Roland TR-1000 Rhythm Creator | Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith Performance

video upload by RolandChannel

As always, check with dealers on the right for pricing and availability.

"Immerse yourself in a sonic journey with visionary composer and modular synth artist Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith, as she explores the TR-1000 Rhythm Creator’s range. In this exclusive performance, Kaitlyn blends custom samples, ethereal soundscapes, and native TR tones to push the boundaries of rhythm and sound.

Known for her eclectic approach to electronic music, Kaitlyn brings a unique perspective to the TR-1000, utilizing its dynamic capabilities to craft this dancefloor opus.

About Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith: A trailblazer in experimental electronic music, Kaitlyn’s work bridges the natural and synthetic worlds. Her compositions often feature modular synthesis, voice, and immersive textures that evoke emotion and wonder.

About the TR-1000: The TR-1000 is a next-generation drum machine that honors the legacy of the TR series while introducing new tools for sonic exploration. With intuitive controls and deep sound design features, it’s built for artists who want to push rhythmic boundaries."

Roland TR-1000 Rhythm Creator | Kuniyuki Performance

video upload by RolandChannel

Check with dealers on the right for availability and price.

"Watch Kuniyuki Takahashi unlock the expressive power of the TR-1000 in this electrifying performance. Renowned for his deep musicality and genre-defying sound, Kuniyuki brings the next-generation rhythm machine to life with nuance, texture, and soul.

From intricate grooves to immersive textures, this performance reveals how the TR-1000 empowers artists to break creative boundaries and shape rhythm in bold new ways.

About Kuniyuki Kuniyuki Takahashi is a revered Japanese producer, DJ, and sound engineer from Sapporo, Hokkaido. Known for a fluid approach that fuses deep house, future jazz, and experimental sounds, his work is celebrated for its organic instrumentation, improvisational spirit, and emotional depth.

About the TR-1000 The TR-1000 is the latest evolution in the iconic TR series, designed for modern producers and performers who demand versatility and sonic power. With advanced sequencing, dynamic sound design capabilities, and intuitive performance features, the TR-1000 redefines what a rhythm machine can be, bridging classic TR heritage with future-forward innovation."

Roland TR-1000 In-Store Play

video upload by INHALTVIDEO

"Big thanks to Perfect Circuit [TR-1000 here] for letting me record a bit of the excellent new Roland TR-1000 drum machine. Definitely takes a second to understand the instrument selection and editing process so don’t take this as some musical masterpiece. I was primarily interested in the analog voices so that’s what I was playing with in this clip. But as expected, the machine sounds exactly as it should. I was very impressed with both the build quality and the accurate sound."

Roland Introduces the TR-1000 Rhythm Creator w/ TR-808 and TR-909 Analog Drum Circuitry

video uploads by RolandChannel

The TR-1000 is available now for $2,699.99. Check with dealers on the right for availability.

"The TR-1000’s analog engine features 16 of the most coveted circuits from the TR-808 and TR-909, faithfully recreated from the original designs with detailed engineering and carefully selected modern components. Alongside the TR-1000’s analog voices are powerful digital sounds driven by Roland’s latest advancements, including 21 circuit-bent TR-808 and TR-909 models built with Analog Circuit Behavior (ACB) technology, FM percussion, virtual analog tones, and a deep PCM library for sonic exploration and fresh textures."

Playlist:

1. Roland TR-1000 Rhythm Creator | Egyptian Lover Performance
2. Roland TR-1000 Rhythm Creator | Everything You Need to Know
3. Roland TR-1000 Rhythm Creator | Everything You Need to Know

User videos followed by hi-res pics and the press release:

CLICK FOR MORE »

New Roland TR-1000 RHYTHM CREATOR Incoming

Update: teaser videos added below.

This one was sent in via an anonymous reader. It's apparently from a Sweetwater catalog.

The text reads:

"NEW!

Meet the TR-1000:
Roland's Legacy Rhythms Reborn

Blueprinted with unprecedented potential, the Roland TR-1000 Rhythm Creator marries historic heat, analog presence, and digital precision into a polychromic powerhouse built on the masterfully re-created circuits of the legendary TR-808 and TR-909 drum machines. Its hybrid architecture houses a trio of synth engines, bringing a prismatic palette of FM, PCM, and VA possibilities to the TR-1000's analog foundations, with ACB modeling supplying the coveted circuit-bent sonics of the 8X and 9X models. Over 2,500 onboard sounds join a wealth of digital and analog effects while the suite of classic-to-contemporary connectivity effortlessly integrates the TR-1000 into any arrangement. Add in cutting-edge Morphing performance controls, next-gen TR-REC sequencing. true-stereo re/sampling, and an unbridled array of sonic contouring tools, and you've only scratch the surface of the TR-1000's kaleidoscopic capabilities — vintage heart, modern soul. and endless exploration waiting to be discovered by you."

If legit, I'm curious how it will compare the the TR-8S. Note the change in design aesthetic. Reminds me of the GAIA with a touch of Elektron gear. Note the Morph slider on the bottom right and display on the top right.

Update2: Roland announcement post here, additional posts with demos here.

CLICK FOR MORE »

06.17.2025 Man Machine for fun

video upload by batchas

"Music as therapy...
As usual I'm recording directly to one stereo track and I noticed while watching the video that the Minimoog is too loud (still I love its sound!) and the 808 bass drum a bit too low, but as I currently want to spend as less time as possible on the same project, I won't record another take and I'll move on to something different.

Sounds: Mos-Lab 2500, muSonics Minimoog, Roland Juno 60, Waldorf Q, Waldorf Pulse +, Oberheim Matrix 1000, Roland TR-808, Ace Tone Rhythm Ace.
Effect: Eventide H9, Hologram Microcosm, Audiothingies Doctor A."

06.17.2025 Man Machine for fun [The instruments I used]

video upload by batchas

Flim for fun (remixed by Jean Métro)

video upload by batchas

"As usual can't beat the amazing original by Aphex Twin and it's not the goal anyway, cause I'm doing these session as therapy. No-brainer and fun.
One unique take und tschüss! Peace.
Mos-Lab 2500, muSonics Minimoog, Roland Juno 60, TR-808, Waldorf Q, Oberheim Matrix 1000.
Effect: Audiothingies Doctor A."

Alchemical by MSTRBLSTR

Also on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/68lqZLDB2ip4ZOfEg4SsmB?si=m3ba1VD-SSO_CLr4j7OIMg

"The electricity of live manipulation breathes through every sequence as MSTRBLSTR transmutes the raw essence of the TR-606, MC-202, and TB-303 into a sonic incantation. Alchemical is transformation in motion: analog breakbeats pulse with crackling percussion, acid squelches growl and evolve, and rhythms dissolve and reassemble like matter through fire. The bassline becomes the bedrock of energy, conjured live in real time.

Credits
Released May 29, 2025
Programmed, performed, mixed, and mastered by MSTRBLSTR at Ill Acid
Additional drum programming: Severed Machines (https://severedmachines.com)

Hardware:

Modified Roland TR-606 (Robin Whittle mods)

Din Sync RE-303

MC-202 w/ Tubbutec 2oh2 mod

Mixers: Boss BX-8, Alice 1228, Boss KM-4

FX: Tapco 4400 spring reverb, TC Nova Reverb & Delay, Korg SDD-1000/1200

Compression: BSS DPR-402, DOD SR-866

DAW: Ableton Live

This is the same setup I used on From Deep.

Backstory
I brought my TR-606 to Ramiro at Severed Machines to install a few long-desired mods: switch replacements, a louder BD via resistor change, and Robin Whittle’s Accent Trigger and post-volume individual outs. He left in a few patterns, including a breakbeat variation that really hit me. That inspired the synth parts. Next thing I knew, I was performing and recording the full track.

Recording Notes
I treat mixers as modular routers. For Alchemical, the Alice mixer’s direct outs went straight into my interface, while the Boss BX-8 worked as a submixer for overdrive and tone shaping. I panned certain tracks hard L/R into separate buses, then re-centered them on different mixer channels. I have owned many delays while the Korg units are among my favorites, the TC Nova is often a go-to for synths: it sounds great, has nice filters, tap tempo, and my favorite feature, easily accessible time divisions Protip: a buffered pedal in front helps them sound better. The Nova reverb is also very playable and has a dynamic ducking mode that helps it get out of the way, if that's what I need.

In post, I swapped the TR-606 kick for a TR-808 sample in Ableton - it just gave the track the weight it needed. There’s also a lone TR-808 clap halfway through. Other than that, what you hear is live with only some minor edits and additional processing.

__________________________________________________________________

For TR-606 lovers: I highly recommend Robin Whittle’s mods: https://www.firstpr.com.au/rwi/tr-606/

The Accent Trigger mod alone is worth it - it adds great performance potential. Robin credited the fix to me, but Ramiro deserves most of the credit. Robin's individual outs (post-volume pot) offer superior performance control and gain staging flexibility compared to the more common pre-pot version."

05.31.2025 Supernature for fun

video upload by batchas

Follow-up to this post.

"Take 2, no editing, recorded directly to stereo out.
The MIDI tracks play muSonics Minimoog, Roland Juno 60, TR-808, Waldorf Q, Waldorf Pulse+, Oberheim Matrix 1000 and one plugin, the Mellotron. Effect = Audiothingies Doctor A."

05.27.2025 Supernature for fun (Long version) - Take 1

video upload by batchas

Take 2 here

"I hesitated to make this one public because of all 'thumb down' enthusiasts, but no matter how, music is my therapy and it won't stop me having fun with my machines, without any stylistic boundaries.
Pretty sure I'll record one more take of this one, cause it's far to be perfect and it's a lot of fun to play. I was 14 in 1977 when the Cerrone 'Supernature' video clip came on TV. We had never seen something like this on french TV back then and as a kid I was pretty much impressed.
As usual, one take, no editing, recorded directly to stereo out.
The MIDI tracks play muSonics Minimoog, Roland Juno 60, TR-808, Waldorf Q, Waldorf Pulse+, Oberheim Matrix 1000 and one plugin, the Mellotron. Effect = Audiothingies Doctor A.
It's quite a long version cause I did loop the last measure and could not stop playing!"

From Deep by MSTRBLSTR

Also on Spotify

"From Deep is a hypnotic acid incantation, its evolving bass line shifts the energy while ritualistic rhythms loop like mantras.

Spectral high sounds drenched in feedback fracture through and spiral into infinity, dissolving the boundaries of perception

Ill Acid Records Cat. No. ILL012

129 BPM

Performed, recorded, mixed, mastered by MSTRBLSR at Ill Acid Studio.

Machines: modified Roland TR-606, Din Sync RE-303, MC-202 with Tubbutec mod, Boss BX-8 mixer, Alice 1228 mixer, Boss KM-4 mixer, Tapco 4400 dual spring reverb, TC Electronics Nova Reverb & Delay pedals, Korg SDD-1000 and 1200 delays, BSS DPR-402 compressor, DOD SR-866 compressor, Ableton Live"

Roland TR-707 , Oberheim Matrix 1000, Digitech Polara.

video upload by David Noise

"Roland TR-707 con un poco de reverb del digitech polara (una joyita de la cual hablare después...)
y el oberheim siendo controlado por el Digitone, con un toque de mod wheel que pareciera como un glitch en el VHS de mi cabeza...."

"Roland TR-707 with a bit of Digitech Polara reverb (a gem I'll talk about later...)
and the Oberheim controlled by the Digitone, with a touch of mod wheel that seems like a glitch on the VHS in my head..."

MKSREC 1 - Upcoming 12-Bit Sampling Drum Machine Based on the E-Mu SP 1200

video uploads by puesa

There are 10 videos in the embedded player above. Use the player controls to skip around. Note the first video is from four years ago, the last nine months ago. The last video in the second playlist below from Urb is from just two months ago. You'll find additional details below.

CLICK FOR MORE »

Pale Fire by Robotussin

New release from supporting member Robotussin. You might recall some of his vintage synth videos featured in previous posts here. Don't miss them.

Pale Fire was made on an Oberheim FVS, Crumar Spirit, LinnDrum, Recodrum, DX7, Roland MKS-80, TR-808, TR-606, TB-303, Oberheim Matrix-1000, Korg PE-1000.

Best of ARP QUADRA

video upload by RetroSound

"(c)2007-23 by RetroSound
supported by UVI: http://bit.ly/retrosound-uvi

❤️ Support #RetroSound​ channel: https://retrosound.creator-spring.com

Best of ARP QUADRA
all synthesizer sounds: ARP QUADRA Synthesizer (1978)
drums: Boss DR-55, Korg KR-55B, Roland TR-808 , Linndrum, Simmons SDS-8

Setlist
0:06 Engine Start
0:19 Voyager
0:52 Space Disco
1:43 Beautiful Day
2:08 Exile
2:32 Melancholy
3:04 Alert
3:34 Four In One
3:58 Saturn
4:28 Long Way To Home
4:56 Arp Run
5:09 Sirius
5:24 Early Morning
5:47 La Croix
6:13 Clouds
6:43 Day Light
6:53 Icehouse
7:07 Later Morning
7:29 Running Gag
7:47 1000 Volt
8:04 Fade Out

The ARP Quadra Synthesizer from the year 1978 is one of most incredible synths ever. Here can you find the full Quadra playlist with single sound demos and one synth demo tracks. Enjoy.
The ARP QUADRA playlist:"

Strange Synthesizers of Japan by Hiromichi Oohashi - Synth Book w/ CD

Hiromichi Oohashi wrote in to let us know about his new synth book featuring rare and somewhat strange synthesizers from Japan. The book features synths from his collection along with a CD of audio/music. You can find the book via the publisher Rittor Music (Japan) (published Nov.2021), and on Amazon JP here.

You can find a list of the synths featured by chapter further below.

Details on the book from Hiromichi Oohashi follow.

"This art book introduces many of Japanese most rare and strange electronic musical instruments (1960s~1980s) from author's private collection for long years.

Contains over 130 synthesizers, rhythm machines, organs, toy instruments, speech synths, etc most of these rare instruments will be the first public release. All color pages, lot of beautiful photo of these unique instruments with simple and detailed text, all photos and book design by author himself.

Contribution from Mark Mothersbaugh (DEVO)

Foreword by Eric Schneider (author of TOY INSTRUMENTS/MBP)

Attached CD has original music using these strange instruments so you can hear what these synth sounds like.

CD's music made by author's band KINO-MODERNO (world-renowned electronic music duo)



Hiromichi Oohashi is an artist born in Tokyo 1961
after studied art & design at Kuwazawa Design School in Tokyo
works as an artist and producer for Art, Design and Music
also known as collector of rare electronic musical instruments
in 1990 released groundbreaking [ VIDEO DRUG2/Phuture ] and get noticed
member of electronic music duo KINO-MODERNO since 1984
president of DAT PLANET PRODUKT"

CLICK FOR MORE »

MFB's Manfred Fricke Has Passed Away

Left: Manfred Fricke (via Amazona.de) back in the day with his first creations, the MFB-501 drum machine (right), and MFB-601 digital sequencer (left).

2nd image is Manfred Fricke with the MFB SYNTH II at SUPERBOOTH (unknown source).

We lost another legend in the synth world. Sad news in via STROMKULT: "'On June, 17th around 11am Manfred Fricke from Berlin alias MFB sadly passed away after having had a hard time with cancer for a while already. He left his wife Gloria and his son Jean-Marcel behind, we are all very sad having lost this partner, friend and father.'
HerrSchneider

Manfred Fricke was one of Berlins pioneers of analog synth and drum machine makers. He has been the weapon of choice for many (not only) starting musicians. Let’s be honest, who didn’t have one of his creations early in his or hers journey into electronic musical instruments – or at least thought about getting one – and why shouldn’t you? Manfred Fricke's machines always brought something unique to the table, they were mostly analog, affordable, in small plastic housings and just did the job. Manfred always focused on keeping his products affordable for his clients and the instruments quite often made their way to professional use later on, and the musicians often kept their first units as something almost holy, because it were these machines that paved the way into analog electronic music making.

But it would be too short-sighted to associate MFB only with budget entry-level products. Especially the drum machines Tanzbär and Tanzbär II, or the great Dominion 1 show that Manfred Fricke also built machines that met higher demands. The Tanzbär, in particular, is considered by many to be their favorite drum machine of the last few years, especially in terms of its amazing sound.

We hope that MFB will continue to exist and that it will continue to make it easier for many generations of musicians to enter the world of electronic sound production.

We wish Manfred Fricke's son Jean-Marcel continued success for the future of MFB and extend our condolences to him and his family. And lets hope that Manfred will finally meet up with all the other good guys on the other side.

Rest In Peace."

MFB TANZBAR 2 pic via STROMKULT.


video upload by 7V-STUDIO

MFB's Manfred Fricke's first procuct, the Fricke MFB-501 drum machine.

Description via this video:
"This little analog beatbox was developed in 1980 1979 by Manfred Fricke. It was offered at 380 DM. As a low-cost model on the market for analog rhythm generators the small black and white "Switch Box" quickly found a lot of friends, because its configuration could be compared to its expensive far east competitors: 64 patterns and as many fill-ins switchable via micro switches, speed ​​control via potentiometer, 10 analog percussion instruments (activated by means of micro switches), combined mono/stereo outputs (jack), In & Out (5 Vss) and trigger footswitch inputs (jack) for start and fill-in
(retail price for the switch at 16 DM). An external wall power supply provides 12 volts.

Approx. 5000 units of the MFB-501 had been sold. Not so bad for a one-man company. So this drum machine is one of the top-selling devices in the history of the Berlin engineer offices M. Fricke . If you're lucky, this iconic device can still be found on the relevant internet sales platforms.

Today, maintenance of this tiny noise machine is still easily feasible, because Fricke employed only commercially available components. Therefore, 'presumedly dead 501's' can be reanimated without major problems."

MFB 601 Vintage Digital Sequencer, Teardown, Repair and partial analysis


Published on Feb 2, 2015 FPV Electronics

Note this video is FPV Electronics of course, and not Manfred Fricke.
"This device is exclusively built from 7400 and 4000 series basic logic ICs. Making it must have been so much more difficult than just programming a generic µController as we would do today."

Timeline via http://mfberlin.de/en/about-us/:

1976: MFB was founded by engineer Manfred Fricke. So far there were more than some hundred products constructed and distributed. The first developments and products were primarly video games for industrial playmachines.

1979: A lowcost drummachine was introduced in 1979. (98 DM for the self construction kit). The legendary drumcomputer MFB-501 was finished and sold. Although it was not the most prominent drumcomputer of that time it surely was one of the best selling drum units in Germany. Some shops sold ten times more MFB-501s than Roland TR-808s. More products for the musician followed, such as the Digital-Sequencer MFB-601 and the digital drum machine MFB-512. All of these featured rich products were offered at exceptional low prices.

1984: The E-Drum module series 1000 and 2000 followed with corresponding pads.

1986: A new construction period started in 1986 with product launches of the MIDI-CV converter MFB-201 and the MIDI drummer MFB-SYNTH was finished in 1997, although its development dates back to the eighties. The machine never went into production since 2001, the year of the company´s 25th anniversary because of decreased interest in analogue synthesizer technology especially in the sales channels.

From 1986 Manfred Fricke specialized in products for video applications. Alone 20 different framegrabbers for the Apple II, C-64 und IBM compatible PCs were constructed. A very high percentage of these framegrabbers were and are still in use for special industrial purposes. Custom development is still done here, so these specialized tools are not available for other customers.

1994: MFB introduced the world´s first videomixer below 1.000 DM, the MFB-901. Its successor MFB-902 was available in 1995. Another important development in the video section was the model MFB-912, a digital video memory. This 1998 product was highly acclaimed by the press.

1999: The successor MFB-915 added sound and higher picture resolution. It´s available since October 1999. Another successor is the model MFB-920 with an integrated harddrive offering better options for nonlinear cutting and post processing of the recorded material.

2001: During this year, Manfred Fricke also developed another new MIDI drum-module. MFB-KULT, includes most of the famous sounds of the older machines. Both MFB-SYNTH and MFB-KULT are availabale since December 2001. Because of constant requests for the digital sequencer MFB-601 a successor MFB-602. was introduced in May 2002.

2002: Since August 2002 there´s also a little brother of the MFB-SYNTH, the MFB-SYNTH LITE

And of course the MFB DOMINION series and the MFB SYNTH PRO.

There have been 1747 MFB posts on the site prior to this one. MFB has been a mainstay on the site and Manfred Fricke will be greatly missed.

Monome Teletype | Episode 2 | Metronome Demons

video by Cinematic Laboratory

"I've created my first script for the Teletype, called 'Metronome Demons'. It samples the IN cv input once a second with the M (Metronome) script. CV outputs A & B are initialized (I script) with a slew of 1 sec.
In the Metronome script, the incoming CV is stored in Pattern Zero (the first pattern), simply referenced as P.
Patterns are 'arrays' with room for 64 numbers. An array is a table you can PUSH items in, POP items out or INS(ert) at a specific position. I chose to insert them on position (index) 0, which is the first item. This helps to see the numbers come in (tracker view). On specific intervals I'll send these numbers to CV outputs A, B and C.
So this patch can respond to sequencers, LFO's and pressure in mysterious ways, where the slew (portamento) will make weird transitions. The CV values are picked from the pattern P with random readers so it will always use the values you've gathered before and keep a relationship with what you've been harvesting. I don't think there's a module that can do this :).

The 'Metronome Demons' Script:
I
M 1000
CV.SLEW A 1000
CV.SLEW B 1000

M
P INS 0 0
P 0 IN
CV A P RRND 0 5
EVERY 3: TR.PULSE 1
CV B P RRND 5 10
CV C P RRND 10 20"

Monome Teletype | Episodes

Galassi - Burns From the Very First Note

video by Sebastian Galassi

Equipment:

Korg Monopoly - Bass
Crumar BIT 99 - Polysynth
Fender Rhodes MK II - Electric Piano
ARP Solina - Strings
Yamaha CS15d - Theme Synth
Akai S900/1000 - Drums

Effects:

EH Small Stone - Phaser (Solina)
Boss TR 2 (x2) - Tremolo (Rhodes)
Boss CH-1 Super Chorus - Crumar BIT 99
TC Electronic M•One - Delay
Lexicon LXP 15 II - Reverb

Galassi - Workin' On A Groovy Thang

video by Sebastian Galassi

Equipment:

Korg Ms20 - Bass
Fender Rhodes MK II - Electric Piano
ARP Solina - Strings
Yamaha CS15d - Theme Synth
Hohner Clavinet Pianet Duo - Clavinet
Akai S900/1000 - Drums

Effects:

Roland GP8 - Wah Wah (Clavinet)
EH Small Stone - Phaser (Solina)
Boss TR 2 - Tremolo (Rhodes)
Boss CH-1 Super Chorus (Yamaha CS15d)
Lexicon LXP 15 II - Reverb
Digitech Studio 400 - Delay