BEAT GEMS is a premium hardcover book from Bjooks that explores this remarkable history through rare and iconic machines, vivid photography, artist stories, technical insight, and the people who turned boxes of circuits into culture. The book explores more than six decades of electronic music history through the drum machines that changed the way music is made, recorded, and performed.
An inspiring and visually rich book for anyone interested in music technology, design, rhythm, and recording culture, this comprehensive work follows the evolution of drum machines from early experiments and preset rhythm companions to programmable icons, studio powerhouses, genre-defining classics, and the hardware revival of recent decades. The project structure already maps that story across eight major stages – from invention and standardization to creative misuse, programmability, studio control, genre definition, and rebirth.
The book presents comprehensive research, writing, editing, photography, and visual development by author Oli Freke and editor Kim BjΓΈrn.
"We are offering this super rare LCD 647B Loop Maker, a truly unique and hard-to-find vintage electronic instrument designed for beat creation, sequencing, and hands-on performance πΆπ₯
This is not just a simple loop player ❌
It’s a programmable drum machine & sequencer that lets you edit individual rhythm parts and shape your grooves in detail.
✨ Special Features:
• π️ Full rhythm programming & editing
• π§ Built-in scratch wheel function for DJ-style effects
• π Deep, bass-heavy, highly distinctive sound
• πΉ Built-in speaker for standalone use
• π️ Audio input for extra creative possibilities"
"Hi everybody this time we bring you the Audio.Computer Interview at the London Synth and Pedal Expo 2026 talking about the beat friend drum machine
Beat Friend is the first offering from audio.computer, a UK-based duo making ‘benevolent, semi-autonomous music machines’. Beat Friend is an analogue drum machine, using circuits based on the ‘twin-t’s from the legendary Roland CR-78. Each drum has a slider that changes the drum’s complexity within one of the 30+ preset patterns, which already allows hundreds of variations on any given beat.
But wait! There’s more! Turning the Enthusiasm knob allows Beat Friend to add or subtract notes from the pattern as it sees fit, either keeping the pulse of the pattern or going completely off piste. It's like having an enthusiastic robot Labrador playing a 70's electronic drum kit just for you.
All the sounds are routed through a Triforce of digital and analogue effects, which...well, you just have to turn knobs to find out what they do. If you’ve ever wanted to base a track on a 7/8 samba through a bit-and sample crusher, then this is the unit for you.
And, sure, if you’re a control freak who absolutely must design every bar, you can control the drums individually via MIDI. It even includes a letterpress-printed manual, numbered to match your unit.
Beat Friend plays in glorious mono and is powered by a universal 12V power supply (included in the box)."
"The New V1.2 Time Slice firmware unleashes some super cool new features including Polyphonic sample playback, Autoslice + Slice marker editing, Morphagene Reels support, and some funky quantised trigger input and output options amongst others . . .
"Use headphones for this one! Animal Factory Dirty Mirror dual parallel fuzz pedal running a Korg Monologue analog synth — no talking, no post-processing, just raw tone. This was recorded in one take to bring out how the Dirty Mirror becomes an instrument in itself.
A love letter to shoegaze, noise, and harsh textures, the Dirty Mirror
pairs a modified Shin-Ei Superfuzz (the "Burn" channel) with a heavily
modded Big Muff Pi (the "Churn" channel), plus a pre-fuzz delay
modulated by an internal LFO and envelope follower. Hand-built in
Mumbai by Animal Factory Amplification and debuted at Superbooth 2025.
Here it's sculpting the Korg Monologue's aggressive analog voice into
fuzzscapes, drones, seasick vibrato, and pitch-shifted square-wave
chaos. Recorded dry — no EQ, no reverb, nothing but the pedal and the
synth. Drums from an MFB Tanzmaus (not processed)
"Use headphones or speakers with good bass! Dual fuzz chaos meets beat-driven synthesis! Watch the Animal Factory Dirty Mirror transform the MFB Tanzmaus drum machine with creative distortion and delay manipulation. This is pure experimentation—no tutorial, just sonic exploration.
Not just a shoegaze and noise rock machine - the Dirty Mirror is the perfect fuzz for musicians exploring wall-of-fuzz sounds, experimental synthesis, drum machine effects processing, and unconventional gear combinations."
"The Dirty Mirror takes these two behemoths of sonic perversion and adds an extra layer of nasty – using the core circuit of our Coma Reactor Eurorack module.
This three footswitch, 15 knob pedal looks complicated – but it’s not:
The BURN Channel (left side) is based on our Chemical Burn circuit, a nastier FY-6 variant.
The CHURN channel (right side) is based on a heavily modded Big Muff Pi.
There is a short delay circuit before the fuzz circuits.
Both the fuzz circuits can switch between the input sound, 100% wet delayed sound or a blend of wet and dry.
The fuzz circuits are then mixed in parallel into a high-headroom output section.
For added sickness, the delay time can be modified by an envelope follower or LFO.
Choose your filthy reflection – from straight dual parallel fuzz textures, to seasick vibrato to long slow quasi-chorus phasey apocalyptica.
The delay can be used on its own for slapback, chorus and vibrato effects.
Yes, it can get very noisy. No, you can’t do anything about it - so weep in pain and pleasure, and submit to the swarms of square waves that joyfully fill your room."
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video upload by tonetweakers
"Available now at tonetweakers.com. We’ve decided to sell our Metasonix D-1000, one of the rarest, most sought after and possibly weirdest drum machines ever. Please email if seriously interested. “Unleash pure sonic chaos and analog character with the Metasonix D-1000—an unapologetically wild drum machine that ditches sterile digital precision for raw, tube-driven power; built around real vacuum tube circuitry, it delivers aggressive, unpredictable tones that range from deep, thunderous kicks to searing industrial textures, making every beat feel alive and dangerous; whether you’re crafting experimental electronic music or looking to inject gritty personality into your productions, the D-1000 doesn’t just make rhythms—it creates an experience that’s bold, tactile, and impossible to replicate with anything else.” #metasonix #metasonixd1000 #drummachine #compurhythm #vacuumtube
"Join us for an exploration of TRAILS as part of our Pedals & Patches series of videos, exploring pedal FX with modular gear, synthesizers, around the studio and with some other instruments too. Pedals aren't just for guitarists, so lets get creative with them!
Trails offers 7 FX that make your sounds sustain and grow, there's resonators (think Rings) with sympathetic strings, bell like chord generation, live and frozen buffer granular processing, a unique distortion like nothing I've used before, micro loopers, pitch shifting delays, vinyl record emulating delays and more!"
"Being a demo video I was very gladly hired to make explaining the RODEC & Sherman Ministyler filterbank. This is one of the best pieces of hardware I tried last year and I approached them to make this. Ministyler is like a baby stereo Sherman filterbank (yes, the '96 classic desktop filter) in a 'RODEC One' box with two slots for other 'RODEC One' modules, and is deceptive in depth despite how simple the panel looks. You'll hear it here mostly on drum machine - my favourite use I found - but also on Tenori-on & Nord Lead 2 with CV input used. It's nuts."
CHAPTERS 00:00 - What's in this demo/sound preview? 02:01 - Quick Filter Sweeps on Synth 02:47 - WHAT is this white box? 04:46 - How to use it 05:14 - How to gain stage 05:40 - Extreme Drive 06:01 - The important Dry/Wet Control 06:18 - Stereo Filtering Tip 06:37 - The Mod Knobs 07:01 - Highpass to Add Bass 07:35 - Bandpass 08:23 - The art of the Ministyler is... 11:13 - FM Control to add rasp 14:00 - This vs Eurorack thoughts 14:51 - CV Ins: Tenori-On Rhythmic Drone Filtering 17:12 - Step Controlled Frequency Beauty 18:41 - Sidechain a Nord with a Drum Machine 20:09 - How many ways can Ministyler mash up a beat?
1. Akai MPC SAMPLE Review // Does it BEAT the Competition? + 5 Power Tips // Tutorial - loopop
2. (•˕ •γ.α Jam With @Akai_Pro MPC Live III - Isobutane
3. Akai Professional | MPC SAMPLE | Techno Jam (No Talking)
Also check with your favorite dealers on the right for various deals and bundles.
"Akai's MPC Sample is a portable chopping machine that is ready to go whenever a moment of inspiration strikes or as your lightweight companion through a day of slow-moving errands. Styled after their beloved MPC60, this beige beauty gives nostalgia and function in a battery-powered package. To ensure the size and ease-of-use remains paramount, the MPC Sample has a stripped down OS and micro pads but don't let the size fool you: this is an MPC through-and-through.
Whether using the built-in microphone, the stereo 1/4" jacks, or USB audio, you get quick access to the Sample Record section that is as easy as pressing a pad. A few quick trims using the multifunction knobs or using the shift and main encoder in combination will have you chopping and trimming in no time. Once you have your samples loaded, chopped, and assigned, recording a sequence is just as easy: just set the mode to Seq, adjust settings to taste, press the pad you want to record to, and you've got a loop. Resample that loop for further processing, use the step edit mode to make micro adjustments, and precompose a few sequences to switch between for full track performances.
The MPC Sample lets you engage effects in two different ways: the Knob FX and Pad FX. As their names portend, the Knob FX gives you access to a gang of effects including delays and reverbs, amp simulations, modulation effects, and vintage emulators. These effects are controlled with the three multifunction knobs for excellent playability. The Pad FX, on the other hand, are 16 always available effects that get triggered momentarily by the pads and are expressed via velocity. This is where you can get a stutter effect, several coloration effects, a half-speed effect, and other performable, musical delights. A fantastic choice for newcomers and veterans alike, the MPC Sample from Akai is a powerful tool for studio or stage that complements just about any other piece of equipment in your audio arsenal.
MPC SAMPLE FEATURES
Portable, battery powered sampler
16 Velocity sensitive mini pads
Built-in mic
Record and save sequences
Edit and chop samples
Dedicated volume slider lets you mix chops on the fly
16 Pad FX engage at the press of a pad
Selectable Knob FX including vintage sampler emulation
"The RMIF Opus (Π ΠΠΠ€ OΠΏΡΡ) is a rare analogue string machine/synthesizer made in Riga, Latvia by the Riga Musical Instrument Factory (RMIF) in the year 1988.
The sound range is five octaves and the instrument consists of 4 sections — piano, that synthesizes piano like lead soundings of different timbres, analog string machine, that plays wonderful string sounds with soft attack and with the possibility to control release, tremolo and the pereodically repeated beat-fading sounds.
A flexible bass section, that is controlled by 2 lower octaves, that contain three 8' and two 16' registers.
The Opus is based on divide-down technology with a master oscillator and has very nice multimode filter (LPF, BPF and HPF with resonance), a fantastic chorus, ring modulator, vibrato and a lot other features."
"The RMIF Opus (Π ΠΠΠ€ OΠΏΡΡ) is a rare analogue string machine/synthesizer made in Riga, Latvia by the Riga Musical Instrument Factory (RMIF) in the year 1988.
The sound range is five octaves and the instrument consists of 4 sections — piano, that synthesizes piano like lead soundings of different timbres, analog string machine, that plays wonderful string sounds with soft attack and with the possibility to control release, tremolo and the pereodically repeated beat-fading sounds.
A flexible bass section, that is controlled by 2 lower octaves, that contain three 8' and two 16' registers.
The Opus is based on divide-down technology with a master oscillator and has very nice multimode filter (LPF, BPF and HPF with resonance), a fantastic chorus, ring modulator, vibrato and a lot other features."
1. 7 Channel Mixer For My Modular Synth.
2. Medusa - Sound Effects for Modular Synths
3. Buffered Multi for Modular Synths. Powered by Arduino
4. Digital Delay Module - Powered by Arduino
5. Bleep - Modular Drum Synth - powered by Arduino
6. Solar - A Modular Synth, Powered by Arduino
7. Groove Box Modular Synth - Arduino Nano
8. Freaq FM Synth. My Take on the Awesome MeeBleeps Synth
9. Mutant Generative Synth - Powered by Arduino
"It can create fat and instable tones on it's own but it shine when used with any type of input signal that gets filtered at the same time. "Filtering Oscillator" like the manual calls it.
From "polyphonic" lead saturation to bass line synth generation over a drum beat."
00:00 Intro
02:23 The Basics
04:35 Making things weirder
07:24 Formants, Vindicta & modulations
14:09 Innesco vs Drum Machine
"Fourm into Microcosm into Digitakt II – how I built a beat from nothing, faster than I expected.
In this video I build a beat from scratch using a brand-new setup: Sequential Fourm into Hologram Microcosm, captured and shaped on the Digitakt II.
Instead of treating effects as something you add at the end, I’m using the Microcosm as an idea generator - letting it transform a simple init patch into something that suggests harmony, rhythm, and direction very early on.
This is the first time I’ve made a track with this exact setup, and I was honestly surprised by how quickly it led to usable musical ideas.
The goal here isn’t to finish a track. It’s to show how I like to start - how I go from nothing to a beat that feels worth exploring further.
If you’ve ever felt stuck looping the same pattern without knowing where to take it next, this video sets up the foundation for what comes after. I’ll continue from this exact loop in the next video, where I focus on breaking out of the single-loop deadlock and opening things up into multiple patterns and directions."
Chapters:
00:00 Intro
00:35 My setup
00:56 Making a track from scratch
01:17 Quick overview of the Hologram Microcosm
"Welcome to the heartbeat of RetroSound Studio
Explore legendary vintage drum machines like the Roland TR-808, LinnDrum, Simmons SDS-8 and more in this classic drum machine studio tour.
From analog rhythm boxes to early digital drum machines that shaped electronic music history.
Now step inside the studio and explore a legendary collection of classic drum machines that shaped electronic music, hip-hop, synth-pop, house, and early techno.
In this studio tour, we showcase iconic rhythm machines including the Roland TR-808, TR-707, TR-606, Boss DR-55, Boss DR-110, Boss DR-220A, Boss DR-220E, Keio Minipops Junior, LinnDrum LM-2, Sequential Circuits Drumtraks, Korg KR-55B, Simmons SDS-8, and the rare Solton Programmer 24.
These vintage drum machines defined the sound of the 70s, 80s, and early 90s — from deep analog kicks and crunchy digital snares to iconic patterns still used in modern music production today. Every machine in this video is fully functional, synced, and used in real studio workflows.
Perfect for fans of vintage drum machines, analog rhythm boxes, classic electronic music gear, retro studio tours, and old-school beat making."
The Drum Machine list:
0:06 Roland TR-808
1:06 Roland TR-707
1:59 Roland TR-606
2:37 Boss DR-55
3:40 Boss DR-110
4:28 Boss DR-220A
5:14 Boss DR-220E
6:04 Keio Minipops Junior
7:50 Korg KR-55B
8:55 Sequential Circuits Drumtraks
11:24 LinnDrum LM-2
12:48 Simmons SDS-8
14:49 Tama TSQ-1000
15:37 Solton Programmer 24
See dealers on the right for availability and price.
"MANIFOLD RESEARCH CENTRE ANTILOPE
Prance with glee through the wilds of experimental sound with Antilope from Manifold Research Centre, a filter-based drum and dynamics machine designed for creative rhythms and otherworldly sound design. Based around a dual pingable resonant filter, Antilope creates plucks, bongo slaps, and ghastly squeals galore, which can be further shaped through the onboard distortion and multi-FX feedback path. In classic MRC fashion, taking this distortion and FX loop to unique extremes via feedback enables a vast timbral range, transforming the sizzling filter timbres into new and mangled shapes.
To get these sounds moving and grooving, a three-channel pattern recorder is available for patching around to Antilope's filter, distortion, and FX parameters. This provides a highly intuitive and performable interface equally suited for on-stage skronking and studio experimentalism. Each recorder can be switched between stepped voltage sequences or morphable AD envelopes, enabling both rigid beat shifting and smooth timbral changes alike.
Naturally, Antilope's 3.5mm CV inputs and outputs readily integrate into a broader Eurorack environment, opening up even more uncharted paths for sonic exploration. Likewise, the addition of MIDI clock reset and synchronization connectivity enables use in hybrid set-ups and DAW-based artistry. Using its stereo line level input on the back of the device, external sounds can be processed through the filter directly or in conjunction with Antilopes broader workflow, extending the sound world within by infinite margin.
Thanks to its dedicated headphone output and USB-C power input, Antilope's characterful design is primed for portable interaction, imbuing any journey with captivating sound. With its focused yet flexible design that collapses and reinvents percussive processing in MRC style, Antilope from Manifold Research Centre is a fantastic beast sure to inspire your trips through the creative unknown.
ANTILOPE FEATURES Desktop synthesizer for experimental rhythms and audio processing Dual-pingable resonant filter Distortion effect with 3-band tone control Multi-FX engine with feedback path for deep sound design 3-channel pattern recorder Recorder channels switchable between stepped voltages and morphable AD envelopes 3.5mm CV inputs and outputs compatible with Eurorack gear MIDI connectivity for clock, reset, and sync Stereo line level input for processing external signals Stereo line level output and dedicated headphone output USB-C power for portable operation"
"Akai's MPC Sample is a portable chopping machine that is ready to go whenever a moment of inspiration strikes or as your lightweight companion through a day of slow-moving errands. Styled after their beloved MPC60, this beige beauty gives nostalgia and function in a battery-powered package. To ensure the size and ease-of-use remains paramount, the MPC Sample has a stripped down OS and micro pads but don't let the size fool you: this is an MPC through-and-through.
