François from Shakmat's Epic Live Rig - Beijing Modular 26

video upload by sonicstate

"François *from Shakmat* showed us his Live System, the modular, Elektron Octatrack and *Mixer *based rig he uses for all his live sets, including the epic set just last night in Beijing. He explained that the setup grew out of Shakmat talks, then became a more portable performance system after earlier versions proved too large and heavy for touring.

The rig combines Shakmat drum modules including Battering Ram*, *Lancer's Lash and Archer's Rig with Ballista Blast *voices, *Bishop's Miscellany sequencing, a mixer-based dub workflow, tape delay and reverb pedals, plus Octatrack material sampled from the modular. The *Ballista Blast *is a hybrid voice with digital VCO and modulation, plus analogue filter, distortion and VCA stages.

He also explained Shakmat's Select Bus workflow. The system uses the Eurorack power-bus pins for MIDI-style preset changes, so multiple modules can change together. A new firmware for Ballista Blast and Bishop's Miscellany adds exclusive Select Bus messages with channel, bank and preset control. Preset recall is a hard switch rather than a morph, and the firmware is due in late November."

A $60 Elektron Machinedrum?! (M-Vave FM1 Hortator)

video upload by AutoHot

You can find the M-VAVE FM-1 on Amazon.

"M-VAVE FM-1 running the Hortator custom firmware! Can a $60 groovebox sound like the legendary Elektron Machinedrum? Here is a raw techno sound demo.

With the Hortator firmware, the M-Vave FM1 turns into a powerful 8-track drum machine featuring 45 drum engines — including 21 models inspired by the Elektron Machinedrum.

In this first live jam session, I explore punchy kicks, FM textures, and industrial electronic grooves built entirely on this compact synth.

🔗 Get the Hortator Firmware:
https://deadactive.github.io/hortator/

🎛 Gear & Details:
• Synth: M-VAVE FM-1 (FM1)
• Firmware: Hortator Custom OS
• Style: Hardware Techno / Industrial Jam"

M-Vave FM-1: Turning the synth into an Elektron Machinedrum! Hortator firmware review
video upload by AutoHot

"An Elektron Machinedrum for pennies? New Hortator firmware for the M-Vave FM-1. Eight tracks of drums, inside the M-Vave FM-1. A stunning Elektron Machinedrum-style drum machine from the M-Vave FM-1: Exploring the Hortator firmware. 45 drum engines in three banks: 21 measured from the Machinedrum (13 TRX, 8 EFM), 10 modern, 14 classic. 151 factory presets, 128 user slots. The Elektron spirit is definitely present in this firmware.

Transforming the budget M-Vave FM-1 synthesizer into a full-fledged drum machine in the style of the legendary Elektron Machinedrum!

In this video, we explore the alternative Hortator firmware from DEADACTIVE. It completely transforms the functionality of this small synthesizer, turning it into a powerful 8-track drum machine similar to the renowned Elektron Machinedrum, with authentic electronic sound and flexible control.

Hortator Architecture and Sound Engines:
8 drum tracks inside the compact M-Vave FM-1.
45 Drum Engines in 3 banks:
21 engines lifted from the Elektron Machinedrum (13 TRX models and 8 EFM models);
10 modern engines (Modern);
14 classic engines (Classic).

CLICK FOR MORE »

Bad Gear - DIGITAL is better than Analog?

video upload by AudioPilz

"Welcome to Bad Gear, the show about the world’s most hated audio tools. Today we’re going to talk about Elektron Machinedrum.

This 21st Century drum machine stood its ground throughout a decade when everybody and their dog got into plugins, it briefly surpassed Roland TRs as the most overused dance music cliche, current used prices suggest that digital is finally cooler than analog and people STILL hate it on the internet. Thanks for making this possible."

Cast Away (Elektron Digitone // MFB Tanzbar // Roland S-1 // Teenage Engineering KO Sidekick EP 136)

video upload by 2-Minute Warning

"1 track, 3 machines, a little over 5 minutes. 🎛️

Back with the same setup as *Live at Home 2*: the Elektron Digitone, MFB Tanzbär and Roland S-1. This time, though, it's one continuous piece rather than a collection of patterns and ideas.

All three instruments are connected to the **Teenage Engineering KO II Sidekick EP-136**:
Channel 1: MFB Tanzbär - punchy analog drums
Channel 2: Elektron Digitone - all the synth parts, plus some FM percussion
AUX input: Roland S-1 - Bass

The MIDI chain is pretty straightforward: Digitone to S-1 to Tanzbär.
The Digitone sequences the S-1, while the Tanzbär runs its own internal sequencer.

Things get a little more… unpredictable during the second half of the track, where I start playing around with the Sidekick's Loop effect to create all sorts of drum breaks.

It was an absolute pleasure to play with - perhaps a little too much of a pleasure, judging by how often I kept using it! 😄

But hey, sometimes you find an effect that makes you want to keep pushing it just a little further.

Hope you'll enjoy this one!

As always, the performance was recorded in a single take. I mixed and mastered the individual tracks afterwards in Ableton Live."

Exploring the dark side of the Ohmforce Bohm - Does it doom?

video upload by Abre Ojos

"There are lots of techno focussed demos of the Bohm but not a lot exploring big kick atmospheres. This is the video I wanted to see before taking a chance and buying it.

The custom black and gold panels are from https://audioparasites.com/

00:00 Intro ramble
02:15 The rest of the set up & Lapus Os
06:31 The Neuzeit Warp
08:26 The VHIKK-X into the Ghost
09:39 Into the Bohm Zone
14:58 The Groove - Playing with different clocks
19:41 Different snapshots & models
20:44 FM2X Model
22:23 HPN Model
23:00 HZ-1 Model
24:39 OLP4 Model
25:34 SP-6 Model
26:12 VXT Model & End Jam"

Assay - PsyDoom Technoise - Elektron Tonverk & Eurorack

video upload by Abre Ojos

"‪@WeAreElektron‬ Tonverk
‪@ohmforceofficial‬ Bohm, Groove & Performer with Audio Parasites panels
Neuzeit Warp
Knit
VHIKK-X
‪@Endorphines‬ Ghost & Sqwk Dirty to Me
‪@NoiseEngineering‬ Lapus Os
‪@busycircuits‬ Pams New Workout
‪@DivKid‬ DivSkip
‪@intellijel‬ Multigrain
‪@1010music‬ Bluebox

Video:
Live visuals using The Astral Factor (1972) from Archive.org played through cracked ancient iPad and processed through:
Video microscope
iPhone camera
Roland V1-HD
@entropyandsons Recursion Studio
Resolume Avenue
Recorded with Rodecaster Video"

Future Sound Systems - Hazardous (Techno Studio Jam)

video upload by Cyber-Detection-Syst82

"The Elektron Analog Four synthesizer sync to Korg SQ-64 that send CV and GATE to the Future Sound Systems Cric synthesizer and sequence 3 Corsynth drum modules:

-Elektron Analog Four: pads
-Future Sound Systems Cric: Bass
-Corsynth Drum Modules: Kick - Snare - OHH
-Korg SQ-64: sequence Cric and Corsynth Drum Modules"

Follow-up to this post.

He Spoke WIth Elektron About The Hacked Firmware

video upload by EZBOT

"I had an hour long call with Elektron about AI and its impact on the company, their thoughts on hacked firmware, and I tried some out myself. Elektron gave me their blessing to share what we discussed on my channel. This is NOT an official statement from Elektron, this is my recount and interpretation of our in-depth meeting. Let's discuss and get the facts."

Cric Future Sound Systems & Analog Four Elektron (Electro Studio Jam)

video upload by Cyber-Detection-Syst82

"The Elektron Analog Four synthesizer sequences the Future Sound Systems Cric synthesizer. You get everything from metallic FM sounds to more organic tones. It's surprising how the Cric synthesizer can change its character by changing a parameter! A truly unpredictable synthesizer! I love it"

altstrument - A directory of custom and third-party firmware and tools for music hardware.

via the creator of the site:

"I just launched altstrument.org, a free directory of custom and third-party firmware and tools for music hardware.

It lists 544 custom firmwares and 88 host-side tools (editors, flashers, SDKs) across 120 devices from 45 manufacturers: Elektron boxes, Akai MPCs, Korg's logue synths, norns and monome, Mutable Instruments and Noise Engineering modules, the M-Vave FM-1, the Music Thing Workshop Computer and more. Each entry records who made it, where the source lives, its license, its version history and whether it's still maintained. The site links to the projects and never hosts firmware files.

CLICK FOR MORE »

Elektron Digitone II 16-Track Polyphonic Digital Synthesizer

Note: links to listings are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.

via this listing

Additional Perfect Circuit listings

CLICK FOR MORE »

Elektron Machinedrum MDX.20 - part01

video upload by van gee (vangeemusic)

"testing new MDX.20 firmware
improvised jam by vangeemusic"

CLICK FOR MORE »

DnB foundations on Tonverk

video upload by Elektron

"VoltageCtrlr sketches out a nice little Tonverk DnB foundation of breaks, one-shots, and Wavefinder. This is all it takes to get up and running. Then you get to take it wherever the track needs to go."

TinyGreg added a sampler to the Elektron Model:Cycles (and a lot more) | Model-TG

video upload by TinyGreg

"A laid-back walkthrough of Model-TG, my free, open-source firmware additions for the Elektron Model:Cycles (OS 1.13). Everything the Cycles already does still works; this adds a full Sampler machine and a pile of new features on top.

Flash your own copy of Model-TG here (you need your own copy of the OS stock firmware:
https://tinygregaudio.github.io/Model...

Source, user guide and every button combo:
https://github.com/TinyGregAudio/Mode...

What's in it:
• A Sampler machine on any track: per-pattern samples, sample locks, reverse, a waveform view
• Seven playback modes: One shot, Loop, Slice, Granular, Stretch, Pluck and Wave (wavetables)
• Slice by equal size, transient or two kinds of manual chopping.
• Resampling of a track, the whole mix, or your computer's audio over USB
• Stereo samples, and uploading your own WAVs with Elektron Transfer
• A performance page with beat-repeat and 12 master FX
• Attack, Filter and Resonance on all the stock machines
• Slide trigs: glide any p-locked parameter from one trig to the next
• Scale Lock, a CPU/memory page, and lower CPU use overall

Thanks to drumkilla (elektron-model-tweaks) for the latching mute, trig preview and browser scroll tweaks, and to mischa85 for elektron-firmware-tool.

Model-TG is unofficial: it is not made, supported or endorsed by Elektron. Install it at your own risk, and back up your projects first. You can go back to the stock OS at any time. "Elektron" and "Model:Cycles" are trademarks of Elektron Music Machines.

#Elektron #ModelCycles #Sampler #Firmware #Synth #ModelTG"

Elektron, OP-1, Kaleidoscope | Pure Synth Hardware Sound

video upload by Mamotreco

"A short and sweet hardware synth jam. Hopefully the start of something beautiful.

Gear featured in this setup:
• Teenage Engineering OP-1
• Vadim Minkin's Kaleidoscope Synth
• Elektron Octatrack
• Elektron Analog Four
• Teenage Engineering K.O. Sidekick EP-136

Recorded live with no external overdubs or DAWs."

SATURDAY: Elektron Digitone 2, Outbox 8, Analog 4 and Eventide Tricera Chorus.

video upload by Acid Gray

"Digitone 2 and Analog 4 on a melancholic IDM-jam building the first track for my next album.

Digitone 2 used for pads (Swarmer machines) plus Tricera Chorus and reverb. The other tracks are used for drums and percussion.

Here Outbox 8 really shines, as you now can use the DN as synth, drum machine and external sequencer - and still go for hardware recordings.

Analog 4:
T1: Lead
T2: Bass
T3: Additional Pad
T4: Pluck

Will use the DN2 / A4 combo definitely more frequently.

Had severe issues with my BlueBox today, as no separate FX tracks were recorded, although the option was selected, so I added reverb and delay in Logic X Pro this time."

Live at Home II (Elektron Digitone // MFB Tanzbar // Roland S1 // Teenage Engineering KO Sidekick)

video upload by 2-Minute Warning

"It's been almost a year since I last used my Elektron Digitone. The knobs had gradually become sticky, making the instrument pretty unpleasant to use. Since this seems to be an issue other people have experienced too (and I've had similar problems with other gear), I eventually decided to buy replacement knobs and swap them myself.

And honestly, this machine is too good to stay on the shelf!

To celebrate its return, here's a second "Live at Home" session: a 14-minute live set built mainly around patterns I recorded on the Digitone before I stopped using it.

The setup:
Elektron Digitone : the heart of the setup, sequencing the Roland S-1 and sending program changes to switch its sounds throughout the set.
Roland S-1 : mainly handling the bass.
MFB Tanzbär : adding some extra analog drums, using its own internal sequencer.
Teenage Engineering KO Sidekick : processing the Tanzbär (Channel 1) and the Digitone (Channel 2), with onboard effects for breaks, transitions, and a bit of hands-on sound shaping.

The Digitone acts as the master clock, with MIDI running from the Digitone to the S-1 and then to the Tanzbär. While the Digitone sequences the S-1, the Tanzbär keeps its own patterns running in sync with the rest of the setup.

No elaborate concept this time, just a chance to revisit some old patterns, bring the Digitone back into the mix, and see where the machines take me.

As always, the performance was recorded in a single take. I mixed and mastered the individual tracks afterwards in Ableton Live, but the musical performance itself wasn't edited or fixed.

00:00 Track 01 01:21 Track 02 03:04 Track 03 05:06 Track 04 06:26 Track 05 07:55 Track 06 09:07 Track 07 10:37 Track 08 12:28 Track 09 12:52 Track 10"

Why to Still Love the Oberheim Matrix-6R, Even If There are No Knobs.

video upload by Nostalgic Explorer

"In 1986, Oberheim took the DNA of its flagship synths and squeezed it into a rack module... then removed every single knob.

That one decision is why the #Oberheim Matrix-6R still divides people today. It's also a synth that ended up in the racks of Orbital, Philip Glass, Tangerine Dream and many more. So which is it: a hidden gem or a headache?

Explorers, I powered mine up to find out. There's one thing everybody complains about on the #Matrix6R, and I've got a different take on it. Then I hooked it up to my Elektron Digitakt, went digging through the patches, and found a few sounds I didn't want to stop playing.

Stay for the jam at the end. That's where this #VintageSynth really shows what it's made of.

00:00 – A Mid-80s Exploration Begins
00:18 – The Affordable Oberheim: Meet the Matrix-6R
03:09 – Sequencing From the Elektron Digitakt
03:34 – No Knobs? Let's Talk About It
04:00 – Finding Your Way Through the Presets
04:26 – Editing a Patch From the Front Panel
05:40 – Where the Modulation Magic Lives
06:13 – Splitting the Keyboard
06:37 – The Sounds Begin
11:10 – Let's Jam
14:13 – Final Thoughts"

Melbourne Instruments launches the Melbourne Exchange and publishes the Roto-Control API

Press release follows:

Melbourne Instruments launches the Melbourne Exchange, a free library of Roto-Control setups made by its owners

Setups for plugins, pedals and synths, plus new software built on Roto-Control's published APIs, all free to download from exchange.melbourneinstruments.com.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - Melbourne Instruments today launched the Melbourne Exchange, a free library where owners of Roto-Control, the company's motorized MIDI controller, share the setups and software they have built for it.

The Exchange opens with more than 60 entries. Plugin setups include Universal Audio's 1176 and LA-2A collections and the Distressor, plugins from SSL, Brainworx, Maag and Analog Obsession, and Logic Pro's own Compressor. Hardware setups cover pedals from Chase Bliss, Boss, Meris, Hologram, Old Blood Noise and Moog, and synths from Elektron, Moog, Waldorf and Korg. Each setup is a file that imports into Melbourne Instruments' ROTO-SETUP app, with parameter names, colors and detents already in place.

Every entry has its own page credited to the person who made it, with a download count and a clear statement of what it has been checked against: the maker's documentation, a Roto-Control, or the device itself. Owners can also confirm that a setup works with their own gear. Everything hosted on the Exchange is shared under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license.

The Exchange also carries software that owners have built on Roto-Control's published APIs, including RotoSeq, a Max for Live sequencer by Alut in which the eight knobs reshape the clock itself, and MAP8, an extended Ableton Live script by Quixotic7.

Both of Roto-Control's APIs, a serial API for configuration and a SysEx API for live two-way control, are published in full, and the source for Melbourne Instruments' own Ableton Live, Bitwig and Logic Pro integrations is on GitHub. The Exchange includes a starter prompt for AI coding assistants such as Claude, Cursor and Copilot that points the assistant at both specifications before it writes any code.

“We're delighted, and honestly a little amazed, by what owners are doing with Roto-Control,” said Jonathan, VP of Marketing at Melbourne Instruments. “People are mapping gear we never expected and building software for it we hadn't imagined. The Exchange gives all of that a home, with the maker's name on it. And because the APIs are published, anyone can build on it, whether they write the code themselves or with an AI assistant.”

Browsing the Exchange is open to everyone. Downloading and sharing need a free account, created with an email address and a six-digit code sent by email.

The Melbourne Exchange is live now at exchange.melbourneinstruments.com.

Elektron Syntakt 12 Track Drum Computer and Synthesizer SN A3S2219L8248-74

Note: links to listings are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.

via this Reverb listing

Additional CONTROL Listings

CLICK FOR MORE »

The NEW Squarp Core Changed Everything

video upload by EZBOT

"Squarp did something truly amazing. They made it possible to use their incredibly powerful XP32 expander for the Hermod+ with any MIDI equipment you own. This is an incredible upgrade for people like me who already know and love their hardware sequencers like Elektron, M8 Tracker, Polyend Tracker, or your favorite DAW like Bitwig and Ableton. The unit is packed with features and it has ridiculously nice screen and workflow. I barely had to read the manual to get things started. I am overjoyed! Today we talk about what it means and test it out with a system I just built."



EZBOT resources: https://www.patreon.com/ezbot, https://ko-fi.com/ezbot/, https://www.modbang.com