I remember when I was a kid and my dad got a soundblaster card for our home computer and it made all of our dos-era games feel so much more immersive. I need one of these! Great video!
Finally someone talking about BlastBeats! It's my dream synth from a while but can't afford it and neither the Perkons!😂 Please gift us some BlastBeats jam! Subscribed for more! 👍
I don't know why this is the first time I've heard about this instrument. I'm going to have to do a deep dive into it because the Erica Synths is on my list of gear for next year. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.
LXR-02 is a great one to check out from Erica now too... I own a Monomachine & the LXR-02 has become the drum box I prefer paired to it & it's sound... imo LXR-02 is the Mini-Monodrum-Machine of our era of product & development. They both have much in common especially in Sonic nature.
I have both Blast Beats and Mega FM. It is gritty and blastery/ megadrivey, and not at all similar to Perkons which I also have. Sequencer is the only similarity and even that more visually. Love BB tho. Fully agree on not bringing gear on the road. Sample your tracks/stems, use Octatrack for the performance. Also , BB stands out as drum synth in its own right - it obviously cannot do what AR, Tempest, Jomox or Tanzbar can, but it is totally different from Digitone and can do a lot of good crunchy stuff.
Thanks for bringing this to my attention. The Soundblaster card was the first electronic musical instrument I ever used, back in the day. Great to see the chip lives on :)
um... doesnt the perkons have fx, analog drive/distrotion & filters on every voice and master + a compressor on the master aswell? send and returns + triggers for every voice... It is easy to see where your money goes if you genuinely look. And as much as the BB looks good It doesn't appear to have the same build quality as the perkons. But the BB looks cool, if I didn't have an analog four for synth percussion I might consider it.
I have problem with the sequencer of blast beat, but my use case is pair it with circuit, so it dont brother me so much. I keep it because of its sound.
Funny... there were a couple available recently online. But now all sold. I would suggest the same maker as the Perkons: Erica Synths LXR-02 drum machine. Far easier to get a hold of and also built like a tank!
The comparison here is not great. It is an old technique to compare a cheap anything to a top-shelf anything to market the cheap product. To the extent the cheap thing is not a disaster, it benefits from the comparison. When we understand the scope of what the Perkons can do with its purposely limited set of sounds, there really is not a comparison between the Erica drum machine and this Blast Beats beyond the idea that both are drum machines and they use similar-looking button switches. If one likes 12-bit sounds and wants a drum box for relatively little money, this one certainly is an option. Erica actually makes their own similarly priced drum box, and it is damned good. There are other drum machines to check out as well in this lower-end range. For a point of honest comparison, one of those would have been a better choice. You make reasonable points along the way. Going forward, I would focus on using your clear intelligence and personable presentation to do an honest presentation of the gear you present without splashy, unjustifiable comparisons or claims. The premise here was the only problem with the video, despite some of the obnoxious comments you got, and even you were floundering on the comparison toward the end. If you find yourself doing that kind of thing, just recognize the premise does not work and refocus the video before posting it. In this case, what is done is done, and it is no great sin to make a flimsy gear comparison - so long as you realize it yourself and avoid that mistake in the future. Otherwise, thanks, on behalf of 12-bit fetishists (I am not one), for the heads-up on this drum machine. It seems cool enough.
I really appreciate your constructive criticism. I'm just getting started with making videos and trying to find my voice. Feedback like this is very helpful. I'll work on making my future videos more balanced, aiming to fully articulate the complexities when necessary to improve my reviews. Thank you for your feedback.
@@Knightsnarehad a Cycles before my Syntakt and I loved it. Unfortunately too much overlap and not enough space for me to keep both. I really like Blast Beats too though! I think the UI is great and I love FM sounds.
Owned both, sold both. I am an Elektron fanboy and owned a lot of gear, had bad gas, I'm recovered. Perkons was extremely limited in it's UX/UI, but that was it's charm. But too limited for me, got bored fast. It's more performative, and that wasn't my thing and the sound was not that deep. Beats was fun and glitchy, but found it hard to slide into a setup with other gear. Great to sample though. It too was limited in the UX/UI and also was it's charm. Both have different sounds, one analog extreme and the other FM synth glitch extreme.
Yeah, I know they have totally different sounds, and the sonic character of each instrument is really distinct. But what I'm trying to say is that if you're looking for a hands-on, creative experience with a drum machine, this is a great alternative-especially if you can't afford a full €2000 Perkons.
Had had both...Perkons is a wonderful interface but to me had a very uninspiring sound, just bland and homogenised. The BB was great, really deep and interesting, only sold as wanted a 2nd MegaFM from Alex...will probably rebuy it eventually. Check out his new one, the Twist
Love the idea until I start hearing the sounds. Some sounds just feel so wore out. The stock DX7, D-50 and Proteus/1 patches all sound aggressively boring/dated to me. And the GM sounds from the MT-32 and smiliar stuff. And all the cheap video game chips that make these noises. It all just makes me feel like I'm trying to play Space Quest IV on a 486 with a broken AdLib card. It makes me want to jump out the window like the guy on Clockwork Orange when he hears Beethoven. Which is funny because tons of Gen Y nerds are ALL about those noises. The only sorta lo-fi '80s digital noises I kinda like are the D-110 and TX81Z noises. I guess I don't mind that overused Lately Bass LOL.
I think of all the sonic textures as paints in a sort of toolbox, each with its own unique characteristics. I can understand why some people might get tired of certain sounds, but for me, it's all about how you use them. Sure, I could make a whole album of gritty chip-tune, and that could be cool if that's was the goal. But what I try to do is blend different elements to create a range of textures that keep things interesting for the listener. Anyway, thanks for commenting-it's always great to see women in the gear space too!
Lazy video with a clickbait title despite what the talking head says. The entire idea here is like saying "hey, the Corvette is 100k USD. You know what you can replace it with? A Toyota Yaris. And the Yaris is 5-door so in a way you have 2.5 times the Corvette!" The video doesn't even attempt to address how Blast Beats can fill similar use cases that Perkons does. The sounds BB produces are very primitive, by design, but maybe some creative effect pedals could actually touch the Perkons palette. But we will never know, because there's no demo of that here.
@@Knightsnare dont get me wrong the guy makin twisted electrons is a nice guy but i got two broken acid8`s on delivery and the third replacement worked three month...=( a friend of me has almost similar experience with the mega fm... the metal housing is useless if the parts are not well asembled
Perkons is seriously overrated and over priced. Just an empty feeling shell of a thing. Limited scope of sounds. All industrial and cold. Perhaps ditto the Soma Pulsar. Glad I didn't pick up a Perkons.
I remember when I was a kid and my dad got a soundblaster card for our home computer and it made all of our dos-era games feel so much more immersive. I need one of these! Great video!
Super video Jonathan! Thanks for making it - I'm humbled 🥰
You’ve made a beautiful instrument, I really appreciate people like you who are pushing the envelope!!
Finally someone talking about BlastBeats!
It's my dream synth from a while but can't afford it and neither the Perkons!😂
Please gift us some BlastBeats jam!
Subscribed for more! 👍
Just made a new video about it! Check it out!
th-cam.com/video/OFWedkZuW3o/w-d-xo.htmlsi=i8hAK-6Rz7IeTb7V
❤
I don't know why this is the first time I've heard about this instrument. I'm going to have to do a deep dive into it because the Erica Synths is on my list of gear for next year. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.
LXR-02 is a great one to check out from Erica now too... I own a Monomachine & the LXR-02 has become the drum box I prefer paired to it & it's sound... imo LXR-02 is the Mini-Monodrum-Machine of our era of product & development. They both have much in common especially in Sonic nature.
Perkons is superb. It's only limiting if you make it limiting.
Basically......get one
I have both Blast Beats and Mega FM. It is gritty and blastery/ megadrivey, and not at all similar to Perkons which I also have. Sequencer is the only similarity and even that more visually. Love BB tho. Fully agree on not bringing gear on the road. Sample your tracks/stems, use Octatrack for the performance. Also , BB stands out as drum synth in its own right - it obviously cannot do what AR, Tempest, Jomox or Tanzbar can, but it is totally different from Digitone and can do a lot of good crunchy stuff.
Thanks for bringing this to my attention. The Soundblaster card was the first electronic musical instrument I ever used, back in the day. Great to see the chip lives on :)
5:37 Wowp! nice that the sounds can morph easily with sliders
The sound blaster card was made by EMU and I believe it is the same chip used in the yamaha DX synths.
you weren't kidding, it sounds big 🙏
I like these concise opinion videos. I would like to hear one about the cobalt
um... doesnt the perkons have fx, analog drive/distrotion & filters on every voice and master + a compressor on the master aswell? send and returns + triggers for every voice... It is easy to see where your money goes if you genuinely look. And as much as the BB looks good It doesn't appear to have the same build quality as the perkons.
But the BB looks cool, if I didn't have an analog four for synth percussion I might consider it.
I have problem with the sequencer of blast beat, but my use case is pair it with circuit, so it dont brother me so much. I keep it because of its sound.
Funny... there were a couple available recently online. But now all sold. I would suggest the same maker as the Perkons: Erica Synths LXR-02 drum machine. Far easier to get a hold of and also built like a tank!
You should check out international distributors like Thomman. They have some available.
The comparison here is not great. It is an old technique to compare a cheap anything to a top-shelf anything to market the cheap product. To the extent the cheap thing is not a disaster, it benefits from the comparison. When we understand the scope of what the Perkons can do with its purposely limited set of sounds, there really is not a comparison between the Erica drum machine and this Blast Beats beyond the idea that both are drum machines and they use similar-looking button switches. If one likes 12-bit sounds and wants a drum box for relatively little money, this one certainly is an option. Erica actually makes their own similarly priced drum box, and it is damned good. There are other drum machines to check out as well in this lower-end range. For a point of honest comparison, one of those would have been a better choice.
You make reasonable points along the way. Going forward, I would focus on using your clear intelligence and personable presentation to do an honest presentation of the gear you present without splashy, unjustifiable comparisons or claims. The premise here was the only problem with the video, despite some of the obnoxious comments you got, and even you were floundering on the comparison toward the end. If you find yourself doing that kind of thing, just recognize the premise does not work and refocus the video before posting it. In this case, what is done is done, and it is no great sin to make a flimsy gear comparison - so long as you realize it yourself and avoid that mistake in the future. Otherwise, thanks, on behalf of 12-bit fetishists (I am not one), for the heads-up on this drum machine. It seems cool enough.
I really appreciate your constructive criticism. I'm just getting started with making videos and trying to find my voice. Feedback like this is very helpful. I'll work on making my future videos more balanced, aiming to fully articulate the complexities when necessary to improve my reviews.
Thank you for your feedback.
Have you tried the Model:Cycles?
No, but I'm a big fan of Elektron, so I guess I should! Is it cool?
@@Knightsnarehad a Cycles before my Syntakt and I loved it. Unfortunately too much overlap and not enough space for me to keep both.
I really like Blast Beats too though! I think the UI is great and I love FM sounds.
Have you played with the new firmware on Syntakt? I hear its a big update.
@@Knightsnare yes! I love the new chip machine and Euclidean mode for the sequencer!
Owned both, sold both. I am an Elektron fanboy and owned a lot of gear, had bad gas, I'm recovered. Perkons was extremely limited in it's UX/UI, but that was it's charm. But too limited for me, got bored fast. It's more performative, and that wasn't my thing and the sound was not that deep. Beats was fun and glitchy, but found it hard to slide into a setup with other gear. Great to sample though. It too was limited in the UX/UI and also was it's charm. Both have different sounds, one analog extreme and the other FM synth glitch extreme.
Recovering from G.A.S. had me cracking up! 😂
Pretty sure Erica is coming out with a module that has all the Perkons sound engines in it.
That would be cool!
they did a single voice in a module i think? but a lot of the good of it is how it works all together
I returned Perkons because of the limited sounds, sequencer and workflow are awesome. Also had some serious bugs.
Sir Twisted Elektrons Blast Beats does not come close to the Perkons I had both sold Blast Beats it is difrent sound
Yeah, I know they have totally different sounds, and the sonic character of each instrument is really distinct. But what I'm trying to say is that if you're looking for a hands-on, creative experience with a drum machine, this is a great alternative-especially if you can't afford a full €2000 Perkons.
I would say get an LXR02 if you're looking for similar for a hell of a lot less.
I have both and lxr is far away from hands on its menu divy@@Decoy303
How can you even compare the 2? They sound nothing at all like each other. I know. I've owned them both for some years.
good vid, interest ing to compare them like this!
recycling. neat
Had had both...Perkons is a wonderful interface but to me had a very uninspiring sound, just bland and homogenised. The BB was great, really deep and interesting, only sold as wanted a 2nd MegaFM from Alex...will probably rebuy it eventually. Check out his new one, the Twist
I'd love to get my hands on a Twist!!!
Love the idea until I start hearing the sounds. Some sounds just feel so wore out. The stock DX7, D-50 and Proteus/1 patches all sound aggressively boring/dated to me. And the GM sounds from the MT-32 and smiliar stuff. And all the cheap video game chips that make these noises. It all just makes me feel like I'm trying to play Space Quest IV on a 486 with a broken AdLib card. It makes me want to jump out the window like the guy on Clockwork Orange when he hears Beethoven. Which is funny because tons of Gen Y nerds are ALL about those noises. The only sorta lo-fi '80s digital noises I kinda like are the D-110 and TX81Z noises. I guess I don't mind that overused Lately Bass LOL.
I think of all the sonic textures as paints in a sort of toolbox, each with its own unique characteristics. I can understand why some people might get tired of certain sounds, but for me, it's all about how you use them. Sure, I could make a whole album of gritty chip-tune, and that could be cool if that's was the goal. But what I try to do is blend different elements to create a range of textures that keep things interesting for the listener. Anyway, thanks for commenting-it's always great to see women in the gear space too!
even though this guy looks like he is 55 years old he uptalks like an 18 year old
Lol
Lazy video with a clickbait title despite what the talking head says. The entire idea here is like saying "hey, the Corvette is 100k USD. You know what you can replace it with? A Toyota Yaris. And the Yaris is 5-door so in a way you have 2.5 times the Corvette!"
The video doesn't even attempt to address how Blast Beats can fill similar use cases that Perkons does. The sounds BB produces are very primitive, by design, but maybe some creative effect pedals could actually touch the Perkons palette. But we will never know, because there's no demo of that here.
the build"quality" of the twisted electrons is so poor that you start appreciatin behringer...
This hasn't been at all my experience. The opposite, actually.
@@Knightsnare dont get me wrong the guy makin twisted electrons is a nice guy but i got two broken acid8`s on delivery and the third replacement worked three month...=(
a friend of me has almost similar experience with the mega fm... the metal housing is useless if the parts are not well asembled
Perkons is seriously overrated and over priced. Just an empty feeling shell of a thing. Limited scope of sounds. All industrial and cold. Perhaps ditto the Soma Pulsar. Glad I didn't pick up a Perkons.
Stops gabbing and let’s you actually hear it at 3:05.