Beginner: Using hardware with your DAW?

N - Jay · Post by **N - Jay** » Wed May 18, 2011 11:45 am

Hi guys,

I'm producing for almost a year now, switched to Ableton from Reason but using ReWire and things are going steady with the learning process. However I read some interesting things along the way. Coming from a digital ITB background using a midi keyboard + mouse I have NO IDEA how to do the things work OTB with hardware.

However, I want to use some hardware in the future but where do I start? For example, I like the drums. And back in the day, the MPC, the Roland drum machines were used for the beats. Now I'm using hand played drums and some groove templates, but that is never gonna get me close to the feel of the old hardware. So I'm thinking, can I buy an old drum computer to trigger my samples in the DAW so that the feel of the hardware gets recorded? So it doesn't use its own samples but those of the DAW?

And also, is there a starting point(books/sites/tutorials) about how to use hardware with your DAW? I've got hundreds of links of DAW tutorials but I never see anything about hardware and how you can use it with your DAW.

simonb · Post by **simonb** » Wed May 18, 2011 12:36 pm

I have an Elektron Machinedrum and I use it to sequence samples within Ableton. The way it's done on the MD is by setting up a MIDI track that simply sends MIDI notes to the MD's MIDI output, so I'll have an input channel in Ableton that's receiving on the same channel that the MD MIDI track is sending on and voila, step sequenced samples.

So for example I might set up a MIDI Channel 10 track on the MD, program it to play a C3 note on steps 3, 7, 11 and 15, create a MIDI track on Ableton (set to input monitor mode) receiving on Channel 10 and load a hi-hat sample into Simpler.

It's fairly easy on the MD because it has these special MIDI tracks designed for triggering other hardware or software, not sure how you'd accomplish it on an MPC or Roland, although if I had an MPC I'd sure as hell be loading my samples onto it anyway

N - Jay · Post by **N - Jay** » Wed May 18, 2011 1:24 pm

Thanks for the clear 1 + 1 = 2 explanation

.
It seems kinda straightforward 1 on 1 programming the master and slave through midi signals. The machinedrum is a masterpiece but my budget does not cover that of a machinedrum. Is there a good alternative?
I know quality comes with a price but still.
I've read about the Korg Electribe EMX and ESX, can they do the same as you do with your Machinedrum?

tone-def · Post by **tone-def** » Wed May 18, 2011 3:34 pm

the korg emx is really good for what you want to do but you would be better off using it's sounds too. thats what most people use hardware for the SOUNDS not to get the feel of the sequencer.

dubgil2 · Post by **dubgil2** » Wed May 25, 2011 12:23 am

Ton Def,
the MD sequencer however, is a world unto itself, I know love to MIDI sequences to my EMX from the MD.... I can do stuff on the EMX using the MD that couldn't do with the motion sequences before (weird I know)

simonb · Post by **simonb** » Wed May 25, 2011 12:07 pm

tone-def wrote:the korg emx is really good for what you want to do but you would be better off using it's sounds too. thats what most people use hardware for the SOUNDS not to get the feel of the sequencer.

I'd disagree to some extent. Using a drum machine and using its sequencer can immediately expand on/change the way you write music compared to purely using a DAW. I've had the Machinedrum for a year or two and I'm still getting the hang of getting really good sounds out of it (definitely a machine that rewards the patient, if you want instant sonic gratification you're better off with some good samples...) but using the sequencer was a definite kick up the arse to my workflow.

ALT.noize · Post by **ALT.noize** » Sat Jun 04, 2011 3:21 pm

machinedrum FTW

i have the first version non uw. i also use ableton but i tend to write the loops on the machine itself then import the samples to ableton when im happy with what i have. it my seem long winded but i sometimes have the machine with me while im away from the studio, and i just like the creative flow of using the internal sequencer.

simonb · Post by **simonb** » Mon Jun 06, 2011 12:14 pm

ALT.noize wrote:machinedrum FTW

i have the first version non uw. i also use ableton but i tend to write the loops on the machine itself then import the samples to ableton when im happy with what i have. it my seem long winded but i sometimes have the machine with me while im away from the studio, and i just like the creative flow of using the internal sequencer.

Out of curiosity, how do you feel about not having the UW?

I'm in the same boat and lately I've had a hankering for it. Partly because I struggle to get good hi-hats and good hi-freq percs in general out the MD, and also it just seems really cool with the resampling and so on... I'm sure Elektron used to be able to upgrade your MD if you sent it to them but I contacted them and was told that wasn't the case...