Which drum machine, if any at all?

IstvanMedgyesi · Post by **IstvanMedgyesi** » Tue Sep 29, 2015 2:13 pm

Hi everone, this is my first post here. I'm a long time string player, now moving into the world of synthesizers and computer based music. My question is about drum machines.

I have Ableton, and some random virtual drums. But when I play live, I'd like a good drum machine that I can get somewhat realistic drum sounds on, in addition to the synth drum sounds. Any good recommendations? Would like good MIDI control and ease of on the fly tweakability. Not really too worried about budget either. Thanks!

IstvanMedgyesi · Post by **IstvanMedgyesi** » Tue Sep 29, 2015 3:03 pm

I should mention that I'm seriously considering the Elektron Analog Rytm after watching extensive product demos. How do you like it if you use one?

Post by **meatballfulton** » Tue Sep 29, 2015 3:55 pm

To get "somewhat realistic drum sounds" you need samples and Analog Rytm is (as far as I know) the only drum machine with both analog and sample based sound generation.

I don't own one so can't comment further. Hopefully we have A.R. owners here who will chime in.

You should also drop by the Elektronauts Forums to check with users there about using samples with the A.R.

Post by **Ashe37** » Wed Sep 30, 2015 1:48 am

I got a chance to really mess with the Rytm at an even here in L.A. last month and all it did was make me want one more.

Post by **Stab Frenzy** » Wed Sep 30, 2015 9:59 am

IstvanMedgyesi wrote:I should mention that I'm seriously considering the Elektron Analog Rytm after watching extensive product demos. How do you like it if you use one?

It's great. I don't know exactly what you mean by "somewhat realistic drum sounds" but as mentioned the fact you can use samples means you can you acoustic kit samples if you want. As a replacement for a real drum kit played by a person I don't know if it's the perfect choice (software instruments do a better job of that IMO) but apart from that the rytm is a fantastic machine.

IstvanMedgyesi · Post by **IstvanMedgyesi** » Wed Sep 30, 2015 8:56 pm

Thanks for the replies. And yes, sampling real drum sounds is what I meant. My live setup consists of a MIDI controlled guitar rig, amplified sitar, banjo, and autoharp, Moog Sub 37 being fed into some effects, a looper, and a Kaoss pad. I'm trying to concentrate on gear that can be used as stand alone hardware since I won't be using a computer all of the time. I'd like to be able to trigger drums/loops via MIDI with the synth or an external controller.

All of Elektron's producs look really nice. How's the build quality? Is it fairly intuitive in programming? Like I said, this is a whole new world for me, so thanks for being patient with what may seem like the obvious.

bhrama · Post by **bhrama** » Thu Oct 01, 2015 2:09 am

I've owned two Tempests (still have 2nd). I love its sound design and interface. There are many electron fanbois here, and it sounds great. I hated their interface, it just didn't mesh with me. Just like anything , each to his/her own.

I owned a DM and liked the sounds, but I chose to re-purchase the Tempest ...bugs and all

IstvanMedgyesi · Post by **IstvanMedgyesi** » Sat Oct 03, 2015 4:09 pm

I had forgotten about the Tempest, thanks for mentioning it! Looks like a strong contender

somebedroomdj · Post by **somebedroomdj** » Thu Oct 08, 2015 3:36 am

The Tempest is great. I had it and the Rytm side by side for a month or so and the Tempest is the one I kept. Still have it and, in fact, sold off a bunch of other stuff because of just how useful I find it. BUT that was mainly due to the fact that I wanted crazy, wacked out percussion, big booming synth bass drums and a polysynth (pretty much anything but realistic drums). In your case, the Rytm would probably serve you much better out of those two. The 1gb drive can hold so many samples that you'll never run out of sounds to use. And the Rytm has just enough range on the analog side to make it incredibly fun and useful without discouraging someone who is less experienced with synthesis. And if all that wasn't enough, it's one of the few modern boxes I've used that really add some magic to the samples you put through it.

Both amazing machines but, even as fanatical as I am about the Tempest, I would strongly recommend against it in this scenario. To me, it sounds like the Rytm is tailor made for what you are hoping to accomplish!

IstvanMedgyesi · Post by **IstvanMedgyesi** » Thu Oct 08, 2015 1:22 pm

somebedroomdj wrote:The Tempest is great. I had it and the Rytm side by side for a month or so and the Tempest is the one I kept. Still have it and, in fact, sold off a bunch of other stuff because of just how useful I find it. BUT that was mainly due to the fact that I wanted crazy, wacked out percussion, big booming synth bass drums and a polysynth (pretty much anything but realistic drums). In your case, the Rytm would probably serve you much better out of those two. The 1gb drive can hold so many samples that you'll never run out of sounds to use. And the Rytm has just enough range on the analog side to make it incredibly fun and useful without discouraging someone who is less experienced with synthesis. And if all that wasn't enough, it's one of the few modern boxes I've used that really add some magic to the samples you put through it.

Both amazing machines but, even as fanatical as I am about the Tempest, I would strongly recommend against it in this scenario. To me, it sounds like the Rytm is tailor made for what you are hoping to accomplish!

What are the sampling capabilities of the Tempest in comparison? The more I watch and read about both, the more I want both, but I'm pretty sure my wife would leave me

somebedroomdj · Post by **somebedroomdj** » Thu Oct 08, 2015 2:33 pm

IstvanMedgyesi wrote:
What are the sampling capabilities of the Tempest in comparison? The more I watch and read about both, the more I want both, but I'm pretty sure my wife would leave me

User sampling on the Tempest is non-existent. It has a collection of around 400 factory samples that can not be changed. Some of them are samples of realistic drums but only maybe a dozen of each type of drum hit.

somebedroomdj · Post by **somebedroomdj** » Thu Oct 08, 2015 3:18 pm

There are definitely times when I wish I could have kept both because, between the two of them, they cover just about anything you could need. But, like yourself, I also figured it would be a good idea to keep my wife around.

For me, the Spectralis kind of became my go-to sampler once the Rytm left. It has a high enough capacity (128mb per song) for my purposes and it is another one of those boxes that really makes your samples sound nice. The main problem is that the midi implementation is a little odd. You can play each drum sound on its own midi channel BUT you can't play them chromatically. You can also play them as a kit on the same midi channel BUT they are spaced too far apart to jam in the way you would on the Tempest or Rytm. I'll tell you one thing though, of all the machines I've had, the biggest, punchiest bass drums I've made have been made using the Spectralis' hybrid monosynth.

Post by **Stab Frenzy** » Fri Oct 09, 2015 12:05 am

The Tempest is a great synth, it's a great synth that can do synth percussion, it's a great synth with a pattern-based pad input interface, but it's just not quite a drum machine IMO. Sure it can fill in for a drum machine but that's a waste of what it does best I reckon.

IstvanMedgyesi · Post by **IstvanMedgyesi** » Sat Oct 17, 2015 5:08 pm

I'll take a look at the spectrails too. How about the newest Korg Electribe Sampler or the Beat Thang? Any opinions on either of those? Beat Thang looks interesting and is a nice price too.

deeluxdx7 · Post by **deeluxdx7** » Fri Jul 29, 2016 4:20 am

IstvanMedgyesi wrote:I'll take a look at the spectrails too. How about the newest Korg Electribe Sampler or the Beat Thang? Any opinions on either of those? Beat Thang looks interesting and is a nice price too.

DEFINITELY!

Get the beat thang! Do not hesitate or look for any other info, go buy it now and report back here!

Which drum machine, if any at all?

Which drum machine, if any at all?

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Re: Which drum machine, if any at all?

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Re: Which drum machine, if any at all?

Re: Which drum machine, if any at all?

Re: Which drum machine, if any at all?

Re: Which drum machine, if any at all?

Re: Which drum machine, if any at all?

Re: Which drum machine, if any at all?

Re: Which drum machine, if any at all?

Re: Which drum machine, if any at all?

Re: Which drum machine, if any at all?