Elektron Machine Drum serileri 2001 ve 2010 yılları arasında üretilmiştir. Dijital, sampling özelliği olan ama içinde bir o kadar da synthlesis'leri uygulayabildiğiniz algoritmalar yani davul kanlları bulunmaktadır. Başka bir ülkede yaşayan biri Elektron Machine Drum kullanan kullanıcıların bir çok farklı farklı sitelerde yazdıkları yorumları, patch teknikleri ve alet üzerinde uygulanabilen sentez tekniklerini tek bir yazı içerisinde toplamış. Gerçekten çok iyi fikirler var! Benim de ingilizcem çok aşırı iyi sayılmaz. Okurken zorlandığım zamanlar oldu ama Google Translate gibi bir yerden tükçeye çeviri yaparakta rahat bir şekilde okunabiliniyor. Halen elinde Elektron Machine Drum olan herkese şimdiden iyi eğlenceler dilerim :)
Diğer modellerle ilgi henüz ne var ne yok çok ayrıntılı bir araştırma yapmadım. Belki onlar içinde bu tarz yazılar-bilgiler bulmak mümkün olabilir. Bir çok modeli çıktığından beri üzerinden oldukça vakit geçti.
Machine Drum Tips and Tricks
This document was created while I was browsing the Elektron Users Forums and Yahoo Group Mailing List looking for new ideas for things to try with my recently acquired SPS-1UW. Some of these are new tips, some are just clarifications of features explained in the manual already. I have attempted to the best of my ability to make sure that each author is properly given credit for their tips. However, if you spot an error or do not wish to have your name in this document, please let me know and I will fix the problem immediately.
In all cases, tips were quoted using the authors yahoo name, or their screen name from the forum. This was done to protect each author's right to privacy, yet still provides a way for any reader to attempt to contact the author should they wish to do so. The words "list" and "bbb" after all names denote which tips came from the mailing list, versus which tips came from the message board.
First compiled by Tarekith on February 16, 2006.
This guide is broken into the following sections, click on each to jump to that section below:
- Sequencing
- Synthesis
- Performance
- General
- Reference
Sequencing
UW Swimming Laps:
Load and play a long sample - 2 bars. Start = 0, End = 127. While sample is playing, tweak Start to 127 then End to 0. The sample will reverse on the fly and start "swimming back" to the beginning.
You can get 4 bars out of 1 sample this way without retrigging (!) and it sounds nice with pads or chords. Set up a Rom machine, a CTR-8P and Scale Length 64/64.
Trig your sample at the beginning of Bar 1. Set your Sample Length and Hold to 127 so it does not fade out. Towards the end of the second bar, have CTR-8P move the sample's Length to 127 with a p-lock (I did it on trig 14). Then on the last trig of the bar (16) p-lock the sample's Start to 0. (I actually used some Slide trigs to mimic me turning the dials but doubt it's necessary).
The sample then turns around and swims back (summer metaphor).
Don't forget that at bar 4, trig 16, reset the CTR-8P so that Start is 0 and End is 127 again. This will tell the sample to swim the right way again.
I was thinking about this some more last night and the way it's described above, it's merely fun factor entertainment - nothing you couldn't do with trigs. So I put my thinking cap back on and ...
Use LFOs to modulate the CTR-8P Start and End time parameters. Then you have a randomly starting/reversing sample. Not something you can do with trigs as this would be totally random.
- Veets bbb
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Using the delay as a sampler:
You can sample the MD output in stereo at full bit rate using the MD delay.
(This can be used as an alternative to RAM machine mixing between patterns)
(Also allows you to high or lowpass filter the output of the MD)
If you set your rhythm echo parameters to
LEV = 0
FEEDBACK = 64
DELAY TIME = 127
FILTERF = 0
FILTERW = 127
MONO = 0
MOD = 0
Then go into the fx page of one of your tracks. Hold FUNCTION + DELAY and crank it up to 127 (make sure you do a full clockwise rotation from 0 to 127).
Hit play.. and then press stop after 16 steps.
Now if you turn up your delay volume you'll hear your 16 steps sampled
If the sequencer runs for more than 16 steps you'll get over dubbing. You could easily avoid this by switching into a blank pattern after the 16 steps has been sampled, then using an CTRL-RE machine to automatically turn up the volume on the delay.
The only real drawback to this method is that it overwrites any delay settings you may be using in your pattern. Also once you apply filtw and filtf to the delay loop you cannot revert back to an unfiltered version.
I should have added.. the delay loop does degrade over time. One last addition: This allows you to selectively sample. Which means you could sample say just the kick drum and snare.. as opposed to having to sample the entire output. You just choose which tracks you want to record by either sending them to the delay, or not.
- Justin Valer bbb
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Using an Input and MIDI Machine on the same track:
If an INP-GA or INP-GB machine is triggered, it will stay active until another machine that makes sound is triggered on that same track. This means you can have either a CTRL or MIDI machines occupying the same track as an INP machine.
Generally this would be done using 2 patterns with different kits.
Load an INP-GA machine on a track in your first pattern.
Load a MID machine on that same track number in your second pattern
The input machine will need to be triggered first in your first pattern kit. Then by switching into the second pattern it will be replaced with a MIDI machine. As MID machines produce no audio and tracks that make sound are only disabled by another track that makes sound, the input machine will stay active indefinitely.
You will lose all control of the INP machine and will only be able to disable it again when you trigger a non-midi, non-ctrl machine on that track.
Initially I found out about this feature/exploit by accident, and reported it as a bug to Elektron. It essentially allows you to have 18+ machines running on your machinedrum simultaneously.
- Justin Valer bbb
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Setting individual accent amounts for each track:
The amount of accent is shared between tracks but accent place is individual per track. So you can set accent to 8, put different accent points to different tracks, but they will all be accented by factor of 8 (at different points). And beyond this you always have individual control of each hit volume, length, pitch and so on with parameter locks.
- toni bbb
I have never used the accents on the Machinedrum - I just parameter lock in a volume tweak. Its faster for me.
- milkmansnd bbb
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Copying just one note's parameter locks in Grid Record Mode:
In grid edit, hold a trig key and then hit the play/copy button, then hold a different trig and hit paste, it duplicates all parameter locks, quite handy.
-ggoodwin bbb
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Using the Machinedrum to sequence external gear:
First of all, yes, the Machinedrum can sequence but its not nearly as intuitive as the live sequencer, or even the one in the mono machine for that matter. Load a MIDI machine, and you can assign a note to each step one by one using p-locks.
-milkmansnd bbb
You choose the MIDI channel you want to control when selecting the MIDI machine. You got 16 different ones. One for each channel.
- Rui Peixoto list
One good plus is using the Machinedrum to tweak another patch in the virus multi-mode. The Machinedrum LFO's can tweak the virus. You have to set your most wanted CC#s in the Machinedrum MIDI machine. Using the envelope input machine is something I have been discovering, too.
- endlessnessisticman list
You're using the Machinedrum to "play" your synth, right? That is, you've assigned a MIDI machine in the Machinedrum to control the synth note sequence. Assuming this, all you have to do is decide what are your six most favored MIDI controls that you'd like to tweak on the virus and assign them to CC's on the MIDI machine. Then tweak those while the pattern is recording and it will play them back correctly (assuming your changes fell where triggering was being done).
Now, you'd like to do this in song mode. This IS possible, but the solution is ugly :-) for example, if you're talking about having a pattern repeat 8 times while you tweak the parameters for it...you can have the Machinedrum record these changes as described above; BUT you would have to use 8 versions of the "base" pattern and have the parameter changes effect the pattern that they fall on. make sense?
BTW, if you want more than six CC controls for a given MIDI channel (for example on your virus) then you can just use another Machinedrum MIDI machine assigned to the same channel. this feature can also be used to increase the polyphony of the Machinedrum's external MIDI triggering ability. (since Machinedrum MIDI machines only use monophonic triggering.)
- Joe list
The Machinedrum has sequencing possibilities, but it's not like a regular soft sequencer. There are 16 parts in total, and they can be assigned to either internal Machinedrum sounds or MIDI sequencing parts (there are other possibilities as well, but they're not relevant here). Which means you can control a total of 16 external synths.
A MIDI sequencing part is basically monophonic (one trigger at a time, one basic note), but each step can play up to 3 notes simultaneously (triggered as one note). Which means that if you like to play big chords, you're in trouble. You would need a multitimbral synth, and set it up with the same sound on several channels. Not ideal.
It's not the most versatile of MIDI sequencers, but it does have its strengths, like the ability to set all parameters separately for each step (like CCs, eight per track). If you're using something like a modular analog synth with a MIDI-to-CV converter, you'll have a serious step sequencer. I've tried it with a Korg MS-20, and it works.
- Nils Odegaard list
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Changing the default notes numbers on the Machinedrum (IE, from c1-c3 to c3-c5):
These can be changed in the global settings area. Press function+[global] and select the slot that you want to edit. Press enter and select the MIDI section, map editor submenu. From there, you can change all of the track and pattern mappings.
- malyn bbb
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Realtime erase:
while in rec+play mode, hold exit/no and the trig key you want to erase. It will play the trig this time through the loop, but you will not hear it next time.
– ggoodwin bbb
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Can the Machinedrum pads transmit velocity or aftertouch?
No and no. However, you can have different volumes, decay, pitch or any parameter for each individual step with parameter locks, so it's no big deal achieving more "human" like feel for your sequences.
- Flavio Alvarez list
If its absolutely necessary, just bring along an oxygen 8 or other inexpensive controller that supports pressure sensitivity, and trigger The pads from there. In fact, with the oxygen, you'll even have 8 Extra knobs you can use, too. As far as I can remember, machinedrum Still responds to pressure sensitivity (mapped to volume) this way.
– Adam Watson list
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A different way of sequencing MIDI Machines:
Something a friend turned me on to, which I had never thought of for some reason: I was used to using one midi machine per synth I was sequencing. While we were both punching up patterns, he configured his Machinedrum with multiple midi machines, all transmitting on the same channel, and then set separate notes for each. This way you can enter Real-time Record and play eight or more notes into the sequence, just like a piano.
- jason vernon starnes list
Yeah, and as an extension of that, you could a make two octaves, one MIDI Machine on each track, tweak out a pattern live and then record it down to another sequence and repeat.
– jbeard list
If your looking for a step sequencer capable of driving external MIDI synths and samplers then the Machinedrum is one of the few choices that has it right with regard to tweaking while the sequence is playing. If you have been frustrated by the way the mc-series grooveboxes do this, or worse the rm1x, or even the emu xx-7 family you will find the Machinedrum a breath of fresh air. Only more esoteric (and expensive) things can work as intuitively and Interactively.
– drk list
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Cycling/Looping Patterns:
1. You press function and a different pattern you'll get the single arrow and no cycling back to the old one.
2. You hold the Bank button and more than one pattern button you'll get the double arrow and cycling multiple patterns in the order you pressed the pattern buttons.
- endlessnessisticman list
You can loop some patterns (I don't mean song mode) if you hold the bank button and then hold the patterns you want to be played in a loop. e.g. push and hold d+3+4+5+6 = Machinedrum plays 3-4-5-6-3-4-5-6-... the quantization depends on the pattern-quantization so you can play 16th-32th-6th-whateverth. If you don't want to compose a song, this is a nice feature. Also very good for live use.
- rolandsh32 list
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Realtime recording of external synths controllers onto MIDI Machine tracks:
As far as controlling the parameter values themselves from the Supernova (or any synth), I wasn't able to tweak the knobs and get the Machinedrum to record them. I had to map the Machinedrum knobs to the Supernova MIDI control values that I wanted to change and tweak from The Machinedrum.
- alan cannistraro list
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Making the Machinedrum do triplets:
You can achieve triplets if you set the pattern length to 12 or 24.
Hmm, on second thought, all that would do is change the time signature from 4/4 to 3/4... not quite the same thing as triplets, though it can "feel" the same in some situations...
- Federico Ciapi list
You can use the swing-grid function to do the triplet (or did you mean a triple, like a waltz or something?). Put the grid steps on 3, 7, 11, 15... set the swing percentage to 80%. This is a Triol groove.
- John Whiting list
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Uses for Parameter Lock Slides:
I use it sometimes when I recorded parameter locks but I don't want them to jump around. With slide you get a smooth parameter glide. For instance, if you want panning to go from left to right in a smooth fashion you simply program a lock left pan on the first note and a firm right on the last. When you select all triggers in slide the panning will go slow from left to right instead of jumping.
- Ronald list
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Neat trick for switching from Classic to Extended Modes:
Forgot to mention one interesting use of it: Switch to classic mode and then pick up pattern that would play with different kit in extended mode. Hit play and it runs with a 'wrong kit', now hit the extended mode (while it's playing) and you get wonderful noises out of Machinedrum when it changes to right kit in the fly!!
- tahvenaine2002 list
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Creating time signatures like 12/8:
In song mode, you can choose how many steps of the pattern you want to play. That way is possible to use those time signatures.
- Federico Ciapi list
Machinedrum's Scale setup can give a time "signature" of 12/16. Turn the tempo down from 120 to 60, and there you have it. 12 beats per measure, every 1/8 note is a "beat", I.e. 12/8. Of course, you're left with half note resolution, which isn't all that nice.
A better way to do this is to leave the tempo set at for example 120, and choose 24/32 in the scale setup. You get the same end result, but with higher resolution (quarter note) between beats.
- oldmanfury list
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Disabling MIDI clock send and receive:
That's basically what the mode Sync Tempo IN ON in the global edit window will do. Be sure Sync Crtl IN is OFF.
MIDI Sync OUT switches between transmission of Start, Stop, Continue and MIDI Timing Clocks OUT of the Machinedrum. It's page 57 of the 1.12 manual.
- lepetitmartien list
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To disable the Machinedrum from transmitting MIDI-Data (MIDI clock) even when stopped:
Global menu->sync->out->off
- Federico Ciapi list
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Adding different swing amounts to each tracks:
While this can't be done by using the normal means, i.e. the swing parameter, you can fake it though by using the LFO modulating the track volume. Trigger an inverted square wave LFO every time a note is hit, modulate the steps where you want the swing, use parameter locks to achieve this.
A bonus is that if you use both the normal swing and the triggered LFO swing, you can go beyond the 80% swing limit.
- Janne list
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Some reasons to use songmode:
1 - Automate Mutes.
2 - Automate drumkit changes.
3 - Mix to patterns together, e.g. first 6 beats from one then last 2 from the other.
4 - Create temporary or infinite looping areas.
5 - Still have full control over patterns and sounds.
- ipassenger bbb
6 - Automate tempo changes.
- neonleg bbb
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Alternate Pattern creations:
Once you have a solid basic pattern, copy it a couple of times to different slots. Tweak your kit on copied pattern with CTRL-AL, all you have to do is save the tweaked kit to another slot and then copy and paste your BD and Bass from your initial kit to the new kit and re-save it. Doing this you can create a lot of variations in patterns and timbres.
- Eminor9
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Back To Top
Synthesis
Flanger trick:
Stumbled across a little trick last night to get some really crazy moving flanger sounds. I'm still exploring it a bit to see what gives the most impact, but here are the steps I took to get the sound:
1. Load up a sample (I used a 2-beat long synth chord sample) and add some BRR until you hear a little bit of hiss & static.
2. Adjust the AMD and AMF parameters until you hit a sweet spot. I was noting a couple sweet spots....some nice robotic buzzing on one end of the spectrum, and an almost harmonic distortion on the other end.
3. Set up 3 LFOs to modulate BRR, AMD, and AMF. I made my BRR be random, and AMD & AMF were both using free cycled triangles with different times. I kept these pretty slow. Adjust the depth to taste; I didn't go too deep on the modulation as I wanted it to kinda swim around my sweet spot.
The results were a really cool robotic flange that was constantly evolving. Extreme settings will make your sample bow down to the hypnotoad, and a lighter use will give your sample a little bit of gritty metallic sheen. I'm doing this to a dubby chord sound and got great results; kept it organic but with a little bit of dirt flange on top.
- Gys
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MD Timestretch:
So I was messing about with my MD last night and I came up with a pretty cool trick. It's probably already been mentioned ages ago but worth a share anyway.
Load up a sample, I used a drum loop that came with the MD. Use one bar/scale for testing, and set BPM to 100 or so. Now, move dial to the sample machine and hit the REC button.
Place trig in the XOX on beat one and PLock the START at 0
Place another trig on beat 16 and PLock START to 120 ( or near end depending on sample)
Turn up the RTRG to 127
Turn up RTIM to 127
Hit FUNCTION and SLIDE together and select all XOX buttons, ( this will start the Plocks moving from one to the other).
Hit play
What you'll get hopefully is the sample playing back in time with the tempo, but if you move the tempo around the sample stays in time. You may need to tweak the end PLock a little and also the RTIM Rate sepending on the tempo, slower tempos are better with a faster RTIM rate and faster with a slower RTIM rate. Pitch change also adds some cool features tonally.
- Reporter
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Using RAM Machine Feedback as a soundsource:
Last night I realized that with the UW, you can use the cue-feedback as an instrument and sound source. This meens that you can make music using RAM Machines only.
No there's nothing in the RAM before, and it's retrigged and reset every time the patterns loops. This is why it sounds different all the time, try it:
1. Add a RAM Record machine.
2. Set Mlev to max.
3. Set an LFO to Cue1, Updte: Trig, Depth: Max, Speed: whatever you like, shape: I\_ (falling sawtooth).
4. Play with the filter to soften it down.
There you go.. a really weird and unstable ocillator, but cool.
It's just about forcing the RAM Playback Machine to different things no matter what's inside it. Fast pitch env to do kick/snare, hipass and short decay to have some kind of hihat sound, etc. Live was mainly about pressing mutes, changing the RAM Record Machine filter (which is also affected by a lfo) and sometimes function+pitch or Samplerate Reduction. Also if you want it less chaotic you could just set the rec length to something short like 6-7, then it's actually quite stable. You can just release the monsters by turning that up later. Oh and of course, you can easily just freeze the sound by muting the rec channel since then the ram content just stays solid until you unmute it again.
Another thing that makes it more alive is that I had the rec length set for the full pattern. On top of that, the start setting is param-locked all over the sample. This makes everything change a bit but at the same time keep fragments from the last cycle... or something.
- Kotton BBB
I just gave this a shot. Try these settings for starters (in addition to the one's Kotten mentions) - certain settings will get you absolutely nothing:
LFO Speed - Keep it on the low side - say 40.
LFO Shape - Does seem to matter - try saw or tri.
LFO Shape Mix - Start out all the way counter-clockwise (0).
Synth Cue1 - Start out @ 0 - almost seems like a decay setting as you move up Synth ILev - W/ Cue1 low, sort of soften things up like a 3/6db LP filter.
Track effects - start w/ everything @ default.
Now start pointing some of those extra LFOs towards the track effects.
Kind of sounds like a tri/saw kind of mix before filtering/amplitude mod/etc. For some reason, I was expecting a Sin. Well, I guess it is a Sin w/ some clipping/brr/srr going on.
Can it hurt anything? Start out w/ the track level low so you protect your speakers but aside from that I doubt it - it's probably the noise floor forced into clipping.
- Ceterisparibus BBB
Extreme distortion on the Machinedrum:
Route a sep. out back in and use the gain stage on the ext. input machine. Fucking nosebleed dutch hell death. No problem with the industrial sounds.
-D.E list
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Creating thick 80's drum sounds:
This can totally happen with the Machinedrum - even that tight comp'd sound can be had with the dynamix. You definitely have the right machine for the job - play with the dynamix, reverb, and a combo of the fm and trx machines - maybe a little noise machine to double the snare hits, and you will have that sound nailed.
I usually work the output gain and threshold on the dynamix to make everything hit as hard as possible and be as "up front" sounding as I can get it - plus, you will see the elektron box grow louder and stronger than everything else in your rig without even touching the potential or the ceiling of headroom.
- milkmansnd bbb
...and gate it! The gate parameter in the Machinedrum reverb is perfect for this... Instant 80s
- anon bbb
Yes, a short gate time with fm machines and little compression is good for 80's sounds
- mike bbb
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Vinyl crackle:
I was just documenting a little trick I used recently and thought I'd share. I managed to get some pretty cool crackly hissy vintage sounding goodness using nothing but some RAM machines and LFOs. Audio Demo: http://soundcloud.com/gys/vinyl-tape-emulation-on
How to do it:
1. Set up a RAM Record machine on a channel with with the record length set to max.
2. Trigger one step. Your trigger step will impact the rhythm of the tape crackle. Doing it on an “off” step like 5 seems to give the best results, but experiment.
3. Set up a RAM Play machine with the following settings:
- Decent amount of BRR (48)
-High FLTF (97)
-High FLTW (126)
-High FLTQ (127)
-A bit of SRR (22)
-Low VOL (28)
-Lots of delay (106); delay time set to (24) with low feedback
-Lots of reverb (87)
4. Trigger one step. Again, your chosen step will affect the rhythm. I chose step 17 in this case.
4. Set up 2 LFOs to modulate your RAM Play machine:
**LFO1 modulates BRR with the following settings:
- Shape1 is random and Shape2 is ramp up; mixed slightly towards Shape1 using HOLD
- Speed is very low (1) and depth is pretty low (30)
**LFO2 modulates FLTF with the following settings:
-Shape1 is triangle and Shape2 is random; mixed slightly towards Shape1 using FREE
- Speed is very low (1) and depth is very low (9)
After playing with this while writing this tutorial, I just noticed that tweaking the RTRG and RTIM of the RAM Play machine can also subtly impact the sound of the crackle. I could see adding another LFO or two to modulate these parameters.
-GYS
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8 Bit Synth Sounds:
If you max out all of the first page parameters on the GND-IMP and then set AMD to full and play with AMF as well as setting the DIST and SRR to full you get a pretty nice 8 bit synth sound.
- Unknown (sorry)
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Granular technique:
Cheap sample loaded into my mduw.. (i.e., saying "wisefire") Put strt on 127 and rtrg on full. Rtim on something in the vicinity of 25. Leave the left LFO on random, and the right LFO on exponential slope, depth on full. And then adjust speed so that the full rtrg is filled. And the finally the param to LFO is strt. This way you can get a very cheap but fun little timestretcher and/or pitchbender.
- wisefire bbb
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ctr-al and ctr-8p machines:
I'm not in front of my Machinedrum at the moment so bear with me...the ctrl-all machine basically sends any param locks that it receives to the corresponding knob on all other tracks. Parameters on page 2 and 3 are the same for all tracks, but the parameters on page 1 vary depending on what machine you have on that track. So if you crank knob 4 on page 1 of the ctrl-all machine, you will be changing whatever parameter is assigned to knob 4 for every other track.
You were correct to notice that it is destructive. It changes the setting of each track. Also, if you move the knob down 20 then up 20, you can't be certain that all tracks will be back to their original setting (for example, if one of the tracks had a value of 10 in that position to start with, it's final value would be 20 since moving down would take it to 0 then moving back up 20 leaves it at 20).
The ctrl-all machine seems to be more useful as a chaos-inducer rather than a controlled sound sculpture tool. You will probably be using load-kit a lot with this machine.
Another related, undocumented feature: you can achieve a similar effect without loading the ctrl-all machine to a track, by holding "function" while turning a knob...the knob movement will be sent to all tracks. The advantage to using the ctrl-all machine instead of function+knob is that you can sequence and param-lock with the ctrl-all machine.
-ggoodwin bbb
Holding function changes parameters for all machines simultaneously - from my understanding, the ctr machines automate this like parameter locks would to a single sequencer. So, lets say you want the entire pattern to drop in pitch - this could either be done manually - by holding the function knob - or you can automate it with the ctr machines. Its prime directive is to control all, thus the name.
- milkmansnd bbb
The ctr-8p machine allows you to assign whatever you want to the first 8 parameters of the machine (I.e. On the synthesis page). You can take any parameter from any other loaded machine and assign it to one of these. Which means that you can stare at one control page and tweak completely different and independent parameters for several different machines without having to change pages or active tracks. In addition, you can sequence changes to these parameters via parameter locks. What's great about this is that the locks on a ctr machine track (for this or for the ctr-al) don't trig anything; they just change parameters. Which is great because this is the only feature that the mono machine's sequencer has over the Machinedrum's and these machines make it possible.
The ctr-al machine changes the respective parameter on every track. It's the same as holding function while changing a parameter on a track. The difference here is that you can sequence these global parameter changes through parameter locks.
- chiasticon bbb
CTR stands for "ConTRol". The Machinedrum does not have the ability to place parameter locks for a track on a step which does not have a trigger on it, so these CTR machines fill a gap in the Machinedrum's functionality, by letting you use a track to do nothing but "send" parameter changes to other tracks. The mono machine, of course, can already put parameter locks on any step you want.
The exciting part for me is how the CTR-8P (for "8 Parameter") machine centralizes control of many parameters on different tracks onto one screen. Now you can have the pitch from the bass drum, the interference frequency from your snare drum, and the decay settings for your hats and things all on one screen, for easy use during live performance, without using up a lot of hand movement changing active track. That is why CTR-8P is cool.
The other CTR machine is CTR-AL (for "ALL tracks"). You do not choose which specific tracks the control changes on this machine go to - changing a parameter on CTR-AL changes that same parameter on EVERY track. Using CTR-AL, you can create some interesting kit-wide effects on drum tracks which would be difficult to achieve otherwise.
The danger of CTR machines is that they alter the non-locked parameter settings in the active kit, so if you save the kit while it is being altered by a CTR machine track, the changes that the CTR machine made are saved! You have to make a habit of saving a kit directly after adding CTR machines to it, before you do anything.
So, the feature of having a collection of arbitrary parameters from all tracks on one screen is very, very useful on a 16 track machine such as the Machinedrum, in addition to fulfilling the trig-less lock function. Using 1 track out of a 6 track Monomachine just for controls would be somewhat less exciting. I would rather the Monomachine got a new FX machine, like a ring modulator or distortion synthesizer.
-Andrew Deyes list
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