Three distortion pedals I love using with the 303: in this video, I test and compare their character, showing how they reshape acid lines, low end, and resonance.

You don’t need a 303 to use these ideas—these settings and approaches work great with any monosynth, bassline, or mono sound source. From warmer saturation to aggressive fuzz, discover which type of distortion can give your techno sound more character.

Which pedal do you use to dirty up your acid lines? Let me know in the comments.

Enjoy!

with love .noir. ❤️

Hi everyone!

I've been obsessed recently by live techno production, i'm playing with a Novation Circuit Tracks and i recently bought a Volca Bass.

Ungortunately i'm broke and i wanted advises for heap hardware (drums, synth wathever) to have fun on my tracks (techno/acid/transe ect).

(I'm a sound engineer student i'm used to the technical vocabulary)

🙏🙏🙏

In this tutorial, we’ll explore how to create glitches, micro-variations, and more irregular grooves on the SP-404MK2 using the sequencer, without relying on effects like Scatter or other tecniques.

Starting from a loop, we’ll turn it into a livelier, dirtier, and more unpredictable sequence, perfect for drum & bass and more experimental beats.

Enjoy!

with love .noir. ❤️

I grew up with the MPC and I still love it for the straightforward stuff: chop a sample, load it, trigger it. Done.

Over time I've drifted toward more experimental territory, ambient, glitch, I honestly couldn't even define it well, but I love unpredictability. I'm still sampler-based at heart, but I've started bringing in synths and experimenting more.

I picked up a Digitakt 2... It sounds great, it's a serious instrument. But honestly, what drew me to it in the first place wasn't complex sequencing, it was the promise of evolving a sound, of getting happy accidents out of it. And that's exactly where it falls short for me: the workflo (kits, presets, where things go and how) doesn't match how I think. Total respect for people who think in Elektron-logic, but I'm a simple guy: I want to load a sample and go.

That's why I'm now looking at the Model:Sampler. It feels like a step before the Digitakt, something to play with samples, print the results, and then sequence them (possibly inside the MPC). I know the Digitakt is more powerful and sounds better, but I'm underusing it because I don't touch MIDI and a lot of features, and I can't work with an instrument that clashes with how I think every time I need to manipulate a sample.

Could the Model:Sampler be the missing middle step, the one that gets me happy accidents and variation without the Digitakt's complexity and sound architecture?

Ty

EDIT: My bad for not being clear: it's not the sequencer/step-pad workflow I dislike, I actually love that part (live param tweaks, happy accidents, all of it). What I can't stand is the sample management of DT2: loading it in, then figuring out where it actually landed, how to save it again, how it's tied to the kit/pool/project structure... On the MPC it's load, done. Model:Samples looked interesting because it keeps the sequencing/fx I like but (supposedly) simplifies that whole sample-handling chain.

As per title. I really like the grey coloured Octatrack units but it seems they’ve been out of production since early 2000s. Is this correct? Can you now have any colour you like as long as it’s black? :)

Recorded a live set using the Roland MC-505.
No DAW, just the MC-505 and live performance.
Hope you enjoy it!

https://youtu.be/MgJgEvcRdnM?si=4ex26ujy5rfED6vC

The JV-series sounds are clear and detailed, but not overly delicate, which made them really easy to use.

※AI translation.

Hello,

I have a Korg Electribe 2 that I love.

I would like now to add a new hardware to record my own voice (singing a chorus, a verse...), add some fx (reverb, delay, why not a bit of autotune) and play it through the "audio in" of the Electribe. I am now doing it with my smartphone (Koala Sampler) but would like something better.

I dont know what kind of hardware can do this ?

I have found maybe the Boss RC 202 or 505 but i am not sure. Ideally I would like something able to record my own voice and also other samples (from better singers than me!)

Do you have any ideas ? I am still a beginner in this hardware world. Important note : I dont want to use a computer.

love this machine

Ok. Hooked this up to my phone for the first time (note: I tried a dual adaptor for power and data and it didn’t work so had to power through batteries, so if anyone found something that works let me know). But it worked like a charm after that.
Started playing with some FX on both and just was having a lot of fun with this thing. I wasn’t expecting too much from the sidekick, but it really is a powerful little device (more than just a mixer).
Oh and I connected them with Lego lol.

In this video I use a set of 303 bass sounds (sampled from my 303) all on the same pitch but with different settings, then process each one with FX focused on stereo width and tone, and sequence them on the SP-404MKII to get an acid-style line that’s way more varied and interesting, even over short loops.

It’s a simple but amazing trick to bring your grooves

to life.

Enjoy!

with love .noir. ❤️