r/DrumMachine

Hey all,

Can I have saome feedback from users using both a maschine and a drum machine together, please? What made you decide on this workflow? How is this exactly helping you better than just sampling what you need? It it worth to have a paralell sequencer running for you to worry about?

I will use it for mostly write music, not perfrom and already have a maschine which is my main writing station. I "think I want" a drum machine together with it so I could take avantage of things like ACB sounds (with a Roland), or just full analog sounds (Like a Drumbrute) which are things samples cannot really do... but... isn't the drum machine a more performance and not compositional box? Is it worth to pay for this sound ACB variance privilege versus the workflow friction it brings? Or am I wrong and no, it's really better to just offload the drums to a dedicated machine and leave the MK3 just doing everytning else?

Need someone on the same boat telling where they went that can talk me into or out of it.

Thanks. From a confused prospect buyer :)

Dr. 5 preset track

Hello everybody, I need some advice on where to start on my drum machine journey. I want to purchase a drum machine that will allow me to create minimalistic, dark, punchy themes, and I like a crunchy sound.

I am not familiar with doing my own sampling but would like to have a machine with at least a little sampling capability.

I want to be able to flesh out and make full length recordings with DAW connectivity.

I am open to any machine from any decade and my price range maxes out around 300-400$

I am most interested in the work of Alan Vega, Prince, and Suicide.

Any insight is greatly appreciated! Keep in mind I’m starting from square one. Thanks

Hi everyone!
These are the machines I currently use as drum machines:
Erica Synths PĒRKONS HD-01
Vermona DRM1 MKIV
Roland TR-8S
Elektron Syntakt
1010music Nanobox Razzmatazz
Elektron Digitakt II
I absolutely love all of them… except the TR-8S.
For some reason, I just don’t connect with its sound, and I’m also not a big fan of the overall look and feel of the machine. So I’m thinking about replacing it with something that can complement what I already have.
The key word here is complement. I’m not looking for another machine that heavily overlaps with my current drum machines. I’d like something that can form interesting combos with them and bring a genuinely different character to the studio.
I know there’s always a lot of GAS around here 😅, but this is my studio and I honestly feel there’s still a missing piece, especially because I work completely DAWless and don’t use a laptop at all.
I’ve been considering everything from the TR-1000 and Polyend Drum Machine to the HexDrums, Pulsar-23, Analog Rytm MKII, and even a used Machinedrum.
My main styles are techno and ambient.
Looking at my current setup, what would you add? Which drum machine do you think would make the best combo with what I already own without too much overlap?
Thanks!

Anyone got or selling these drumlogue overlays?
Synthopia website is down and i dont know where to order from.
I’m not from the States, but have a buddy that can order and bring it for me.
Any ideas where to order from? Thanks!

What would be a fun, weird, crazy, unhinged thing to connect my Drum Brute Impact to?

I like drum machines. I use them mostly live and take them as instruments.
I want to be able to create and modify on the fly easily.
I may use software if I need to program long and precise patterns but for live use I want hardware boxes.
I tend to prefer samples over synth drums.
I mostly play ambient jazz/rock.

I am fortunate that what I like isn't expensive after all.
After trying many of them, expensive of not, Here are the ones I keep :

Yamaha DTX550k

These are a set of electronic drums, but I thought I'd mention them. They are mostly for drum practice and jamming with friends, or whenever a full kit is needed. There is a simple sequencer on it that I use to record on the fly, often with just a part of the set.

cons : can't fully be used like a drum machine, although the hardware would allow it. Takes room, it's a drum set.

Korg Volca Sample 2

Surprisingly the one I use the most live. The workflow is extremely efficient and once used to it, you can create whatever you need very quickly. Odd time signatures, samples that create a background, beats that can morph into granular synthesis on the fly. You're always in control, no use of random alterations. The toch key ribbon, common to most Volcas is incredible to edit beats, much more efficient than sensitive pads. The 10 channels allow for very rich layers of tone.

cons : limited sample memory and resolution, limited room for patterns, one way midi.

Stylophone Beat

This one was unexpected. I bought it out of curiosity, never put it down. Extremely fast and efficient workflow. What you can achieve from such a little box and simple controls is mesmerizing. Any idea comes out the way you want it within seconds and despite the limited sequencer, the 13 voice polyphony and infra bass tones allow very thick textures.
A precious asset for live use, practice and anything.

cons : 32 steps with no internal divisions. That's one four time bar of 32th notes, 2 of 16ths or 4 of 8ths. Flimsy construction (had to replace the stylus once already), no cv, sync or midi. Tone is what it is, no way to alter it.

Zoom RT-323

I use it to program full songs. It has everything to do it easily and efficiently with a very decent tone.

cons : next to impossible to edit on the fly. It takes time to navigate it and there are only a few alterations possible of the tone.

What I tried and didn't keep

For various reasons, typically one of these : felt like an utility rather than an instrument, a dumb limitation got me mad, workflow uselessly complicated or not compliant with live edition, too much menu diving, sound or feel too far away from real drum or perc, forcing you into EDM.

Boss DR-880, TR-707, TR-6S
Elektron Model : Samples
Novation Circuit Rhythm
Korg Volca Beats, Volca Drum
Alesis SR-16, SR-18
Yamaha RX-15, Seqtrak
Akai MPC Sample, Rhythm Wolf
Arturia Drumbrute Impact

I don't think any of these is inherently bad, just not what fits my taste and use.
I am open to suggestions and tips. I eventually plan to give a try to the Sonicware LOFI-12 XT.

Cheers !

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I think we all just misunderstood the Drumlogue. It’s a really good idea that never quite got the chance to fully unfold. It filled a very nice niche in the mid-price range, and I honestly think that if they had been allowed to carry the original concept all the way through, the $600 price tag would’ve been absolutely justified.

I love this device! Once I really put some effort into understanding its logic, I managed to get great sounds out of it even in places where I didn’t expect to — like the tom and snare tracks. And the separate assignable TRS outputs open up a ton of possibilities for external processing, dub-style routing, and convenient patching.

I used the analog engine for bass, while I filled the kick slot with external samples, and in the end I got this awesome jungle-like sound. 32 MB is way too little for samples — that’s ridiculous! It reminds me of the old-school MPC days, when that was real hardware and not some weak computer in a box. I converted my samples into Drumlogue format and loaded in no more than 20 MB, and that still gave me an excellent palette of amen breaks onboard.

The sequencer, of course, is not Elektron, but I’ve never owned one of their machines anyway, and what I got was more than enough for me. The only thing that honestly bothers me a bit is how limited the automation is for kick pitch changes, and the kick range itself leaves me a little disappointed.

And the real apex of all this is the custom units. I realized that I’m not really interested in synth engines there, but this thing could absolutely be the centerpiece of a budget-friendly yet very flexible dawless setup, especially if you add genuinely good spatial processing to it. That’s actually what got me started on writing a custom unit for it.

So in the end, well — if they make a Drumlogue XD, work through the mistakes, and don’t abandon the product halfway like they did with the original Drumlogue, I’ll be very interested. For now, though, I’m moving on to Elektron.

I play piano bars and have been starting to use drum machines and loopers in my shows. I have a Boss RC-505 mkII looper that I use a lot, and sometimes use its built in drum beats, which are pretty good. However, for the most part it forces me into one beat that I can't change mid song extremely quickly. Plus I have to choose from its presets.

A friend of mine showed me his Roland TR-6S and I really liked it. I bought one myself last week, though I did not realize that all of its built in features are electric kits. I was wondering if it made sense for me to upload acoustic sounds into it and try to build some of those rock-kit type sounds out for myself, or if there is a better machine out there for me.

I really like the TR-6S's ability to make lots of variations, adjust the volume of individual parts of the kit, etc. And I'm sure I'll play around with the electric sounds too. But I also want a good selection of things for my rock 'n' roll and pop/dance requests.

Thanks all! Appreciate your advice.

Kawai 100 F inspired drumlogue user synth unit with enhanced subharmonics and morphing Feature between SAW and PULSE