Elektron Machinedrum SPS-1UW MKII

The Electron Machinedrum SPS-1 UW MKII is a drum synth and sampler that you can sequence on and program all of your kits with. It has a 2.5MB memory on it. Also, it does have some pretty simple and basic effects. The cost of the Machinedrum SPS-1 UW MKII is about 1200 USD, it seems expensive but once you get the chance to work with it you will realize that it is worth the money.

UTILIZATION

The sound quality of the Machinedrum SPS-1 UW MKII is top notch. You can really get some good sounding drums while using it if you know how to add some flare to them. If you are a sound designer or want to get into sound designing then you will love the Machinedrum SPS-1 UW MKII, it will allow you to dig deep into the sound creation process and come up with any sound you can imagine.

SOUNDS

Most all of the drum machines and generators of today are all software based. It was sort of like a breath of fresh air to get to use a hardware unit that can do what software drum machines can do plus more! It gives you real-time control and 130 MD machines. If you want you can even expand the drive to 6000 ROM samples.

OVERALL OPINION

The Machinedrum SPS-1 UW MKII does have 64 kits and 128 patterns for each individual song. There are 2 ¼ inputs on it and 6 ¼ outputs, including a headphone output. This unit is very portable and can be taken anywhere with you because it only weighs around 5 pounds and is about a foot wide. It comes with everything you need right out of the box to start using it right away. If you are into sound creation, this is where you need to invest your money. I love the Machinedrum SPS-1 UW MKII; it has added some much needed creativity to my set up.

Well I not etale on the subject, many have already done! (Midi in, out, thru, hand out, input, ....)

UTILIZATION

Then the already VERY big strong points: the use! The BAR is the most "handy", intuitive and easy to use and I had tried. Once read diagonally for 30 minutes manual really understands how it works. The tombs orders under the direction, everything is fast to do, we feel that it is made to facilitate creativity and tweakage, rather than the "heavy" programming (although it is not absent )

We leave very quickly effective pattern, p-locks really are a énooorme asset!

In addition, we feel it is cut to live, and she keeps her promise to live (just)

SOUNDS

Another big strong points, the sound and the sound triturage! The preset gross basis are not bad at all, I finally found. But we discovered the potential of the beast turning encoders! And its can really hurt as its can be very cheap for the German minimal (beuuuark). In short this machine is a real gas plant (no, I do not share in elektron)
I made a lot of mental tribe, quite heavy dub end stuff a lot of stuff and speed fat. I had read a lot about this bar and a lot of people say it sounds cold, AND BEN IS ARCHI WRONG! It sounds cold if desired, but the tweaking a minimum, heat and potatoes there! Brief as it should have the minimum cheap What Breton woods hardcore!

OVERALL OPINION

I has been a good month and a half, I am aware of not having made the turn (away from) but in any case, this bar is one of the best, if not the best, I know! Small flat rubber for encoders that are really not very strong ...
In short, if you have something to invest in a good bar and choose the one you really will not be disappointed!

-

UTILIZATION

-

SOUNDS

-

OVERALL OPINION

I did that for a few days, so I will give a first review hot quickly.

I was tired of his typed the Electribe (ESX) and who are looking for something more serious in terms of dynamics and synthesis, I went to the Machinedrum UW.

I have not used the machine to speak correctly but is my first review: skeptical.

The rhythm is broken by the arrival station, an encoder has taken a hit. And frankly, it is hardly surprising: compared to the Korg, the Elektron gear is "fragile" - and apparently, it is ... Be afraid, from the first contact, to take a machine on stage (within the racker / flyer carefully) is a little confusing for a machine oriented live. Note that I am away from playing in extreme conditions.
I have not had this fear for a moment with Electribe.

Is the "grip". She is described as a machine intuitive and fun, on this point I'm pretty disappointed. Electribe is an extremely convenient to take in hand, an MD, no. For the same functions, we will seek a MD, not with Electribe. CERTAINLY the two machines are not comparable in terms of sonic possibilities. But if we compare just the screen of the machine (the readability of the logic of the instrument, for example), it is in my opinion really worse ... I think it's still a bit tragic to take for high and to eat a huge slap on some aspects - suffer from a comparison with entry-level ...

Why need to press the function key to enter the tempo?!

WHY serigraphy with names of instruments (BD, SD ...) while the synthesis engine to load that you want on each track? Why this confusion-galley for something as mundane as the selection of instrumentals while since the birth of the drum was invented more practical than a wheel or a secondary function?! This sense of decline compared to other interfaces is hard enough to welcome, the price of the machine.

WHY a distortion in the "synthesis", and bitcrusher in the "effects"?

WHY encoders are so tightened - to foster screen "deco"?!

For now I have this feeling of "User must comply with the logic of the instrument" and not vice versa. And for me, I HATE that feeling when this constraint is not at the service of creativity. Well, this is my opinion, right.

Miss a dream instrument for such details (fragility, intuitive, screen), this price is still super frustrating.

So I'm going to use in the studio at first, and if it does not keep its other promises (sound design, opening to control external equipment, modular etc ...), and probably sell it back in the box.

Everything is really not to throw this machine, we would have known about AF ... Simply, the competition offers a computer these days, finding a rhythm complicated to play / to program, it encourages them to think about the relevance of the investment - you buy hardware (among others) to have an instrument under the fingers, is not it?

The audio and MIDI connectivity is sufficient in my opinion.
The effects are very good. Besides the possibility to develop them directly with p-locks.

The palette of sounds in synthesis is not bad. There's enough to make even though it remains well-typed. When I listen to some tracks of Autechre for example, I know right away when they put the MD in the sauce. After the potential modulation with LFO and p-locks can think outside the box. The possibilities of adding samples with this version removes all UW limit.
In terms of publishing, I'll talk more modulations. That is clear is not a sampler, but a drum machine with a sampler option. The sounds must be edited prior to your favorite samplers.

Level sequencer, it's great. I know the RS700 sequencers, and other software Mpc, and nothing is as intuitive, spontaneous and efficient than the sequencer Elektron. I'm not saying that other cities are bad, but for the live of the composition on the fly or traditional composition, this is really something else. An impression of limitless ...

UTILIZATION

Level and configuration parameters, to get used to the world Elektron. But after a period of hesitation, I quickly took my hand.

The manual is in English. No comment ...

The editions of sounds, bin, there's really no sound editors.
For effects, nothing difficult. It is intuitive I tell you!

SOUNDS

Sound level, it's for electronic music of any kind if we stick to the sound synthesis.
The sampler allows parcontre to do what you want. But do not expect to go to manage three samples, although the + drive can store more, you can manage only 2.5 MB of samples at a time. Need to reload a snapshot to change the samples, and thus stop the sequencer.
The specifications are arranged here: https://www.elektron.se/products/machinedrum-uw?section=specs

I make electronic music, so I'm thrilled, it sounds and that's all we ask.

OVERALL OPINION

I for one year. I had sequencers samplers such as mpc or rs7000. But for me, this is the must. I have also acquired the octatrack. And there it goes beyond what we can imagine.

It's a bit pricey though, but no, I have no regrets. I'll do it again, and again, and yet still ...

It's just a shame not to have more memory for samples. Anyway as I said, this is not a sampler. Besides, with my octatrack, this frustration is a distant memory ...