Elektron Musical Instruments

Hi ,

As promised , here is an excerpt from sos magazine's paul nagle on the 
monomachine . This is the conclusion to the review .

( I have heard a rumour that future music magazine have given the 
monomachine a platinum award ! )

marc

www.psience.co.uk

												CONCLUSION


In preparation for the Monomachine's arrival, I had downloaded its 
manual from the www.monomachine.com web site, as well as listening to 
all of the excellent on-line demos. When I hit Play, I was therefore 
slightly taken aback by the rather cheesy looping tune � not an ideal 
introduction. However, I soon discovered that interaction was the key 
to hearing the Patterns at their best � especially when I learned to 
exploit the elaborately programmed joystick assignments. Using this 
simple performance tool, many of the Patterns sprang into life; the 
highlights being Kraftwerk-style romps, various Euro-beat excursions 
and a Yazoo impersonation that was rather too close for comfort � I 
wonder if Vince Clarke has heard it?

  As many of the included Patterns reminded me of '80s electro-pop, I 
endeavoured to create more drastic examples of electronica. Often I 
turned to the Digipro machine; I found that stepping its waveforms 
whilst modulating their phase produced some of the most harmonically 
rich sounds I've encountered in a long time. And dirty, industrial 
noises positively flowed once I drafted in the sample-rate reduction 
and a dose of reverb. Another favourite, the SID emulation proved to be 
full of presence, its oscillator sync so razor sharp that I often used 
it on multiple Tracks to produce layered, screaming mayhem. SID was 
equally capable in the throbbing bass department � that simple 
equaliser on each track being just enough to add all the depth I 
needed. Many of the machines seem happiest squirting out dirt, setting 
the Monomachine apart from most smooth, polished contemporaries. But 
analogue fuzziness was also represented; I dutifully managed to coax 
some ripping TB303-style Patterns from a plain sawtooth wave by use of 
Parameter Locks to introduce portamento, distortion and filter 
squelches. I admit I never fully mastered the Voice Modelling machine, 
but obtained results I enjoyed all the same.

It's when you really push the boundaries that the most unusual and 
rewarding sounds begin to tear loose. Just how far it can be pushed by 
keen enthusiasts, I can't predict, but the Monomachine is definitely 
not recommended if you only require instantly familiar, conventional 
patches and grooves.

I found the sequencer enjoyable to use: effective and powerful in some 
areas, but slightly simplistic in others. With no means to record 
unquantised events, the Monomachine has a 'drum box' mentality: it is 
not designed to capture expressive solo performances. Even basslines 
and percussion require attention if they are not to feel robotic � but 
if that's what you're after, this won't be a problem. No reference to 
the sequencer is complete without yet another mention of Parameter 
Locks. These are the jewel in its crown and come into play time and 
again to breathe life into the SFX6's otherwise metronomic patterns.

The Monomachine is a difficult instrument to sum up neatly, perhaps 
because it refuses to conform to any expectation based on products from 
other companies; Elektron have taken an unconventional approach to 
almost every aspect of sound creation and sequencing. Ultimately, much 
depends on whether their choices of sequencer functionality and 
synthesis appeal to you. At the rather high asking price, many will be 
tempted to investigate other sequencer and sound module combinations, 
maybe seeking a more standard palette or greater polyphony. But then 
again, I welcome instruments that deviate from the norm, and the 
Monomachine certainly fits the bill in this respect. As a 
self-contained loop generator that encourages creative interaction, its 
unique attitude might be just the ticket to set you off in new 
directions.


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