Members Needle201 Posted October 12, 2004 Members Share Posted October 12, 2004 tell me your point of view... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members oddbods finger Posted October 12, 2004 Members Share Posted October 12, 2004 Looking for a scrap? It's certainly very expensive. Over-rated?.....well that's obviously subjective. Personally I'm fairly neutral about it. I think it's a well built solid feeling bit of gear with some excellent features. It's very editable sound wise. If you like step sequencers, it's got a great one (especially the parameter lock feature). I've owned one but sold it because I found it just didn't somehow fit with my setup. ...and it was almost too editable!!! I found myself tweaking away trying to get a perfect kick, snare everytime I used it. I also never quite got a HiHat sound I liked. It's probably the most flexible drum machine around for non acoustic kits/percussion (except for sampling ones) But as I said it's all a bit personal and subjective. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Needle201 Posted October 12, 2004 Author Members Share Posted October 12, 2004 well, i was one of the first guys to get one back in 2001 (wow, thats so long ago already), mine has the serial nr:68.. but somehow i never could get it to fit into my sound. i guess its well suited for some very clean sounding electronica/IDM kind of music. sometimes i think i am just keeping it because it looks so hot ... and i hate selling equipment. its somehow always the wrong thing to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Industrial Strength Posted October 12, 2004 Members Share Posted October 12, 2004 My friend had one last year. Its a hrsh little box. Way too much though. I just bought the Machine Drum sample CD. Much cheaper and just as good in my opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Needle201 Posted October 12, 2004 Author Members Share Posted October 12, 2004 when these days people ask me if they should one, i usually advise them to get a electribe m for 150 bucks. well, you dont have all the possiblities you have with the MD, but hey, thats also helluva alot of a price difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members oddbods finger Posted October 12, 2004 Members Share Posted October 12, 2004 Originally posted by Industrial Strength and just as good in my opinion. the CD only has a limited number of sounds. The MD has means of creating limitless different sounds. Add to that the numerous ways of shaping those sounds with the MD's parameters, sequencer, LFOs, Slide..etc How can it possibly be as good? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cybermooks Posted October 12, 2004 Members Share Posted October 12, 2004 The Machinedrum is certainly not overrated. You get multiple types of drum synthesis in a single box that executes them brilliantly. Things can get pretty complex in combination with a powerful multitrack sequencer. If you took four other machines you might get close to it, but then that would also bring you into the same price territory. I have several others besides the Machinedrum including a Jomox Airbase, Akai MPC 4000, Quasimidi Rave O Lution, Electribe ER MkII, MAM ADX1, Ensoniq ASRX Pro, Roland R8 MkII, Yamaha AN200, DX200 and RX 5, and nothing else comes close to the Machinedrum. It is the best drum machine on the market. Nothing can come near it in terms of quality and features. It is the Rolls Royce of drum machines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Needle201 Posted October 12, 2004 Author Members Share Posted October 12, 2004 Originally posted by cybermooks The Machinedrum is certainly not overrated. You get multiple types of drum synthesis in a single box that executes them brilliantly. Things can get pretty complex in combination with a powerful multitrack sequencer. If you took four other machines you might get close to it, but then that would also bring you into the same price territory. I have several others besides the Machinedrum including a Jomox Airbase, Akai MPC 4000, Quasimidi Rave O Lution, Electribe ER MkII, MAM ADX1, Ensoniq ASRX Pro, Roland R8 MkII, Yamaha AN200, DX200 and RX 5, and nothing else comes close to the Machinedrum. It is the best drum machine on the market. Nothing can come near it in terms of quality and features. It is the Rolls Royce of drum machines. Well, you have 4 different Machines, thats true, i just feel they sound somehow similar... you know, when it comes to the raw sound. so, they are not that different alltogether to me..and i have to add, that sound is a little bit "Niche" in my point of view. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cybermooks Posted October 12, 2004 Members Share Posted October 12, 2004 They're not similar. It is just that the presets are as bad on the Machinedrum as on the Monomachine. In neither case is the product well represented. It is baffling why a company with such a slickly finished product would send it out with such rotten presets that don't do the boxes justice. However if you delve into it and ignore the presets you can come up with a wide variety of very dissimilar sounds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Symbiotic Posted October 12, 2004 Members Share Posted October 12, 2004 I'm with mooks, 100%. Nothing I've used - hardware or software - comes to the depth, grace, GUI, and overall kick-ass factor of the MD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Allerian Posted October 12, 2004 Members Share Posted October 12, 2004 Originally posted by Needle201 and i hate selling equipment. its somehow always the wrong thing to do. But imagine the good feeling you'd get from selling it to me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Needle201 Posted October 12, 2004 Author Members Share Posted October 12, 2004 Originally posted by cybermooks They're not similar. It is just that the presets are as bad on the Machinedrum as on the Monomachine. In neither case is the product well represented. It is baffling why a company with such a slickly finished product would send it out with such rotten presets that don't do the boxes justice. However if you delve into it and ignore the presets you can come up with a wide variety of very dissimilar sounds. well, i used the MD for over three years now, and i know my way around it a little bit. so we are having differing opinions on that..and you know what they say about opinions... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cybermooks Posted October 12, 2004 Members Share Posted October 12, 2004 Ok so you're mad at your Machinedrum. When you find something better let us know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Symbiotic Posted October 12, 2004 Members Share Posted October 12, 2004 Apparently Needle thinks the Electribe M is as good... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members AfroRouge Posted October 12, 2004 Members Share Posted October 12, 2004 The MD is an amazing drum synth and sequencer, but it isn't the end. There are some sounds that are hard to find on it, i.e. strict 808/909 emulations. A lot of people reject the MD because they can't get a 909 hat out of it. That's a pretty absurd reason to reject such a powerful instrument. An add-on unit, like the novation drumstation, can broaden the MD's pallette into those "classic" territories if you need to go there, but the MD by itself is capable of reaching NEW territories and that's what it's about. I've never once regretted buying the MD. It's my main instrument - I love it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cybermooks Posted October 12, 2004 Members Share Posted October 12, 2004 Very good point AfroRouge; I use my other stuff for what is absent there, i.e. sampled sounds but as a single unit nothing comes close to it. Once you've used the Machinedrum, it is relatively easy to use the Monomachine, since the interface is virtually the same. I got the one with the keyboard, and while I would have preferred a physical structure closer to the Indigo with the controls on top, it actually harkens back to very early synths, where the controls were to the left of the keyboard. Basically the approach, menus, and track structure are very similar, although the sounds are very different. The sequencer is awesome and the interplay of different synthesis methods on different tracks is very flexible. At a minimum you can use the Monomachine to create monster synth lines, i.e. the equivalent of taking a bass line section of a drum machine and powering it with rocket fuel. I'm in the process now of setting up a dedicated rhythm section around the Machinedrum and Akai MPC4000 which the Monomachine integrates nicely with due to its "drum machine" approach to synthesis, while providing a keyboard for the whole "department." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members malfunkt Posted October 12, 2004 Members Share Posted October 12, 2004 The Machinedrum is competitively priced at $1250 USD. If we take a look at some of the finest electronic instruments out there, they achieve a high standard in craftsmanship, sound quality, and useability - the Machinedrum is no exception. If you just want some samples of the Machinedrum, then a sample CD may wet your appetite. But it in no way comes even close to being able to reproduce the capabilities that the Machinedrum has to offer. It is like trying to replicate an analog synth patch with samples, it sounds fine for that one patch, but you lose the ability to synthesize new sounds and control over modulation and timbre. Aside from sonic characteristics, the Machinedrum is a physical intrument combining interface, sequencer and synthesizer. The interaction of these elements is what makes the instrument truely unique. If for some reason your Machinedrum is gathering dust... get it out and jam with some friends. The other day I had some friends over and we ran a Tr-808 and a TR-606 into the Machinedrum. 4 hours later we were left with about 2 hours of evolving electro and strange electronic grooves. Bottom line, have fun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members MuzikB Posted October 12, 2004 Members Share Posted October 12, 2004 I have never owned one but got the chance to mess with one for a few hours. Great little box but I thought that it was a bit too complex in itself for my liking. Sort of how I felt with the Andromeda. Then again, I'm currently taking a bit of a step away from complex tools. So I just run a D-Station through the Virus or G2. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cybermooks Posted October 12, 2004 Members Share Posted October 12, 2004 There's no question the Elektron products are a bit counterintuitive if you're used to traditional synth operations. It really isn't all that complex though once you understand the metaphor of the operations. It is worth the investment, and as bonus if you understand the Machinedrum you can use a Monomachine right out of the box. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members synthetica Posted October 12, 2004 Members Share Posted October 12, 2004 I had a Machinedrum for a while, and while I loved the interface and the sequencer I just couldn't like the sound. Something about it just didn't sound quite right to me no matter much tweaking I did to get the sounds I was looking for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members John B NYC Posted October 12, 2004 Members Share Posted October 12, 2004 I gotta say this is one of my fav pieces of kit. I LOVE the snares and everything and for anything im not getting out of it. I have a d-station(though the output volume sucks) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Coquito Posted October 12, 2004 Members Share Posted October 12, 2004 my pockets can only talk ER-1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Synthwiz Posted October 12, 2004 Members Share Posted October 12, 2004 This is the best drum machine I've ever come across. It covers all the bases and then some. You can new sounds out of it as well as the standards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cl516 Posted October 13, 2004 Members Share Posted October 13, 2004 The MachineDrum is divine.Does everyone 'need' it? Nope.But I can do stuff on the MachineDrum that would take people months to imitate using different gear. And because it's so editable, it misleads you to believe that it is the one and only end-all drum machine. Don't think of it that way. Think of it as part of a setup, and it's so huge. I love my MachineDrum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Needle201 Posted October 13, 2004 Author Members Share Posted October 13, 2004 I dont think that i am exactly mad at my machinedrum ...and i dont think that a EM1 will do the same... but well, an EM 1 can do a lot for you if you search for a drumbox with effects and parameter locks. Its not the whole distance up to the MD, but sometimes i wonder, if this extra distance isnt sometimes distracting somehow. What i want to say, i feel the MD isnt always the best choice if you have to get stuff done, and want to release stuff. And if its not your sound, its not your sound. It works for certain genres, but not for others.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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