We are the music makers - producers?

I've been messing around with that combo for so many years but the Oktatrack and Analog Keys are more worthy of desire than MM/MD in my opinion. I will admit to mostly buying second hand though, the new prices are probably a bit much.

Long may it continue, the SFX6 must be worth a few quid now.

The exotic nature of the MM/MD is part of the interest personally - don't see many of them here.

In stark contrast, you can't swing a dead cat in Seattle without hitting an Amazon/Google/Microsoft employee banging out underwhelming Techno on an Octatrack.

That video you posted reminded me how tired of the combo I am but that's my own fault and it took many many late nights to get there. I have very fond memories of the sessions but it just doesn't motivate me to work that way any more.

I'm using the MM in poly mode a lot of the time and the MD adds a little percussion spice, Oktatrack for samples and Analog Keys for bass.

If they are rare in your vicinity I can understand the attraction though, just wouldn't expect the same Amazon/Google/Microsoft employee to make less underwhelming Techno on an MM/MD.

Definitely the music maker making boring music, not the gear. I bet if I saw more people using modern Elektron boxes in a way that took better advantage of their power, I'd change my toon.

I'm with Surgeon on Elektron machines

I'm with Surgeon on Elektron machines

In that...?

Oddly, despite being massively rarer, I don’t think the SFX-6 fetches the same prices as the SFX-60+ mk2. Maybe the userwave functionality is a deal breaker.

Re: the MD, there’s a pretty amazing reverse engineered community firmware project. I haven't tried it yet but it looks like it brings some really interesting stuff like chromatic tuning and surfaces some unreleased synth engines.

https://www.elektronauts.com/t/machinedrum-sps1-uw-x-06-released-unofficial/159097

Nice one, I'll have a look at that. I nearly put a mk2 in an SFX-6 body at one point. Just got into the userwave before I finally got tired of the rigid 16ths.

The ability to have unquantized notes in the new machines is a big bonus.

Of course with the sampling MD you can fake this fairly simply.

That's kind of the way I got into them. They are complicated enough that you can find new ways of working with them and reinvent them a bit.

Sometimes they are just a bit too deep. It's tiring to peer at everything through the tiny screen. I've written quite a few complete songs with them in my time, that's quite painful on the tiny screen.

I'm a bit of a junkie for tweaking the joystick so the keyboard models have extra appeal to me.

In that they are not immediate and the menu diving and operation can be unfathomable

I dunno, I think they can be really quick to work with, better than a DAW in many ways. But only if you grok the way they're designed. I really struggle with the Octatrack, to me it feels like it was designed by engineers and the structure just doesn't make sense to me. The number of ways it can get itself into a situation where it's not doing what you think it should be doing, and you struggle to resolve it, is a real problem IMO.

Conversely, the Monomachine, Machinedrum, Digitone, and to an extent the Rytm, I think are all wonderful creative tools. But I totally understand people not vibing with it. I do think they're being left behind a little bit. The Hydrasynth was full of the kind of workflow and synthesis innovation that you'd expect to see from Elektron (Daniel Troberg's involvement being probably not a coincidence).

Folks, Ive got a little 80's Casio SK-200 Im trying to get rid of to fund a drum machine of sorts.

Let me know if anyone is keen!

https://reverb.com/uk/item/55820052-casio-sk-200-49-key-sampling-keyboard

For me Elektron represents 'good value' lots of voices, a sequencer etc. Problem comes when you realise the work you have to do to unlock and maintain that using the tiny screen.

The Oktatrack is brilliant if you just use it to fire samples, it can do so much more but it is mental the way it's organised. I don't know how to access half the potential and I've owned it for years.

I've had similar experiences with the MPC 1000 running JJOSXL - it can be as deep or as shallow as you need it to be. It's been the centerpiece in my setup for nearly 5 years and there are still entire areas of it I haven't explored yet.

I can understand the issue of working on a tiny screen, but I've never understood why so many people hold their noses at menu-diving - in the end it's all muscle memory?

It also makes a difference when you want to change the filter q and delay send at the same time for example.

I think the effort they made to try and make the Oktatrack 'centrepiece' capable is part of the problem with learning the beast.

The MPC has always had a good interface based around velocity sensitive pads.

Anyone have any suggestions for a 3u Rompler? Was looking at maybe getting a Kurzweil, but I'm open to other suggestions. Looking specifically for "realistic" instrument modeling. Thinking 3U in hopes of a larger programming interface that doesn't require a external programmer.

For realistic stuff in a rack format I think the Roland Integra synths (which evolved from the V-Synth line) are pretty much the gold standard nowadays, but expensive obviously and probably an endangered species in these DAW-centered times.

Or do you mean something more obviously old school sounding like the Waldorf rompler sound?

More old-school sounding preferred

While it's maybe not as big a name as Diva or Serum, SonicAcademy's Ana 2 synth is on sale for 70% off at around £40. Definitely worth having a look at, super versatile virtual synth.

https://www.sonicacademy.com/products/ana-2

Yes. Not bad though do lack bass response as you’d expect.

Wouldn’t go Bluetooth….

Gutted I sold mine…. Was very limited but such a unique sound. Could create tracks in less than an hour…. Not good ones but hey ho.

I've started to regret selling the MKII's :)

It needs pairing with a good reverb and a heavy dose of preamp / saturation and EQ, but it’s capable of some really unique stuff. I don’t like the BBOX drum sounds much, I wouldn’t use it as an all in one track building groovebox. Although it’s good at that if you’re just building up an idea.

It really rewards plugging a midi keyboard into it too. Brings it to life.

Just uploaded a track I made live in one session with the MM. Probably the best result I've ever had out of it. It does use the BBOX, although it's not great it does allow for basic beats. I was using the joystick to fade between the 'verse'/'chorus'.

https://soundcloud.com/monofever/homegrown?utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

Made maybe 15+ years ago!