IS the electribe what I need?

1150A · Post by **1150A** » Tue Dec 04, 2007 4:47 am

Hi,
I'm very new to all this and I've read around, but I'm not 100% sure what I'm looking for yet, or if it exists.

My music consists of a drum machine, synth and an acoustic instrument (piano or violin). Though, I can't play all these things at the same time. I want to play my acoustic instrument, and have the drum machine and synth just playing.

The way I've been doing it is by, creating a drum track with reasons redrum.. exporting it as an MP3 file. Then, connecting my keyboard to my computer and recording it. Then, putting it together with Garageband. And finally, putting it on a CD so I could play along to it.

I'm looking to just get away from my computer completely for both production and live. This is where I get a bit confused. I need a device to record my synth parts on, and then play them. I also need some type of drum machine I can load my own samples into so I could play/make them over the synth track. Then I want to be able to play both tracks as a backing track so I can play acoustic Piano to it. (But, I don't need that acoustic piano recorded)

Really.. what I'm really looking for is to not use my computer at all. I need an alternative to Reasons Redrum as a drum machine, rewired to garageband w/ an audio interface to record a hardware synth. Then to be able to play the track w/ both.

Is the Electribe what I'm looking for? Does it do more than I need? Am I better off with something else?

Setsonics · Post by **Setsonics** » Tue Dec 04, 2007 12:49 pm

Well the ELectribes let you record Keyboard parts and play them back.

You can leave your computer behind if you get an electribe.

The EMX has 5 keyboard parts and makes for a better Synth machine, whilst the ESX-1 has more sample based parts, and less editable synth parts.

three_eyed_otter · Post by **three_eyed_otter** » Tue Dec 04, 2007 6:02 pm

http://www.samsontech.com/products/prod ... rodID=1919

That puppy will do a number for ya...Without a computa...

have a good one
3Eo

1150A · Post by **1150A** » Wed Dec 05, 2007 6:08 pm

Setsonics wrote:Well the ELectribes let you record Keyboard parts and play them back.

I've been told that if I record a synth, I can't record monophonically. So that means I can record any chords, just single notes?

Is this true with the ESX

Setsonics · Post by **Setsonics** » Wed Dec 05, 2007 7:14 pm

The ESX-1 is a Mono Synth only.

The EMX-1 can act as a polyphonic because it has 5 keyboard parts.

I do not own an EMX so someone else may be better suited to answer this.

three_eyed_otter · Post by **three_eyed_otter** » Wed Dec 05, 2007 8:02 pm

The EMX-1 can act as a polyphonic because it has 5 keyboard parts.

quite ez to do in theory but I've never tried it...copy the part to a new part, transpose the new part and be done with it...Or imagine being to add variation (tweekage), panning, modulation, etc. to the 3rd or octave of the harmony

have a good one
3Eo

1150A · Post by **1150A** » Fri Dec 07, 2007 5:51 pm

IF a keyboard I'm using doesn't have MIDI, Is it possible to get my keyboard sounds onto the ESX without a computer?

Ruso · Post by **Ruso** » Fri Dec 07, 2007 7:59 pm

I've been following the topic for a while now and I was unclear of weather people who have responded understood what you want to do... until now...

correct me if I'm wrong.... what you want to do is record your keyboard riffs onto the esx and then use the esx to play those sounds back with other things.....

if that's what you're after then no. ESX has a very small sample storage area, it's designed as a sampler and a sampler is designed to take one short sound, or a tiny hit or short drum loop, sometimes other samples usually not longer then say 3-5 seconds, and mangle it in ways like shifting pitch, stretching, reversing, and combinations of all of those to produce textures and instruments.

to be honest if you want to say record either long loops or whole keyboard parts to a song, your best option IS a lap top....... or I've heard of someone putting a computer running ableton live into a rackmount box, which auto loads the set and you don'
t even have to know there's a computer.... and he's got it set up where he can controll everything through midi controllers(actually I think he uses electribes)....

I know there are some more expensive smaplers.. I'm not sure but I think roland workstations let you do this buut even then you're limited by their memory.... if I'm wrong someone please let me know for future reference...

to put it another way, the way you'd use an electribe is to say record one note from your keyboard, and then use that sample on the keyboard part which will play it at different pitches across the esx keyboard...

or to take a vocal phrase like say.... "music rocks" and mangle it to do something like "mu..mumu... mu------ss-s-s-sic... rocks.... rocks... rocks..."

I hope that helps.

three_eyed_otter · Post by **three_eyed_otter** » Fri Dec 07, 2007 8:45 pm

to put it another way, the way you'd use an electribe is to say record one note from your keyboard, and then use that sample on the keyboard part which will play it at different pitches across the esx keyboard...

And then layer the notes to cr8 the chord?????

Yes????:?

have a good one
3Eo

1150A · Post by **1150A** » Sat Dec 08, 2007 5:20 am

Thanks Russo, that helped a ton.

Ruso · Post by **Ruso** » Sat Dec 08, 2007 8:33 pm

three_eyed_otter wrote:
to put it another way, the way you'd use an electribe is to say record one note from your keyboard, and then use that sample on the keyboard part which will play it at different pitches across the esx keyboard...
And then layer the notes to cr8 the chord????? Yes????:?

have a good one
3Eo

well no.... actually not

and it's actually only one s in my name

Argus · Post by **Argus** » Tue Feb 05, 2008 12:50 pm

Ruso wrote:mu..mumu... mu------ss-s-s-sic... rocks.... rocks... rocks...

I lol'd.

Groovebox · Post by **Groovebox** » Sun Feb 10, 2008 12:33 am

sure is what u wud want. If u get the emx, u can use its onboard drum samples to make a good drum track, record some synth tracks with its synth, and put your instrument in the audio in jack and select the audio in oscillator option. That way you could play along plus process the instrument you are playing and put it through the tubes. perfect match. or the esx is cool.

xmlguy · Post by **xmlguy** » Sun Feb 10, 2008 1:25 am

Ruso wrote: I know there are some more expensive smaplers.. I'm not sure but I think roland workstations let you do this buut even then you're limited by their memory.... if I'm wrong someone please let me know for future reference...

The Roland SP-555 groove box supports 2GB compact flash, giving 12+ hours of sample time. It also has a ton of Fantom effects, looping, sequencing, and direct USB upload/download to a computer.

Setsonics · Post by **Setsonics** » Sun Feb 10, 2008 7:23 am

12 hours would be nice, at max my ESX gives me a couple minutes, 2-3 max.

But I guess that's what the smart media cards are for!