Hey! We're at the show with an internet connection charged at 20 dollars an hour. So details will be posted to the site later, but it _is_ a new version of the Machinedrum, the SPS-1UW, UW for User Wave.
The current Machinedrum SPS-1 will still be marketed and sold. The two brothers will share the same OS, so future upgrades will benefit both.
Some SPS-1UW details:
The UW is not a "sampler". It's mainly designed for allowing the user to customise the MD with some favourite samples. And to capture realtime stuff, but this can't be saved, it's for realtime adventures. So, yes it uses sample technology, but it's not a sampler as you know it. The Machinedrum is still a drummachine, the UW model a little bit more customisable.
The UW offers 32 ROM machines that can accomodate samples downloadable by MIDI sample dump. They are stored in an internal flash memory and loaded to the DPS's on boot. The DSP's has been given a boost of memory to accomodate the samples. Having the samples in fast DSP RAM allows for effects known from the E12 such as retrig.
There are also two RAM machines which are supposed to be used for realtime sampling of the external inputs or resample what comes out of the main MD outputs. At the show we are using the inputs to connect to a turntable, lift beats from vinyl and mess them up with parameter locks, filters, change speed, add weird LFO settings to get a kind of messed up time-stretch/freeze sound.
The sample engine is 12-bit to offer a more interesting sound (and save DSP memory), but uses a dynamic compression to get rid of the problems normally associated with 12-bit such as distorting fade-outs.
For me this Machinedrum variant is exciting because
A) you can get samples inside the Machinedrum environment, which opens up the sound palette even more,
B) the Machinedrum has a certain sound which makes the samepls sound different. For me the samples get punchier and more distinct,
C) it allows for integrating external sound sources in a new way and do some MD internal resample stuff which we have not really had time to expore yet. But you should be able to use it for making strange delays etc.
...and I love the fact the memory is limited for ROM/flash so you need to think about what you put in there. No endless sample library to stop creativity. But finally you _can_ get those 909 hihats that we always refused to copy! What a shame.
We are developing a special MIDI (USB) interface for people who thinks downloading over normal MIDI takes too much time. This takes MIDI up to 10x the normal speed. This gem is not ready yet.
There will be an upgrade offer for existing SPS-1 users who like to take advantage of the UW features. Production is running. The plan is to offer upgrades and the new MD edition in May.
Hope this clears up a bit for the people craving for actual facts. It will take us a while to get the web updated and all the details on there. We don't expect everybody to love it or need it. Decide what Machinedrum flavour fits you best! We will stand behind both.
The SPS-1UW will be EUR 1590 / USD 1640. Euro price including sales tax.
Now I'm off to the show.
Best,
Daniel Hansson,
Elektron
PS. The Pacman stuff... That's for MD power up!
