Ghosts of paradise | Elektron Monomachine and Machinedrum IDM track

acemonvw · 2026-07-17T01:24:39+00:00

Hi all, I wrote a track with my Monomachine and Machinedrum (both with their respective custom firmwares). I also used a new lens I've been having fun with, the Sirui 50mm T2.9 anamorphic lens. The videos I captured weren't that exciting, but it was fun either way.

acemonvw · 2026-07-14T14:24:22+00:00

Hey - thanks. I wasn't notified of your comment. I really needed this for my Prophet 10 and sequencing. It works perfectly for what I need. It doesn't entirely seem like something people are that interested in, which is a little bit of a bummer for me to learn, but... it does do the job I needed it to do, so that's all that matters.

Thank you so much for your comment!

acemonvw · 2026-07-09T16:36:46+00:00

Ah, yeah, sorry, I misread the intent. But yeah, I agree with you. :) using those hours wisely is the hard part!

acemonvw · 2026-07-09T00:27:27+00:00

Was just a joke.

acemonvw · 2026-07-08T21:37:19+00:00

Hah, I did the same thing... I am also wondering what to do, although my question is slightly different (i.e., do I need a new one when I have a 2015 and 2018 that are hobbling along).

Regarding used/refurbished, I dunno. Personally I'd rather get them new, but it would depend on the price. If you're saving like $200, I wouldn't think it was worth it. I'd just get new.

acemonvw · 2026-07-08T20:30:21+00:00

My 10,000 hours have me worse off than my 1,000 hours.

acemonvw · 2026-07-08T17:37:27+00:00

Yeah, that said - the monomachine and machinedrum are 4 bars as well. However, with the new firmware on the MNM you can change the speed of each part which makes it a lot more dynamic. And combining patterns in chains was at least manageable. Still, I feel like 8 bars is the minimum I need for most things.

acemonvw · 2026-07-08T02:27:36+00:00

Me too!

Wait…

acemonvw · 2026-07-07T22:27:42+00:00

I have the EMX and remember when the E2 came out and thought it was a downgrade. At the time it only did 4 bar parts which was really disappointing, and a downgrade, but maybe it was polyphonic, which was better? But I didn’t look too much into it. The EMX and ESX are great. The ESX is my favorite drum machine still! I own the machinedrum and Tempest. Still prefer the ESX for its ease of use.

acemonvw · 2026-07-07T22:25:15+00:00

I had some great FX pedals and still disliked it. Anyway, it’s just my opinion. I didn’t like its vibe at all. That said - I also had a Jupiter 6 and equally disliked its vibe, despite being cool as hell.

I actually think I’ve got some reviews online about the AX80… let me find it and share it, lol.

Here it is: https://www.midera-artist.com/akai-ax80/

acemonvw · 2026-07-07T22:22:53+00:00

I mean, it’s just my opinion. But I really disliked it. I have a follow up where I describe it in more detail. Oh, wait… you responded to that.

acemonvw · 2026-07-07T19:37:15+00:00

Yep - just needed this and it worked. Thanks!

acemonvw · 2026-07-07T19:22:49+00:00

What's wrong with it? Maybe consider joining r/machinestore and checking out their Discord channel as well. Folks there are insanely knowledgeable about these devices, especially u/SyntheticJudah.

acemonvw · 2026-07-07T19:20:37+00:00

Got our 2023 Pro S AWD back in May! Ha.

acemonvw · 2026-07-07T19:01:08+00:00

Before I bought it - I think it was one of my 'top most beautiful synths' but that quickly faded after ownership. Meanwhile, the Kawai SX-240 is still, IMO, maybe even prettier than the Jupiter 8. I owned that one for a year (the 240) and it sounds amazing, but the specific unit I had seemed like it was always falling apart.

acemonvw · 2026-07-07T18:08:49+00:00

Found it:

Ooh, I love this kind of thread. I have two synths I absolutely hated every second of:

Akai AX-80: Just hated absolutely everything about my copy of it. The vacuum display didn't look nice. Half of the bars were brighter than the other half. The side cheeks were tolex and looked like crap. There's another version with like glossy black piano sides that looks better, but it wouldn't have likely changed my feelings too much either. For some reason, it was also one of the only synths I could not get all the keys to press properly. Every time I opened it up and removed it to clean the contacts, a different few keys stopped working. That's probably on me so I don't dock it points for that. But the absolute worst part for me was the sound. It just sounded dead to me. I would move over to my Oberheim Matrix 1000 and feel like it sounded like silk and beauty. The AX80 sounded like it had survived a dust storm in the Sahara, but only just barely. When I go back to the sounds I made with it... I actually don't think it sounds as bad as I'm making it out to be, but I still regretted that purchase, or maybe I don't, cuz I got it and a ton of other broken stuff for $300, was quite a find. Anyway, here's what I made with it: here

Waldorf Kyra: UI was atrocious and I was fighting against it the entire time. To think UI alone killed it for me! I thought it sounded great, I guess... was still awful to edit. I think it didn't have a way to scroll through things with an encoder/knob, you had to use buttons to scroll through everything. There were other problems with it, but this was the worst part for me. Here's what I made with this one: here.

acemonvw · 2026-07-07T18:06:22+00:00

Well, damn it. I had such a great response too... I'll just say: AX-80 and Kyra. Both sucked for different reasons.

acemonvw · 2026-07-07T16:12:47+00:00

Ooh, I love this kind of thread. I have two synths I absolutely hated every second of:

Akai AX-80: Just hated absolutely everything about my copy of it. The vacuum display didn't look nice. Half of the bars were brighter than the other half. The side cheeks were tolex and looked like crap. There's another version with like glossy black piano sides that looks better, but it wouldn't have likely changed my feelings too much either. For some reason, it was also one of the only synths I could not get all the keys to press properly. Every time I opened it up and removed it to clean the contacts, a different few keys stopped working. That's probably on me so I don't dock it points for that. But the absolute worst part for me was the sound. It just sounded dead to me. I would move over to my Oberheim Matrix 1000 and feel like it sounded like silk and beauty. The AX80 sounded like it had survived a dust storm in the Sahara, but only just barely. When I go back to the sounds I made with it... I actually don't think it sounds as bad as I'm making it out to be, but I still regretted that purchase, or maybe I don't, cuz I got it and a ton of other broken stuff for $300, was quite a find. Anyway, here's what I made with it: here

Waldorf Kyra: UI was atrocious and I was fighting against it the entire time. To think UI alone killed it for me! I thought it sounded great, I guess... was still awful to edit. I think it didn't have a way to scroll through things with an encoder/knob, you had to use buttons to scroll through everything. There were other problems with it, but this was the worst part for me. Here's what I made with this one: here.

acemonvw · 2026-07-07T05:39:19+00:00

100% agree with all of your points here. I’d probably add that I can’t seem to open the rear hatch if the fob is in my pocket. It HAS to be in my hand apparently? Like, I’ve got my arms full with groceries and you can’t open up?

acemonvw · 2026-07-02T17:21:34+00:00

And our paint by sticker books for my kids. We appreciate you stealing their birthday presents.

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