maschine or spark-le

[timfromtexas]

i got all excited thinking about the tr-8 and then remembered its only a drum machine.

Thnking of just doing the spark afterall and possibly mapping it to other software in the future..

[timfromtexas]

medearis not that weird actually.

what gear do you own? I sold an sp606 to someone from your area a while back

[jbl]

They're fun but I couldn't hang with them as main boxes. No real presets. A few pattern memories. Cheaply built. Idk madearis, some people would love them I guess but for 350-450 you'll spend, it just seems you could get something like the spark (or used maschine, mpc, maschinedrum) which has connectivity, memory, larger sonic pallate (but not analog!) etc...
Again I have the volca beats and it's great but frustrating when dialing in a new song.

Tim, I always wanted a spark. Tell us how you like it, if that's what you finally get:-)

[Unfolding]

In before Korakios: The 606 is good with Vista at 32bit, so XP should be fine. Doesn't take much to set up either, it's more-or-less plug'n'play. Might have to mess with settings in your DAW/Audacity or whatever but it works.

Oi JBL- been lusting over the OT & Rytm for ages too. Heard the Elektron workflow takes some time to get used to, did you find that to be true? Really like the look of the Rytm, but not too sure how it'd go as a sample player (I'm a sucker for mute groups, using gated vs one shot pads etc). If it makes any difference I'd probs still use the SP or Recycle for resampling & chopping.

[jbl]

I could get around on the OT but that was with lots of help and tutorial videos. but it would have been years to master. Virtual flannel is the man when it comes to OT, I'm sure he would steer you right. I would absolutely get it again if I had more time.
I like the rytm. It's one of the most inspiring gear i've ever used. It's not that hard to get a feel for it either. I do have my gripes and feel like the price is not justified yet. For one, sample management is clunky but maybe this will be addressed with overbridge. Also, there are only 12 tracks so why not give the last four to us as midi sequence tracks? it's really a bummer that EVERY other Elektron piece has some form of extensive sequencing (even the other analog gear goes pretty deep on the cv side but no midi) and the rytm has din sync only, i mean wtf??? Finally, they really need more machines and more extensive control of machines like clap, cowbell, etc...
on the flip side the toms are pretty good, the kicks are outta this world, the UI is the simply the best I've ever used (sequencer wise), the pads are fun (if not a little insensitive). no mute groups but mutable tracks. this thing really shines with its perf and scene modes. also the slides give great results.

anyway, i have stolen the thread. sorry Tim!

[timfromtexas]

no way! i enjoy hearing stuff like this.. i would really like to get that or the octatrack but simply cant justify it.. I think i am just going to pull the trigger on the spark and make it work for me. I think itll be fine and fill the space in that area of my creative void.

[medearis]

@Tim - as far as my electronic setup goes.... MPC 1000, SP404, Volca Beats & Keys, Proteus 2000, MonoMachine and a few other things up at the studio but that's what I'm using for now at the house.

[timfromtexas]

Just saw the new electribe sand I am stoked I waited around.. A little more waiting isn't gonna hurt. Picked up a volca beats to funk with this weekend and I am loving the simplicity.. Stoked on those tribes

[medearis]

Beats has ballz. Going to do the MIDI out mod on it at least. That + a 404 would be the titties for some off-road jamming. Can't wait to hit up Friedrich Wilderness or O.P. one of these Fall mornings.

Praise the sun (by offering it phat beats)

[jetson]

Friedrich is practically in my backyard. I ride my mountain bike through Leon Creek - starting at Fiesta Texas and going all the way down to OP. Nobody believes me, but I swear I saw a Coywolf on my last ride. It's a hybrid coyote with some wolf DNA, larger than a typical coyote but smaller than a wolf. It ran away fast, so I don't think they would mess with people, plus that trail is always full of peeps.

It's so quiet out there, not sure what it would sound like if I stopped and just sat still! lol.

[medearis]

Word. I've been seeing larger coyote-lookin' critters out here in Helotes but they are NOT coyote (been hunting my whole life, I KNOW those fokkers). I've been spotting them a lot this year... maybe the past 8-9 months? Maybe a little longer.

You are the only other person I've seen/heard that has seen these guys also. Never seen anything like it.

And to stay on topic: I think I would take Maschine over Spark these days because N.I. finally added a drum synthesizer to it. You can still do step sequencing but Maschine might not be as fluid at it on the hardware side of things.

Pretty sure you already know what's up though! I'm not sure how Spark has changed over time though, might be a lot nicer than it was when I was playing 'round with it.

[jetson]

I've ignored my Maschine for too long, so I just started watching tutorials and started sampling on it. The drum synth is over the top, you can tweak the sounds beyond your wildest dreams. The new 2.1 software changed everything and made the workflow much better. I'm a rookie at the pattern/scene thing though - too used to working in Logic.

I was messin' around in Maschine without the controller and the software is more than capable of doing anything you might want. Kind of short on effects in my opinion, or maybe they're just not my taste, dunno.

The new Studio controller makes me drool...but at $999, it won't be seeing my room for awhile! Wife would kill me...lol.

[medearis]

I wish I actually knew how to produce in Logic. I use it daily as my DAW but it's just a bad ass tape deck to me. I've had it since Logic 9 launched and I just BARELY (as in a month ago...?) started playing with EXS. Honestly, I've probably forgot all I found out about already.