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Something new from the western front [not so much raving, but reviewing and other stuff]

efinq
Jul 20, 2016
4 min read

So, out of sheer boredom I decided to start writing a loosely structered blog post (I was about to start a blog as early as in high school though but I was busy doing some other things and I never did... on a second note, there's no actual musical content here so if you're looking for that you can stop reading and do something else instead)

Anyway, to the point; last week, after coming to terms with my wallet and reading a few reviews I went on a road trip and purchased an Akai Rhythm Wolf drum machine (I'd figure it has a relatively low WAF but it's price and overall lofi-ness make it appealing for aspiring producers like me and adds up to the street credibility)

It all started from an idea of incorporating a drum machine to my live techno set which I've been rigorously practicing. There were other options too such as the Korg Volca (I've been using an Ableton Drum Rack this far; anything outboard reduces the overall CPU load) but my current setup is going through a transformation and I needed something simple and affordable. To point out another factor; the unit and it's interface has a somewhat retro feel to it. Oh, and it's got a built-in synthesizer too.

The company itself, Akai, isn't really known for making synthesizers (I've had an APC40 for years, and there's even an old defunct Akai tape deck laying around waiting to be fixed) but instead, their samplers, especially the MPC product line.

Now, it makes sense to me for a reputable company in that field to make a drum machine.. the build quality is there along with the MPC-style pads, sturdy knobs and buttons. The sound engine itself is analog and while not being the greatest (there's some background noise, especially in the percussion channel) it's versatile enough for my use which is most of the time layering the sequence with synths, tracks and (other) pre-recorded stuff.

Other than that, the synth can be triggered via USB-MIDI from a sequencer or using the traditional MIDI in. I utilized the MIDI out for triggering the Mininova in case my laptop crashes.. not that it's a problem since a) the live set isn't ready for the wide audience just yet and b) I have no live gigs coming up (possibly a few DJ sets next month).. I guess I should be practicing instead of writing this.

Sound-wise there's no complaining. The kick drum can be set to have loads of low end where necessary and the snare can be altered using decay to a sweet white-noisey fuzz.. the hi-hats are crisp and have a similar decay function too. I found the percussive sound a bit cheesy but it can be used to add some variation and other interesting nuances to compositions.

There were some complaints on the internet about the synthesizer and some of the sounds but I'm personally very partial to it. After playing around with it for a while, I found it perfect for acid techno, and at times, even minimal (yet straightforward) compositions.

I'd rather not give any stars (or marbles as for that matter) but the unit has earned it's place as a part of my current live setup.. time (and ultimately the audience) will tell whether it holds up against it's digital counterparts.

A few words about the road trip itself; due to certain circumstances and my notorious impatience when it comes to purchasing musical gadgets, I had to call the salesperson and arrange a pick-up. The store itself, St Paul's Sound and it's staff, on the other hand, are notorious for their flexibility (I've been a customer since 2012; I needed a set of speakers and some other stuff for a school play I was doing FOH-mixing and some pre-recording for at the time)

There's another reason too, and the reason was that the unit was out of stock in most stores and this one happened to have a parcel en route with possibly few units in it, so I felt privileged to reserve one for myself and pick it up during closing hours.

Then there are some good news (in case you don't count the current weather) : my latest work, the Celestia EP made it to #1 in klubitus.org (screencap as of the time of writing)

Finally, I've been reading a bit of literature lately. I got my hands on an art book, The Humanism of Art by Vladislav Zimenko which has this far been quite enjoyable (keeping in mind that I had to take additional art classes in high school), yet there was a paragraph which I ended up underlining : "Modigliani and a small group of artists.. [believed passionately] in the eternal purpose of art to glorify man" because I found it somewhat contradictory to the general characteristic of visual art, that the artists (most of them men) of the era usually depicted the feminine in their works (however, excluding masculine portraits or practical "art" of the era such as technical drawings and medical illustrations). This could be further theorized that the masculine creative process is a self-feeding loop of phallocentric thinking (reflecting one's view of himself and the surroundings) and the possible future outcome (connection with the feminine)

I also finished reading a music textbook from 1983 (for high schools) which along with basic music theory covered the history of music from the Egyptian times to the classical era (it even included unusually extensive biographies of composers and analysis' of their respective styles)

This pretty much concludes my latest ventures, hope you're enjoying your summer!

-ef

EDIT : Spelling and grammar -_-