It’s the third post of this video, it must be good.
Mine did not.
But I bought the wood cheeks and I’m really happy I did.
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Hello everybody, I’ve been researching drum machine/drum synths and from what I’ve seen the Vermona Drm1 looks like the one for me.
But I’m very very new to the game and I have a few doubts.
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What are the differences between the Mark IV and the Mark III? Apart from the Midi USB and the standard power supply
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The triggers: from what I understand the Mark III only had on/off triggers. So, chromatic playing was possible only through Midi? Has the Mark IV got CV as well?
I don’t have a Modular and don’t care for one, what are the advantages (if any) of getting the model with trigger inputs?
- Sequencing: from what I’ve seen on Youtube, most people use a Beatstep Pro or a DAW to sequence it. Some use Elektron machines. I don’t know much about sequencers, could probably only afford an used Beatstep Pro right now. Would you recommend sucking it up and using a DAW? The Mark IV has USB mini, does that mean that I don’t need a soundcard to hook it up to my laptop?
hello and welcome to Elektronauts! hopefully I can answer your questions…
1 - sound-wise, they tweaked each machine a bit. plus the midi out, usb and triggers now respond to control voltages.
2- yes the mk3 triggers were just on/off. when you use it over midi, it responds to velocity. kind of like an accent when velocity is maximized, basically. in the mk4, you can do this with the triggers having varying control voltage. if you don’t have a modular, no need to spend extra for the version with CV.
3 - USB is for midi only. no audio comes in or out over it. so you can hook it directly to your computer to use your DAW to sequence it if that’s what you like. that will work great, so will a BSP. it’s just a matter of which you prefer working with.
personally, owning the mk3, I don’t hear a massive change in the sound with the mk4. there are some nice functional changes, mentioned above. but if you have a means to route midi to it from your DAW otherwise (or to/from a BSP if you get one), and are OK purchasing a used machine, I’d say a used mk3 is the best purchase. there’s a lot of cheaper ones being sold lately.
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According to Stimming, who had an MkIII for 5 years, it has more Punch (especially the Kick).
‘’ Vermona is back with the latest incarnation of their classic analog drum synth, the DRM1 MkIV. Now in its fourth revision, Vermona kept the outside appearance the same while revamping the internal circuitry for improved performance. It features eight drum voices, each with nine knobs to shape their sound parameters, panning, and volume. Vermona took special care to re-examine these controls, optimizing frequency ranges and control curves to ensure peak performance.’’
Thank you very much for your answer.
There’s one thing I don’t understand though: the pitch can only be changed with the knob, in both models? I can’t have one channel play one note and then another, different, note without turning the pitch knob?
It may seem like a stupid question but I’m a newbie
it’s not meant to be played chromatically. so the instruments don’t respond to different notes other than just different notes will trigger different instruments.
for the drum 1 and 2 instruments, you could have them set to two different pitches and play both. they’re not voiced like synths though so it’s more of a tom sort of sound.
you may want to check out the Division Department 01/IV as well. it’s similar to some of the “multi” or drum 1/2 sounds that the drm1 has. but you can also play the individual voices chromatically.
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The 01/IV sounds and looks good to me. Unfortunately, I haven’t found much about it on the web. I’m concerned about build quality, which, from what I read, is not an issue with Vermona products.
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Despite its cheap price, the Beatstep Pro is an excellent sequencer and a lot of fun to use. It’s not a bad choice at all.
Anyone triggering a DRM1 from an Analog Rytm Mk2?
Got mine, well, well worth it! It really cuts through a mix, very punchy, sonically flexible, original sounding, amazing insert FX routing capability. It is also a monster when it comes to creating raw material for a Digitakt for example, love it!
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I used to trigger a mk3 DRM1 from a TR909 and preferred the sounds to the 909’s.
Lots of overlap with a RYTM mk2 though. I sold it to fund my RYTM.
great fun.
Still amazes me there is nothing similar on the market.
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Here’s a demo of Vermona’s DRM1 MKIV Drum Synth, controlled by Novation Circuit. No external processing apart from a little help by Erica Synths’ fantastic Zen Delay. Maybe you find it useful.
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i’m curious, who is the target buyer for this? it doesn’t seem suited for techno as it sounds quite tame. Same with hip hop. i love Vermona and i’m not trying to be critical, just wondering.
I think the video @colectivo_triangular posted above shows off some nice variety. It is broken into sections such as Deep House, IDM, Electro, etc.
And I think you could get some techno out of it. I would certainly like to try one out in that regard.
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Cool! Had no idea. Maybe i haven’t listened to enough demos.
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People who make electronic music in general? It’s “tame” for the more industria-heavy forms, but I’ve seen the DRM1 in plenty of broad techno studios.
The immediacy in programming and tweaking is awesome.
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