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So, I got the blue Korg Electribe 2 for Christmas and finally got a chance to play around with it. I'm only using it for the drum machine parts currently and syncing my SH-01a with it. So far so good! It sounds and works exactly as I wanted it to, which is pretty simple needs. I like the idea that it does more, too. I'll eventually learn the ins and outs of it.

Now I want a Beatstep Pro and an Arturia Mini or Microbrute. I don't like the way they sound on their own, but they seem to sound great in a mix. GAS...

So, I got the blue Korg Electribe 2 for Christmas and finally got a chance to play around with it. I'm only using it for the drum machine parts currently and syncing my SH-01a with it. So far so good! It sounds and works exactly as I wanted it to, which is pretty simple needs. I like the idea that it does more, too. I'll eventually learn the ins and outs of it.

Now I want a Beatstep Pro and an Arturia Mini or Microbrute. I don't like the way they sound on their own, but they seem to sound great in a mix. GAS...

StevenO wrote: ↑

Tue Dec 26, 2017 6:21 am

I don't like the way they sound on their own, but they seem to sound great in a mix. GAS...

Ugh, story of my life. I have not yet developed a sense of what sounds good in a mix when auditioning gear solo. I'd save a lot of money if I did.

Glad you're enjoying the electribe though!

Nothing more disappointing than gear that sucks in a band but rocks on its own, or sucks on its own but rocks in a band (lookin' at you, Boss Blues Driver).

StevenO wrote: ↑

Tue Dec 26, 2017 6:21 am

Now I want a Beatstep Pro and an Arturia Mini or Microbrute. I don't like the way they sound on their own, but they seem to sound great in a mix. GAS...

I was messing around on both of those at GC the other day, and I thought they sounded OK. Learned elsewhere on this board about the behringer model d coming out soon, so I'm probably just going to hold out for that.

Did not love the build quality of the microbrute. To me it felt a bit plastic and chintzy, but it sounded OK.

FightingPlankton wrote: ↑

Wed Nov 01, 2017 7:40 pm

I've also been looking for a more modern drum machine. I'm still using a pair of alesis hr-16's.
From my research the electribe seems perfect. It's basic and intuitive but has tons of options.
One thing I've really been wanting to do is mod one of my hr-16's to have drum pad triggers. That way I can play with sticks instead of my fingers.

You know you can buy new voice chip EPROMs for the HR16 now? Or you can buy a Prommer and burn your own for only a slightly higher cost. I like those machines - it's kind of lofi even though it's full bandwidth and 16 bit. A bit like the Akai S1000 - full bandwidth but with a sonic signature.

Roland TR707s are overpriced for what they do. A more versatile option is the TR626 which gives more voices (may share some of the 707) and still has a decent number of outputs. That machine is often overlooked and will be half the price of a 707.

Finally, the much more recent green flashing extravaganza that is the Roland TR-08 can have a 707 voice set added and are abundant on the used market as a newer model just came out.

Final finally - if I wanted a standalone all in one box I would go with an Akai MPC. Forget the classics such as 3000 or 60. The MPC1000 is the best bang for buck used but you have to check that it has the later pads or been retrofitted as the first version had issues. Plenty of FX, extra outputs, stable live and camera cards for storage so no messing with ancient Zip drives and SCSI.

Following, that's really intresting. To program decent drums is my long time goal. Thank you all.

Any opinions or experiences of the Akai MPC Studio?

Go for novation impulse 49

My vote would be for hardware- I'm kind of shocked that no one has brought up the excellent Elektron Digitakt. It is an excellent entry sampler/drum machine/sequencer. The interface is maybe a little weird, but there's a guy here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXexVHNO0ms

who give a thorough, if at times irritatingly quirky, walk-through the machine.

There is a lot to love with the Digitakt. What I love especially is that you can program some triggers to go off based on percentages, so one 16 beat pattern can have dozens of permutations without you having to spend hours and hours programming all of them. It also has the only digital distortion that I truly love.

I also have an MPC Live, which is much more powerful in some ways and definitely works better as an instrument, performance-wise. I'm still getting the hang of it, but I haven't found it as easy to create self-generating beats and sequence pads to play off of.

If, on the other hand, you want some super simple fun, I can highly recommend the Cyclone Analogic TT-606 and, presumably, the TT-78. I have the 606, and it is a joy to play with. I did, however, sample the living hell out of it with my Digitakt, and now it sits in a box...

I'm looking at used MPC Live vs Octatracks vs new Digitakt. I've got no experience with any of them and have never used a DAW but I really want standalone hardware. The Live looks nice because I could play with it on the couch and make whole songs, plus it seems almost like a DAW so it might get me prepared for the real thing when I begrudgingly pickup my laptop for music purposes. Any thoughts on these? They all seem to be around $600-850 if you shop used.

Singlebladepickup wrote: ↑

Fri Aug 09, 2019 6:15 am

I'm looking at used MPC Live vs Octatracks vs new Digitakt. I've got no experience with any of them and have never used a DAW but I really want standalone hardware. The Live looks nice because I could play with it on the couch and make whole songs, plus it seems almost like a DAW so it might get me prepared for the real thing when I begrudgingly pickup my laptop for music purposes. Any thoughts on these? They all seem to be around $600-850 if you shop used.

I had an octatrack, and I found it frustrating. I wound up selling it and a few years later getting the Digitakt, which was easier to learn. Now that I know (and love!) the little Digitakt, I kind of wish I had kept the Octatrack.

I wound up buying an MPC Live, too. I'm working my way through it now, and I like it quite a bit as well. So, basically, all three are great, but for different reasons. I might be repeating what other have said, but in a nutshell:

Digitakt- the cheapest and smallest of the three. Really wonderful for setting up probability/math based beats that eternally evolve in very musical ways, so you can set it up and let it run without needing to give it too much attention. The sampling and external sequencing is a bit rudimentary, but still tons of fun. I think it makes a wonderful first sampler/drum machine.

Octatrack- vastly expands on what the Digi can do.

MPC Live- geared more towards being an instrument that is performed live. I'm still getting my head around it, but I also love what I have seen.

StevenO wrote: ↑

Sat Dec 09, 2017 6:49 am

higgsblossom wrote: ↑

Fri Nov 17, 2017 7:15 am

So what was your experience with the app?

Honestly, I used it once and kind of said "meh" and haven't opened it again. I'm sure it's fine, but I prefer physical things. I'm not a software guy and especially not a touch screen guy.

I missed out on a little Roland 626 for cheap, so now I'm trying to track down the 707. The 707 is cheese but I like that tight sound. I find a lot of the 808 sounds to be played out, though I do like the sound when done right. So we'll see what I come across.

I really just want something that has midi or trigger out. Something that isn't too expensive, too.

I was searching for an unusual drum machine to get away from the 808 and 909 sounds and found this beast - not programmable but what a sound



Synsonics drum machine

YOu know, if you like using the BeatStep and want some non-roland-y sounds, maybe you should look at the Volca Samples.

Really lo-fi in the best of ways. The peanut-butter-proof strip on the front lead me to the Law Of Drum Fills: if a fill on a step sequencer is good, its inverse will be equally good.

For a while, I was using two of them, plus an Electro-Harmonix Clockworks, with the Korg SQ1. Too much fun, but I would up having a lot of sync issues*. And those samplers just LOOOOOOVE being run through guitar pedals.

I would bet your Beatstep would solve almost all of those issues, no?

*And that, IMHO, is Korg all over- they make a great piece of kit, except it's missing one important thing (why in god's name is there no MIDI out?) that sort of renders the whole thing useless.

[edit]

Speaking of the mighty HR-16 (my very first drum machine!):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDmIeLQeRLA

This looks like way too much trouble for way too little gain. But it is also kinda awesome.

I'd still rather use the Digitakt.

Just bought the MPC Live and a keystep, going to return the Yamaha Reface CP even though I was quite enjoying it. I've told myself I will buy no gear in 2020, except maybe some sort of interconnect cable if necessary, and I will create a solid 60 minutes of recorded music. I know nothing of sampling, sequencing, midi, or recording...this is going to be a learning experience.