Tech Talk: Techno Producer Arthur Robert Discusses Elektron Machines, Drum Tuning, And More

In this new edition of our Electronic Beats Tech Talk series we step into the world of Romanian, Vienna raised producer and live act Arthur Robert, who you may be familiar with through releases on Len Faki’s Figure, AMOTIK, Exos & Hassen’s Planet X and Rotterdam’s Reclaim Your City among others. Arthur’s music stands firmly in the Techno field while weaving in a variety of influences such as Jungle and Breaks to create something that sound distinctly his. He also teaches music production, specialising in Ableton.
In this video we explore Robert’s initial forays into using hardware, discover some of his regular go to pieces such as Elektron Machines and Polyphonic synths. We also touch on his approach to production which gravitates toward live, on the fly improvisations to capture things in the moment, find out more about his recording process and how he brings everything together in a DAW. The discussion also touches on mixing, effects, drum tuning and other studio topics.
Chapters in the video
0:00 Intro
0:18 First gear
0:41 Elektron Machines
1:54 Polyphonic Synths
2:57 Other Hardware
3:19 Connection DAW - Hardware
4:16 Recording
4:39 Live Jams
5:29 Effects
6:06 Drum Tuning
For all those who want to delve a little deeper into the subject of drum tuning, we recommend our video with Hannes Bieger: • Studio Tips & Tricks: ...
#electronicbeats #techno #musicproduction #techtalk

[@ArthurRobertofficial]

Nice of people to chime with their opinions. My point is that I could use any given machine at this point and most likely extract a lot out if it due to my extensive knowledge in synthesis and sound design. Furthermore I can see the irony that saying “limit yourself” with a wall of synth behind me might seem contradictory but in fact I know most of my machines very well and it is precisely this process that enables me to work the way I do. I limit myself in the sense that I learn a machine properly first. Also whilst making music I won’t certainly use all my machines. I use a few and get them to send as good possible. That is limiting. And to close this off, I teach students operator inside Ableton. This synth is powerful but also carries limitations. Also in the way I teach it. Make as many sounds as possible from the same source. It’s not what you have it’s what you do with what you have.

[@only1mikelarry]

Learning from him has been a game changer to my approach to making music.Arthur is an absolute gem

[@f33fifofum]

I could listen to him talk about gear all day, absolute legend

[@SolidtraxNL]

Wisdom in this one. Thanks!

[@ElectronicBeatsTV]

Glad it was helpful!

[@manuelotin88]

Excelente video, Nata! Muy fresco, sincero y sencillo. Super útil.

[@TheSpaceVentura]

Excellent craftmanship shown here! Thanks for sharing these insights

[@amenbrothersSE]

Thanx for sharing! Nice tunes and info!❤

[@cyrillerobin5564]

love this workflow !

[@stephenpopov909]

great content. I love his Elektron-ish sound. The guys knows his stuff

[@pawel_dobrowolski]

I totally agree that Ableton effects are sufficient and you basically don't need anything else :)

[@timoskam7646]

Great video! Your Masterclass gave me a lot of insight thanks a lot

[@syneman1]

I like this guy’s style. Limitations bring creativity.

[@ElectronicBeatsTV]

For all those who want to delve a little deeper into the subject of drum tuning, we recommend our drum tuning video with Hannes Bieger: kzbin.info/www/bejne/l3vclI1qr7uMq5Y

[@Datacustic]

Finally someone explaining that EQ is very small doses only and the shaping is in the envelopes and Tuning Offcourse. Nice arrangement approach!

[@robertocasaldi1642]

Big Arthur perfect words ❤️

[@LucasMarchal]

Solid advice upon solid advice. Boss !

[@tomb-X]

🙏 very good info👍

[@vitaliiandronov8629]

He says that digitone sounds surprisingly well for a synth that costs 600-700 euros and that octatrack is limited. Once I bought novation xio for 50 bucks and it sounds very well for that price. But fm synth for 700 euros should sound well. These insights are not for me, but thanks for the content anyway - still my favorite youtube channel

[@effext1]

I get what you’re saying but the sound engine of the Digitone makes up only half of that machine’s capabilities.

[@arenreiser3643]

@@thatmr.a8010 he makes damn good music. So where do you get your statements and hatred from?

[@TheBroDotTV]

The guy is a newbie 😂. Nice music but hasn't been around the block to speak with authority.

[@TheBroDotTV]

@@arenreiser3643 Relax dude you're mixing your emotions with your logic part - are you a girl 😂

[@yalinyucel574]

Legend ❤

[@Pixeljunky1979]

Love this Series! But please do it a bit longer! 30 Min would be much nicer!

[@elmundozazou9522]

"The Octatrack is VERY limited."... It's the most complex, effing deepest machine you own bro.

[@ElectronicBeatsTV]

Didn't he say he uses the Octa for Sampling primarly?

[@tillschroder6992]

Its very limited compared to a DAW

[@ThatBonsaipanda]

8 monophonic stereo tracks which you can modulate and sequence. In addition you have very crude and basic MIDI sequencer for 8 tracks (which don't support scenes). Yes, it is extremely limited. You can still do lots with it, even complete tracks.

[@luytzen]

​@@ElectronicBeatsTV so he limits himself by not using the Octatracks sequencer....and uses the Cirklon instead

[@gbrl_cyber]

​@@luytzen he said he mostly uses ableton m4l sequencers ... btw check out mono-sequencer or the alexkid tools ... really good stuff. criklon is dope af tho'

[@RotlichtFilet]

Wow, super interesting approach on production. Really love that he produces everything on the fly with his gear into ableton. I think definetly is limited in some way, beacause Software Synths are way more complex most of the time.... more possibilities. You can go back and forward all the time, but that the Octratrack is a simple machine is a bit funny. :D

[@larry6006]

I just love this extra terrestrial people =)

[@Giovanni-Giorgio]

Meanwhile, me with my 4-year old kid his keyboard toy and a Zoom H1 audio recorder. Beat that for Limited 💪

[@christopher_ecclestone]

Add a Monotron Delay and you'll be set for world domination!

[@dannyg8015]

Very inspiring, great video!!

[@ElectronicBeatsTV]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@jakojako_live]

Wurde auch mal Zeit für ein Techtalk mit ihm! 👍

[@ElectronicBeatsTV]

Ey, kein Druck bitte

[@jakojako_live]

@@ElectronicBeatsTV'Ey' mich nicht, bitte ;)

[@JJaxxon]

Favorite PlugIn: Limiter!

[@dxtrs_mnpltr]

😂

[@gewddoogie]

His voice and articulation reminded me of the Daft Punk track "We added a Click" - Giorgio by Moroder

[@jonathancooper3615]

Track at the 1 min mark?

[@njdpdv]

Having all the Elektron boxes on that upper row looks pretty un-ergonomical (limiting) 😆.

[@james82408]

🙏🏾

[@Cybercowboy_69]

what track at 4.42?

[@TheBroDotTV]

Limited 😂. Dude has tonnes of gear. Nice music tho.

[@ElectronicBeatsTV]

but don't use it all at once.

[@TheBroDotTV]

@@ElectronicBeatsTV Er that's not the point of Limited gear 😂

[@ElectronicBeatsTV]

@TheBroDotTV Yes, that's the point, to limit yourself to a few tools per track when producing, regardless of the quantity you have there. If you don't do that, you'll rarely get a result. I speak from my own experience. And if you've seen the whole interview, he also says that he only teaches his students with Ableton so that they see that it's enough to make official tracks and that you don't need a studio full of gear.

[@TheBroDotTV]

@@ElectronicBeatsTV Mm that's not my point it's that you should have only a few pieces of gear at all not 20 odd. Nevermind. 😂

[@rgeraldc80s]

I wouldn't call them limited either. Limited compared to computer, but with the combination of his studio I would call it unlimited. I have most of the Elektron stuff and I would say with Ableton it is limitless. Especially with those synths added.

[@el_dani]

Very limited setup, indeed! Otherwise great production and mixing tips, thanks for the video.

[@worriesinthedance]

a tinge of irony, sat with 10ish + gear behind oneself....with the "limited" spiel.

[@famousarmystudio]

The Octatrack is limited??? He may be the only human who has ever touched an Octatrack that would say that.

[@ElectronicBeatsTV]

Guess he means compared to a DAW like Ableton.

[@shoal__]

My mann

[@meilstone]

Using the same approach, just a digital mixer instead of Ableton, makes it even faster and more hands on.

[@cbyrne2466]

How do these guys afford all that gear? I'm doing a blink analysis - they must be in debt or be from wealth

[@PabloInformation]

Well How bad do you want it? Its quite easy to accumulate that amount of gear in a 10 year period which is how long he mentioned he was developing his current work flow....Its actually only 2K or Less per year on gear! & (Ps. buy used)... But you have to be willing to make sacrifices to have the extra cash if your disposable income is low ....for example just don't go parting ,drinking or buying girls stuff & you'll save up a good chunk even with a minimum paying job. question is are you willing to make sacrifices for your dreams? if not you'll never have anything ...if so its actually quite easy Ps: my advice comes from 1st hand experience doing exactly what i proposed.

[@modal-kkurt4986]

It's easy to afford gear if you work and don't put it all up your nose!

[@spaceJuank]

Pro

[@Bin909able]

Very nice, but to call the octatrack limited... as he says: in the way he uses it. The OT can take users in numerous directions and is know for a steep learning curve, but extreme depth. There are hardly two users using it in the same way...

[@ElectronicBeatsTV]

To be fair, the learning curve is also so steep because of the countless submenus and double assignments. There's not much else like it, which is why many people find it very difficult at first.

[@Bin909able]

Very true. My OT will stay with me until one of us dies 😉

[@ElectronicBeatsTV]

But compared to a DAW the Octa is limited, isn’t it?

[@dxtrs_mnpltr]

@@ElectronicBeatsTV there are way more submenus to learn in a DAW, to be fair.

[@gbrl_cyber]

100% no hipster bullshit attitude towards making music. that guy knows what's up.

[@psicotechnico]

would love to see some non elektron based hardware approach. because elektron stuff sounds good but always like elektron, which starts getting boring after a while. it’s why most hardware livesets sound more or less the same imo.. stuff i would like to see featured: korg emx/esx roland mc 909/505 sequentix circlon (a bit more in depth) radical technologies spectralis and synth wise: jd800/990 e-mu romplers access virus nord lead fx wise: ensoniq dp4/dp2 there’s so much out there, no need for the 100th person telling me how much they love the octatrak lol

[@ElectronicBeatsTV]

We don't choose people according to what equipment they use in the studio. That's always a surprise for us too.

[@TheJacksonscience]

Dude has a ton of gear but it’s still limited in comparison to working inside the box with unlimited options where you can stack 30 effects on one plugin that can use 200 voices

[@Vcg108]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who sees the irony.

[@ElectronicBeatsTV]

@Vcg108 Or wants to understand it that way 😉

[@Vcg108]

@@ElectronicBeatsTV I mean it is a video, what you show is just as important as what you say 🤷‍♂️

[@AndreasHimmes]

I‘ll Never understand the statement „Limited“ hand in hand with Tons of Gear. 🤦🏻‍♂️

[@ElectronicBeatsTV]

No one uses all the gear at the same time. Limit yourself to some selected gear per track.

[@BaltimoreReese]

Always a big debate on this, whether to tune drums or not

[@ElectronicBeatsTV]

@BaltimoreReese That's not really a debate. At a professional level, drum tuning is a must. For a lot of people, it's just a matter of choosing the sounds that fit together by ear. There are different ways, the important thing is that the drum sounds and bass etc. fit together harmoniously and don't clash. If this is not the case, you have to tune accordingly to create a rounded overall picture. Exceptions prove the rule. Here is a video which goes more into detail kzbin.info/www/bejne/l3vclI1qr7uMq5Y

[@ExpectResistance]

It always surprises me when creatives talk about sound creation, experimentation, using your ears but then also have difficulty in accepting drums/bass not all tuned. Tuning your drums and bass is a preference, it’s subjective. It is very possible to create interesting sounds and music using both approaches.

[@ElectronicBeatsTV]

@ExpectResistance In the end, everything is subjective. Some people intuitively choose sounds that fit together harmonically, others tune the ones they want to use. That doesn't mean that untuned sounds can't sound interesting in context. But there is a reason why bands tune their instruments so that they harmonize with each other. It's no different with electronic music.

[@pufu21]

😍🫂

[@pirateradioFPV]

Restricted =\= Limited

[@miker23]

*Promo SM* 🤩

[@afxtwinreverb]

Why everybody says limit limit limitations creativity limit yourself limitations better. Go make music with buckets then.

[@a1o1]

That's a 200k studio .. crikey

[@ElectronicBeatsTV]

@a1o1 Where do you get such fantasy sums from?

[@a1o1]

​@@ElectronicBeatsTV extrapolating from my own studio and a calculator!

[@ElectronicBeatsTV]

@a1o1 I see around 30k or rather 25k.

[@SpikesStudio3]

Bro, the word is "specific" not "limited".😐

[@ElectronicBeatsTV]

There are some very „specific“ comments here 😉

[@chrishall5985]

Everybody has the same gear. Its like a bunch of techno clones

[@ElectronicBeatsTV]

The same could be said about some of the comments here 🤷‍♂️ There have been no groundbreaking changes in techno for a long time, despite the masses of affordable soft and hardware now available. Maybe it's too easy these days? Ps. Back then everybody had the same gear too. It is what you make out of it.

[@DJCrimeSkeleton]

And every beat that can be made already has. So what? Keep going and make new music

[@afxtwinreverb]

Electronic instruments It’s not a big market

[@lucid484]

According to Deadmau5, tuning drums is stupid and a waste of time... 😂😂🤣🤣

[@Heathcliff_hensel]

The more gear you have the worse your music is.

[@Kablehead]

What do you mean? He has a lot of stuff sitting around. 🙂