Benefits of Using a Hardware Drum Machine?
Re: Benefits of Using a Hardware Drum Machine?
I always start with my beloved drumracks in ableton, but to add some fairy-dust to the groove i normally record some live unquantized tempest hammering. It has that lovely wooden tone also=)
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Re: Benefits of Using a Hardware Drum Machine?
I was tempted by this, but some new FM-ey drum machine is coming out, but I¬ll be fucked if I can remember what it is called?WOLF! wrote: Currently I'm looking for a LXR to add to my setup because I do like drumcomputers.
Re: Benefits of Using a Hardware Drum Machine?
It's like a drum machine quiz ...Lost to the Void wrote:I was tempted by this, but some new FM-ey drum machine is coming out, but I¬ll be fucked if I can remember what it is called?WOLF! wrote: Currently I'm looking for a LXR to add to my setup because I do like drumcomputers.
Doubledrummer?
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Re: Benefits of Using a Hardware Drum Machine?
Yes yes, that's the cuntfucker.
Still no demos online.
Still no demos online.
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Re: Benefits of Using a Hardware Drum Machine?
Actually I think I want a micromonsta too
Re: Benefits of Using a Hardware Drum Machine?
I like hardware drum machines, before I lost interest in music I had got through quite a few. The most modern one I had was the Machinedrum - which I really liked but then my tastes changed and I wanted a more raw/90's sound. That's just me I guess and not representative of the MD's potential which was incredible really.
I'm not sure of any specific benefits to having them or not because I think it can come down to something personal. I myself, really like the hands on speed with which I can just bang out various rhythms and copy them across several pattern locations with various edits and then just jam out a drum track with mutes, pattern changes and stuff. I'm talking primarily TR style sequencing, I still have an old Boss DR660 for instance which is a pain in the ass to make a kit BEFORE you start jamming but I do like that old box because of the way the sounds come across, it has some odd thing going on where you pitch a sound really far either way and it doesn't speed up or slow down. I dunno what they implemented in that but it's a very musical pitch algorithm.
For me, it has a lot to do with the sequencer, so im answering with that in mind more than anything. One of my favourite little boxes is the Korg ES-1 mk2 which isn't a drum machine at all but I use it as one. It's basically a 16bit/32khz sampler/sequencer that's a joy to use. I have tons of kits for it, self made and processed beforehand and it's a joy to just make beats on it, ridiculously quick to get good stuff going and has interesting efx to make quick fire sampling fodder. It has a nice character and I like the tone when you sample into it with added gain.
I'm using an MPC as well - which again, isn't actually a drum machine but I find it quite effective for House stuff - which I'm quite into as well but lately, I have been using it as a master clock for the other stuff and loading musical sounds into it which works well with the Korg and mixer plus efx. I have a few other bits and bobs which are sampler/sequencer thingies, more for their own character and the hands on thing for me but the main thing is that I can come up with musical idea a lot quicker than being soley ITB.
This is me ITB.
Find a kickdrum, sequence it, find a hat, lay down a basic pattern, load a synth, fuck about with it until I get a sound I like, make a pattern. Tweak A, B & C until it sounds good and then after about 4 hrs I know where Im going but by which time I'm so fuckin bored co's I've caned the original idea on a loop.
This is me with a few bits of hardware.
Get a kick going on the Korg and a basic hat pattern, grab a sound on the MPC, sequence it, filter it and get something going I like and within about 20 minutes, I can arrive at a much more developed idea than I can ITB.
I have less options to choose from but I find I push the envelope so to speak within the limits of the device and it forces me to be more creative.
It's not like I have bothered to make drum racks in ableton or to have any useful starting presets with stuff, so my ITB time is mostly taken up by sound design and I end up losing sight of an idea. The approach with hardware drum machines or sampler/sequencers feels a bit more personal to me and I seem to get in the vibe easier and produce more cohesive ideas.
I guess I'm going a bit off topic so to get more on point, I'm not sure that I'd see much benefit simply having a single drum machine and syncing it up to a DAW. For me, it's just gonna end up in the box as audio, prob chopped up in a drum rack so I can access more processing per sound and that means I'm just using the machine as a sound source. But when they're part of a few other bits and bobs and you have the option of sequencing away from a computer, it's a different experience and it can be enjoyable to have both options so you can fully explore what best suits your flow.
I'm not sure of any specific benefits to having them or not because I think it can come down to something personal. I myself, really like the hands on speed with which I can just bang out various rhythms and copy them across several pattern locations with various edits and then just jam out a drum track with mutes, pattern changes and stuff. I'm talking primarily TR style sequencing, I still have an old Boss DR660 for instance which is a pain in the ass to make a kit BEFORE you start jamming but I do like that old box because of the way the sounds come across, it has some odd thing going on where you pitch a sound really far either way and it doesn't speed up or slow down. I dunno what they implemented in that but it's a very musical pitch algorithm.
For me, it has a lot to do with the sequencer, so im answering with that in mind more than anything. One of my favourite little boxes is the Korg ES-1 mk2 which isn't a drum machine at all but I use it as one. It's basically a 16bit/32khz sampler/sequencer that's a joy to use. I have tons of kits for it, self made and processed beforehand and it's a joy to just make beats on it, ridiculously quick to get good stuff going and has interesting efx to make quick fire sampling fodder. It has a nice character and I like the tone when you sample into it with added gain.
I'm using an MPC as well - which again, isn't actually a drum machine but I find it quite effective for House stuff - which I'm quite into as well but lately, I have been using it as a master clock for the other stuff and loading musical sounds into it which works well with the Korg and mixer plus efx. I have a few other bits and bobs which are sampler/sequencer thingies, more for their own character and the hands on thing for me but the main thing is that I can come up with musical idea a lot quicker than being soley ITB.
This is me ITB.
Find a kickdrum, sequence it, find a hat, lay down a basic pattern, load a synth, fuck about with it until I get a sound I like, make a pattern. Tweak A, B & C until it sounds good and then after about 4 hrs I know where Im going but by which time I'm so fuckin bored co's I've caned the original idea on a loop.
This is me with a few bits of hardware.
Get a kick going on the Korg and a basic hat pattern, grab a sound on the MPC, sequence it, filter it and get something going I like and within about 20 minutes, I can arrive at a much more developed idea than I can ITB.
I have less options to choose from but I find I push the envelope so to speak within the limits of the device and it forces me to be more creative.
It's not like I have bothered to make drum racks in ableton or to have any useful starting presets with stuff, so my ITB time is mostly taken up by sound design and I end up losing sight of an idea. The approach with hardware drum machines or sampler/sequencers feels a bit more personal to me and I seem to get in the vibe easier and produce more cohesive ideas.
I guess I'm going a bit off topic so to get more on point, I'm not sure that I'd see much benefit simply having a single drum machine and syncing it up to a DAW. For me, it's just gonna end up in the box as audio, prob chopped up in a drum rack so I can access more processing per sound and that means I'm just using the machine as a sound source. But when they're part of a few other bits and bobs and you have the option of sequencing away from a computer, it's a different experience and it can be enjoyable to have both options so you can fully explore what best suits your flow.
Deep House & Dub Techno Samples https://www.abitdeeper.com/
Re: Benefits of Using a Hardware Drum Machine?
Thanks for all the responses everybody, I really appreciate it. I think after reading through these, it's not so much the drum machine I need, just the ability to smash out stuff with a bit more ease. Think I'll give the push a go (although I desperately need to finally learn Ableton and rid myself of the shackles of Logic 9)
Re: Benefits of Using a Hardware Drum Machine?
I have a Push with Ableton (obviously) - and tbh it's great. Love using it, great to use in either note mode or sequencer mode. You can use Ableton entirely on the Push without touching a mouse if you so desire.
Use ableton's built in tutorials. they're great. I should finish it one day.
Use ableton's built in tutorials. they're great. I should finish it one day.