Elektron Musical Instruments

> Hey Shifty, Greetings. I know of you from the Sp-808
> group. How's the Machine Drum for you? Is it all you
> wanted from a Drum Machine?

well, I honestly wish for a drum machine that lets you
upload your own dsp modules into it :)    but other
than that, I'm quite impressed with the MD.  the best
aspects are the File System/Memory---if you pull out
the plug while its on then plug it back in, it comes
up right where you left off.  that kind of thing is
sweet.  Also, the reproducibiliity is lovely---I work
with a lot of other HW that doesn't let you reproduce
the crazy sounds you make- it's only stored on your
tape, but with the MD you can always go back and play 
your song for others exactly like you made it.

I find the OS/GUI very quick to navigate----I'm wondering
lately if the LFO button should create exit from the 
EFX config screen, since it's difficult/impossible to 
edit synth/effects/routing blindly in the efx config n
page, that would make it a little smoother, am I right?

Also, I've found the MD integrates nicely with other
equipment-  I have mine connected to two mono synths
without an extra mixer.  my MD also sequences my
sidstation and triggers the arpegg input on my Korg
Mono/Poly.  I send the MD output into my 808, and often
use the 808 as a clock master.  I have the MD, sidsta,
and an FR-777 setup on a single small table, almost like
two turntables and a DJ mixer.  the 808 is next to them,
and when I play out, I usually only bring the 808.

of course you can do most of this with a laptop if you want,
but then you have to deal with microsoft crap, boot times,
shutdowns, OS upgrades, network configuration and lots
of stupid 1/8" adaptors and MIDI dongles etc etc etc.

Oh yeah, I also like the echo in the effect proc. of the MD.
it's very flexible, from dub echoes to ping-pong to trancey
3/8ths rhythms, etc.  The fact that the delay time is specifed
in N/128ths of the tempo is very useful, too.  Thereoretically,
it could be used like a phaser/flanger like many older hybrid
ana/dig delays, but I haven't actually tried it.

Okay, and the LFO's are a very nice surprise on the MD...let's
of opportunity for adding life and motion to tracks.  even
if it's just a light pan...you can do things like put 
light random distortion on sawtooth waveform to make it
sound like 50's fuzz guitar.  or you can add three square 
wave LFO's together to a single pitch source for arpeggiation.
I just wish the LFO's could be made to go even s l o w e r,
because I like ambient stuff.

only thing silly about the MD is the classis/extended button.
I never use that.