the watmm GAS thread

  On 4/21/2022 at 4:10 PM, cern said:

I still feel Volcas is a mix between instruments and toys. 

$5K+ gear is also toys..

  On 4/21/2022 at 4:14 PM, cern said:

 

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Doesn't sound half bad, looks like a better Digitakt for the drum part but consequently, a worse Rytm (except for the 2 vertically spaced rows, which is neat & ergonomic). Guessing the sequencer doesnt extend beyond the Digitakt (funny looking at the demo artist showing off old tricks), no song mode probably isn't going to cut it for a lot of folks. No sep outs is kinda crazy too, can always trust Elektron to fumble these things.

  On 4/21/2022 at 10:27 PM, chim said:

$5K+ gear is also toys..

Doesn't sound half bad, looks like a better Digitakt for the drum part but consequently, a worse Rytm (except for the 2 vertically spaced rows, which is neat & ergonomic). Guessing the sequencer doesnt extend beyond the Digitakt (funny looking at the demo artist showing off old tricks), no song mode probably isn't going to cut it for a lot of folks. No sep outs is kinda crazy too, can always trust Elektron to fumble these things.

Wasn't there some drama last year that Elektron got acquired by a different company which could make coming design choices a bit more.. questionable? Don't quote me on this, just saw people throw a fit on Facebook as they always do

Digi-boxes doesn't comes with Song Mode 

Thats a big deal breaker 

https://teenage.engineering/products/tx-6

i have no use for this but i want it

  On 4/22/2022 at 6:22 AM, nikisoko said:

https://teenage.engineering/products/tx-6

 

i have no use for this but i want it

Oh boy that's a huge hand.

ultra-portable pro-mixer

Teenage Beta Males Engineering

  On 4/22/2022 at 6:22 AM, nikisoko said:

https://teenage.engineering/products/tx-6

 

i have no use for this but i want it

The leather back is hilarious. I like the ideas behind their products but it's like they're made for rich Ikea visitors

Nobody has mentioned that the TX-6 is something like $1200

EDIT: I just caught this:

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super slimline cables
high quality, slimline cables custom-made for TX–6. the narrow profile allows you to use all 6 channels at once and makes for an easy pack down.
 

That implies YOU CAN'T USE IT WITH OFF THE SHELF CABLES because the jacks are too close together.

  On 4/22/2022 at 2:02 PM, TubularCorporation said:

Nobody has mentioned that the TX-6 is something like $1200

 

EDIT: I just caught this:

 

That implies YOU CAN'T USE IT WITH OFF THE SHELF CABLES because the jacks are too close together.

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and the cables are $15 a pop

  On 4/22/2022 at 3:14 PM, nikisoko said:

and the cables are $15 a pop

Do you at least get a bunch of them for spending Cirklon level money on a haute culture mixer?

It almost looks enough like this to interest me:

But not quite.

EDIT: I bet the chorus in this thing sounds nice. Looks like you're getting a ca. 1982-83 Boss overdrive of some kind, an analog chorus, and a second clean input.  Internet prices are a bit much but I'd absolutely pay like $25-$30 for one of these for dealing with synths that don't sound cheap enough on their own.

  On 4/22/2022 at 3:17 PM, chronical said:

Do you at least get a bunch of them for spending Cirklon level money on a haute culture mixer?

No. You do get a free minijack headphone adapter thingy though. 

Also, the cables come in one flavour: 1.2 meters, male minijack at the other end as well. I guess at the scale this mixer is at that is plenty of length but if you're gonna have something that is not also incredibly tiny on your table it's not hard too imagine a scenario where you're gonna need a longer cable to have your machines arranged the way you want it. Plus possibly some adapters to go to 6.3 jack. So gotta toss some mono F to M minijack cables plus mono 3.5 to 6.3 adapterplugs/cables into the mix there.  

 I get the esthetic appeal of a lot of the stuff TE makes but every time I see their offerings I can't help but think I'm looking at some very niche market electronic waste and this hedonistic approach is as much as a throwback as their designs are. But I guess the entire point of TE is that they make stuff that is very well designed, clever and super neat but quite limited, a bit obnoxious and naive at the same time. Feel like I suddenly understand how they've come to name their company.  

I'm also really curious as to how many of these units will be produced on the first run, how big of a market is there for something that's kind of a impractical hyper-practical tool? Otoh I see they also offer a wide range of clear/translucent splashwater proof pouches and bags that seem to me mostly useful to people driving convertibles in gated communities.

the New Age people?

Instagrambient content generators perhaps?

  On 4/23/2022 at 8:26 AM, user said:

Instagrambient content generators perhaps?

Oh yeah and many girls going this path I have seen 

Bit harsh on the space echo.

I think the TE thing started with the thought, 'we need an audio interface, how do we wank it off a bit to justify our already set price point,' rather than lets build the perfect compact portable mixer, which is why it is seemingly very niche.  As always opportunity cost comes into this.  I needed a 'compact' mixer and ended up with a midas venice 160 that used to be owned by Liza Minelli that she used for karaoke sessions, for less than half the price of this.  Why would I want something that screams electronic music bro is going to date rape you, when I could have something that has literally channeled drunken renditions of Cabaret by Judy Garland's daughter as she casts her gaze over a celebrity sex orgy almost certainly involving Bianca Jagger and Matt Willis from Busted.    

  On 4/21/2022 at 10:36 PM, chronical said:

Wasn't there some drama last year that Elektron got acquired by a different company which could make coming design choices a bit more.. questionable? Don't quote me on this, just saw people throw a fit on Facebook as they always do

Yes, their long time collaborator and posterboy cenk left at the same time, no official connection between the two. It's simply not competitive today to make & support a Machinedrum every ten years, but the backlash is getting pretty sour on this one. It's already sold out so only time will tell.

  On 4/23/2022 at 7:49 AM, iococoi said:

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This has to be Knobs' studio...

  On 4/23/2022 at 1:22 AM, user said:

I'm also really curious as to how many of these units will be produced on the first run, how big of a market is there for something that's kind of a impractical hyper-practical tool?

Beats me, at some point all the features are spread too thin to really amount to anything, and the pricing is insane, you're competing with serious gear. You need a pair of tweezers to adjust the panning and aux knobs. For any recording other than DI:ing your Moog® Grandmother® into your Apple® Macbook® Pro with Logic® you still need preamps. Field recordists? They have Zoom H6 and F8n. DJ'ing? Really? Hell you could get a Babyface and a fairly decent digital mixer and still have money left over for a Youtube-friendly FX pedal or two. 

Cenk was more of a demonstrator rather than a developer wasn’t he? Sad to see him go but I don’t see how that affects the final product.

I really liked Cukoo’s demo of the Syntakt but I feel like he could have made a similar tune with either a Digitakt or a Digitone. What are the specific unique shits that the Syntakt can do?

  On 4/23/2022 at 1:33 PM, webby said:

Cenk was more of a demonstrator rather than a developer wasn’t he? Sad to see him go but I don’t see how that affects the final product.

I really liked Cukoo’s demo of the Syntakt but I feel like he could have made a similar tune with either a Digitakt or a Digitone. What are the specific unique shits that the Syntakt can do?

Cenk was only a demonstrator.. He went all in with the equipment flying to the moon and around instead of keeping a simple product presentation. It's like he had no personality what so ever.. It was just him and the machines. 

Elin has more personality.  

Cukoo is the hipsters father. 

No there is nothing unique and new with the Syntakt. Is the same box as the other.. And still no Song Mode. Peace 

  On 4/23/2022 at 1:33 PM, webby said:

I really liked Cukoo’s demo of the Syntakt but I feel like he could have made a similar tune with either a Digitakt or a Digitone. What are the specific unique shits that the Syntakt can do?

A few:

• The FX router thing is the first I've seen in any Elektron. As expected you can p lock it. I always figured this was going to be standalone box. 
• Both analog and digital voices in a single box
• Relatively (12) high voice count with modular selection of machines (Rytm was 8, MD was 16). All can be used as MIDI outs kinda like an OT.
• Unlike Rytm and MD, a large number of synth engines are dedicated to notes/melody/chords. 
• 4 trig performance buttons per voice. Although its common for every Elektron to have some kinda performance mode, this one seems unique to the Syntakt.

  On 4/23/2022 at 1:22 AM, user said:

I'm also really curious as to how many of these units will be produced on the first run, how big of a market is there for something that's kind of a impractical hyper-practical tool? Otoh I see they also offer a wide range of clear/translucent splashwater proof pouches and bags that seem to me mostly useful to people driving convertibles in gated communities.

I don't need anything like this but I'll also be curious how well it does.

I'm going to guess that the real market they were trying to crack was a portable mac audio interface. The defacto goto for years has been the Apollo Twin Duo which is about the same price, much bulkier, and only two channels. I know at least two people who own one. The fact that you can throw the TX-6 thing in your pocket and multi track record 6 channels at once is pretty cool. Synth groovebox features sorta just seem like bonuses to me (oh look we got some extra rom, lets toss a few PO algorithm in there!).

Now for something directly aimed at us:

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IDUM is a gate processing effect that turns its input effortlessly into IDM.  Making complex electronic music with the modular usually requires meticulous sequencing done in advance or a large ecosystem of modules. Unfortunately, the level of expertise needed to accomplish this is not accessible to the average modular user. IDUM aims to make this process easier and put Intelligent Dance Music, also known as IDM, into the hands of people with average intelligence. IDUM does not require much knowledge to get immediate and compelling results; but with some extra familiarity, this module can enable innovative music making techniques. Instead of generating musical patterns on its own, IDUM acts like an effects processor for the sequences that run through it. For example, a filter or a delay allows the user to alter their sound by twisting the knobs or modulating the parameters. Similarly, IDUM manipulates the actual gates and sequences of connected modules, but with a level of playability normally inaccessible to a sequencer. IDUM can vary carefully crafted sequences or turn your music into an onslaught of controlled chaos. Its open source code and hardware based on the beginner friendly Arduino Nano Every encourage users to tweak their modules to taste or to add new features all while ensuring future improvements as IDUM makes its way into the wild.

IDUM has eight effect modes:

HOLD - Alter the length of incoming triggers.

BURST - Generates a ratcheting effect with timing determined by the clock.

MULTIPLY/DIVIDE - Generates a ratcheting effect with timing determined by incoming triggers.

BALL - Generates a bouncing ball effect.

ROTATE - scrambles the connections of inputs and outputs.

DELAY - postpones incoming gates by a dynamic amount of time based on incoming triggers.

BREAK - preset rhythms that turn incoming triggers into breakbeats.

SKIP - manipulates the clock output to multiply the clock speed or skip forward multiple steps.

In addition to these modes, IDUM features an eight step looper that loops incoming gates as well as any effects that were active on those steps.

To control when IDUM's effects are active, the CHANCE slider sets the likelihood that on a given step an effect will activate and the LENGTH slider sets how many steps the effect will last for. The PARAM knob controls a parameter unique to each effect while the MODE knob selects the mode. All of these controls as well as the LOOP status have their own CV modulation inputs.

Unique to IDUM is its ability to manipulate external sequencers using the clock output. This includes functions like: pausing the clock when an effect is active for dynamic clock division, skipping forwards or multiplying the speed of the clock in SKIPmode, and looping a sub-section of sequencer steps in the looper. To keep everything tamed while manipulating the clock, the CYCLE switch will send out bursts of clocks to catch your sequencer up with its original sequencer position after an effect has completed. Keep in mind that not all sequencers like to be clocked fast enough to work with these features, so for best results pair your IDUM with a TREE/ LEAVES combo from Mystic Circuits.

IDUM might be the stupidest way to make IDM and we at Mystic Circuits are proud of that. Whether you want to add complexity to your dancefloor bangers or make the most obtuse and unlistenable music imaginable, IDUM is here to help. See just how dumb your music can get with the Mystic Circuits IDUM.

‍

Here is a link to a more in-depth video manual which should have everything you need to get started with IDUM: https://youtu.be/MxeaIY5kHX0

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  On 4/23/2022 at 2:08 PM, acid1 said:

I don't need anything like this but I'll also be curious how well it does.

I'm going to guess that the real market they were trying to crack was a portable mac audio interface. The defacto goto for years has been the Apollo Twin Duo which is about the same price, much bulkier, and only two channels. I know at least two people who own one. The fact that you can throw the TX-6 thing in your pocket and multi track record 6 channels at once is pretty cool. Synth groovebox features sorta just seem like bonuses to me (oh look we got some extra rom, lets toss a few PO algorithm in there!).

But they are calling it Pro? What is Pro? 
Stereo Mini-tele?

Probably cool for a beach party or home party lol 

And Why is there a awful synt inside the mixer? A mixer is a mixer but this has a synt integrated in the Mixer. 
It is like when you open your music library and U2's Songs Of Innocence is there for ever.