Tech Talk: Elektron (EB.TV Tech Talk)

"Our machines are designed to shorten the distance between man and machine." — ELEKTRON TECH TALK feature, taken from Slices Issue 3-12. Available in 1080p full HD video.

Watch more Slices features here:

[Gummo]

best machines made today.i have 3 and i am ready for my 4th!

[danraiche]

OT is an amazing piece of equipement, limitess indeed!!!!

[ritec]

Own one, love it... Most versatile "sampler" out there, period.

[zeusdeux]

I hope they do a remake of Machinedrum UW that’s isn’t the Rytm at one point.

[rhythmdroid]

FWIW, I spent the weekend going through the manual cover to cover and there are SO many ways to set this thing up to respond to your musical and expressive input.  A guitar or trumpet is an instrument that exponentially increases in expressive capabilities as you practice and play.  Octatrack is the only hardware sampler + sequencer that behaves the same way.  It's astounding.

[tjs]

Thats your choice. I have both. It;s nice not being tethered to a computer which in the case of the Maschine, you have to be.

I'll say this about Elektron, they have the user experience for their devices completely ironed out unlike any other hardware manufacturer. Spend some time with one and you will see what I mean.

[Mathmatrix]

Man, what a tight sound!That's what I like about it, and what it counts in the end, it's a big difference from the samplers I know. On the other hand, why on earth you have to rotate so much an endless knob to change a parameter? There is a shift button on other synths for fine tuning, you know?

[dubathonic]

FWIW, Troberg is on the design team for Elektron's machines and created many of the sounds in them. He also has many techno releases as Erase. The company as a whole takes the attitude that they should not suggest any more than necessary what can or should be done with their instruments, but prefer to allow users to explore for themselves. It's admittedly a bit of an unorthodox attitude in this day and age :)

[ells]

whats the very last song played on the octotrack? 10:29

[el_dani]

this video would have been a blast, when they would have showed off the Analog Four, but here the guy seems very dull

at the users out there: are 8 tracks enough? do they have to share also midi?

[FilipFerferiev]

someone who knows the track name at the beginning of the video?

[Vuduman]

what's the reggae track at 2:00 ?

[dominikwujek]

I know what youre talking about, and you are not wrong. But elektron units work without a computer so they are real devices not only a controller.

[LibertarianCoconut]

How many dj's or music producers do you know that don't own a computer or a laptop already? I don't know any. :-)

[repeatle]

You mean $600 to buy a computer? Maschine won't run without a computer.
The Elektron machines will.

[tjs]

Machinedrum goes for about $999 new Stateside. Maschine is $599. Maschine works well but is software being triggered by a pretty good controller. Personally, I hate trying to create anything new on Maschine as I feel the workflow sucks on it. I bought Komplete 8 to use with it and it integrates seamlessly which I like. Plus, the Elektron stuff has parameter locks which if you have used them you will understand how original and inspiring they are. I like both for different reasons.

[LibertarianCoconut]

After 22 years of EDM, I understand both analog and digital gear. I've owned several Korg Electribe unites, Roland Sp-808 and MC-505, and a few synths. While I do recognize that there is a warmth and detail to analog sounds that digital can't always replicate, the leaning curve on mastering analog gear is much higher and you will always need multiple units to achieve full results. I prefer the simplicity of having my laptop, maschine, an apc40, and a small MIDI keyboard.

[LibertarianCoconut]

ok, if you factor in the cost of a laptop and a small sound card, then maybe the price will be the same but most dj's and artists will already have one and I can use a laptop for a heck of a lot more things than the Elektron.

[-BitHeart]

Computer musicians will never understand stand alone hardware...not even ones that are just as tactile as a computer....it is sad really because with the use of computers, people are forgetting how it feels to make music in this way....

[TheHexeract]

What are you saying exactly? That's a completely different instrument from anything elektron offers.