Elektron Musical Instruments

I've been thinking about "best practices" for my Elektrons,
especially since there's no librarian available for them,
and I have allowed my kits and patterns to become very, very 
disorganised.  I have no idea what beat's where, yech.

So, I'm thinking of capturing what I have, doing shit with
it, and then completely redoing K+P according to some kind
of standard to which I'll stick from now on.  I'm terrible
at sticking to things, though.

It all seems a bit procrustean, and I wonder if what I have
in mind will work {six main tracks, six aux tracks of the
same sounds - then again, maybe different sounds, for
variations, two controller machines and two RAM machines}.
Has anyone here overthought and applied some "rigour" to
synth management?  Successfully?


-- 
yours,
niall.
.. .  .   .    .     .       .           .             .                 .
aleph null.                             a simple insinuation around silence.
http://syncretism.net
.. .. gpg public key - http://www.aleph-null.net/niall.gpg .. ..

This is actually important for me too, with any new hardware I buy
(and that's usually groovebox's).  I spend a lot of time thinking
about how I want to organize things, and which sounds are going to go
with with parts/channels, etc.  Kind of a hold over from my live pa
days, where I needed to always know what gear was playing what sounds.
 Usually without much prep time.

I've tried a few different methods with the MD now, and I've more or
less settled on the simplest solution.  I keep my drum sounds on the
same labelled tracks.  BD and snare on 1 and 2, tracks 3-5 are more or
less general percussion sounds (bongos, drums, etc), while 6-8 are for
more metallic percussion. I use vague names for those two groups of
sounds to give myself some leeway :)  Tracks 9-12 are the same as
labelled (CH, HH. Ride, Crash), while 13-16 are for two RAM machines,
or maybe CTRL/Input machines if I feel the need per pattern.

Seems easiest in the end to not fight the labelling.  :)  That's
actually a small complaint I have with the MD, the generic drum sound
labelling.  I'd rather they were just labelled 1-16 in big numbers.

On 6/12/06, niall munnelly <aleph@...> wrote:
> I've been thinking about "best practices" for my Elektrons,
> especially since there's no librarian available for them,
> and I have allowed my kits and patterns to become very, very
> disorganised.  I have no idea what beat's where, yech.
>
> So, I'm thinking of capturing what I have, doing shit with
> it, and then completely redoing K+P according to some kind
> of standard to which I'll stick from now on.  I'm terrible
> at sticking to things, though.
>
> It all seems a bit procrustean, and I wonder if what I have
> in mind will work {six main tracks, six aux tracks of the
> same sounds - then again, maybe different sounds, for
> variations, two controller machines and two RAM machines}.
> Has anyone here overthought and applied some "rigour" to
> synth management?  Successfully?


-- 
Tarekith
http://www.tarekith.com

On Mon, Jun 12, 2006 at 02:41:22PM -0500, Tarekith wrote:
> 
> I've tried a few different methods with the MD now, and I've more or
> less settled on the simplest solution.  I keep my drum sounds on the
> same labelled tracks.  BD and snare on 1 and 2, tracks 3-5 are more or
> less general percussion sounds (bongos, drums, etc), while 6-8 are for
> more metallic percussion. I use vague names for those two groups of
> sounds to give myself some leeway :)  Tracks 9-12 are the same as
> labelled (CH, HH. Ride, Crash), while 13-16 are for two RAM machines,
> or maybe CTRL/Input machines if I feel the need per pattern.

i've been thinking along similar lines, and have reached
this tentative arrangement:

http://syncretism.net/img/MD-new_arrangement.jpg

i think breaking the kit and pattern in half will facilitate
jams a little more, of only because it's a more logical
presentation {to my eyes}: main pattern on the left,
alternate pattern/fills on the right.

there are a few nagging questions - shall i use the same kit
on each side, and just use the right side for fills and
accents, or shall i treat them as two distinct kits?  will i
get very much out of the RAM machines with only percussion
sounds going out the main outs?  ...and so on.  i reckon
i'll have a better feel for what i want once i've done it
for a short while.


even now, looking at it, i wonder if i should use one ctl-8,
one ctl-all, one RAM machine and one input machine {i don't
really use any of those very much, although i think a lot of
good things could be accomplished with a ctl-8 and RAM
machine combo}.


-- 
yours,
niall.
.. .  .   .    .     .       .           .             .                 .
aleph null.                             a simple insinuation around silence.
http://syncretism.net
.. .. gpg public key - http://www.aleph-null.net/niall.gpg .. ..

Hello elektrons,

> I've tried a few different methods with the MD now, and I've more or
> less settled on the simplest solution.  I keep my drum sounds on the
> same labelled tracks.  BD and snare on 1 and 2, tracks 3-5 are more or
> less general percussion sounds (bongos, drums, etc), while 6-8 are for
> more metallic percussion. I use vague names for those two groups of
> sounds to give myself some leeway :)  Tracks 9-12 are the same as
> labelled (CH, HH. Ride, Crash), while 13-16 are for two RAM machines,
> or maybe CTRL/Input machines if I feel the need per pattern.

I've done pretty much same thing. It's enough management for me,
although there is also the output-question. I would love to use
separate outputs, but they seem to mess things for two reasons:

1. Some kits will grow different from MD management. It's not serious
at all, but when you have different pads assigned to different outputs
it will create a mess when recorded (talk about switching kits in song
mode).

2. The mixing balance gets screwed up too easily when using AB+
separate outputs. AB can still be controlled from main volume, but
other tracks arent. This isn't satisfactory at all. One touch with the
main volume knob and all kit balances are out.

I think the ideal solution would be this:

1. You could name the output groups from global settings. and then you
could assign different pads to different output groups from kit menu
_and_ kits would save this information.

2. You could disable the main volume knob from global settings. This
way it wouldn't mess your kits up. There could also be option at the
global settings, where you could choose 'mix to ab'; then all outputs
would be mixed to ab, regardless of the kit settings. This could be
handy when you move on to different locations with your MD and not
everywhere is 8 channel soundcard available.

Toni.

Issue #2 is _the_ remaining flaw with the machinedrum, imho.

On Jun 13, 2006, at 1:10 AM, tahvenaine2002 wrote:

> Hello elektrons,
>
> > I've tried a few different methods with the MD now, and I've more or
> > less settled on the simplest solution. I keep my drum sounds on the
> > same labelled tracks. BD and snare on 1 and 2, tracks 3-5 are  
> more or
> > less general percussion sounds (bongos, drums, etc), while 6-8  
> are for
> > more metallic percussion. I use vague names for those two groups of
> > sounds to give myself some leeway :) Tracks 9-12 are the same as
> > labelled (CH, HH. Ride, Crash), while 13-16 are for two RAM  
> machines,
> > or maybe CTRL/Input machines if I feel the need per pattern.
>
> I've done pretty much same thing. It's enough management for me,
> although there is also the output-question. I would love to use
> separate outputs, but they seem to mess things for two reasons:
>
> 1. Some kits will grow different from MD management. It's not serious
> at all, but when you have different pads assigned to different outputs
> it will create a mess when recorded (talk about switching kits in song
> mode).
>
> 2. The mixing balance gets screwed up too easily when using AB+
> separate outputs. AB can still be controlled from main volume, but
> other tracks arent. This isn't satisfactory at all. One touch with the
> main volume knob and all kit balances are out.
>
> I think the ideal solution would be this:
>
> 1. You could name the output groups from global settings. and then you
> could assign different pads to different output groups from kit menu
> _and_ kits would save this information.
>
> 2. You could disable the main volume knob from global settings. This
> way it wouldn't mess your kits up. There could also be option at the
> global settings, where you could choose 'mix to ab'; then all outputs
> would be mixed to ab, regardless of the kit settings. This could be
> handy when you move on to different locations with your MD and not
> everywhere is 8 channel soundcard available.
>
> Toni.
>
>
>

As I see it, the output assignment should definitely be saved per kit, 
and not globally. I have sent a mail to Elektron and suggested this, and 
also that mute:s should be controllable via MIDI. They said that they 
added it to their wishlist of future upgrades. So there might be some 
hope... ;o)

/Patrik

tahvenaine2002 skrev:

> 
> 
> Hello elektrons,
> 
>  > I've tried a few different methods with the MD now, and I've more or
>  > less settled on the simplest solution. I keep my drum sounds on the
>  > same labelled tracks. BD and snare on 1 and 2, tracks 3-5 are more or
>  > less general percussion sounds (bongos, drums, etc), while 6-8 are for
>  > more metallic percussion. I use vague names for those two groups of
>  > sounds to give myself some leeway :) Tracks 9-12 are the same as
>  > labelled (CH, HH. Ride, Crash), while 13-16 are for two RAM machines,
>  > or maybe CTRL/Input machines if I feel the need per pattern.
> 
> I've done pretty much same thing. It's enough management for me,
> although there is also the output-question. I would love to use
> separate outputs, but they seem to mess things for two reasons:
> 
> 1. Some kits will grow different from MD management. It's not serious
> at all, but when you have different pads assigned to different outputs
> it will create a mess when recorded (talk about switching kits in song
> mode).
> 
> 2. The mixing balance gets screwed up too easily when using AB+
> separate outputs. AB can still be controlled from main volume, but
> other tracks arent. This isn't satisfactory at all. One touch with the
> main volume knob and all kit balances are out.
> 
> I think the ideal solution would be this:
> 
> 1. You could name the output groups from global settings. and then you
> could assign different pads to different output groups from kit menu
> _and_ kits would save this information.
> 
> 2. You could disable the main volume knob from global settings. This
> way it wouldn't mess your kits up. There could also be option at the
> global settings, where you could choose 'mix to ab'; then all outputs
> would be mixed to ab, regardless of the kit settings. This could be
> handy when you move on to different locations with your MD and not
> everywhere is 8 channel soundcard available.
> 
> Toni.
> 
>

midi controllable mutes! that would be reaaaalllyyy useful..!!!
 

Goktug Citci

 

cervus /// subsky ///  <http://www.subskymusic.com/> www.subskymusic.com 

redflagcollective ///  <http://www.redflagcollective.com/>
www.redflagcollective.com 

dinamo 103.8 ///  <http://www.dinamo.fm/> www.dinamo.fm

Email:  <mailto:cervus@...> cervus@...  ///
<mailto:subskymusic@...> subskymusic@...

 

  _____  

From: elektron-users@yahoogroups.com [mailto:elektron-users@yahoogroups.com]
On Behalf Of Patrik Rydberg
Sent: Tuesday, June 13, 2006 12:25 PM
To: elektron-users@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [elektron] Machinedrum Management



As I see it, the output assignment should definitely be saved per kit, 
and not globally. I have sent a mail to Elektron and suggested this, and 
also that mute:s should be controllable via MIDI. They said that they 
added it to their wishlist of future upgrades. So there might be some 
hope... ;o)

/Patrik

tahvenaine2002 skrev:
> 
> 
> Hello elektrons,
> 
> > I've tried a few different methods with the MD now, and I've more or
> > less settled on the simplest solution. I keep my drum sounds on the
> > same labelled tracks. BD and snare on 1 and 2, tracks 3-5 are more or
> > less general percussion sounds (bongos, drums, etc), while 6-8 are for
> > more metallic percussion. I use vague names for those two groups of
> > sounds to give myself some leeway :) Tracks 9-12 are the same as
> > labelled (CH, HH. Ride, Crash), while 13-16 are for two RAM machines,
> > or maybe CTRL/Input machines if I feel the need per pattern.
> 
> I've done pretty much same thing. It's enough management for me,
> although there is also the output-question. I would love to use
> separate outputs, but they seem to mess things for two reasons:
> 
> 1. Some kits will grow different from MD management. It's not serious
> at all, but when you have different pads assigned to different outputs
> it will create a mess when recorded (talk about switching kits in song
> mode).
> 
> 2. The mixing balance gets screwed up too easily when using AB+
> separate outputs. AB can still be controlled from main volume, but
> other tracks arent. This isn't satisfactory at all. One touch with the
> main volume knob and all kit balances are out.
> 
> I think the ideal solution would be this:
> 
> 1. You could name the output groups from global settings. and then you
> could assign different pads to different output groups from kit menu
> _and_ kits would save this information.
> 
> 2. You could disable the main volume knob from global settings. This
> way it wouldn't mess your kits up. There could also be option at the
> global settings, where you could choose 'mix to ab'; then all outputs
> would be mixed to ab, regardless of the kit settings. This could be
> handy when you move on to different locations with your MD and not
> everywhere is 8 channel soundcard available.
> 
> Toni.
> 
> 



 


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Well, is there a new OS on the horizon? Any hope to see OS 1.31 soon?

Best,
Nicolas


Goktug Citci a écrit :
>
> midi controllable mutes! that would be reaaaalllyyy useful..!!!
>
>
> Goktug Citci
>
> cervus /// subsky /// <http://www.subskymusic.com/ 
> <http://www.subskymusic.com/>> www.subskymusic.com
>
> redflagcollective /// <http://www.redflagcollective.com/ 
> <http://www.redflagcollective.com/>>
> www.redflagcollective.com
>
> dinamo 103.8 /// <http://www.dinamo.fm/ <http://www.dinamo.fm/>> 
> www.dinamo.fm
>
> Email: <mailto:cervus@... <mailto:cervus%40usa.net>> 
> cervus@...t <mailto:cervus%40usa.net> ///
> <mailto:subskymusic@... <mailto:subskymusic%40gmail.com>> 
> subskymusic@... <mailto:subskymusic%40gmail.com>
>
> _____
>


-- 
Nicolas Guilloz
nicolas.guilloz@...



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

YES, midi controllable mutes.,,,,
where do I sign up...

and yes, the global outputs being saved in the kits themselves is a wonderfull idea....

-JC

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Goktug Citci 
  To: elektron-users@yahoogroups.com 
  Sent: Tuesday, June 13, 2006 6:00 AM
  Subject: RE: [elektron] Machinedrum Management



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

That's the magic question huh?  1.30b is more or less stable, but
there's a few times now I've had weird things happen for no reason, so
I bet it could be a more stable.

On 6/13/06, Nicolas Guilloz <nicolas.guilloz@...> wrote:
> Well, is there a new OS on the horizon? Any hope to see OS 1.31 soon?
>
> Best,
> Nicolas
>


-- 
Tarekith
http://www.tarekith.com

Don't know if Elektron watches this list. If not, send them an email and 
ask for it... ;o)

/Patrik

Jesse skrev:

> 
> 
> YES, midi controllable mutes.,,,,
> where do I sign up...
> 
> and yes, the global outputs being saved in the kits themselves is a 
> wonderfull idea....
> 
> -JC
> 
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Goktug Citci
> To: elektron-users@yahoogroups.com 
> <mailto:elektron-users%40yahoogroups.com>
> Sent: Tuesday, June 13, 2006 6:00 AM
> Subject: RE: [elektron] Machinedrum Management
> 
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> 
>