I'm thinking about saving up for an Elektron Machinedrum

[basic303]

I mainly do electro and hip hop and am looking for a good drum machine, is the Machinedrum worth getting?

[mark andrews]

I have a Machinedrum and recently sold an MPC3000LE. If I were doing Hip Hop I think I'd go for an MPC.

I brought the MPC to do Soulful House and it's great for live sounding yet tight drums. Since I've started getting more into Techno / Minimal House I was using the MPC less and less so sold it and got the Machinedrum.

If I wanted my music to have that live feel I would go the MPC route.

[JSRockit]

Yes, it is worth it...as long as you know what you are buying...which is a very extensive drum machine that excels at digital sounding, electronic drums. The great thing about hip-hop is that you can use anything....so don't let people tell you that you need to use an MPC...though they are great as well. It is true though...that the MD will not give you a "live" feel...and you cannot get away from quantizing on the MD.

[nadafarms]

I just tried one out at Robotspeak in SF.

I am glad I didn't spend $1200 on it.

It was just too digital for my taste, I like my Jomox and think I would be way better off with an MPC and a Jomox Airbase together (for about the same price as a single MD).

I felt that although it did have a big range of sounds, everything seemed to have a similar digi-sound to it.

[megawatt]

Um. Try the UW with 12bit samples for a less digital feel. Can you tell us what kind of Hip Hop you're into? 90's Sample based or more of the current synth style?

I don't know what else you'd expect from a machine that uses FM, analog VA and samples... The MD has PLENTY of low end. Use the compressor/eq. Or run it though a filter.

I loaded mine up with acoustic drum sounds and loops. I can't say it sounds digital until i start freaking it and then that's what I want. I make gritty dancehall and DUB and have done many sample based hip-hop tracks that all swing and am very happy with it. MDUW's got grit!

Both the MDUW and the MPC handles loops/chopping well. The MPC has much more space available to handle larger samples. The MDUW is slow at importing samples and is better at handling one-shots. If you're worried abbout the swing/quantizing then when chopping samples you can play with the timing with the start and end points and this will help you get the feel you want.

Music isn't easy guys nor should it be - it should always be fun though! Real Instuments like the MDUW need to be learned and practiced on. Nothing done easily tends to be worthwhile. I use both machines synched. but would be happy if I just had to use a MDUW.

One of the great things about the history of Hip Hop was that it come from the heart and producers/DJs used whatever was available to them. Samples were used because folks couldn't afford big synths. When sampling became expensive producers moved over to more synth based material.

DOn't take this personally and no offence intended but learn to master what you have and you can make any music on it. Unless you're happy just being a hobbiest lazyness has no place in Hip Hop. Stay hungry and work to improve your skills.

[JSRockit]

I just need to clarify that my comment was based only on the MD, not the MDUW...since it appears the threadstarter was into the stock MD.

[mark andrews]

Just to clarify spending half hour at your local dealer playing with a Machinedrum will not do it any justice. Try a month, also don't judge it on the presets. I don't even think the audio clips on the Elektron website are as good as they could be.

Listen to Steve Bug or Donnacha Costello tracks to get an idea (if you like Techno)

I've had the Machinedrum since Feb (I think?) and to be honest it's only the last week I've started to realize just how good it is.

[JSRockit]

Just to clarify spending half hour at your local dealer playing with a Machinedrum will not do it any justice. Try a month, also don't judge it on the presets. I don't even think the audio clips on the Elektron website are as good as they could be.

Listen to some of Steve Bugs tracks to get an idea

I've had the Machinedrum since Feb (I think?) and to be honest it's only the last week I've started to realize just how good it is.

Is this to me or the thread starter? I actually owned the MD for a year.

[mark andrews]

It was to the guy that said

I just tried one out at Robotspeak in SF.

I am glad I didn't spend $1200 on it.

[JSRockit]

It was to the guy that said

I just tried one out at Robotspeak in SF.

I am glad I didn't spend $1200 on it.

Ah, sorry... you are right though. You need time with it...again, you can't judge things by presets.

[wiss]

the one thing I disliked about the machinedrum it didnt have separate output for each of the drum pads....

[mome rath]

here's the only song i've done that i would consider "electro"

its mostly MD sps-1 with some legacy collection stuff

http://www.twango.com/media/mome_rath.public/mome_rath.10005

I love this thing, but am looking at getting an MPC as well. it's definitely got a very digital, metallic quality overall

I used to use it as a guitar processor

[eminor9]

To me the Elektron stuff is worth every penny.
Why ?

1) best synth interfaces ever imho
2) may sound digital and bright at first but those machines have decent quality filters, eq and compression thus the sonic range is very extensive once you know how everything works. I'll agree the MD comes with pretty sucky kits loaded and when you load a machine to a track it'll always be with the filter fully open, probably the reason why most people qualify it digital and bright.

Most quality gear has a serious learning curve, those who want immediate generic satisfaction should look elsewhere.

To WISS, the MD has 6 outputs which can be configured as A-B stereo and C-D-E-F mono out bypassing the onboard efx section or 6 uneffected mono outs at your option.

[Syn303]

I swear by my MachineDrum SPS-1 UW, fantastic machine. With the sample option on-board you can put them 909 Hats in the machine, which Elektron didn't want to put in the first place on their TR machine.

[hageir]

Um. Try the UW with 12bit samples for a less digital feel.

I don't know what else you'd expect from a machine that uses FM, analog VA and samples... The MD has PLENTY of low end. Use the compressor/eq. Or run it though a filter.

I loaded mine up with acoustic drum sounds and loops. I can't say it sounds digital until i start freaking it and then that's what I want. MDUW's got grit!

Music isn't easy guys nor should it be - it should always be fun though! Real Instuments like the MDUW need to be learned and practiced on. Nothing done easily tends to be worthwhile. I use both machines synched. but would be happy if I just had to use a MDUW.

DOn't take this personally and no offence intended but learn to master what you have and you can make any music on it. Stay hungry and work to improve your skills.

2nd!

Just to clarify spending half hour at your local dealer playing with a Machinedrum will not do it any justice. Try a month, also don't judge it on the presets. I don't even think the audio clips on the Elektron website are as good as they could be.

Listen to Steve Bug or Donnacha Costello tracks to get an idea (if you like Techno)

I've had the Machinedrum since Feb (I think?) and to be honest it's only the last week I've started to realize just how good it is.

2nd!

To me the Elektron stuff is worth every penny.
Why ?

1) best synth interfaces ever imho
2) may sound digital and bright at first but those machines have decent quality filters, eq and compression thus the sonic range is very extensive once you know how everything works. I'll agree the MD comes with pretty sucky kits loaded and when you load a machine to a track it'll always be with the filter fully open, probably the reason why most people qualify it digital and bright.

Most quality gear has a serious learning curve, those who want immediate generic satisfaction should look elsewhere.

2nd!

I swear by my MachineDrum SPS-1 UW, fantastic machine. With the sample option on-board you can put them 909 Hats in the machine, which Elektron didn't want to put in the first place on their TR machine.

2nd!
----
2nd,2nd,2nd!
I 2nd all of that!

I'm glad I sold my MPC's for a MD-UW
I've never been in so much love with one piece of gear!
but I make electronic music, minimal, techno, etc.
not hip-hop
but JSRockit does hip-hop (a lot of it is done with a monomachine)
and it's probably the freshest hip-hop I've heard