That is super helpful!! Thank you so much!!
I think this thing is cool as hell. It reminds me of the mono too in that it has so many interesting tricks up its sleeve, and I’m definitely gonna pair them after your suggestion!
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Yes, I think the pair complement each other very well. I also find it interesting that both of them can be used both as a drum machine and a synth, although each can be perceived as limited in its own sense. With those two paired, you don’t need a lot more in a setup.
Guys, does anybody have firmware file versions 1.3-1.6 ? I have updated to 1.7 and my box started to freeze after 5-10 minutes of work
Hm, strange
I’ve got quite a few bugs with it when it comes to saving, but no freeze as such
Here you go:
BlastBeats_1.6.zip (551.5 KB)
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Tempted to get one of these. How’s everyone enjoying theirs?
Any cool examples to share?
I have to say I’m a tad disappointed by the drums. Well, they are very special and maybe not my favorite style of special, but they might please someone else. Also, I come from a MachineDrum, so it’s hard to match. This being said, they do their job all right.
BUT I find the synth voices really great! They really make up for the so so drums, I’d say. You can go really far in sound design with 4 operator FM, layering operators, etc.
Strangely enough, I haven’t used the tricks so much so far (stutter, bend, etc.). But I’m still in the preparation phase of a live set I’m supposed to play at the end of the summer. Probably they will come handy when it comes to actually ‘perform’.
I’d like to post some snippets soon, but every time I turn this machine on, it’s a rabbit hole!
I think it’s really unique and fun. I’m really happy with mine and I have tons of gear!
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Twisted Electron should highly consider putting this into the manual. Thanks to this post, I finally figured out how to access more than 10 kits.
So far, this is my favorite piece created by Twisted Electrons. I already have a Syntakt and TR-8S so the unique drums this one offers is fun to have. This thing keeps growing on me the more I play with it.
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I feel the same, and also have the syntakt and Tr8s!
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I wonder how it holds up against my Rytm mk2 and Machinedrum mk2, soundwise and more. Anyone with insight?
I’ve got a bunch of money to spend and i would like to find a drum machine to complement My existing ones!
Something with an FM engine or similar would probably be a good thing, or some hybrid crossover?
Looking at the Perkons, SOMA Pulsar-23, Blast Beats, Modor DR-2 and such. Expensive machines most of them, but that’s no problem atm.
Pros/cons with any of them?
I have the blast beats and had the modor-2. I LOVED the Modor but it was very expensive. Can’t say enough good things about it.
Love the blast beats too, very very different though. I’ve had the machinedrum and rytm too. And I haven’t played a Perkons (so few have!)
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I think it’s quite hard to compare these with the BlastBeats, as it is not ‘only’ a drum machine. My humble opinion is that the MD - which I own - is hard to beat in the drum machine department. Judging from demo videos, the Modor sounds quite fantastic as well - to my hears, at least.
But the BlastBeast can cover both beats and melodies fairly well, so I’d say it sits in another category. It has a lot of character but if you’re looking for flexibility, I wouldn’t get one purely as a drum machine. The kick offers quite a number of parameters, but the snare and hihats and tom are not so flexible - which doesn’t mean they sound bad.
What’s interesting is the combination of the synth voices - really bottomless - with the drums and all the tricks, plus the sequencer. It’s much more than the sum of its parts. A very nice all-in-one innovative instrument that stands out of the competition by its specificity. I’m glad I got one.
Oh yeah, and it just sounds extremely good! (not sure why and how)
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Not anywhere near the same machine sonically. You’d definitely want to supplement with another drum machine. It does lo-fi FM drums and synths well but has a very distinct flavour. I couple mine with the LXR-02 and they’re perfect together.
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DR2 and Pulsar are my pairing. They pretty much bar me from buying more drum machines which is something of a fucking miracle. I like drum machines.
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Yeah the manual while not bad leaves a little to be desired. There’s a lot of peculiarities about the machine I’m still trying to wrap my brain around.
I absolutely love the blastbeats though. Pretty much all I’ve played with since I got it. Destined to be a future classic. Someone is going to make an incredible album on just it. Guaranteed
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Tempting, going to have to check both out thoroughly. Have you got the BlastBeats too?
I´m pretty sure i will get a blastbeats very soon. It will pair nicely with my Rytm2 and MD i think.
Great input guys! 
Yeah don’t sleep on it you won’t regret it.
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No but it looks great. Perkons too. There’s good options.
Is it possible to retrig a single voice for one trig, or does the stutter trick effect all voices simultaneously when applied? I’d be curious to see someone fit this in to an elektron-based workflow.