Elektron Musical Instruments

--- In elektron-users@yahoogroups.com, "Joe" <jmelnyk@c...> wrote:
> --- In elektron-users@yahoogroups.com, "droolmaster0" 
<implode7@p...>
> wrote:
> > I have heard from someone else also that the synthesis is 
limited, 
> > and that the sound isn't particularly good.
> 
> sound = good is a matter of taste, I guess.  but I think that it's
> very good, even in comparison to a Nord and some true analog
> synths I have. (BTW, you shouldn't need to hear sound opinions from
> anyone else, since there's a ton of representative sound demos 
online.
> decide for yourself what your ears like :-)
> 
> the synthesis is somewhat limited, but only with respect to voice,
> since it's primarily a multitimbral monophonic 
synthesizer/sequencer.
>  but synthesis-wise, I don't think it's not limited at all. for
> example, some machines offer up to eight oscillators for one
> monophonic voice and they can be individually tweaked to a good
> extent. also, the LFO's can be routed to *anything* within the 
machine
> (which can't be said for many synths). also in general, a synth has
> three or four parameters defining an oscillator's sound (base pitch,
> waveshape, volume and sometimes a modulator choice) and within the
> Monomachine, there's usually between six and eight.
> 
> 
> > how is the Machinedrum a better purchase than, say, a really good 
> > pattern based sequencer?
> 
> 
> the Machinedrum IS a really good pattern based sequencer. and it
> offers up to 24 tweakable parameters per drum sound (including a
> dedicated LFO per drum sound, which is also assignable to any
> parameter (or other drum sound)). so it has a tremendous amount of
> sonic options.
> 
> 
> > Or, are you saying that, the integrated 
> > synthesizer is more than the sum of its parts? (I'm looking to be 
> > convinced).
> 
> 
> yes, that's also true. and I think that that's a lot of the 
motivation
> behind the Monomachine.  the workflow and interaction with the 
machine
> is excellent, even though it's a bit different from a lot of other
> synthesizers.
> 
> Joe.

Thanks for an excellent answer. I know there are demos online, and I 
thought that they sounded very good, actually. I've sometimes found, 
perhaps paradoxically, that the experience of playing a synth 
produces a different subjective opinion of the sound, so I was 
curious about what people thought.

I didn't mean to suggest that the Monomachine isn't a good pattern 
sequencer, but in my devil's advocate role was wondering about 
whether, IF the synthesis was really not good, why not try to get 
more bang for the buck by spending it all on a pattern sequencer.

I am definitely leaning towards buying one, given what I read in the 
manual about its operation, the sound of the demos, and what people 
have said about it.