Drum Machine/Sequencer advice needed for newbie

Teedotyyz · Post by **Teedotyyz** » Sun Aug 17, 2008 9:19 pm

Hi everyone.

I am brand new to the whole synthesizer “experience” (for lack of a better word) and I am looking for some expert advice. I bought a microkorg about 6 months ago and am enjoying it immensely. I also have a demo copy of FL Studio which I putter around with when I have time.

My question is what drum machine/sequencer would best suit me for between $200-$300 used. I just want something to jam to that won’t cost an arm and a leg and would like some kit that would be portable so I am not tied to my PC all of the time.

I have been back and forth between different brands but have no idea if I should stick with Korg or go with something else.

Any help would be greatly appreciated! :D

fac · Post by **fac** » Mon Aug 18, 2008 12:30 am

What kind of music do you want to make?

Teedotyyz · Post by **Teedotyyz** » Mon Aug 18, 2008 4:54 am

Good question.

Mostly electronica. I have been learning some doors tunes to jam with some guys at work and have downloaded some VST's but I love the Lo Fi Allstars, Crystal Meth, Moby etc.

Calvary_Band · Post by **Calvary_Band** » Fri Aug 22, 2008 4:46 am

I'd pick up a Roland R8, overall a very good drum machine. If you want something vintage-sounding/controllable, get a MFB. I've used both and they're fantastic machine.

Teedotyyz · Post by **Teedotyyz** » Fri Aug 22, 2008 3:30 pm

Thanks for the input. I will defineatly look into that.

sji · Post by **sji** » Sat Aug 23, 2008 2:48 pm

You can pick up the old electribes pretty cheaply on ebay. I use the EM-1, which has both drum and synth sounds.

Teedotyyz · Post by **Teedotyyz** » Sat Aug 23, 2008 5:52 pm

Drum and synth combo is event better :)

sji · Post by **sji** » Sat Aug 23, 2008 7:31 pm

The EM-1 has 144 drum sounds and 50 synth waveforms. You can edit the sounds using cutoff, resonance, drive, pitch/glide etc plus add a roll or effects. The sequencer is quite nice too, it's simplicity isn't necessarily a weakness, plus there's midi out too, so you can sequence your external gear with it.

The EA-1 is similar, but is a 2-part synth, and the ER-1 is drums.

There's plenty of clips on youtube showing off these old electribes.

BatterieslikeBullets · Sat Aug 23, 2008 8:47 pm

i highly suggest u get an electribe

with just a microkorg and a dum machine ure limited to just a simple beat and a lead

but with an electribe (hopefully like the EMX or ESX or even the EM-1) u can compse complete songs and the only thing limiting you would be ureself

whats even cooler is that u can program what u want to play on the MK onto the electribe, connect via MIDI, and the electribe will sequence the MK for you

its (kinda) basically a portable fruityloops!!

fac · Post by **fac** » Sun Aug 24, 2008 5:05 pm

I have three drum machines that I use for live stuff: Korg ER-1, Korg ES-1, and Boss DR-770. They are all very different.

The ER-1 is a drum synthesizer based on FM synthesis. It can give you a lot of realtime control over the sounds, which makes it good for weird percussions and bleeps, but I wouldn't use it as my only drum machine.

The ES-1 is a sampler, which means you can record or upload any sound, and play it back in a sequence. It's great for drum loops, but with little effort you can also do melody lines. It also has more effects than the ER-1, and although they're not high quality, they can be useful sometimes.

The DR-770 is a straight up drum machine. It has a bunch of decent samples which can be tweaked to some extent, and a couple decent effects, but it's not as easy to program as any of the Electribes, and is not suited for live tweaking.

Here's a video using my two electribes (ER-1 and ES-1) and my Korg MS2000R (which is similar to the microKorg):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPYw1Y9Lb0A

Teedotyyz · Post by **Teedotyyz** » Sun Aug 24, 2008 8:03 pm

Thanks guys for your input: D

I am steering toward the EMX-1 as I like all its features but I think I will have to wait to source one for a decent price. They seem to be a very hot commodity.

I have been checking out You Tube for different sounds and options as it is a great resource. Thanks for the link fac!

At least now I have a good starting point. Tim.