For people who've never heard, or realized they've heard instruments that are being triggered together that's actually a cool thing to show. From a 20 minute video you choose the one part where you could write a prickish comment?
This video is made to help people buying their first drum machine. Maybe even their first instrument to sync with something else or their first instrument in general. Nothing wrong with showing sync between drum machine and synthesizer on this basic level.
I'm new to synths and didn't know they could sync up like that. However, I also like funny comments. Both are good. We can enjoy it all people. Let's just enjoy all the good shit all the time!
I actually really appreciated when you explained plugging in the MIDI cable from the Grandmother to the Beats. So many videos never say what go where, and if you're a beginner, its easy to make a mistake like that. I think these videos are great, and all the negative comments on here are terrible, but you are doing good works sir.
Same here, I was looking for a video also explaining cables, connections. I have recently passed from vst synths and sample drums to "physical" synths and drum machines, and I struggle with making the correct set ups. This video is great.
Big shoutout to the Volca Sample too. I got mine for like $80, and it hits way above its price point for what you get. The 4MB memory/65s total sample time seemed like ass at first, but I was able to load in 10 each of kicks, snares, and hats, some various crashes, toms, random percs, a whole 8bit drum set, a few random FX, some melodic stabs, and a 16 step bassline to mess with. The fact that if you only went with drum sounds, you could load in entire libraries from many classic drum machines is huge. If you can find an Elektron Model:Samples for around $200 though, that's the single go to drum machine for the price range imo. Much larger memory, better sequencer than the volca (imo) and better overall control over your sound. Really incredible device
The Novation Circuit should have been on here, it's perfect for a first drum machine and it's a 2 part poly synth with up to 6 voices! It's a groovebox that stores up to 8 bar pattern banks for each instrument, has a vst for patch creations and it's around £250/$300
I got an SR16 when it came out in 1990/1 and it's still on sale. I think that shows how good they are. If you want a real drum sound it's perfect. I still use one. I like the velocity sensor buttons. It's definitely a more 'human' sounding machine.
I'm amazed with so many artists / youtuber's who provide so much information to those who are starting / starting to make music like me. Thank you! I'm living for another 6 months in Washington DC and I really wanted to learn how to use drum machines and synthesizers to make music. Does anybody know how to tell me a teacher? the videos have helped me a lot but I need to make the options available that the technology offers nowadays. Thank you very much! meanwhile, I'm inspiring myself with you...
If you are putting out content that is inspiring people to create, then you are doing it right... I would just like to acknowledge this..... Keep on, brother!
Thank you Roger Linn it was a pleasure meeting you at the NAMM show back in the day. For those that don't know: Roger Linn is a designer of electronic music products, best known for his invention of the LM-1 Drum Computer, the first programmable, sampled-sound drum machine in 1979. Mr. Linn was instrumental in influencing and helping Prince develop and hone his signature sound and style by using Roger Linn's creation and invention the: 1. LM - 1 2. LinnDrum LM -2
i couldn't help noticing the radio shack/moog synth back on the right. i used to have one and i am always surprised to see them turning up in concert, in virtual (vst) form and here in a training video. what fun!
I REMEMBER THAT ROLAND TR (OLDER MODEL) WHEN I STARTED MY FIRST STUDIO BACK IN 2004...I'M GETTING OLD !! LOL ! MADE BEATS WITH MPC 2000 XL AND A KORG 16 CHANNEL DIGITAL ANALOG RECORDER....THIS WAS BEFORE THE PC DAW'S TOOK OVER...NOW THESE DAYS I ONLY USE YAMAHA, CASIO, AND KORG KROSS ALONG WITH MIXCRAFT 9...MY GO TO DRUM MACHINE IS THE MASCHINE MK3....I THINK EVERYONE SHOULD OWN ONE !
Also check out the Volca Kick (kick and bass sounds), the Volca Drum (physical modelling), and the Volca Sample, the latter of which can act as a sample-based drum machine. The Volca Beats is really only for those classic analog drum sounds.
Thank you for this video, very inspiring. I wanted to get into beatmaking for awhile now and I definitely wanted a drum machine. The Roland Tr-8 AIRA is insane. This is my 1st drum machine and Im blown away by its adaptability in sound and mix integration. Its just so fun to use. Will be getting the 7x7 Expansion pack for this mamacita! the possibilities are only limited to your knowledge and creativity. So happy; Subscribed
For those starting out trying to get their first cheap drum machine. The Teenage Engineering PO-12 Rhythm is a good alternative to the Volca Beats. Its cheaper but you might prefer the more aggressive sound. It also has motion recording.
@@DEATHVIAL I don't have one but from the look of it, it does seem like one of the best pocket operators. Sampling does take more work than just tinkering with drum sounds so the PO-12 is probably quicker for getting started.
@@oo0O08 I started on the ko and sampling was weird at first but maybe because it’s my first time sampling on anything. If you’re good at music stuff like then it shouldn’t be too tricky. I have the speak one also but it’s not as good. Guessing the 12 isn’t any point, there’s a new one that’s kinda expensive but looks worth the price
The Korg Volca Beats being analogue is great because you can modify the sounds and customize the unit. There is a hack to lengthen the snare decay time as well as a level boost mod that is well worth it
So can you make the machine match to .let's say country beat or 50s songs..never used one..been wanting to be a one man band.i have the songs down on my own.just wanted to have drum tracks.
Yeah, recently bought Digitakt and I'm absolutely in love with it for its versality. Not only it's a killer unit as a drum machine, it's also quite incredible groovebox and midi-controller - it's awesome to sequence for example drum machine plugins with DT. But I'm not sure I can hands down recommend a 600$/e device as your FIRST drum machine, before you know what you could need and want. That said, it's been super inspiring instrument for me and totally worth the money. Like most Elektron devices, the workflow is really good. But it's not my first drum machine, and thus I already knew what I wanted when I purchased it. I pretty much get something inspiring and exciting out of it everytime I turn it on and start to play around. In other words it has helped me to have my creative juices flowing. PS. I really liked how Justin mentioned the "synthesis territory", because that's pretty much the first thing that got into my mind, when I started to play with so called melodic samples and single waves and such.
@@jarkokoo that's a great point. I def did a lot of research myself before pulling the trigger on the Digitakt. I think it is an easier machine to learn on as compared to some of the other Elektron offerings but might be overwhelming for a beginner. I find the Digitakt to be intuitive though as well; it usually works the way it seems like it would when I'm trying to figure something out. Def recommend others to do their research. I see a lot of complaints about it regarding the fact that it's more of a performance instrument live than a sequencer. That's actually one of the best parts about it: you have to play it not just push play on it. Oh yeah def synth heavy in some regards. You can literally synthesize your own sounds from whatever you sample! Cheers!
Why does everyone assume that only EDM, hip hop and electro musicians want to use drum machines these days? I realize the most people who play rock, country, Americana, etc., are recording via PCs or Macs using a DAW, but some of us are still kicking it old school using digital recorders such as the Tascam 788 (hey that's me!). For my small home demo studio, I'm currently using the Beat Buddy and the old Alesis SR16, but these are very limiting if you're a song writer (i.e., lots of looking for drum loops that fit the song you've already written). I apologize for this digression, now on with the robot beats! ;-)
I got a TR-8S and I gotta say I'm a big fan. My only issue is that many of the various kick drums feel weak, but it's an easy fix - just copy whatever kit you're using and load up a 707 kick drum (this also could be an issue with my monitors, since I have to use something that's apartment-friendly). The CV Trigger Outs have been useful, I've been using them to step-advance my Mother 32's sequencer but you can also use them to control gates and other on-off triggers. It's also got a built-in master effect dial which is applied not only to its own output but also the external input jacks, allowing it to double as an effect unit. Plus it has 6 individual assignable output channels for audio channels or triggers. The sequencer is what you'd expect from a high-end Roland and can store up to 128 steps in 8 individually toggleable bars. I'd strongly recommend it for anyone looking for a high-end drum machine that can also control additional gear. It's not exactly cheap, however (though it's actually cheaper new than the TR-8 is used). Just make sure that if you get it used, you either check if the firmware is up to date or update it itself, as early versions had a few teething issues.
Connecting a Drum machine to a synth ? Old Skool ! Was doing just that back in 1985. I had an AKIA AX-80 and a Roland TR-505. I could not afford a stand alone hardware sequencer so I got the idea ( and I never read about doing this, it just hit me one day ) of connecting my 505 to the AX-80 as slave via Midi and having the 505 trigger the synth. honestly, I didn't know other people did that.
every time i watch reverb synth or drum machine videos i feel like theyre exclusively talking to people who play guitar and have never heard of a synthesizer
The reason his voice is distorting is because they have to turn on the "room sound" and it's meshing weird with the pre recorded drum machine line-in sound.
I've had TONS of hardware gear and drum machines. Can't for the life of me understand the lure into spending so much on a drum machine when software like superior drummer is so much better and so much easier to use. To each his own I guess. Even the standard plugin "Impact" in my Studio One DAW can do this stuff, a lot easier too.
Since when isn't the TR-08 sample based? The Digitakt is a drum machine/sequencer and sampler. The only thing I don't like about the Digitakt is the lack of time stretching. Yet is it by far the best sounding of the three.
Here's the coolest thing... luckily the volga beats has a sync and gate out... which can be patchable into the grandmother either gate in or... midi in...with a special made midi adapter...that can be found in the net.
What is an ideal way to amp these up? Just through an audio interface and computer speakers? Audio interface and better monitors? PA? I guess not a guitar amp because you'd probly blow the speaker. Idk I'm new at this...
Enjoyed your presentation. I still have my DR-880 (and I love it) I do One-man-gigs with it = with the Bass synth, and a Boss GT-6 guitar effects processor on board. I also use ( 2 ) FS-6 controllers. oNe LovE from NYC
some of the very early drum machines or altered other equipment was fully hat stand sometimes, famous drum kit altered and dangerous if got wet or damp was the small faces drum for itchico park then in 1966 had united states of america with double and tripple tape to tape looped machines turned on and off my ear and timeing ,same with the white noise in 66 ,steve marriot and jim hendrix even had a few magic boxes as they called them
It's nice that you can get so many sound effects that loop, but what I am more concerned with is the ability to program an entire song with regular bars, drum fill bars, breaks, and maybe even a few bars that change tempo but return again to the original tempo. You didn't show that at all.
@@zakramsey3508 MIDI Sync from Elektron OUT to MIDI IN on the TR-8, MIDI Out from TR-8 to MIDI IN on Volcabeats. Change MIDI settings to receive the signal all the way through.
@TheGameMakeGuy The laptop won't run Traktor/Serato and Ableton/Cubase/Standalone, midi sync those two programs together AS WELL as midi sync the external hardware: during a live set. For Studio use only, i would agree with you though. For live set purposes, you would need two laptops.
What happened to the Alesis SR 16? Probably the most popular drum machine out there today and for many years. I use it for live performance with 2 pedals to make the sounds different every time I play. One foot pedal is stop and start. The other is a fill pedal. Mind you the fill has 2 different programmable fills so you can have a little variety and you can reprogram it to do anything you want. And the best part is it's probably the most functional drum machine at the lowest price ever. Really you need to do more research...
@Justin Delay Cool, thanks. I forgot to add: hooking up speakers too. I notice a lot of synths don't have internal speakers, so was wondering what your low/mid/high price recommended setups might be.
no shit i'm realizing i might as well just start somewhere, but hoping to at least get one i'll love to start that will give me some quality time......which ones do you have
Thanks for this! I'm very new to beat making with drum machines (or in general, save for some rhythms I made in the past with my keyboard percussion sounds). I'm still a little confused about what you would need in order to use one of these machines as a step in recording, vs just making fun beats and saving them. I think I understand that part of it is choice; I can draw beats in Ableton, or use an external source like a drum machine, right? And it seems clear that the USB function is essential if I want to use the drum machine to lay down tracks in Ableton. But what I don't understand is this - do you program the beats on the machine and it goes simultaneously into the sequence you are recording in your DAW, for example like you would play a piano and it would record into a track, or do you make a beat and then export it as-is, and then have the option to manipulate the midi notes within Ableton? Or both? haha. I'm also curious how a midi keyboard would be different from this. For example, if I wanted to layer other instruments over a beat to make a song. It seems as though I would need either a sampler beat machine, like the last one you tried, or I could use a beat machine along with a keyboard, or a midi controller, or draw sounds within Ableton? Like, how much is it up to my preferences/workflow vs. what I'm actually limited to doing, by choosing one method over another, if that makes sense? Thanks!
I hear it too. Maybe it's a phase distortion, I'm assuming there's different mics/inputs that might be out of phase when both lines are mixed together.
