I just Dramboed myself. Where do i go?.

tahiche

I knew I shouldn’t do it. I held back and avoided it, but last night I succumbed. I purchased Drambo.
It’s Elektron on iOS like they said. It’s amazing. It’s huge and complicated.
I don’t know shit about modular stuff, I put on a generator thingy and it plays forever. This is gonna be a fun obsession, I’m going to tame it.
It’s logical, very well laid out, intuitive, the UX is amazing... but with great modularity comes great responsibility.
I showed my wife the “Impaktor” preset, told her to bang on the table and she thought it was the coolest thing ever.
Where do I go now?. I got shitloads to learn. Can you recommend forums, YouTube’s, etc?

ashh

I can heartily recommend Sound For More's tutorials. There's also Ben Richards who is thought of quite highly around these parts. Oh and it actually is worth visiting the Beepstreet website as there is a very active community there. Looks like you've found Patchbay.

I got it the day it came out but I think it's down the road a piece for me.

Michael_R_Grant

@tahiche said:
I knew I shouldn’t do it. I held back and avoided it, but last night I succumbed. I purchased Drambo.
It’s Elektron on iOS like they said. It’s amazing. It’s huge and complicated.
I don’t know shit about modular stuff, I put on a generator thingy and it plays forever. This is gonna be a fun obsession, I’m going to tame it.
It’s logical, very well laid out, intuitive, the UX is amazing... but with great modularity comes great responsibility.
I showed my wife the “Impaktor” preset, told her to bang on the table and she thought it was the coolest thing ever.
Where do I go now?. I got shitloads to learn. Can you recommend forums, YouTube’s, etc?

Add the following modules in the following order to get started with a basic synthesiser patch (the middle bit of each of these steps is the section name that you can see in Grey as you scroll down the list in each main category):

Generator > Oscillator > Oscillator
Processor > Filter > Filter
Processor > Amp > Amp Env ADSR
Hit a key. You now have notes!
Processor > Effect > Reverb (FDN)
And now you have a synth with a reverb!

Then go watch the tutorials mentioned above.

branis

Make sure to check out PatchStorage for some great examples/patches/modules. It will help you understand how things work.

rs2000

I can recommend to keep being playful.
Watching a few tutorial videos will definitely help but in a modular system, there's no right or wrong.

Just a few Drambo basics to keep in mind:

• Signal flow is always from left to right.
• Some modules are monophonic (1-voice), indicated by a little circled (1) behind the module name. Once "mixed down" to monophonic, you won't get your polyphony back in the following modules so take care.
• Most signals are unified. In other words, you can mix signal types like audio, gate, velocity, time and process them to your liking. Doesn't always make sense but can be useful.
• Some signals are unipolar (0..+1), some are bipolar (-1..+1), watch out. They can be shifted by Math > Offset and Math > Scale modules
• Many signal operations can be done using the Graphic Shaper which maps the input signal to any output signal drawn by a curve (default is a 1:1 mapping)
• Many modules are pre-scaled to evaluate a note (pitch) signal correctly. Taking the pitch signal from MIDI to CV not only works for oscillator pitch but also for controlling filter cutoff, e.g. to use the filter as an oscillator with resonance set to a high value
• Instrument racks can be irritating at first, especially when dealing with polyphony. Although people recommend to put everything inside racks, I would suggest to leave that for later (you can always copy/paste a number of modules into a rack later on).
• A lot of tricks and how-to's have been written here, it's worth using the search function.
• Make good use of the Misc > Section module to document and quickly fold sections of modules for easier editing. Tapping on a Section module will minimize (fold) all modules until the next Section module.
• The Flexi sampler can not only record audio but any signal, might be useful for recording automation.

SpartanClownTide

Start with basic synths. You only need a few modules. Many of the PatchStorage patches are way down the rabbit hole, don't stress about that, keep it simple. Make some music.
If you get stuck https://forum.beepstreet.com/ is there to help.

cian

If you want to get into synthesis, a good place to start is making a drum machine. Start by making a kick drum and branch out.

Poppadocrock

Patchstorage has tons of projects, And modules. some are quite helpful like “Building Blocks” it’s a Drambo project file containing a drum rack with some helpful tips and examples for building instruments. This includes three custom drum synthesizer components which will hopefully serve as helpful building blocks for further exploration.

https://patchstorage.com/building-blocks/

Gravitas

Secure food supply.

Plenty of water.

Put a ,'do not disturb', sign on the door.

Have fun.

[Deleted User]

I'm also curiousabout Drambo. This may be a loaded question , but what advantage is there to it over a fews synths, FX and a DAW? Or say Nanostudio2? Is it the fun of building everything up with modular blocks? Are there CPU advantages to this method?

Daveypoo

Start here - there's 8 total videos all under 5 minutes

[Deleted User]

Good startup videos, thank you! Looks like a box of electronic music legos...build what you like

echoopera

Welcome to the club @McM
Drambo is going to be something you didn't realize you needed in your workflow as you use it more and more. It will grow with you which is something I love about it.

The @Daveypoo vids are a great prep as you get going and then watch the Sound4More and BenRichards vids.

rs2000

@McM said:
I'm also curiousabout Drambo. This may be a loaded question , but what advantage is there to it over a fews synths, FX and a DAW? Or say Nanostudio2? Is it the fun of building everything up with modular blocks? Are there CPU advantages to this method?

If you think that you could have some fun building your own synths, effects and unconventional sound generators then I'm sure it's made for you. Like Legos, yes. It's quite CPU efficient so you can throw a fair number of modules together until a modern iDevice CPU chokes.

wim

I use Drambo less as a sound-design environment and more as a sequencer. I tend to lay down a few tracks with drum samples, maybe a preset or two, and one or two bread 'n butter sounds I've made, then the rest midi-out to other synths.

I realize that's ignoring a huge part of Drambo's power, but for me it really clicks as a quick way to get ideas down and just have fun jamming more than a modular playground.

Not that I don't delve into the modular side when I'm not in a groove-capturing mood though. Way fun.

McD

@McM said:
I'm also curiousabout Drambo. This may be a loaded question , but what advantage is there to it over a fews synths, FX and a DAW? Or say Nanostudio2? Is it the fun of building everything up with modular blocks? Are there CPU advantages to this method?

This response is from the IOS DEVELOPER BUSINESS CONSORTIUM:

There is NOT anything you can do in Drambo that can't be done with a collection of:

• sequencing apps (see the Sequencer Consortium sub-committee for a listing)
• synths (see the Synth Committee)
• sampers (see the bi-cameral "What IS a sampler really Committee Lists "Rompler" and "Beatmakers")
• effects (see the Effects association catalogs in various categories)

Please remember the IOS marketplace must serve the needs of more than ONE greedy developer
seeking to make all others irrelevant.

Thank you for your continued (hopefully) support.

And from the DAW consortium:

Drambo is not a DAW. It can't even host AUv3's. (What? When? Can we join the above statement?)

[Deleted User]

I might Drambo myself too...it looks like fun!

McD

@McM said:
I might Drambo myself too...it looks like fun!

It can be fun but it's really a "maze of twisty passages" navigated with magical spells cast by wizards.

tahiche

Thank you all!. Very helpful resources and tips.
I know Drambo is massive, and I think it’s important to have some goals and know your limitations beforehand. That is, I’m not gonna make an amazing synth anytime soon. I can, however, make something really weird cos I’ll dump a resonant whatever in the wrong place. And I’ll love it.
In line with @wim a big aim is to use it as a sequencer and sampler. I have tried too many combinations, there’s always something missing. I realized I was using too many apps to do basic stuff... And I have a Digitakt, I love the Digitakt workflow, probability, p-locks... Drambo looks just like it.
I hope the sampler is good enough, sure looks like it. I couldn’t find a sampler with good editing and sound mangling. Sure, BM3, but that’s the whole package.... I love Digitakt’s take on sampling, o hope it’s similar!.
So yeah, sequencer and I hope sampler to start. Then start putting together modules and see how fast of a learner I am.
Did I say I love Drambo’s aesthetics?.

McD

@tahiche said:
Did I say I love Drambo’s aesthetics?.

No. But many have. Probably the best GUI design since SpaceCraft Granular. Praise Mark @deltaVaudio.

bcrichards

Don’t try and use all the modules at once
Build something small and useful (for you)
Reverse engineer an interesting patch from patchstorage
Approximate a piece of hardware or software plugin
Play with p-locks and the morph slider
Connect a signal into the wrong input/output
Invent a new effect or synthesizer or sampler instrument
Upload or otherwise share a patch here or at Beepstreet and ask for help/suggestions or just for fun
Vote fascists out of office

tahiche

@bcrichards said:
Vote fascists out of office

P-lock this!!

Downloaded a few patches to hear the weirdos doing weird beautiful things and it seems like Drambo is the dude behind a mask on the tv show that showed all the magicians tricks.

rs2000

@McD said:
This response is from the IOS DEVELOPER BUSINESS CONSORTIUM:

There is NOT anything you can do in Drambo that can't be done with a collection of:

• sequencing apps (see the Sequencer Consortium sub-committee for a listing)
• synths (see the Synth Committee)
• sampers (see the bi-cameral "What IS a sampler really Committee Lists "Rompler" and "Beatmakers")
• effects (see the Effects association catalogs in various categories)

Please remember the IOS marketplace must serve the needs of more than ONE greedy developer
seeking to make all others irrelevant.

Thank you for your continued (hopefully) support.

What a funny response. Luckily it's the users who decide about the success of an app 😅

wim

I’m not sure which happens more often - people not realizing when @McD is joking, or @McD not realizing when others are joking.

echoopera

@tahiche fwiw, i use Drambo mostly as a sequencer of synths hosted in AUM and as of late I’ve been using it to heavily sequence Samples via the FlexiSampler and using my own custom KeyGroups generated by the free desktop MPC Beats software from Akai.

McD

@rs2000 said:

Thank you for your continued (hopefully) support.

What a funny response. Luckily it's the users who decide about the success of an app 😅

People need to be alerted that @rs2000 is a card carrying Drambo "rack maker". He's done more to make non-Drambo apps irrelevant as anyone on the forum. His "Rat v8" pedal even puts the business of selling guitar pedals at risk. Can the economy of music making survive this disruption to business as usual?

I hope so. I know I appreciate the cost savings.

Vlad11

Everytime I open drambo it still amazes me how powerful is and how depending what music are you producing suits your personal needs that good.

Normally when a music software does too many things it fails on many of them and excel on some of them. With drambo is like it does everything and does it really good. Now with midi mapping is ..... heaven.

I know I know... a bit of childish fanboyism this morning, but drambo and beepstreet (do not forget the amazing zeeon) deserves it.

BroCoast

@Vlad11 said:
Everytime I open drambo it still amazes me how powerful is and how depending what music are you producing suits your personal needs that good.

Normally when a music software does too many things it fails on many of them and excel on some of them. With drambo is like it does everything and does it really good. Now with midi mapping is ..... heaven.

I know I know... a bit of childish fanboyism this morning, but drambo and beepstreet (do not forget the amazing zeeon) deserves it.

What I like about Drambo is no matter how complex your project gets, it is still manageable.

You can also make progress easily without getting too involved.

I need to delve into controlling other synths with Drambo.

oceansinspace

So drambo is overwhelming to me like mi rack =. I still love and use them but have a tough time starting from scratch. I like to muck with drambo as is makes the magical connections right usually. I just try and not think and just add modules!

oceansinspace

I feel like I can make insane music for asylums with these but then Im like ; wait am I trying to make horror glitch noise? But then you grab a starting preset synth like the sh1-01 acid set clone in drambo and you got 4 perfect synths ready its nutters.

echoopera

@WillieNegus said:
What’s wierd is I lived 4 decades without being intimidated by anything.

Drambo intimidates tf out of me. I realize this is a personal issue. I have to get over it. I must.lol

Are there any users who find Drambo useful within BM3? Care to share examples?

If I can find a good use for it within my current iOS workflow which is 95% dedicated to BM3 perhaps I’ll explore more and find Nirvana like everyone else.🙏🏽

Think of Drambo as a Digitakt or OctaTrack from Elektron. If you’re familiar with their workflow then heck yeah, Drambo can fit in nicely with BM3. There are a couple Digitakt style instrument racks on PatchStorage if you wanted to have some really flexible drums/samples play back for your grooves inside of BM3.

I’ll see if i can put a project together inside BM3 for you today.