Hello,
I am currently looking for a small groovebox to use the daily 3.5 hours on the train (and sometimes longer business trips) more sensibly than just listening to music. I don’t always feel like reading either.
In addition to the feature lists and workflows, which you can easily research for each device, I ask myself one question in particular: how quiet is a Groovebox to operate? I have a Digitakt and pressing the buttons makes a pretty loud “clack” noise. I’m pretty sure that on a quiet train, it bothers the passengers if someone is constantly banging on the buttons.
The Digitakt is loud, a 1010Music Blackbox with the touch display and controls is probably the quietest device on the market. Since I own the Bluebox and I really like its feel. So that was my first thought as well, but I have the feeling that sequencing on the Blackbox is too much “programming” for me and not “jamming” enough. Personally I just want to jam, not to sketch ideas that will be worked out later at home on a DAW. I don’t want to use a DAW at all.
But what about the other devices? How loud are they when you hit the keys? Is there another Groovebox with touch input? Is there possibly a really suitable Groovebox app that would be worth buying a tablet for?
My thought is that anyone who owns a minimum of two Grooveboxes can write which one he or she subjectively experiences louder than the other. With enough information, we might get a list.
For example:
User X says: Digitakt is louder than Blackbox
User Y says: OP-Z is louder than Blackbox
User Z says: Digitakt is louder than OP-Z
Thus we get a gradation like:
Blackbox
OP-Z
Digitakt
There may be differences in subjective perception. But let’s have a try.
OK, so I can say for sure: Digitakt is louder than Blackbox
If this is a commute trip, and you mention business trips, then do you have a tablet? If so maybe try some apps. There’s gazillions of them, all excellent. As for clicky buttons… zero.
Koala, mirack, drambo seem to be extremely popular, with good reason.
Novation Circuit Rhythm & Circuit Tracks are both quiet. They also have the advantage of built-in rechargeable batteries, so good for playing on a train without needing a power supply.
For Elektron, Model:Samples and Model:Cycles are both pretty quiet and fun machines.
I don’t have a tablet at the moment. But if there’s a groovebox app that is also really fun to use compared to hardware, than I might think about buing one. Hardware grooveboxes aren’t cheap either.
Of course OP-Z and Circuit Tracks are in the race because of their internal battery. But I can hear click noise in youtube videos of both machines. I bought a Model:Cycles for a good friend and as far as I remember it might be silent enough for use in trains (long distance trains can be very quiet in Germany)
You should not care and just use your stuff how you want. The elektron boxes are really not that loud and most people wear headphones anyways. And I don’t see how that’s worse than using any laptop or anything….
You should just not really worry about it because very few people are going to worry about you. And remember if you’re in transit it’s not like you’re in a completely silent environment anyways, you’re not talking about being in a library.
First, all of the devices you’ve mentioned are quiet compared to the noise floor of a train. Second, passengers on a train concerned about having a quiet commute are phonophobic (very rare) so give them peace if they ask for it (probably won’t happen). Third, I’d say Blackbox is the quietest, Digitakt is the loudest, and everything else is in between, but all are below the threshold of caring.
I’m not sure anything comes close to one of the more clacky-keyed Elektrons for noise. Totally agree that they are anti-social to use in a quietish space (and yeah some trains are very quiet)
Nice that you care. I find this If-it’s-annoying-anyone-else-they’ll-tell-me attitude obnoxious tbh. No need to tip-toe around, but at least be mindful of what will be blatantly annoying to others in the same space
Id choose iPad Pro with pencil.
Bluetooth headphones
Many excellent apps.
Ability to mix, master ,upload to soundcloud / Bandcamp
Can make your own videos on it too.
a gameboy with nanoloop is quite fun, has the bonus of being a bit less conspicuous. M8 great fun, quieter than a digitakt and you can swap to silent switches if you want, with stock switches its loud enough that I would not play it in bed next to my partner if they are sleeping. Personally I don’t like to play anything that yells out I’m making music in a public transit type situation and prefer to be a bit more inconspicuous, a tablet is a nice choice also.
