So to start off, I’ve been thinking again about getting a Machinedrum. I had gotten one about a year ago and returned it because I found out after I bought that it only had like 20-30 sample slots.
Anyways, I understand that the +Drive allows you to store more samples. I was planning on using the Machinedrum for sample sequencing (mainly drums/one shot sounds). I’m not quite clear on exactly how many samples I can store with the +Drive.
I read somewhere that it can store about 2.5 MB of sample memory per snapshot and the +Drive has 128 snapshots so from my calculations thats about 320 MB of sample memory right?
I didn’t get much of chance to mess with it when I got it so I was curious about how much you could manipulate a sample. From what I remember, the only thing I could do to an individual sample was change the start and end time of a sample. Can you change the envelope of a single sample? Also, can you assign effects to each individual sound? If so, how many?
I have also read that the Octatrack would suit sample based stuff better but from what I understand its 8 channels which seems a bit limiting to me…
I’ve had mine for only a couple of days, but I’ll try to help…
I read somewhere that it can store about 2.5 MB of sample memory per snapshot and the +Drive has 128 snapshots so from my calculations thats about 320 MB of sample memory right?
I haven’t really considered this but that sounds right mathematically. I’ve loaded it up with several folders full of drum sounds (until I figured out that a Snapshot uses a single folder with max 48 samples…I had loaded big folders of only one type of sound).
Can you change the envelope of a single sample? Also, can you assign effects to each individual sound? If so, how many?
There’s Decay and Hold. Manual says that Decay at max 127 will make a looped sample loop indefinitely, but I couldn’t make it work. Can someone explain where to designate a sample as looped?
There’s an amplitude modulator that sounds kind of like a ring modulator. The manual describes it as a tremolo effect; what I heard was wilder than that.
There’s a filter that works well, and a 1-band parametric EQ that’s useful… I’ve played a bit with LFO’s to make filter envelopes, with limited success.
You can dial in how much of the track to send to the main reverb and delay, both of which serve all sixteen tracks.
You can make a Control track and load it with parameter-lock triggers to dynamically change the delay and reverb parameters; I haven’t tried it.
I have also read that the Octatrack would suit sample based stuff better but from what I understand its 8 channels which seems a bit limiting to me…
For all the good stuff the MD does with samples, its primary function is still a drum machine. The OT is a world beyond for sample-based stuff. 8 channels really isn’t such an issue that some make it out to be, although I admit there have been a couple of times when I’ve thought I’d like to have two OT’s.
If you think you’re even slightly more interested in the sample aspect than you are specifically wanting a dedicated drum machine, you should give the OT some heavy consideration. And it comes loaded with some good drum hits that you can build into a crazy-ass pattern, then sample that, twist and mangle it, resample that, etc etc.
Calculating out the total sample time like that is almost irrelevant as you can only have 48 samples / 2.5mb loaded at one time. You do have the 128 snapshots/samplebanks though and loading a new one is almost instant. Still bear in mind that its one at a time.
The sample parameters might sound limited but they are really good parameters, and with clever use of envelopes/lfos and plocks, they can really allow you to mangle a sample. I would not say it is underpowered at all, just very unique to drum sampling.
Which is where it shines - as a drum machine and using one-shot drum samples, it is incredible. The cherry on top is that it actually handles loops / melody ok as well, though a little limited, yes.
It is NOT an mpc - totally different beast than anything out there, but very intelligently designed and a joy to use.
Also, to get your samples to loop, you set the up as loops in C6 when you transfer them. Personally, I would not loop anything other than a single cycle or something sample, because the sequencer can handle the looping for you just as well.
I think the MD really shines as a drum synthesizer and the sampler aspect is just an added bonus in the UW version.Also keep in mind the sample rate of the MD is 12 bit so not all your samples loaded up will sound exactly the same!I do have some samples loaded into my MD but i rarely use them and instead have loads more fun creating sounds using the synth machines.
You may want to look into the Octatrack or something similar instead.
It is only 8 channels of internal sounds, but, each step you can p-lock a different sample. And you can p-lock parameters on each “individual” drum hit (so, lock some settings for the kick and copy/paste your kick trigs, lock some setting for toms and copy/paste your tom trigs on the same track). I rarely use more than 4 tracks for drums on my Octatrack (I just got a MachineDrum UW a few days ago, so, my Octatrack as a drum machine days are numbered ).
And, between the 128 samples and using slice-chains (many samples in one wav file split evenly in the file), you have access to up to 8192 samples at a time!
Plus the Octatrack is the BEST midi sequencer from Elektron (and, from what I’ve used and seen, from just about anyone). The only ones that come close to it are specialized sequencers like the Cirklon.
This might deserve another thread, but relating to the MD, why do people say the Octatrack sequencer is so good?
How different is it than the MD?
I came from using a classic MPC, and the MD midi sequencer is one of my least favorite parts - though I use it a lot.
Is the OT sequencer fundamentally different, or greatly improved? You can record into or no?[/quote]
If you’re coming from the MPC world, it might not be to your liking? It’s much more the “programmer’s” sequencer and not the “player’s” sequencer. I started out on trackers, so, this is exactly how I like to deal with sequencing. One of the tings I miss from Cakewalk (when I swtiched to Ableton) was the event list.
So, the OT has midi LFOs. It has a some of great setups for mapping (and p-locking) CCs. It has a great midi arpeggiator (with “patterns”). It has “chromatic mode” for the trigs to “play” them like a keyboard (pretty sure the MD doesn’t do that). It has super easy chord functions (like the MD/MnM). It has 8 dedicated tracks of midi (unlike the MnM’s 6 and the “track stealing” ones from the MD).
This is amazing for doing very long patterns. You can setup an arp pattern and turn the multiplier to something slow and have a 32 bar progression. And, then set another track to be a different length and have a polyrhythm going on.
I too came from trackers and its funny how at first I didn’t like the mpc sequencer, now love it, and can’t really get back to programming it all in.
The independent sequence lengths and microtiming, and this chromatic mode (got to read the manual for that) sound like they would really open up a lot of possibilities I miss with the MD.
Also cool that it has the dedicated sequencer. I wish the MD had a hybrid midi/input mode that would open the audio gate on a midi note so you could sequence and route an external unit with one machine instead of two.
It does, …
well sort of.
There is a bug/feature on the md. Trigger an input machine, then switch the pattern to one where you have a midi machine on the same track as the previous pattern’s input machine. The gate of the input machine will remain open.
It does, …
well sort of.
There is a bug/feature on the md. Trigger an input machine, then switch the pattern to one where you have a midi machine on the same track as the previous pattern’s input machine. The gate of the input machine will remain open. [/quote]
Right I’ve heard about this, and thanks for the reminder.
My point is to suggest that I would trade a few CC controls for the FX page like any other audio machine.
Me three. This was back when traditional music software and gear was expensive! I always hated the same track lengths within a pattern thing. It gets confusing or just feels like work to me in order to setup individual elements with the timing I want.
The octatrack, with it’s independent lengths was a big part of why it was first Elektron box I felt compelled enough to buy.
But since getting the machinedrum there are a few things I like about it for working with MIDI. Program Changes! The LFOs modulating other LFOs. Kits, because on the octatrack you don’t have MIDI scenes. Kit names! Faster to set and lock CCs. MIDI data seems less dense and gear doesn’t choke on it as much. Personally, I find the dedicated MIDI side of the octatrack can be more work at times because you always have to keep the audio side in mind and parts are shared which often ends up confusing me.
Basically, it’s still fun and useful for me to use the machinedrum along side the octatrack. I like to use MIDI tracks on the octatrack to trigger tracks or patterns on the machinedrum.
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