Getting the most out of my Organelle M (first hardware music device)

Organelle
1

Hi all,

As the title says, the Organelle M will be my first time dabbling in music hardware (other than, like, guitar pedals, recording equipment, and MIDI controllers). I have no hardware synths, sequencers, samplers, drum machines, or anything like that. Nearly all of my experience prior to this point has been with software, in a digital audio workstation.

I want to try and get the most out of my new Organelle (once it arrives). I picked it up specifically so that I could have a way to make music and experiment away from the PC. Music making on the go, general dabbling, going out into the field, etc. It looks like a fun device. However, part of me is concerned that there may be a degree of “disappointment” because it’s so different from what I’m used to.

More specifically, I’m worried about comparing it to some of the beefier software synths that I’ve been using in my music (e.g. Image-Line’s Harmor, XFer Serum, Native Instruments Razor). Powerhouse synths that can basically do anything, but only exist in software form. I feel like it’s not a fair comparison, both because the Organelle is a less “powerful” platform (a Raspberry Pi running PureData vs a desktop PC DAW synth), and because the Organelle can do lots of things those synths can’t (as it is so open-ended).

I guess what I’m asking is: do y’all have any advice for a good “mindset” with which to approach the Organelle? What are some things to keep in mind, in order to get the most out of it?

Put differently: what made you fall in love with the Organelle, and what keeps you coming back to it?

2

You will definitely want to get comfortable with the web server as it will be key to adding patches and organizing your system. The most powerful system in my opinion is using Orac or Orhack by Audivit. If you learn how to use it well, you can make incredibly full sounding and rich music with loops, samples, synths, and also process live input like microphones and guitars all running at the same time. I have a duo where we both use Orhack on two Organelles and there is enough possibilities to keep us busy forever and it is awesome as a live tool.

If you are really really trying to get the most out of your system, learn Pure Data. When you know it, it opens up almost limitless playground for creating instruments and effects. It is pretty complicated but I would check out the series Real Time Music and Sound with Pure Data with Andrew Brown. I still reference some of his videos and that was what really made it click for me. Also open up peoples patches, see how they work, and modify them!

2 Likes