Elektron Musical Instruments

Why indeed?  Checked ebay, only 2 MDs have been listed since this post, neither appear to be from this person.  Looked for other reviews by same person - nada.  Reviewer name has no link to profile.  I registered at HC just for the hell of it, no listings by this user name in any of the forums I could find.

So the only authority or background we have on this critic is this single, unsourced, review.  So, we check spelling, grammar, construction, etc. to glean clues about the credibility of the poster. It reads very juvenile and clumsy.  Could be English as a second language, I suppose, except he seems to enjoy insulting Europeans and prices the product in US $..

All caps on the warning, excessive us of multiple !!!!!!!, They feel SOOOOOOOOOOOOO FLIMSY, LOL @ european engineering, and so on.

Now compare it to every other review on the same page for the same product.  Remove this one from the score and see what the reliability index becomes.

I will not rely on HC user comments for much of anything factual.  It can be fun but it has become a pool of slime and tricks some of the time.  And competitors are suspected of spiking the deck on occasion.

Now my fallacious logic: an appeal to authority.  I have been involved in electronic music since 1969.  I own a ludicrous collection of gear; vintage and modern.  I worked as office manager for EMSA in the 1970s - importer of EMS gear in the US, sales of large modulars (mostly Moog) to Universities.  Did repairs.  I have a traceable on-line identity under this email name:

I own all 3 elektron products.  I believe each of them to be very well-built.  They are quirky.  I have one of the first MDs with the older knobs.  I prefer them, others don't.  The instrument is idiosyncratic but it is certainly reliable and well-built.  If that is the only concern keeping you from buying one, I would get it.  If you are not sure the sounds and uniqueness are for you, try to find someone near you that will let you try it out (I'm in the Bay Area of CA if that helps).  The minute you touch it you will dismiss the line, "CHEAPEST PIECE OF SHIT GEAR I HAVE EVER USED".

And as a smaqll company supporting a complex line of products, I have found Elektron to be responsive and responsible.  They may need a shrink (perhaps we all do), but not for feelings guilt.

-----Original Message-----
From: kkonkkrete <kkonkkrete@...>
Sent: Nov 15, 2005 11:42 AM
To: elektron-users@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [elektron] MachineDrum prospective buyer: build quality ?


So, for example the following quote from a review at harmony central (http://
www.harmony-central.com/Synth/Data/Elektron_ESI_AB/Machinedrum-1.html) is unfair?

Why would someone defame a well-built instrument this way?  The comparison to the 
Korg is particularly harsh ;-)

:: kkonkkrete ::



<Start Quote>
Reliability: N/A
OK OK OK... READ UP FOR THIS SECTION!!!!!!!!!!

This is probably the CHEAPEST PIECE OF SHIT GEAR I HAVE EVER USED.

I seriously do not know why after reading hundreds of reviews how so many people have 
overlooked the crap construction of this thing.

Yes it is metal and aluminum, but it is cheap. Seriously, LOL @ european engineering and 
craftsmanship. That is so overrated it's not even funny. Most european gear now just suck. 
Stick with japanese for build quality and reliability. I will tell you why:

They use crap paint for the parameter labels and they fall off over time. The screen is 
easily scratched! Actually it gets scratched when you wipe the screen! That is how bad it is.

and the KNOBS... OH MY GOD! I can't believe people have not mentioned this. The knobs 
are the worst I have EVER felt. Cheap plastic! They feel SOOOOOOOOOOOOO FLIMSY.. it's 
really that bad. Seriously imagine the worst made in china and Elektron machinedrum 
knobs are that. The worst finishing i have ever seen. The front plate is not finished.. so 
you be careful you can slice up your hand it's so sharp. Seriously, LOL @ european 
engineering. I really hope people read this and find out the truth about this thing.

seriously.. i'm surprised the folks over at machinedrum are not going ot the shrink out of 
GUILT everyday for charging 1300 dollars for this crap construction. I mean if it was 300 
bucks I can understand.. the Korg Er1 MK2 DESTROYS this thing for build quality.

Customer Support: N/A
I heard it was good. I'm selling this thing right away on Ebay. Apparently they have resale 
values. I'm very very surprised.

Overall Rating: N/A
To be fair.. it has a good interface, good sounds.. But nothing you can't do in software.

I would not replace this thing. I say get an ER1 or Rackattack.. a lot better and more 
reliable. I am so disappointed with my purchase it's not even funny. Seriously you don't 
understand the true meaning of CHEAP CONSTRUCTION until you have seen the 
machinedrum.

I know some of you guys will have problems with me caring about build quality 
excessively.. but the thing is I need to gig with this thing.. and this thing does not give the 
air of reliability. It's metal but it's cheaply constructed. Hey man even the FORD PINTO is 
made out of metal.. would you buy it?

My final analysis: GOOD FEATURES, GOOD INTERFACE, EXCELLENT SOUND, ATROCIOUS 
BUILD QUALITY.. JUST ATROCIOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
<End Quote>




--- In elektron-users@yahoogroups.com, niall munnelly <aleph@a...> wrote:
>
> On Tue, Nov 15, 2005 at 03:22:43PM -0000, kkonkkrete wrote:
> > 
> > Are these really issues?  
> 
> in my experience, no.  i've travelled a lot with the MD and
> i play it constantly, and the buttons, encoders and finish
> have held up perfectly.  you'd really have to smack this
> thing around all the time to see any wear and tear - it's
> built like the proverbial tank.
> 
> -- 
> yours,
> niall.
> .. .  .   .    .     .       .           .             .                 .
> aleph null.                             a simple insinuation around silence.
> http://syncretism.net
> .. .. gpg public key - http://www.aleph-null.net/niall.gpg .. ..
>






 
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