LXR-02 tutorial - Part 3: Snare, clap and hats

Part three of a getting started guide for the Erica Synths LXR-02 drum machine. This is with firmware version 1.1. This tutorial covers the Snare, Cymbal/Clap and Hats voices. We look at all the parameters and some basic programming techniques - especially in order to create continuous variation.
0:00 Intro
0:20 Snare, Clap & hats overview
1:46 The two hat tracks
4:00 Initialize kit
4:28 Hats in detail
6:30 Chromatic playing
6:47 Step edit notes
7:27 LFO modulation
10:30 Assigning LFOs
12:33 Example hat sounds
14:35 Continuous variation
15:26 Cym/Clap voice
16:00 Flam controls
22:08 Clap example sounds
23:00 LFO as an envelope
24:28 LFO retrigger fun
27:02 Snare voice in detail
31:08 Example snare sounds
33:28 All together & next time
34:03 Outro sounds
My site: richarddehove.com/
Lots of downloads for supporters on Patreon: / richarddehove

[@-l5905]

Thank you for the great detail put into these videos. I hope you have a PERKONS series like this. Thanks again.

[@RichardDeHove]

A pleasure! And I have been thinking about a Perkons series....

[@dfreeman120]

Brilliant piece of kit

[@dietervoser4425]

Ein weiteres Kapitel zur komplexen Geschichte des LXR - trefflich und seriös präsentiert !

[@RichardDeHove]

Danke Herr Voser. Ich muss zu Patterns und Songs kommen, nur um die grundlegenden Funktionen abzudecken. Bleiben Effekte, Morphing, Pattern-Generierung und komplexeres Sounddesign.... Viel Spaß!

[@kuanjian]

Excellent tutorial as always. This helps a lot. I've been tweaking blindly so far and this helps to understand the parameters better than the manual.

[@eggyben]

Love this!! thanks mate

[@holydiver4728]

Very wel explained, thanks !

[@tobiascollier]

Good effort getting these videos together…they’re really good 👍

[@RichardDeHove]

Thanks Tobias

[@tobiascollier]

@@RichardDeHove waiting for #4 ;)

[@RichardDeHove]

@@tobiascollier Just a couple of days away. Thanks for the extra push!

[@tobiascollier]

@@RichardDeHove what’s the juice mr DeHove?…waiting for the promised firmware update before you do chapter 4? I emailed Erica synths and they confirmed there’s new firmware coming ‘in the next couple of weeks’!….hopefully micro timing, auditioning sounds in voice mode, maybe some fancy effects, headphone volume could do with taming (would be awesome to change it away from that right slider…I’ve fried my ears by mistake too many times)……and some kind of more intuitive auto save options would keep me happy…..but that’s a lot to ask I guess……….anyway dig the vids :)

[@RichardDeHove]

@@tobiascollier lol, I think some of your hopes will happen soon because if you look at the latest version of the LXR manual it includes info on flams and micro timing, so that's definitely part of the update. As for me I think I found a bug in song mode which means I won't cover that until it's fixed so have chopped up my latest video to remove song mode stuff :/

[@vinylmusicmaniacs9071]

Thanx for this video…

[@DetroitMicroSound]

Mine will arrive in a few days. 🤯

[@RichardDeHove]

Nice! Don't forget to update the firmware to 1.2 for flams, microsteps and other good things.

[@DetroitMicroSound]

@@RichardDeHove It arrived this morning. Just did. I was actually waiting for the update to buy the LXR-02. 😆

[@DetroitMicroSound]

@@RichardDeHove All I can say right now, is WOW!. ❤

[@szymeklawik7636]

This drum machine is perfect for Digi Dub. Paired with the Bassline.....killer. any genre actually

[@RichardDeHove]

They're a beautiful little pair side by side

[@xMario91]

Hey Richard, excellent video and sound. Could you please possibly help with the Metal snare sound, sounds epic, and I'm not able to recreate such a hard hitting snare. What is the distortion amt? What Click and Mod do you use? If these kits are on Patreon I would be happy to support. Thanks!

[@RichardDeHove]

I think I loaded the "MetalX" kittoward the end there talking about the snare. And yes, that's one of the kits I put on Patreon. Happy to help pin it down exactly if that's not what you wanted :)

[@MK-vy2ds]

Hey, Great Video Series, thank you very much! Do you know how to connect a MPK mini MIDI Keyboard to the LXR-02? I have it plugged into a USB host, just like yours and from there with a MIDI Cable into the LXR but it’s not triggering anything right now… any idea why that is?

[@RichardDeHove]

Thanks MK. I've tried the LXR with three different MIDI controllers and each time it's worked without fiddling with the LXR so your issues are probably with the controller, not with settings on the LXR. But of course make sure on the LXR that you set at least one of the voices to "any" so it can trigger across the entire keyboard so you don't have to match exact note numbers (at least to get started) and match up MIDI channels. I assume also you have the LXR MIDI configuration and filter controls on the default settings. Another test might be to put the LXR clock setting to "EXT" (by winding the BPM counter to zero) and send the LXR a MIDI clock from somewhere. That's probably the easiest way to test. With the MPK keyboard, for starters are you sure it's transmitting anything? Maybe plug the MIDI cable into something else to see if that activates, or even back into a computer where it might be easier to confirm that MIDI info is flowing. Maybe also look in the MPK control software to check what channels the keys and pads are transmitting on. And for something obvious: Is the MIDI host unit plugged in to a USB power source? Finally, if you have something like a MIDI Solutions splitter/combo box they all have a little red light that blinks to indicate MIDI data flowing. That can also be a great way to confirm data is at least getting that far. Hopefully one of these things might help!

[@MK-vy2ds]

@@RichardDeHove Thank you so much for the detailed reply! I think you are right and the MPK is causing the issue. I tested a Roland Digital Piano as a Midi controller wich worked fine immediately. Too bad that the MPK is not communicating as other MIDI controllers.

[@dinogoldie9716]

Did you ever do a section about cymbals? Also, are you lefthanded? How come you typically address the LXR02's controls and options from right-to-left?

[@RichardDeHove]

Nothing specifically about cymbals, although some more detailed sound stuff is a good idea. Not left-handed either :D I tend to explain things in what I consider to be the most logical order and sometimes (often) that doesn't fit the left-to-right layout of a machine.

[@scottarmstrong8585]

Sounds rather similar to the Volca Drum in every demo i have seen so far.

[@RichardDeHove]

Almost sounds like a challenge! What can't the Volca Drum do well ?

[@scottarmstrong8585]

@@RichardDeHove No challenge intended. The LXR appears to be far more fully featured in terms of sound design capabilities and having individual sliders for volume control is always a nice addition on a drum machine, particularly for live performance. However the resulting sounds i have heard thus far are quite reminiscent to those of the Volca Drum (to my ears). i think this is probably due to the (awesome) 'metallic' nature of many of the sounds used in the aforementioned demos. To answer your question i am not sure what the Volca Drum 'can't do well' . Possibly deeper 'woody' tones such as 'physical modelling' of detuned Toms or Taiko? i'd personally like to obtain an LXR if it were not for the fact that i already posses a gammut of drum machines and that the price prohibitive nature of the LXR is a factor.

[@RichardDeHove]

@@scottarmstrong8585 Thanks for the detailed reply. I meant challenge in terms of a fun sound design task and I think you've provided it: deep woody sounds, detuned toms and taikos - yikes! Certainly every drum machine has its character. I loved the old Sequential machines like the Drumtracks and especially the Tom. The old Emu Drumulator also had a nice tom sound that I could never seem to get again. More recently I had a TRS8 for a while but it lacked the extreme edges that are fun to play with. The Model:Cycles OTOH has a big range of sounds but seems to lack the ability make long sweeping white noise hits (so I'm told). Horses for courses. Hmmmmm, taikos ....

[@scottarmstrong8585]

​@@RichardDeHove Yes the ancient drum machines definitely do have unique sound characteristics. i have both the TR6s (same engine and sequencer as the TR8s) and the Model Cycles, and whilst they are excellent machines the sound design aspects are somewhat limited though sufficient for most purposes.

[@johnnyhansen6525]

Pls stop i really cant afford it right now. But excellent video, thanks! :)

[@RichardDeHove]

Haha! There's so much great gear around :)

[@asantecarter7013]

You call that a snare? I barely hear anything.

[@RichardDeHove]

Perhaps it's more CR-78 than pile-driver :)