To Drummachine or not to Drummachine?

[over9000]

Been thinking about getting a TR-8s lately.
Its surely a good machine and seems like alot of fun.

But iam not 100% sure if i really need/want a drummachine. I had a TR-8 slme years ago, but i was way too unexperienced to really use it and no individual out sucked hard. Than i had a tanzmaus which was nice, but i ended up not using it in tracks, i dont know why really.
Might have something to do with MFB, as iam also selling the Dominion 1 now, as iam just not using it so much.

Than i had the elektron model:cycles which i really liked, but again why on earth does it have no multiple outs? Not more like a toy with this limitation tbh..

More often than not i sequenced the drums in ableton, also alot easier to get crazy with processing and create something with more depth i guess

So basically iam planning to have a setup where i can get ideas down quickly, but also use ableton as a master.
So it would either be a TR-8s or a Digitone, which seems to be ultra versatile (and i dont have a problem with elektron per se)

I have a dfam too that i really like and will keep.

So i have something for bleeps/crazy sequences (dfam), i need something for the drums (either the TR or just ableton), and a synth that can do basslines and poly pads (digitone or maybe deepmind).

Curious to hear your experiences with drummachines and how and why you use them in your setup.
Its also interesting to see peoples setups and how and why you use what you use

Cheers

[Críoch]

I'm getting a tr8s. When they're back in stock with Thomann.

Been using the triggers out from a Behringer RD6. on the Dominion 1 and pro 1 .. Unreal.

Depends what you are into of course, but ive heard a side to the D1 that I hadn't been able to get near previously. There's something very nice about the syncopated groove of triggers & fucking around with a few keys in the keyboard

Theres a nice m4l Arp that comes bundled free, or with one of the free add-ons. It's pretty simple & let's you punch in a gated set of triggers, with no octaves similar to what the drum machine is doing. You can adjust length of notes & set to odd pattern lengths etc.. but it doesn't have the same vibe.

[Circular]

I've got a tr-8s since it was released, still loving it. I mainly use it to get ideas down quickly and to get a nice groove/jam going quickly. Once I've done that, I print it into my daw and work from there. The triggers are also very useful if you have any eurorack gear.

The best thing about it is the simplicity, it's easy to get something nice going very quickly without overthinking stuff too much. The only 'con' that I can think of is that there isn't any microstep function, you're limited by the global groove function instead if you want to go off the grid. This isn't really a problem for me though tbh, as it would overcomplicate things. In the end I heavily edit the audio in my daw anyway, so I'm fine with it.

[Amøbe]

I have a digitone - which I guess is more of a FM synth that also work as a groovebox (?). No individual outs is annoying, but I think overbridge is beginning to work a lot better

I have to say that I get something from sitting with that box, which I don't get from working on the screen - it is like sitting in your own little cosmos and then paint stars on the black abyss

also it sounds really good!

[Lost to the Void]

I think I`ve gone through more drum machines in the last 3 years than is healthy. About to sell my Roland MC707.

It seems like every unit I try has some dumb glaring compromise and I just end up going back ITB.

The best thing I have had in terms of pure creative potential and freedom was the MPC Live. You can use it in a myriad of ways to suit you,step sequence, piano roll, pads and quantise...... so you aren`t locked in to a strict paradigm like Elektron. You have 4 assignable outputs (6 kinda). Tons of samples and built in drum machine and other devices, and a shit ton of fx and filters.

I`m starting to think that selling mine was possibly the wrong decision, but it wasn`t quite right for the new music I am making now.

It really is an amazing device BUT maybe overkill if all you want is a drum machine.


I`m now about to buy a Deluge, which again has a stupid compromise (only 2 outputs on a device with effectively infinite channels and sample use) but I`m willing to work with it, or at least try, to achieve the workflow of the experimental drum and bass I am making,

If anyone can recommend me a machine that will play samples and loops, with multiple outs, that will also sequence external gear to a decent complexity level (ie no step sequencing bullshit) but remain very usable live, I`m all ears.

[over9000]

Thx for all the replies!
I dident mean to have a tr or a digitone for the same purpose, as they are very different.
More like either a TR or sequence drums in ableton and a digitone for synth stuff

How do you send trigs to the dom? Midi in?

[Críoch]

Into the cv gate in the d1. Cool doing stuff into the filter cv too a drone longer notes thing.. & some rhythmic triggers.

You can also have a trigger seq gating the d1 from the drum machine, or whatever you have.. and playing the keys will transpose the riff. Nice when aftertouch & velocity are added to the mix.

[borg]

How do you send trigs to the dom? Midi in?

I'd say CV/gate, but not sure either. Kinda interested myself. You mean holding keys on the synth and let the drum machine send analogue signals that trigger the envelopes of the synth? What's that magic you won't find when just sending midi? the tightness? I don't have eurorack and just a few machines with limited CV/gate capabilities, so haven't dabbled with clocking/triggering much. I saw that Surgeon video in Scheidersladen where he sets up a channel on the Octatrack as a clock. Not knowing enough about signal levels, but I suppose that would mean you could use it as a gate trigger as well, no? Or would I need extra gain?

edit: ok, got a response while typing... still looking for that magic

[Oktagon]

I use Microtonic with my free M4L wrapper JustTheTonic. Combine this with Push 2 and you get a nice drum machine style workflow but all the flexibility of Ableton/Microtonic.

https://maxforlive.com/library/device/5 ... -the-tonic

[Críoch]

@andy..

Yeah, there's just a groove to it, a sound.. rather than choosing notes/ composing the best melody ever.

[over9000]

aight
that trig idea doesent really get me going as it sounds fussy to set up or am i wrong?

anyway in another world with more space and money i would just keep the dom, and get a tr8s and a digitone
But then again i really dont use the dom that much, so it might be worth to investigate a setup that i can work with smoothly

about microtonic and push i think i would just get a tr8s then
just to avoid the setup hassle
i have very limited time and if i can avoid complicated setup things, i do

running on a win7 machine without internet

[borg]

@andy..

Yeah, there's just a groove to it, a sound.. rather than choosing notes/ composing the best melody ever.

nice! the Behr MS1 has CV/gate I/O, but haven't gotten around playing with that. Got an attic full of gear and powerful desktop, but sit at the kitchen table with a laptop, microtonic, opeator and a midi controller, and I love it. I gotta make a roster of some sorts: at least once a week a hardware session for starters.

[borg]

https://maxforlive.com/library/device/5 ... -the-tonic

cool! looks very interesting and will for sure check it out. I presume a Push 1 will be ok as well...

[Críoch]

aight
that trig idea doesent really get me going as it sounds fussy to set up or am i wrong?

anyway in another world with more space and money i would just keep the dom, and get a tr8s and a digitone
But then again i really dont use the dom that much, so it might be worth to investigate a setup that i can work with smoothly

about microtonic and push i think i would just get a tr8s then
just to avoid the setup hassle
i have very limited time and if i can avoid complicated setup things, i do

running on a win7 machine without internet

Honestly.. couldn't be easier to set up. So easy. Super tight grooves & leaves ya free to jam for the sweet spot on the synth / d1.

Definitely an old skool hw / no sequencer set up. Sounds unlike anything you'd get without some.work ITB. Could maybe do.it using the computer / push .. but there is a tactile.relationship with the drum machine triggers. Cool to use more than one trigger channel to do gate (note.on) .. and another for.filter. it would take too long tbh doing it itb. Triggers, drums, synth patch all get tweaked, modified & adjusted in a simultaneous instant.

Been triggering a monotribe from a rd6 recently also. You can do odd length pitch sequences on the MT, but advance the steps using the rd6 triggers into the MT gate. I don't know how I'd begin to program the same groove with a synth / midi / internal synth sequencer alone. It's great fun. & sounds incredible when you hit it right & get it locked.

[ozias_leduc]

I use Microtonic with my free M4L wrapper JustTheTonic. Combine this with Push 2 and you get a nice drum machine style workflow but all the flexibility of Ableton/Microtonic.

https://maxforlive.com/library/device/5 ... -the-tonic

this is awesome! great work!

[borg]

indeed, fantastic stuff!!! missed the 'my' when reading first. Thanks a bunch! it works great, well documented.

[mindstuff]

Elektron Rytm is an amazing drum machine. Not a fan of the hats though and typically use sample which you can load onto the Rytm. You can even resample tracks which can be pretty powerful. You can use overbridge to route each track to its own audio channel into your DAW. If you're using samples all around a digitakt is another options.

[Oktagon]

https://maxforlive.com/library/device/5 ... -the-tonic

cool! looks very interesting and will for sure check it out. I presume a Push 1 will be ok as well...

I don't have a Push 1 to test but hopefully should work, yeah.

[Oktagon]

I use Microtonic with my free M4L wrapper JustTheTonic. Combine this with Push 2 and you get a nice drum machine style workflow but all the flexibility of Ableton/Microtonic.

https://maxforlive.com/library/device/5 ... -the-tonic

this is awesome! great work!

Thanks!

[Oktagon]

indeed, fantastic stuff!!! missed the 'my' when reading first. Thanks a bunch! it works great, well documented.

Great to hear, thanks! Let me know if you run into any issues.