I’m new to M:C, so maybe I’m missing something, but what is the point of machine locks? Aren’t presets more “powerful” or at least further up the hierarchy? If I can put any preset I want onto any step, why bother with machines?
Sorry for my lack of knowledge about the M:C, but knowing Elektron products, won’t machine locks be utilized like a presets parameters BUT with another machine? Like a happy accident machine? Like you have a set of parameter values, and then you just change the core synth engine that is being affected by those values?
1 Like
Haven’t tried and am not with M:C atm. But how would a machine be a “happy accident” and a preset wouldn’t be?
A preset is something you (or someone else) have designed and saved ahead of time with the intent of having a predictable sound you can call up at a later point. But a set of parameters that makes sense for a kick preset may not be something you’d think to use with a tone or metal machine. By doing a machine lock instead of a preset lock you can find sounds that you wouldn’t have come up with otherwise.
3 Likes
Yeah like imagine you have a pattern with a machine lock, you mess up the sound, the machine changes and the new machine’s parameters are at the same position as the old machine, so your previous tweaking will impact the new sound. Wheras if it is a preset the exact same patch is loaded every time. I don’t use either lock very often, but I could see some value in weird situations.
Weird is good, as are happy accidents. But iirc, every time I call up a machine, I get the default sound for that machine rather than a surprise. Could that because I have not yet changed any parameters on that track?
I have never used Machine locks, but I’d probably play around with the Machine param after putting down a track, and if something sounds good, maybe Machine lock a few steps.
It’s going to work best for situations where you wanna get weird.