Something I Don't Understand About Electronic Music Gear

[@FreeBeat]

Thanks to everyone who dropped their own reasoning/suggestions/ideas, I learned so much just by reading through your comments! I can see some people felt like I was attacking my viewers with this video, I promise you, that was not my intention. Though, upon re-watching, I can definitely understand why some of you did feel that way. I am truly sorry that I might have come across with an aggressive, accusatory, or judgmental tone in this one, again, not my intention. I promise to do better in the future. At the end of the day, I was confused, requested answers and suggestions from you all, and you delivered. You are the BEST audience ever :) Much Love!

[@vaspers]

Some people are Woke Pussies, who are offended by everything. You are fine. Your video makes perfect sense.

[@Linguae_Music]

Naw mannnnnn, you should have been even more sassy about it hehe

[@GabeMillerMusic]

Yeah I'm right there with you. Maybe there's something to be said for pairing the synth tones or getting a more pattern/clip based experience out of the MPC, but this is exactly the kind of overkill setup I try to steer people away from.

[@kyleguyettemusic]

Yet some people hook up 2 or more hardware synths/guitar pedals (with varying sound/sequencing capabilities) to an MPC or a Deluge. In some ways, this is physically more of an overkill than having just two machines. Not to mention the cable setup, power supplies, gain staging. As a real world example, in my own electronic gear journey, I began making purchases - ignorant to what I’d actually end up with in the long run. I appreciate all the gear I had access to. But if I could go back in time - I’d give myself an MPC AND a Deluge (to maintain workflow/sound diversity) - and save a whole lot of money in the long run! While I recognize the vast majority of advice you and FreeBeat give is very valuable, suggestions like this made by creators seem one sided and only applicable to a narrow type of user. Consider someone’s learning process over time and appreciation for two instruments of similar functions (happens all the time with traditional instruments). Don’t let someone saying “overkill” deter you from making an artistic decision! Instead, draw from the ideas and ignore the limiting ideas that are irrelevant to your work:)

[@BrentODell]

@@kyleguyettemusic While I often use my MPC Live II sitting on the couch, relying on samples and internal synths/effects, I definitely see the value in outboard gear. I don't think I'm creating anything too complex, but I will often get close to the limits of the hardware. Taking some of that load and transferring it to hardware synths of effects pedals is one way around the limitation(although I do have to get off the couch and back into my office/studio).

[@Decoy303]

I love what you said about the electronic music community as having lots of G.A.S. and a lack of understanding of the gear they have G.A.S. over. It's how things are marketed. Psychological warfare at its best when it comes to the advertising industry as a whole.

[@danieljung2810]

So we can convince our significant others why we need both.

[@mauchkimberly]

While I can see a couple advantages to using 2 "hubs" together (I have an akai force and 1010 blackbox which can each be stand alone hubs but also are useful together because they sometimes make up for things the other doesn't have), perhaps part of the reason for the request is that your listeners are trying to work out, in their own set up, if they should keep both or only 1, and which one. Sometimes people just want to watch someone creative use 2 pieces of gear (they own) together, in order to get ideas for their own workflow. I think, as a content creator, maybe your options are a bit different than your viewers in that someone isn't offering them an opportunity to try out a machine for a review. They have to decide, without getting much (or any) time to try it out, how/if this will be useful in their workflow. That's where your use of said gear comes into play for them. Anyway, just a thought.

[@FuZZbaLLbee]

I saw that Squarp released the Hapax. It’s like the sequencer of the deluge with the same grid layout. Combining that with an MPC one makes a little more sense since it doesn’t have the feature overlap.

[@CoderCoronet]

My answer to you: You are right. There is no point in combining two pieces if you consider them as concurrent gear, but your jam is actually the best example of what you are missing. I bet you would take a lot more time to jam exactly like that with only one of the two.

[@fuzbeats]

I'm often like "oh, you have that thing, what does it do in your setup? Just that one 'pling'? 👁️👄👁️"

[@kyleguyettemusic]

I’ve found that simply tinkering with music creating devices, regardless of similarities in “intended use”, brings many ideas and cool sounds to the surface:)

[@SonicVibe]

Good point

[@djchilxxn]

could you have produced that exact jam that you worked out before the end of the video with just one of those pieces of gear? It seems like easily programming some long and complex patterns on the deluge and then using the beautiful pads on the mpc to create a more human rhythm element is just a great reason to use both.

[@LunaticDandy]

I had the two. Got rid of the MPC. I felt into the modular trap... and spend (too) much, the only reason I can saw to play both these machines is to go with modular like : *all sync, one making drums and sending cv/g, the other also sending data and maybe act as a looper or mix table.*

[@HansyPants184]

The gear is life. Music is extraneous. Welcome to synthersizerz.

[@noisetheorem]

Having the isomorphic controller from the deluge and the big pads of the MPC would be pretty interesting. In a larger rig, you could use the MPC to route a single channel coming off the Deluge to multiple destinations for layering. The MPC has no probability features making it totally deterministic. The deluge would add that spice too it. Also, music all written in one box can often have an identifiable’sound’ or sameness to it. Using multiple boxes avoids this. I’ve been doing electronic music for a long time, and I’m basically the king of redundancy and overkill (I’m a collector as well as player, and I’m not apologetic about it). Sometimes when you combine gear, new workflows emerge and the combination can be greater than the sum of its parts. I use a beatstep pro with an Akai Force and Octatrack as my hub. The Akai routes everything and is the master while the Beatstep and Octatrack provide dynamic and sound processing the Force lacks. They become like one massive workstation.

[@hvhvgitaar]

You’re right. There isn’t much point in combining both. It just creates another level of workflow complexity that stifles creativity. The deluge is great for developing entire songs in terms of melodies, drums, chords , audio. If you then want to fine tune stuff, just transfer it to a DAW (midi and/or audio) to tweak VSTs , mix etc. Instead of a DAW you could transfer it to an MPC, but not sure why. Good video. And yes, it should be about the music, not the gear.

[@markossgalactico8523]

You can record your finished Deluge track into the One. Then use your MPC compressor/effects/ XY pad to make an actual finished wav or mp3 file.

[@JackAcid]

Very true.

[@mr_arev]

The benefits of combining sequencers comes when you use both in parallel rather than playing one from the other as you are suggesting.Try syncing the playhead via midi so that your deluge plays and stops the MPC. By doing so you are extending the capabilities of the deluge workflow by adding the MPC workflow. I personally have the Deluge (brain) synced to OPz and circuit. Both of these other sequencers offer a unique benefit to a creation or performance. OPz has versatile midi shuffle capabilities and the circuit has an immediacy of patterns and global LP/HP filter which can sound interesting on anything if the BPM is in sync. After you realize that one sequencer can control the BPM and playhead of others then a new world of possibilities in your creativity will open up.

[@PolaOpposite]

Sounds interesting. Can you make a video and demonstrate what you describing? Thanks! 👍

[@TheScreamingFrog916]

I think you nailed it, with your explanation. Sync them up in parallel.

[@infriad]

The MPC and Deluge have different flavors in their sound-characteristics and excels a different things. For me, the thing about combining gear is all about finding the perfect combo. In this specific case I would not try to sequence the deluge from the MPC or vice versa. I would rather just use them as separate machines but synced together. Make some drums, sample chops on the MPC and then some melodic content on the deluge. Maybe add some chord-progression on the MPC and so on. Use each machine’s strong points and see what you come up with 😊 I’ve done this since I started making music. It’s a never-ending search, I guess! Sometimes you would be surprised of what combos works well together. I remember paring Elektron Digitone with Korg Electribe 2 with very good results back then. Unfortunately, I sold both devices. I have the deluge and I absolutely love it! My dream would be to combine it with a warm sounding analog polysynth like the OB-6 or something similar and then live loop it in to the deluge 😊

[@TheSkrylar]

The MPC is a better sampler (velocity layers, round robins) and more powerful effects. You would probably compose on the Deluge (which its good at, because its really fast to do this and there's an internal battery) and then swap the drum tracks over to the MPC where you can get more articulation/round robins. I have both (not plugged in to one another just yet) but it's because I wanted out of the PC world for something more fun and tactile. Otherwise.. yeah. Linnstrument+FL Studio or something and you're set for life if you don't want to be dawless. I get the impression the synths/fx for grooveboxes are more of a composing aid so there is sound to work with than intended to actually be on the track.

[@djcuda]

People think 2 brains are better than one but that’s not so true with music but both machines together can be a powerhouse, I’d use the MpC as the main brain the deluge for synths and maybe the sequencer and the mpc as a drum machine and the sampler for harmonics and clocking to monitor everything, that’s my thoughts

[@mrrafsk]

Getting different boxes to play together is always a pain, as every time you you use them together you have to configure them to play nice, depending on what strengths you want to play with. I.e. in this scenario the sequencer on the deluge is non-daw like, with trigs in a playable step sequencer, and a great audio/midi looping. Totally opposite to the MPC that is like a DAW. But the MPC has solid chops, pads, effects and you can plug in 32 channels via the usb. So people try and leverage the strengths of each box to achieve their audio dream. But as you said you can get easily caught up in the how’s and why’s of complicated pieces of technology that take months to learn, that you forget the dream. i.e. if a box can achieve one thing that you dream of incorporating in your play, is it worth spending all your time solving that technical puzzle and forget the big picture of playing music. My current rig is a MPC/Deluge/Maschine/iPad and a midiHUb and iConnectAudio4 gluing it all together. They all doing different things, I love them all, and they are set up that I can use them separately as they have different tasks like people in a band. But the argument for using one box at a time is a strong one, i.e use those limitations creatively and not waste time. Personally I’m a total sucker and spend way too much time getting kit to play nice together. Stupid really as I’ve got a 8 till 6, kids, DIY and not enough time normally to do more than 30min a day, and with that I usually just practice finger drumming or isomorphic keys. (I’m new to music - three years in now, but I can hold a few tunes and am starting to get ok drumming independence)

[@TheBeavil]

I have the MPC one, Digitakt and the TR-8S along with 5 synths and the MX-1 mixer. Everything is connected and synced together with the MPC as the main hub. Press start on the MPC and everything else starts playing in sync. I like having the flexibility to just noodle around on anything and record things I like on the MPC with everything being in time/beat.

[@rubenzemog]

totally agree, those two dont make a lot of sense together. they overlap each other. they both are meant to be the center piece of your set up. Of course you can put them together, you can also play with two drum machines if you like, but the ideal would be complementing each other, not overlaping.

[@firdaushbhadha2597]

If I may (been producing for nearly 20 years) Say you have owned the MPC for a while, selling it isn’t an option (yet) you really like parts of it: - Multi-Sampling (from other synths) - The Pads - The Synths - The mixing - The effects But hate the workflow (I seriously hate the MPC Workflow) Deluge you find interesting because it could potentially replace the MPC, but…because normal people can’t buy a drum machine, synths, and multi-Sampler to replace the MPC in one go the transition would be long enough to have to understand the workflow. Why not a Squarp or Force? I need a self contained box that I can bring around with me everywhere.

[@orestezao]

Hello mr Free Beat. I am form Brazil and i really enjoy the content you provide here on youtube. You are right if u look at those peaces of gear as a DAW replacement, but if u start to look at them as gear tha tu can use in many diferent ways stuff starts to make more sense. For example i just love the solina from my MPC ONE. so when i am producing on ableton i like to use my mpc as a sound module to play my solina and control on it. i also have a mc 707 and more then once i connect it to my mpc audio input and use the mpc as a master bus effect of the mc 707. all this i said up to now isnt my main workflow, 80% the time i use my mpc one it is on controller mode (just to have the macbook as a bigger screen)and i connect a nord 6d on the audio input to record. making th elng story short one of those "boxes" fits in thousands of different ways of using. u dont have to use them all at once. its probably not advantageous to buy 2 or 3 grooveboxes and use themtogether because u might like more onw workflow then the other and would be more advantageous to use the one u like more and use other especialized gear for the rest of the features that u want. But sometimes u have this gear and its very fun and useful to use them on as many use cases as possible. forgive my english and thanks again i love your videos.

[@vveerrgg416]

You got it right !!! ... there's a lot of fetish'ism around the different pieces of gear. A lot of ppl WISH they could buy a piece of gear thinking it'll improve their music ... when really they just gotta work with what they have. So yah ... its all about whatever workflow works for you ... That said... when I was doing livePAs back in the day. I would always bring 2 "music brain" devices.. Like a drum machine and an MPC incase 1 fails mid performance or for loading up samples / changing tracks etc.... Today its a bit different and those together would be a bit of an overkill. but midi-clocked together and sort of "dj'ing" or "clip surfing" between them is interesting. Each gear has a sweet spot for what it can do and the music it makes... when you clipsurf between them... it can get pretty creative and interesting.

[@dankelley1030]

While not specific to the mpc I think one reason you might use them together is because the MPC provides larger velocity sensitive pads and the audition pads on my Deluge start dying after use so will need to be replaced.

[@monotronfan1]

That’s how I feel when I see people owning walls of synthesizers, I think it comes down to not wanting to programming deeply.

[@GanjaBabyy]

I use this daily. Mpc 1 and deluge. Mpc 1 is for synths, chord progression, drum layering with efx. Mpc drums knock harder than deluge. Deluge is the master for me. I record my clips into deluge. You can't really understand why if you're making basic tracks like this. Lol. Mpc has powerful efx xyz pad, deluge just don't get drums to knock as powerful. There's 1k reasons why.. lastly mpc drum rolls are unique

[@GerenM63]

I don’t have either piece of gear, but from what I’ve seen so far, both here and on other channels, the two do offer slightly different sequencing methods and variations that really could compliment each other when used in parallel. It’s kind of like using the Euclidean sequencing plug-in within Ableton Live - both Euclidean and Live have sequencing, but they work in different ways that, when used together, offer greater variety in sonic movement.

[@Getthenderson]

I don't jam with them together at the same time, I find generally each piece of gear has some area's that it excels at, for instance I make the initial loop on the synths themselves, sample them into the digitakt and refine it, adding things here and there, shaping the sound more, make a few variation loops as well and when happy I sample those loops into Deluge to flesh into a longer song as the digitakt doesn't really cut it for long songs. Each time I process the audio the particular workflow helps in different ways too.

[@crowsynth]

I am a noob to electronic music, but I've been learning a lot in the past 3 years, and you seem absolutely right.

[@traildoggy]

Well, the first thing this makes me think is if there is a way to feedback each instruments audio output into the other and work with that feedback loop in a way that 1 machine could not do?

[@legitimatefrenzy]

I personally think it's to expand the pallette of sound. I got my hardware after getting tired of using default daw sounds. Another reason could be preferred workflow. For a while I was putting my mixer into the mpc and use that as my master out for better effects and sequencing. I recently got a mv1 verselab and I've made self contained songs but I have been enjoying sampling it into the sp404 for resample layering as well as effects. It's honestly just a preference and more of a want than need. Not a dumb question at all I'm glad you don't have severe g.a.s. and you don't need to have a thousand devices playing at once. Keep up the good work and always ask questions

[@SunCrushr]

Yeah, I agree with you on this. I have a hard enough time trying to learn one groovebox workfllow well. Combining two even moderately complex grooveboxes together seems like a headache. I would just end up using the one that has the workflow I click with the most, and the other would just end up being a sound module for the session.

[@valley_robot]

I have a maschine 2 coming this week, will be interesting to use with my MPC one

[@DavidDeLuge]

I can't see why you would use those items together. I totally see why you would combine a synth with a sampler, for example, but combining these two just seems a nonsense. In fact, the Deluge is such a limitless beast, the only thing I can see you might combine it with is modular gear via midi/CV. It can do everything else internally and so, unless you specifically want a particular patch from a particular device, even controlling other synths via midi is somewhat redundant. If you're performing live, you might want to be able to twiddle knobs of external gear, of course, and so midi control of that gear might be desirable but, for making a track, I really don't see much need but that's just me. The only things I have ever hooked up to my Deluge are my AE Modular rack, via CV and midi, and the Circuit Rhythm/SP-404MKII, via audio out, to sample Deluge sounds or loops.

[@fakshen1973]

You are an established musician looking at tools that serve a greater goal... making music. The majority of people watching are enthusiasts searching for golden gear to make music for them. Having X, Y, or Z gear will "next level" them. Watching the potential of gear means it's possible they could make music that good... someday. But rather than become better musicians, they buy the next piece of WOW gear or combination of gear with the promise to level up their music making.

[@Whoooan]

Hey man what are your thoughts on these new behringer synths coming out soon-ish?

[@FreeBeat]

I honestly haven't really looked into them too much, I do know the price points are insanely low! I'll have to check them out in more detail soon.

[@mikevenus4117]

It’s not necessary to use both together, but people want to see a bunch of gear together. I have a problem with this concept because it makes people confused about how music is made and how real producers really work. Blame social media influencers who want bags of money from major companies who are using social media as a cheap form of marketing. I feel you on this and I don’t get much attention on my channels because I use one piece of gear when making music!

[@krazywabbit]

I would hope that those who combine gear for the “just because I can” logic, would put a disclaimer in their video of said statement so new people considering entering this space understand it’s not needed thus save wallet pains and marital shouts.

[@bahutu802]

I can't judge on those two devices in particular, but in general I most likely would use a (16 steps) step sequencer to quickly put together a drum beat, while on a different device working with melodies, chords, one-shot samples etc. On an MPC (1000 in my case) I find it relatively complicated (just my point of view) to quickly change the feel and genre of a beat since you basically have to delete and re-record a track, or you have to dive into step edit / grid mode. In contrast, on a step sequencer it's basically one click of a button to move a bassdrum from beat 1.4 to 2.0 or so. Having said that though, my actual arrangement process always takes place in one device only. So for example, at the moment, my main 'production center' is the Polyend Tracker, on which it is really great to arrange full songs and to go into nitty-gritty details, as well as doing sound design like filters, envelopes, LFOs. But it's more or less impossible to quickly jam on that thing. So in the process of composing / searching for ideas, I might jam a beat pattern on a step sequencer and afterwards I'd either sample the beat as audio into the Tracker, or recreate the same beat pattern inside the Tracker's pattern mode.

[@jokerz909]

You are missing midi setup. You can trigger sounds with the MPC. See what or how many midi channels you have on the deluge, and then Midi Out to Midi In to the MPC . You should be able to trigger and record your notes.You can also set the length and measure before looping, and quantize .

[@rexcellencemagee6729]

They’re both samplers so yeah, your right you only need one work station, I’m a midi nut so the only reason I would hook them up is if I wanted to sample one to the other. IMO I’m sure a SD transfer would work fine for that. Work stations are like Reverb, (only one reverb at a time) choose one to be the recorder. Otherwise just plug it in as another instrument. Really midi to sync? I guess, lol, Peace

[@JakeSweeper]

I could see the MPC being used ad the recorder and mixer for the Deluge and any other device you have a mind to include. But other than that, I can't see many scenarios where hooking two grooveboxes together is worthwhile.

[@janjakobsen9550]

If you're an idiot, then I'm an idiot too... For me it seems like strapping two motorcycles together, trying to go faster...🤔😄 Of course it can make a little sense if you want to use the synth and effect engines from both boxes together in a jam/mix...

[@carlos_martinezzz]

I play with my brother and he uses a MPC as the brain of his setup while I use the Deluge. But for one person using two workstations is redundant as you said. Do you feel the same with the OP-1 + MPC or Deluge?

[@RobertKnutzen]

i want you to use the deluge to control the MPC just so someone else will find the midi note off bug

[@DopamineOverload]

Exactly. Deluge is cool but the MPC One is all you need for the most part. Had to sell 5k worth of gear past few months to pay bills. Circuit Rhythm, Tracks, Keystep Pro, Beatstep Pro and more. All I have left: Maschine Mk3 and my MPC One. I don’t miss any of the stuff I sold.

[@SonicVibe]

I kinda did the same lol

[@SonicVibe]

I miss the tracks and rhythm a bit very limiting compared to MPC one but as far as speed of workflow I think they’re onto something for a future device

[@hollownation]

It’s like the guitarist that doesn’t play very well but owns 20 guitars

[@trickfall8752]

There are certainly times where you would want to leverage the strengths of two different, but similar pieces of gear. For example, I usually have my Digitakt synched to my main sequencer and synth rig because the sequencer in the Digitakt has some unique features that my other sequencer doesn't have and it's often easier to program drums on it. Also you will usually want to synch the devices so that one is the master and the other is a slave so that when you press play on one the other will play at the same time. Not sure if you did that.

[@wiggesobk]

Maybe you could sample the deluge on the MPC or play the synth on the deluge and the drums on the MPC. Edit: oh you did that on the end :P

[@oscarduran1116]

I agree, don’t think most folks would use them together, but if you have both and can jam on them together, carpe diem! I love Delu and its the heart of my setup fir a reason. To me it is a sequencer first, and honestly one of the funnest ones around. But If I am being honest, it’s sampler is just not as fun as something that is a sampler first like a MPC or s2400. So I get wanting to pair your Deluge with something with a funner sampling workflow! PS, thanks for your content! I am sure its a grip of work but You are dope at it. Peace

[@ThobbyJones]

Even thought both devices present similar/same functionality, some are better than other; e.g. mpc and deluge have looper, however, the deluge can record and loop for hours, while mpc may be more limited.

[@acfpv]

I’m a relative newbie too and I don’t have either of these. But my guess is despite the fact they are both stand alone boxes they probably have strengths and weaknesses. Both in terms of just pure sound, fx capabilities, modulation abilities lex. And work flow strength and weaknesses. Having both let’s you combine the strengths while potentially ignoring the weaknesses. Hypothetically, maybe one has great synths but isn’t as easy to sequence with. But the other has a great sequencer. Boom, use the great sequencer to sequence the good sounding synths.

[@chickenslothstudios699]

I mix a Novation SL mk3 keyboard with an Arturia beatstep pro to control quite a few midi instruments. The differences in how they work make for different things. The looper roller and randomness is great on the beatstep, and the probability and long chained sequences of the Novation really compliment each other. I tend to sidechain the beatstep (which is mostly used for mono bass and percussion) into a compressor for the rest of the tracks.

[@FredF78]

I think a lot of these forced combinations of overlapping gear is a poor excuse for having bought too much gear not knowing very much about them or hoping it will boost creativity alltogether. Instead of buying things from what you need to realise your musical ideas. Sometimes you buy A, it doesn't give you much so you buy B which does'nt either fulfills your need. Now you are stuck with A+B when you probably should have bought C from the beginning. Just my two cents.

[@thedeepblueskys]

They both have a high learning curve but with lots of potential. Never the less putting the two together would slow that learning process down for me. I could barrow a Deluge, or an MPC X from a friends if I wanted to, but I’m not interested in going threw that. Not with my Digitakt and Tone in my setup. I feel like once you find the master brain you like to work with, there’s just no point in incorporating another. Trying them out is a different story, but if your gonna put in the work to learn them, might as well spend time perfecting the workflow in the one you like the most.

[@CakeBreaker]

You could make a track in the deluge and then chop it up in the MPC! I’ve made tracks on the modular and then chopped it up in an OP1. Super fun!

[@jantuitman]

I think one “brain” + multiple synths makes far more sense then connecting 2 brains and I wouldn’t feel inclined to combine these two very much. The reason why I coupled a pyramid and a deluge the other day is to add midi FX to the deluge. (a.k.a create a poor man’s Hapax a couple of days before this device was announced). So I was coupling 2 “brains” but only to use 1 for a very specific feature and not using it as a brain anymore. I can imagine that if you don’t like the workflow on either of these devices you can use that one as an instrument and the other as a brain. But it is overkill to try to use them at the same time for all they can do.

[@ssl33p]

But see, this is the thing I also do not get. Why do you even own 2 Brains? Like, did you buy a Pyramid first and then later found out about the deluge and decided you needed that as well? Did the Pyramid not suffice? I have a deluge and I would buy another 10 synths before I even considered another brain device. Like, there's no way you bought the deluge first and then thought to yourself, this aint cuttin it, I need a pyramid too.

[@jantuitman]

@@ssl33p very justified question! Actually I did buy the Deluge first and then the pyramid, because I am very into composing with sequencers and chance. Midi fx , a master transpose track and the ability to use multiple different keys and key quantization are features that make a lot of sense for that, and the Deluge hasn’t got these features. But I still use it quite a lot since the Deluge is still unsurpassed at arranging and composing note by note. Note by notecomposing goes very slowly on the pyramid as you have to dial in pitch! I guess if the Hapax had been out when I first bought a device it would have been a very good match. So i also ordered a Hapax, because it makes sense to optimize my primary device for what I do the most. Will have to sell the pyramid, though.

[@ssl33p]

@@jantuitman ok I understand. Just filling in the gaps. Thanks for clearing that up.

[@heavysystemsinc.]

There's a lot of folks that think pairing up their favorite gear automagically means a better experience or result. However, I akin this to thinking that if you like ice cream and you like macaroni with cheese, putting macaroni with cheese on your ice cream won't make something that's better than the two items alone. Electronic music gear must be selected for it's place in the overall workflow and your personal style. Me? I don't like syncing up a bunch of boxes and trying to keep track of their settings for a song and all of that nonsense. I like to turn something on and go, so I have a single main box in which I sample phrases, riffs and notes from my other boxes into it and then go from there. While I'm making a tune, if I need something different, I go back to the other machine, write or tweak to taste, sample it into the main machine and keep going. Folks that sequence full walls of synths and samplers baffle me, if I'm to be honest. It feels all a bit unwieldy just to get the same results as me with my 'offline synth' method.

[@Wladyslas]

How about using the opz and the deluge at the same time? Been thinking about this one for a while... Actually using opz's visuals/drum programming and combining it with the deluge could be a nice experience!

[@rasterweb]

I'm still pretty new at all of this, and I will freely admin that sometimes it's a fun challenge to try to make things work together. It might be from my background of designing and building electronics and exhibits, I don't know. Maybe some people are just searching for some magical combination that will unlock, um... something!?!?

[@JohanVandekerckhove]

I would use the note probability and sequencing power (ratchets, euclidean, ping-pong etc) of Deluge to play notes on the powerful MPC synths. Because that's what MPC lacks. And then use MPC FX power to finish the track (and record it on the MPC)

[@skougi]

gearheads like esoteric set ups and off label use. look at the convoluted modular racks that are out there. it's some sort of badge of honor to rig up a bunch of finicky gear. mad respect for those peeps that can pull it off. Just need to add in a KDJ-One at this point for those beaucoup brownie points.

[@rubenpineda1716]

Every peice of gear has it own limitations, that is often part of its charm. Combining different peices with their own character, tone and charm together gets you interesting results. Also being able to blend between can make live shows easier considering loading times for each box, if you use a lot of samples it can slow things down sometimes. Curious to see what you come up with, cheers!

[@seanmcrey]

bro from one drummer to another, youre awesome lmao

[@marknemeth7775]

Why have a drummer and a guitarist in a band? For me it’s about having two very powerful but different approaches to making music available in one system. I can finger tap a kick on the mpc, program a keyboard part on the Deluge or Squarp and then record a groovy guitar line on the mpc. Even if a song only had keyboard parts, these are two different interfaces for making music that have different strengths. One has the best pads and timing ever created and the other has a very visual way to program music.

[@jorhay1]

Well If you’re working on a song, and have a huge MPC sample, drum, keygroup, and preset library you spent years building, and also have a Deluge you like, but want to use your MPC library (the one you spent years making) with it on a track or two, you might want to consider using both..? 🤷🏽‍♀️ Or maybe stop the production of your song and start recreating your MPC library on the Deluge….so you can just use one unit and not be “all confused”.🥳

[@toddburris4311]

More options are always cool in my opinion, but these two being run together does seem a bit overkill. Now, these two being run on separate channels through some effects pedals, I could totally rationalize.

[@shifteleven]

I don’t have the gear, but can they be used in a live performance context? Live sample into the MPC and have the deluge as the brains of things.

[@strangefields5992]

Yup being able to put things together on deluge and then sample/ re sequence those separately on the mpc as well as the looper sampler functionality with the awesome pads for finger drumming. Seriously there are so many possibilities for creativity! Although I think to really take advantage of a setup like this you really need to be super familiar with both pieces of gear. This combo is for power users.

[@shifteleven]

@@strangefields5992 yeah. I think the super familiar part rings true to me. Like you got the Deluge for a Deluge and the MPC one for an MPC. You know both, and now you want to experiment and create something bigger than the sum of the two parts.

[@clivedamagedgoods]

Did these people you're saying asked for this wanting you to use them together or compare them side by side?

[@sinepilot]

You can't be blamed for wondering why somebody would want to plug a (hardware) daw into a (hardware) daw. I personally don't get it either. But I have a lot of overlap between my Deluge and Rytm Mk II that others could argue was a waste of money, so I can't judge. I've never taken the time to get gud with the Elektron sequencer, I FAR prefer a grid-based sequencer like the Deluge. My Deluge and Rytm are connected via MIDI in both directions. When composing a beat I use the Deluge and it's kits to sketch out the beat in it's sequencer. Once I'm satisfied, I learn that sequence on the Rytm's pads, replacing the Deluge kit sounds with new analog drum sounds from the Rytm that I like better than the Deluge's default non-analog kits, and then re-record the sequence into the Deluge using the Rytm's pads so the Deluge's sequence includes all the expressiveness from the Rytm. The Deluge in turn "plays" the Rytm and all it's analog goodness. This is how I use my Deluge to easily sequence big fat analog beats. Yes I could do all of that with just the Rytm, but I really value a grid based sequencer.

[@UNSCPILOT]

Deffinitly would rather get one or the other, then a couple more synths, having multiple workstations is confusing to me too

[@lbarnett748]

Synths that are all contained with drum machines are definitely better with one. If you had a synth and a separate drum machine it’s makes more sense to link up. I only play my digitakt or digitone but not both. Gunu maybe try them at some point as they’re kind of made to be together. I just find midi fiddly. Voltage sink is the closest I’ve got. 😂

[@dustyaudio]

I think is using touchscreen fx or drawing in automation with the mpc as a sort of “VST daw” for the deluge. You should add the op1.. *just kidding*

[@shifteleven]

No no no. Go further! Let's build the rube goldberg machine of music devices. How many of these things can we add to build out in the most ridiculous fashion. Maybe meming was the answer all along? 🤔

[@dustyaudio]

@@shifteleven well add the model cycle and/or sample lol video title “you won’t believe how many groove boxes this KZbinr connects together”

[@shifteleven]

@@dustyaudio Yeees. I think we're onto something. lol

[@ujjayisoundsystem]

Neither are great for a continual live performance but perhaps both can keep the show going

[@ThaPhantazm]

Its simply way easier to do what you did with 2 instead of 1. Minimized streamlined set-ups are good though.

[@simonstl]

Each is kind of a band in a box, so - battle of the bands?

[@MrZgoldenlion]

The amount of times you say maybe I’m the idiot. I started to take it that maybe you are calling the viewer an idiot. I’ve watched a lot of your videos and this is by far the least informative and least enjoyable of the lot. Maybe don’t take dumb suggestions for videos. Like you said they both do all the same things and theirs no real point to feature them both. But here you are talking trash about your supporters and making a video with the two pieces of gear you thought would be a bad pair. You were right all along. Stick with your gut. The patreon suggestions haven’t got you to where you are currently. If it’s a bad idea leave it alone.

[@FreeBeat]

I am definitely not calling my viewers idiots, nor am I intending to talk trash. Also, never in this video did I say this was a patreon suggestion, so I'm a little confused as to why you assumed that? (Especially because I don't really do patreon suggestions). Like I said in the video, the amount of people asking me to do this video was growing quickly, and for the life of me I couldn't figure out why. I made the video asking my viewers to explain to me what I was missing in the comment section, and if you read through it, I got a lot of great explanations. I pride myself on keeping the channel as honest and genuine as I can. When I ask for an explanation of something, it is not in a condescending or sarcastic way, I'm literally asking for someone to walk me through the relevant information. I'm sorry if you felt attacked by this video, that was never my intention.

[@distantcomets]

Naw, man. You figured it out. There’s a certain pleasure occasionally in bringing two paradigms together but really it’s all just variations…

[@QuantumKatmusic]

When you look at youtube over a span of time you can see how companies release new gear then hundreds of yiutubers go and make reviews and show you how cool they are and fuel the fire 🔥 people end up buying ridiculous expensive gear and never learn how to use it or even end up returning it , look at the OP1 , so much user generated free advertising got a massive wave of buyers , and I've seen an equally massive wave of people returning or selling their OP1s cause they didn't realize that the cool shit people show you on KZbin took time and a lot of work to polish up and make a dazzled display that tricks you into thinking you're gonna just be able to make epic music as soon as you buy said product, I've seen it with all kinds of gear, even the 404mk2 , I can tell you from experience that making lo fi hip-hop isn't always as easy as they make it seem, I still love my mk2 but its definitely a work flow that takes a lot of getting used to . Those things don't always make themselves known until you've already invested, I know a lot of content creators dont purposely try to put rose tinted glasses on their viewers , it just happens through their hard work put into the videos they make . Its a consumer heavy world , has been and will be

[@AutisticCuriosity]

The reason why there’s more focus on gear rather than music is as much fault of the KZbinrs as it is the fault of the listeners. Be careful about criticising your audience- other KZbinrs will love you for that … hence Gabe agreeing with you- of course he would. it’s so much easier to do a review of a new piece of gear then actually explain well how music is made at a speed people can follow along with needing something from their patreon page. I’ve seen from so many poorly produced music tutorials that utterly get wrong what listeners need and is more about showing off eg finger drumming skills etc. KZbinrs get given pieces of music gear and encouraged to review it How many times have I heard them say that it’s their own opinion is about a piece of gear that they’ve been given by a company! And we fall for it. Especially as we believe that we too could make music that way when in fact the person demonstrating is a professional musician who could make something beautiful from a box of matches. It’s all a big lie! Then KZbinrs blame listeners for being focused on gear! 🤣 to quote Greta How dare you! 😂😂 But of course your fans will come to your defence on this and tell you how your different and you won’t have to listen to the fact that you too are pushing gear too … and it continues.

[@FreeBeat]

Definitely didn't mean to criticize my audience, (although upon rewatch I can see how it might have seemed like that) was just genuinely curious about why so many wanted me to try these together. I got so many great responses here in the comments, some fantastic ideas to try out that I had no clue were possible! I truly appreciate every single person who watches my videos :)

[@AutisticCuriosity]

@@FreeBeat and response like this from you your graciousness your willingness to see other points of view your whole attitude is why I keep watching. I’m so impressed… yesterday I even ordered my first pocket operator! I’m going to watch your videos on that next. Thank you!

[@SonicVibe]

I think people see mpc one and think pads heck yeah be good for drums and then see deluge like hey that looks cool for sequencing synthesizers idk just a guess

[@samanderson806]

Dude, you have to connect them with MIDI first of all. The benefit comes from the fact that each device has strengths and weaknesses. My MPC can do more than my other gear as far as MIDI and "brain" functionality. My MC 707 sounds way better as a synth and has more performance geared controls. Plus, if you have them connected with MIDI clock, they will start/stop together. If you actually get the MIDI programming dialed in, you can do lots of cool stuff.

[@oliverpazio]

Imagine sequencing the sequence of sequences.. take it a step further and sample your sampler sampling.. all of a sudden your workflow flows like... Um.. kzbin.info/www/bejne/e3uyY5uIrsqZhNU

[@jamesstonehouse3448]

I think your comment about some people being more interested in the gear than making music is right on the money. it's such a trap to fall into.

[@WarrenPostma]

I don't get DAWLESS. I mean. I get it. But i don't get it. There's an XY problem. You see, people say "I dont want to use a PC", and then, they build more and more powerful DAWLESS rigs that, let's face it, are computers. The Akai MPC ONE is a computer. And it's a DAW. So DAWLESS = my DAW doenst look like a macbook. If I glue a launchpad or an ableton push to a macbook, am I dawless too? I will cover most of the screen with cardboard and just let 3 inch by 3 inch square show. Arguably, you're doing more with less with a 1998 thinkpad and RENOISE, than you would be with a modern Akai MPC one "dawless" rig.

[@agneldominique352]

Ya for fun you can mix or for show off you can mix. But the last and certainly not the least reason YOU CAN OBVIOUSLY MIX TO INSPIRE N TEACH US.. or show us the workflow to produce the same jam or track using the different devices individually

[@AJOLDMUSI]

Just like choosing colors or mediums for visual art! ! only people who obsess over gear care about combining equipment really idk! !!!!!!!!Someone quick tell me your set up and why you chose that gear! i have a blofeld cause i love wavetable synth stuff i have a deepmind because i had a dream that bought one but it's redeeming qualities are that it is analog, and its loaded with effects and modulation to make interesting sounding pads! next im buying a yamaha montage A fm synth (probably the most expensive and awesome fm synth today) because i love the sound of fm synthesis ! 😎 The Blofeld gives me a cool space age take on Depeche Mode/goth wave/80s synth sounds Deepmind is a Roland (clone) with some slight changes in its engine/filters/etc but provides a cool space age take on 80s ...and also early 90s dance sounds maybe(also just wanted an analog poly synthesizer😍) The Motage is also capable of some 80s sounds harkening back to the Dx7, but again a pretty avant-gard and highly technical take on those sounds (and completely new sounds too) i also have a TD3 for acid bass stuff DSI evolver(another avant-gardish sounding synth combining analog and digital synthesis) Roland FA-06 a fascinating digital workstation that interpolates acoustic instruments and digital Roland MC-303 workstating for 808/909 sounds mostly! I own a korg dw-6000 which i got for a 100 bucks thats cheap for it/ pretty good overall stuff i guess novationx station was free sound ok not too shabby good bass and other sounds sorta cheap stuff for sure dx21 which is in repair, 80s style sounds like the dx7(infamous sounds)! its ok

[@chandlebarr2442]

I would sample the deluge into the mpc and choppy chop!

[@rayderrich]

The only 'idiot' part of this is that you actually own both of these monsters :)

[@noel101082]

Let me explain. We music gear obsessive or obsessive adjacent (usually due to lack of disposable funds or enablers) yearn to refund the glory of our first music making experiences which depending on your generation could have been a hacked cassette recorder and making waves or a di’d acoustic guitar, an ebo and a tape loop, sometimes these disparate companies produce items that have some accidental serendipity where we feel like we did when we were more creativity than knowledge and at once we are in love with our curse once again. You are a drummer. You guys are weird. Give it time. Soon you will be one of us.

[@meddle333]

If they do it all then why use either of them with anything? Why use the Op1 with anything else? Why use anything with anything? Why use anything? Why try anything? Why do anything at all?

[@G4Nazarener]

I also stick to deluge combined with a bunch of synthesizers. So i have a better access to each sound instead of using multitimbral devices. It s also widening the sound palette. The Deluge is at best in sampling, sequencing, multi track recording and arranging. I don’t like it’s synthesizer that much and prefer real analog synthesizers with a more direct user interface. Visit my channel to check out my setup! I provide some tracks with song structure instead of only jamming some grooves.

[@txfaulk795]

Man it doesn't matter make music you can't have enough Goody's

[@paolofanin]

just my two cents: why use two standalone instruments together? xD

[@PaulSpades]

I can explain very simply. Most people are complete idiots, don't even read the manual or documentation on a 2 grand piece of complex gear they've just bought and never try to master anything. These two are redundant in a single setup, as you obviously point out.

[@FreeBeat]

I definitely wouldn't say most people are complete idiots haha. I've gotten quite a few comments here that point out some pretty cool uses for the two of these together. While not all of them are for me, I can totally see the appeal for some!

[@patrickbodine1300]

Trial and error. My life.😐

[@adamwieczorek7701]

very high GAS pressure🤑. every new gear means a lot of learning, no time for playing. i use an old br600 multitrack recorder. no need for humaniser😆

[@PeaceOut.12]

Why ask why when how is so much more fun🥁