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Closest thing to machinedrum among apps nowodays?
What would you call as more or less closest thing to Machinedrum on ios nowodays?
So it would be drummachine/groovebox-based thing with flexible multitrack (of different length cycle, please) stepsequencer and both samples and synthesis (with different synth engines including FM)
Perhaps it would be stronger than actual MD in some ways (it might be more easy to use for doing polymeter AND polyrhythm, syncopation, different timesigs, etc; while also having things like p-lock and what not)
I understand that Machinedrum (along with Monomachine and Octatrack) was...is.. holy grail for many reasons, so it's not like i'm asking whom you would call a total replacement, but i'm interested whom you would call as app which works in a way for you that MD worked.
Then again, i remind you, it shouldn't be overkill ultra uber DAW solution (and please, NOT something with "piano roll" etc.), and while external sequencing is good, question of topic is about ONE self-contained app as base.
p.s.
if you forgot what MD is
http://www.vintagesynth.com/misc/machinedrum.php
http://tarekith.com/assets/machinedrum_tipsandtricks.htm
Comments
Elastic Drums. I borrowed a friend's Machine Drum and learned some of its ins and outs, only to arrive at the conclusion that I had a very similar sounding drum machine, that was easier to program, with elastic drums. I'm willing to bet that the MD was an inspiration for Elastic Drums- the synthesis and sounds are sort of Scandinavian. A heavy emphasis on drum synthesis, with automation, is the defining character of the app, along with some non traditional sampling options. The developer has continued to make additions over the years, including some very cool physical modelling drum synths, and options for tuned percussion. It is one of the highlights of ios drum machines, for sure.
Other notable synthesis based drum machines are Seekbeats, and DM2. I like DM2's sequencer better than ED, but DM2 doesn't have automation, which is the key to excitement with synthesized drums, over sampled drum machines, like Patterning. I haven't used Seekbeats, but know some people that really like it.
@Processaurus
Thanks for sharing experience!
I totally missed Elastic Drums and only found out about Seekbeats just recently.
Yeah, automation is important (as shown with MD video above, author change parametres realtime and than each step in playback of pattern have different values)
Speaking of ios drum synth apps of the past, i remember using modrum back in days, but it had too distinctive sound imho which prevented from using it everywhere. (p.s. and who remember very simple, but fun tweakybeat? XD)
I also have to remind myself about Spektralis, which also had CULT status among musicians, though they are different weight category i guess
http://www.vintagesynth.com/misc/spectralis.php
I’ve still got a MachineDrum and I found it/find it extremely easy to program - that was its appeal when it came out, if I recall correctly. Processaurus’ post is pretty accurate to my mind - ElasticDrums is about the closest to it, though there are a few kinds of drum synthesis in MD that aren’t in ED (and vice versa I guess). That notwithstanding, there’s a coldness to both, and the automation is comparable.
When i heard people comparing sequencers between MD and OT (octatrack), they mentioned independent track length and microtiming. I understand 1st position (and i read it IS in ElasticDrums, right?) but not sure what they meant with micro.
Microtiming refers to the ability to shift trigger times a little before or after the step. Many step sequencers are locked to even divisions (usually 16ths)—micro-timing is a way to sort of get the best of both worlds.
Because of the synthesis options, I'd agree the Elastic Drums is probably the closest to the MD.
Patterning 2 is also worth a mention because of the boss-mode sequencing options and basic (yet plenty robust for a ton of use cases) sample+synthesis options. It does some things better than Elektron boxes IMO and has a few features (like track rotation) not available on the MD (as far as I know). You can always use it to trigger sounds Elastic or SeekBeats or insert drum synth here but you'd have to do P-Locks via CCs which is never quite as fluid feeling. Still, an amazing amazing drum machine.
I'm not in front of Patterning at the moment but I don't think it can do polyrhythms. It does polymetric stuff like a champ though. Don't click the quote button on me on this but I think the Quantum step sequencer app is one of the very few apps on iOS that can do both polymeters and polyrhythms. That, of course, can also be used to drive a drum synth but it's really laid out of more melodic work.
Yes! The breath of the north. Cold, crystalline, hard digital synthesis, is interesting to make music with. It isn’t as easy of a slam dunk as classic drum machine samples, but with enough tinkering, the results can interesting, mysterious, and modern.
It is a challenge to make good sounding synth drums on a regular analog/VA synth, mine either take forever to make, with elaborate patching, or sound simplistic and flat. The synthesis engines in these drum machines are nicely curated by the developers, I like that there are different architecture synthesizers for each piece of the kit, like the hi hat module has different options from the kick module.
I’m wondering if there are any iOS grooveboxes that do full on microtining. Maybe the upcoming Drambo
Korg Electribe Wave does it, but it’s not per hit, but per drum part, per pattern (unfortnarlwy not the synths. The “groovetype” param on the drum sequencer allows a slight offbeat rush or laidback effect among the groove types available. wish it was automatable, but can be slid around live)
Sidenote Stagelight drum sequencer does a per-hit push pull, also the weird and wonderful Rytmiks, but only pull. But drumsynths?
Edit
There is a way to p-lock per step micro timing in ED, at least to delay per hit, using velocity settings, sequence delay and percent delay. Which I did not know til this morning.
You could do a video on that trick?
This is something I wasn’t aware of either. I’ll look at it tonight.
I could watch this clip for way too long, these guys are perfection
I still haven’t worked out screen recording, but I’ll do some stills after I take the kid to In ‘n Out.
and you can do timesig like 11/4, right? and timesig changes within set?
I think Elastic Drums is amazing and gets close sonically, from what I heard from many machinedrum youtube demos. But never got my hands on one...
For IDM type drums like in the video above, ED is perfect with all its automation.
Nice!
Iap additions are essential? I see sample option and more "machines"
Does this work? For some reason last I tried seem unable to chose sequence delay as velocity automation target. Can you folks do it successfully?
Sample is more a matter of what you yourself need. I haven’t tried any of the presets packs, but the new synth engines in ‘futuristic synths’ are fun imo. Wouldn’t say essential, but it’s a fine purchase. You can try them without buying with some limitation: the 4 engines at the bottom, pm1, pm2, mod and merzbow.
The sample option is superb. You can load wavs (natural sounds if you prefer) and automate parameters going crazy !
The sequence delay gets you partway there, but the actual velocity target is percentage (the dial to the right of the sequence delay knob, which appears once you activate the velocity button)
So you dial a delay, activate the velocity option, a percentage dial then appears, than tweak the delay and percentage delay to taste. I think it’s pretty clever implementation but I never knew it was there til this thread got md looking for it...
ED is incredible, practically a DAW, with stem export etc etc
I see! Nice! Thank you
Hmm, is % as velocity target only supposed to affect the sequence delay? I'm getting strange behavior atm, with only this going on + 4 on the floor kicks: if I let the pattern play (there’s no automation happening, everything was as expected until I setup % as velocity target), the snare sometimes goes silent on the 4, sometimes stays silent for a few bars, and sometimes sounds as expected on the 2 and 4.
I noticed something like that, hits behind other hits seemed to disappear, I kept goofing with it and it stopped for some reason...
This thread prompted me to look into then buy Elastic Drums. I originally ignored it due to stupidly going on a couple of opinions claiming Ruismaker FM is sonically superior to ED and I was initially underwhelmed by Ruismaker. I prefer the sound of ED to Brambos apps (I do like RM FM and more so Ruis Noir , but RM FM requires a lot of processing for my taste) . The automation on ED is so good, love how you can continually adjust / redo. Song mode - so simple and effective. 10 months into iOS and this is my favorite app hands down. I've bought the future synths IAP but have resisted audio import because I have and like Patterning 1. One feature I'd like to see implemented above all - individual track outs. Anyways, thanks to the OP and ED affectionados for pointing me towards EDs!
Mine too. Took me a while to get into it, but is sounds amazing and the automation possibilities are crazy.
What I also love a lot, are the options to randomize sequences and instruments.
I just set up a pattern with sounds I really like, put a lot of automation and effects to it, and then just start randomizing everything. Every time I like what I hear I copy the pattern over. Could listen to these randomizations forever, so many awesome results are happening.
I haven't even touched randomization - but I'll experiment after reading your post! Haven't tested the jam functions either - just programming synths and beats and recording stems - very pleased with the results.
I'd love to see the automation control implemented as a AU3 CC control source with midi channel assignable per knob. Holy crap...that'd be ace . Maybe something like that already exists???
My main wish for ED 1) individual outs per channel, 2) pattern nudge
Anyways, EDs is magic
SeekBeats
Elastic Drums
Never really looked much at elastic drums although it does seem pretty cool. Seekbeats gets a lot of use from me at the moment. Patterning not so much.
If I had to do what's in the first video I guess I would choose either GR-16 or Stroke Machine. Since using them, I have never gone back to ED.
Checked some demos of GR-16 - perhaps the most awful commercial crap sounds I've heard from any hw or sw. Stroke machine has to be contender for the ugliest interface on iOS. Wasn't impressed with the sounds either.
Seekbeats definitely sounds up my street, but I'll wait for Drambo before taking the plunge.
Seekbeats sounds pretty awesome, but I prefer the ED sequencer, automation, fx package