait to see where this leads me musically.