Audiobus: Use your music apps together.
What is Audiobus? — Audiobus is an award-winning music app for iPhone and iPad which lets you use your other music apps together. Chain effects on your favourite synth, run the output of apps or Audio Units into an app like GarageBand or Loopy, or select a different audio interface output for each app. Route MIDI between apps — drive a synth from a MIDI sequencer, or add an arpeggiator to your MIDI keyboard — or sync with your external MIDI gear. And control your entire setup from a MIDI controller.
Download on the App StoreAudiobus is the app that makes the rest of your setup better.
Comments
Synth or sample based?
The flexibility of samples vs being tied to a specific synth engine leans me toward samples
Agreed. Especially if you can upload your own samples. If you are able to add your own samples, the potential is limitless.
If sample based and performance oriented, than I would definitely go with something Elektron.
I'm not fan of their latest entry line because it's way too limited imo (but I'm spoiled with OT).
But Digitakt or even OT second hand might fit the bill if that's something you're into.
Solid clock, midi sequencing (for external hw or iPad), performance oriented.
Slightly OT:
For sample based stuff I would probably stay ITB and pick a controller for tactile. It's just much easier and quicker to manage, but on the downside, it's never going to be the same experience.
Older smaller MPC's (500, 1000) are pretty cheap since the release of current line. I was little tempted, but I think I would still trust the old thing more than these with touch screen. Depending on your music these will offer completely different performance options from Elektron.
You could get a Volca Sample and Volca Drum for that budget.
I'm looking into trying the Pajen firmware w/ my Volca Sample:
https://ranzee.com/volca-sample-unofficial-firmware/
May also try the Pajen firmware for my Volca FM though that's OT
Korg Electribe Sampler, used green one would do very nicely.
An SP404. It's pretty solid through and through. You'd have to probably look for a deal, though.
For me personally, I like my Artiria Drumbrute impact. It’s a lot of fun to actually use and I love making beats with it. It’s quick and easy to make beats on the fly and use the features such as repeat to play the machine as a tactile instrument.
When I want a sample based drum machine I can just use the drumbrute as a controller anyway and MIDI it to a proper sampler. Either virtual or hardware.
Best of both worlds for me. But I do love synth drums. :-)
I don’t see a sample based drum machine for £300 I’d swap the drumbrute for. And you’d have to manage the samples for pretty much any £300 sample based drum machine externally anyway. So I figure I might as well leave the samples external and use the drumbrute as if it were a controller when I want that workflow.
The complete lack of screens On the DBI is a major bonus for me too. It makes programming beats very quick and satisfying.
But I guess it depends how you want to use the drum machine. It’d be dead boring if we all did the same thing :-)
Behringer RD 8
i spent 300 on the elektron model samples, i like it but haven’t really dug into it a lot. there’sa great app called transfer that lets you send samples to it right from your ios device and that makes it much better, i don’t like using my macbook to transfer samples when every things on my ipad 🤣 also the sp404 is something i would buy again but it has its downside and koala app is pretty much the same thing
Thanks guys. There is a lot to think about. I’m also considering maybe an RD8 (or 9 🤷🏽♂️ something like that - RD6) for simple foundational stuff that’s easy to play live plus a simple pad controller (maybe a Circuit) to supplement. How much did I say? 💸
If you can, wait about 3 weeks or so before you decide. There's some new hardware coming that might be up your alley. That's all I can really say right now.
Maybe a Boss DDR-110? At least I would buy one for sure. Loving the sound of it. And a mod for it.
Model:Samples seems ideal in many ways and aside from nailing the budget is Made for jamming and much can be done sonically from the “one page” UI layout. You’d have to be creative within the limitations and if it were studio-only I’d also suggest two Volca Samples chained but for any sort of gig-jamming Model:Samples has the room and sturdiness to really twerk hard with.
Circuit would be next and only next because now we’re talking 4 drum lanes instead of 6 and less immediately-radical morphing capability. Both sample-flip so it depends how much you embrace said limitations of each.
https://m.thomann.de/fi/elektron_model_samples.htm?glp=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIu_bd8MfR6wIVNgCiAx3mWwSnEAQYBSABEgJbGfD_BwE
I’d vote for the RD8 or if you can stretch your budget a little further go off piste and grab a Polyend Tracker.
Korg electribe r.
I will wait! Thanks!
I seriously considered both Samples and Circuit but ultimately I wasn’t feeling it. If there was an RD-9 right now I’d probably just get that. I am also seriously considering stretching to a TR8S.
But I can wait! 😎👍🏼
Colour me intrigued...???
Notation Circuit, samples and a really nice synth too.
$300 is pretty limiting, especially in terms of samples... Model:Samples is only one real alternative in that price range
Circuit is great too, but it depends on how many tracks for direct muting:unmuting during performance you need - Circuit has 4 drum tracks, Model:Samples 6... both have per step sound locks but by using more sounds on single track you loose simple way to mute just some of them
Electribe sampler is nice too, but a litle bit over the $300 - but in case you choose electribe, beware to pick new one (red, or in case of synth blue - not the old grey/black models) - the have significantl better pads
E2 has in my opinion significantly less intuitive sequencer than Elektron gear or Circuit (i had E2, Circuit and now i have Digitone, so comparing based on my own experience)
Oh and Electribe has only 4 bars lomg pattern, Circuit 8 bars... Model:Samples has 4 bars too but thanks to conditional triggees you can buils lot more complex patterns which doesn't sound like just 4 bars long, plus you can decrease resolution of track op to 1/4, so 1 step is not 1/16 notr but 1/2 note, and then this track is 32 bars long .. and every track can have own length, so polyrythms like a breeze
Another advantage od Model:Samples is there is iOS app which allows you upload samoles into device via USB feom iPhone/iPad and it can work also like audio/midi interface when connected to iPad ...
I really like Circuit but I'm looking for that old feeling of "playing" a drum machine such as just swapping patterns live and muting/unmuting different sounds. Actually pretty basic stuff when you think about it. I'm thinking of the interface of the TR series pretty much. And while I thought that samples would be the way to go I am not averse to a fixed sound set after more research. It's really just old school stuff I guess. We'll probably end up using an iPad as a manually triggered sample player. I am going to take a look at the Drumbrutes today. As I said, if there was an RD-9 now I would probably just get that and be done with it. The RD-8 is cool but the 909 soundset will better apply to what we're doing. As far as the $300 price, I can be a little flexible with that if I can get what "feels good" to me.
Thanks everyone for your input! It's been very helpful!
Is a Moog DFAM good for live work?
MFB Tanzbar Is my personal favorite.
No sample but fantastic sound.
That is a great machine.
I am partial to drum synths myself so I can make "my sound" as opposed to have my tracks littered with some companies sound. Call me an elitist if you will but 80% of the fun of synthesis is sound creation. That said there are few drum synths that have enough parameters for creation and the only one I have found with the specs that I want that I can afford is the...
Jomox AlphaBase. I had to sell a couple synths to reasonably add it to my arsenal but it was well worth it.
Lisa Belladonna at least has put it to good use live