MATRIXSYNTH: Vintage Roland Rhythm 77 Rare Analog Drum Machine


Sunday, September 26, 2010

Vintage Roland Rhythm 77 Rare Analog Drum Machine

via this auction
Some of the description appears to be from the dubsounds.com sample pack page. "The Rhythm-77 (TR-77) was the product that launched the Roland Corp. in 1972 and was the flagship of the Rhythm trio, which included the R-33 and R-55. Its place in history is secured as the first Roland drum machine ever made. It was Ikutaro Kakehashi's baby which he used to introduce the world to ROLAND after he sold off Ace Tone and moved on to bigger things. The Rhythm-77 (TR-77) came in two versions, the more common organ style wooden case with built in music stand and a black tolex "roadie protected" (TR-77V). Incidentally, if you don't already know TR stood for Transistor Rhythm. It had separate faders for the Kick, Snare, Guiro and Hi-Hat/Cymbal/Maracas, making it a very flexible machine in the studio. As with many early drum machines you could get more out of them by selecting multiple rhythms and layering them over each other.

Sonically, the 77 is probably the warmest sounding of all Roland's analogue beat boxes (before or since). The kick does lack punch but more than made up for that in bass content and the percussion sounds are very nice indeed. The standout sound has to be the guiro pattern which you can fade in over the top of the Cha-Cha and Mambo rhythms. Unashamedly "lounge" and instantly recognizable.

You can spot the TR-77 on quite a few tracks from the late '70s. It was quite popular for a few years until the CompuRhythm range took over. Gary Numan used it briefly on the "Replicas" album before moving on to the CR-78. Ultravox (with John Foxx) also used a 77 first before Foxx immortalized the CR-78 on his seminal "Metamatic" album. The 77 is also heard quite prominently in the intro to Squeeze's "Take Me I'm Yours" and "Girls On Film" by Duran Duran.

Rhythms:
Latin: Rhumba, Beguine, Cha-Cha, Mambo, Samba 1&2, Bossa Nova, Baion, Bolero, Tango
Rock: Rock'n'Roll 1&2, Slow Rock, Ballad, Western, March, Jazz Waltz, Waltz, Cancel (quiet)
2beat & 4beat: Bass Drum, Snare, Fox Trot, Swing, Parade, Shuffle

Drum Sounds:
Bass Drum, Snare Drum, Low Conga, Low Bongo, High Bongo, Rim Shot, Maracas, High Hat, Cymbal, Tambourine, Guiro, Cowbell."


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