"Over 50 volumes of vintage, rare, and landmark drum machines that narrate the history of this modern instrument—from the inception of this invention to relevant contemporary devices—this collection covers any and all electronic rhythm needs and sonic character.
"@baseck shows us that the size of the Roland TR-6S is no representation of its booming sound. The TR-6S is the latest drum machine from Roland that carries the torch which has been burning bright for decades now.
This is a 6 channel drum machine with an FM sound engine, an expansive preset sample library, and detailed circuit models of the Roland TR-808, TR-909, TR-606, TR-707, and more. This is undoubtedly a powerful addition to Roland's hardware lineage that is sure to bring unexpected movement to your live sets.
"One final tutorial to round out this batch before I take a break. This time we're having a look at two classics; the Roland TR-707 and the Roland TB-303. This video gives you the basic principles to get started.
Along with the TR-727, TR-909, TR-808, SH-101 and MC-202, these machines played an integral part in dance music that emerged in the late 80s, most notably Acid and Techno...
Phuture "Acid Trax" from 1987
Armando "Land of Confusion" from 1988
Download samples from my TR-707 for free: http://bit.ly/TR707
There's also a great (and free) html emulation of the TR-303 if you can't access an original unit or clone: http://errozero.co.uk/acid-machine/
YouTube via gearwire "Digging up a relic of yester-score, Bill Holland takes a look at the Roland TR-707, which is finally stepping out of the shadow of the Roland TR-909 for throwback eight and six bit drum samples, which are all the rage these days.
See the TR-707 at its campiest, complete with more cowbell and even more tambo. It'll be like that time Ben Stiller seized all my candy when I was a kid.
"Welcome to Bad Gear, the show about the world’s most-hated audio tools. We can all agree that Roland created a few quite respectable drum machine like the Roland TR-808 , Roland TR-909 , Roland TR-606 and Roland TR-707 . However, since then their target demographic has dwindled: analog enjoyers have joined the Cult of Uli, people willing to RTFM are using next-generation Scandinavian abaci like Elektron Digitakt or Elektron Octatrack and real musicians switched to computers decades ago.
Today we are going to talk about Roland TR-8s. This 2018 flagship rhythm performer not only boasts a design language that clearly focuses on inner beauty - it also combines the played-out sounds of the 80s with the workflow of a 90s ROMpler.
Chapters: 00:00 Intro tune 00:57 Overview Roland TR8s 01:34 Sound Generators ( ACB , PCM Samples , User , FM Drum Synth ) 01:55 Updates ( Roland CR-78 ) 02:05 User Interface , Sound Parameters 02:20 Menu Diving 02:34 Kits, LFO 02:42 Buttons , Akai MPC - Style Pad 02:52 Sequencer , Workflow, Swing, Accents, Fills 03:29 Additional Features (Rolls, Substeps, Microtiming ) 03:41 Motion Recording , Parameter Locks , 03:57 Limitations, Melodies, 808 Bass 04:16 FX ( Roland SP-404 - Style Vinyl Effect ) 04:46 What else? ( SD Card , Computer Integration, Thanks) 05:35 Hate 05:58 Jam 1 (Triple Roland TB-3 Jam) 06:53 Jam 2 ( Elektro ) 07:47 Finale ( Footwork / Juke ) 08:17 Verdict"
"My TR-505 ROM Expansion has proven itself to be a popular kit, but I was regularly asked if it would work with the TR-505’s big brother, the Roland TR-626. The answer was no, as even though the two machines look and sound quite similar, the electronics inside are incompatible. Eventually, somebody very generously offered to send me a TR-626 to keep if I could produce an expansion kit for it. Naturally I accepted.
Sample ROM address map / encoding
The TR-626, although it has more sounds than the TR-505, fundamentally works in exactly the same way. Samples are played back at 25.0 kHz, and once again some are stored in sequential order, while others are interleaved in pairs. Cymbals are stored in 8K blocks, with a byte being read from each block in cyclical order.
The TR-626 even uses a standard JEDEC-type ROM pinout for its sound ROM; unlike the 505’s which had a horrible custom pinout, requiring a complicated adapter board. The kit I designed for the TR-626 does still use a board, but this time it’s to allow for two ROM chips to be switched. The only real catch with the TR-626 sound ROM is that address lines 6 & 8 are swapped (in the data). It’s easy enough to swap them back using an EPROM pin swapper utility.
For the new sounds, I reused all of the classic sounds from my TR-505 version, although there’s also some TR-707 sounds in there as well, thanks to the TR-626’s larger ROM size. The new sounds are spread across two banks, with LM-1 and LinnDrum sounds in one, and DMX and TR-707 sounds in the other. There's also a socket to install the TR-626's original sound ROM, so you can keep using those sounds as well.
The TR-626 has several strange quirks. One is the way polyphony is assigned across the 8 drum voices. Despite the fact that some sounds share the same key, they don’t necessarily share the same voice. For this reason, some of the key assignments for my new sounds may seem a bit odd, but the reasoning is so that you can play certain sounds together - i.e. the LM-1 hi-hats and snare drum. A full list of the sounds can be found in the manual (see below). As the TR-626 lacks an individual output for claps, I duplicated these sounds into the china cymbal and cup memory locations, so they can come out of the crash / ride cymbal outputs."
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video upload by
"We were asked to beta test a new modification for the Solton Programmer 24 - expanding the drum section from a single kit to 32 vintage drum machines. It adds the classics like the three Linn Drum machines, the Roland TR-808, TR-909, Roland CR78, Korg Mini Pops 7 as well as lesser known machines like the Elka Drummer One, Elka Drum Star 80, EKO Ritmo 20, Siel MDP40, Wersimatic 24, CRB Computer drums and many more 🤩 The additional 31 drum kits will perform just like the original Solton Programmer 24 drum section.
This is a total game changer for more than the obvious reasons - the Solton Programmer 24 has a sequencer, 8 separate drum volume sliders and 8 audio outputs as well as trigger capabilities for the individual drum sounds. It also sends clock and has Midi in/out/thru so it can be easily incorporated to whatever you got cooking with other machines.
It’s a non-invasive modification and fully reversible - no soldering - no drilling holes anywhere - it's installed by simply removing the four original drums eproms inside and hooking up a small additional board in place of two of them.
The modificationis divided in 4 memory banks of 4 drum kits each - you program the banks to your preference - this way you can quickly switch between the drum kits you use the most - or you can of course toggle through all the 32 drum kits sequentially. Programming the memory banks is easy and sll the instructions you need are provided on Reverb :
The Solton Programmers drum section can accomodate 13 drum sounds per kit. Some of the drum machines included featured have considerably less sounds and in those cases Andrea, the inventor and seller of the drum chip, has added more drum sounds in the same realm as the drum machine in question. Due to the architecture of the Solton Programmer 24 the sample rate is 8 bit PCM 22500 Hz which sounds low but is definitely sufficient to maintain character and punchiness - I think it sounds damn good. This video was made a few months ago and features a trial version that's now been upgraded - clips and smaller issues sometimes heard in the video have been ironed out and fixed on the version that's available for purchase.
Here's the complete list of featured drum machines
via this auction "Modified Roland TR-707 by Diabolical Devices: Roland TR-707 with added pitch controls for the first 8 drum sounds/groups (bass drum through Hi-Hats..not cymbals) Each pitch control has a bypass switch and a bi-color (red/blue) LED to indicate pitch status. There is also a 12 point circuit-bending patch bay and 4 hard-wired switches, when these are activated you can generate a variety of ring-mod, distorted and bit reduced, and delayed effects. Please check out the audio samples on our web site. I will post a video in this listing when I can. This machine also has Blue LED color change. Audio Samples are at: www.circuit-bent.com"
images via this auction "Modified Roland TR-707 by Diabolical Devices. Roland TR-707 with added pitch controls for the first 8 drum sounds/groups (bass drum through Hi-Hats..not cymbals) Each pitch control has a bypass switch and a bi-color (red/blue) LED to indicate pitch status. There is also a 12 point circuit-bending patch bay and 4 hard-wired switches, when these are activated you can generate a variety of ring-mod, distorted and bit reduced, and delayed effects. Please check out the audio samples on our web site. I will post a video in this listing when I can. This machine also has Blue LED color change. Audio Samples are at: www.circuit-bent.com."
YouTube via retrosound72. "synth demo by RetroSound
bass: Moog Minimoog, triggered by the MFB Step64 step sequencer and sync with the TR-707 percussive sound: SCI Pro-One, triggered by the built-in sequencer and sync with the TR-707 pads, fairlight voice & fx-sounds: Roland JD-800 drums: Roland TR-707
"Solid Rate Studios is proud to announce it's leap into the world of Eprom Programming! Eproms are programmed in-house from a wide range of source material including binary images taken from stock Eproms, after market Eproms and binaries made from custom samples. We provide Eproms for virtually any Eprom based drum machine including... SEQUENTIAL CIRCUITS DRUMTRAKS, LINN LM-1, LINN DRUM, OBERHEIM DMX, OBERHEIM DX, E-MU DRUMULATOR, ELEKTRON MACHINE DRUM, KORG ER-1, ROLAND MC-303, ROLAND TR-909, ROLAND TR-808, ROLAND TR-727, ROLAND TR-707, ROLAND TR-606, ROLAND DDR-30, BOSS DR-202, ALESIS SR-16, ALESIS HR-16, MPC MUSIC PERCUSSION COMPUTER, VARIOUS MODULAR ANALOG DRUM KITS, and more."
"Bit of a slow jam with the new hardware setup. I sequence the PolySix by recording a MIDI loop into Ableton then go to town twiddling knobs on the synth itself. The drum machines are all synced with Ableton as master clock. I'm loving the 606 and 707. This has been my first chance to really mess around with them synced together. Feel free to post below if you have any questions or comments!
---Instruments---
Korg PolySix
Korg ER-1 MKII
Roland TR 606
Roland TR 707
---Effects---
Alesis MIDIVERB II
Alesis Quadraverb
Boss RE-20 Space Echo
Note: Auction links are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.
via this auction "Diabolical Modified Roland TR-505 Drum Machine:
Here we have a Circuit Bent Roland TR-505 with custom case and paint mega modified by James Gramling of Class A Electronics aka Diabolical Devices. Like to 505 itself the mods are a stripped down version of the TR-707 mods we are "famous" for. Check out Diabolical Devices on the web.
TR-505 Modification:
(6) Pitch/CLK speed controls were added they affect each sound/group individually and cover all sounds except for Hi-Hat and Cymbals. These controls affect the pitch by Changing the clock speed of the sampled sounds playback, at lower speeds you get a really cool bit-reduction, think Linndrum or the spongy snare sound in early Prince stuff.
(6) 1/4" Individual Line Outputs with level controls. These outputs correspond to each of the pitch controls and cover all the same sounds/groups. When an output is used that sound is removed from the MAIN MIX (master output) which allows you to mix/or process some sounds independently. 10 point Circuit Bending ROM interface (Banana Jacks) This patch bay allows you access to a ton of unique effects by scrambling ROM data as the machiine is playing a sound back. Linking patc points with provided cables will generate a wide range of effects including distortions, filtered sounds, ring mods and more. The affect all sounds in most cases.
This item includes Patch cables, Power supply, original Roland instruction manual, and mod instruction. International shipping is $65 worldwide."
Diabolical Modified Casio SK-1 and Roland TR-505 MIDI circuit-bent .com 06/02/09c
"Roland TR-8S drum machine demo, sounds and overview by Dustin Good, Roland Product Specialist.
The Roland TR-8S is the latest evolution of the original TR-8 drum machine and adds a wealth of new features including user sampling, motion recording, new pattern modes, expanded sequencer functions and much more.
The Roland TR8S utilizes ACB (analog circuit behavior) modeling and features detailed circuit-models of the classic 808, 606, 909, 707, 727 drum machines in a single unit.
The Roland TR-8S allows the user to mix multiple patterns, rhythms and effects to create a compelling drum/sample/synth-based live performance on the fly.
This Roland TR-8S drum machine overview and demo was filmed at the Vancouver Roland Inspiration Center in Surrey BC, Canada as part of the Metro Synthesizers Vancouver synth meetup event in November 2018."
YouTube via PianoVintage — September 11, 2009 — "Présentation de la ROLAND TR 707, boite à rythme produite par Roland en 1985. 15 échantillons numériques de batterie, un sequenceur tout terrain et des sorties séparées. Plus d'infos sur www.pianovintage.fr"
ROLAND TR 505
unboxing video "PianoVintage — September 03, 2009 — ROLAND TR 505 : Boite à rythme, groovebox numerique sortie en 1986 Echantillon de batterie - 16 pads Sortie mono/stereo Midi in/out Alimentation piles ou chargeur Cette boite à rythme est efficace, facilement programmable et ses échantillons proche de la TR707... Plus d'infos sur www.pianovintage.fr"
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Welcome to Bad Gear, the show about the world's most hated audio tools. Today we are going to talk about the Roland TR-626. Is this budget 80s drum machine worthy of the Roland TR legacy and can it hold up with legends like the TR-808, TR-909, TR-707 and TR-606? Is it as bad as the TR-505, the worst vintage drum machine of all time? Can the crunchy 8 bit lofi samples be used in modern music production?
Chapters: 00:00 Intro tune 00:56 Overview Roland TR626 01:24 Cheesy 80s Drums... 01:57 ...but there's a Twist (two actually) 02:07 Sample Transposition 02:20 Multiple Outputs 02:25 Quirks and Limitations 02:41 Step Sequencer (Shuffle, Accent, Scale,...) 03:04 Recording Modes (Step Mode, Tap Mode) 03:20 Patterns, Chaining, Presets, Tracks (Song Mode), Memory Cards 03:44 Rear Panel (Tape Interface, Midi, Trigger Out) 03:57 Circuit Bending, My modded old TR-505 04:18 UI, Battery Compartment, Pricing 04:34 Hate 04:58 Jam 1 (Pure Sounds & Two TB-3) 05:51 Jam 2 (Experimental + FX Pedals) 06:48 Finale (Rammstein "Adieu" - Style Metal Drums) 07:21 Verdict"
YouTube Uploaded by harlemnightsmusic on May 28, 2011
"This time, tributing early house tracks of 1986-1987 era, based on the Roland TR707 drummachine.. As always, all tracks selected and recreated by ear. None of the original tracks were sampled.
All TR-707 & additional TR-727 and TR-808 beats were rebuilt on a Korg Electribe SX sampler (no stock sounds). Basses and some synth parts were loosely remade with my analog synths (see below).
Tracklist:
Rick Astley - Never gonna give you up (707, 727)
Michael McDonald - Sweet Freedom (707, 727)
Taylor Dayne - Tell it to my Heart (house mix) (707, 808)
Mr Fingers (Larry Heard) - Washing Machine
Rick & Lisa - When you gonna (707, 808)
Jungle Wonz - The Jungle
Wired - To the Beat of the Drum (707, 808)
Marshall Jefferson - Move your Body
Phuture - Your only Friend
Joe Smooth - Promised Land (707, 727)
Similar beats are for sale @ www.zenhiser.com/1980 series.
Synthesizers used:
Sequential Prophet VS (pads), Moog Source (most basses), Roland Juno 60 (Mr Fingers, Wired, Phuture), Roland S10 sampler (M1 piano), Korg Polysix (Promised Land), Yamaha DX200 (When you gonna), SCI Pro One (Wired bass)
"This is a highly-sought after and increasingly rare analog sound processor/drum machine. Its appeal is its repertoire of deep, rich analog sound which are unique AND FUNCTIONAL... not just weird sounds...
First, this is a drum "brain" --- that is, there is no on-board sequencer/rhythm maker----you need to trigger it with a sequencer or something else. Originally, this was used back in the 80's I guess, triggered by electric drum pads. Now a days, people trigger it with other drum machines, sequencers, or their computers via a MIDI-enabled intermediary (e.g., Roland TR-808, 909, 707, etc).
Second: this is triggered with analog-ins. You need a triggering-source with enough amp/voltage in that triggering-source (something I never fully understood, I'm not an electrician) to get a good signal out of the DRUM-X. Most analog-keyboards have no problem triggering it. Roland TR-707, Roland TR-727, TR-808, and TR-909 also trigger it with no problems based on what I've seen on the internet.
It should be noted however that not all Roland TR drum machines trigger this (that is, other models besides the ones mentioned above) so beware."
via this auction
images via this auction
"Solid Rate Studios is proud to announce it's leap into the world of Eprom Programming! Eproms are programmed in-house from a wide range of source material including binary images taken from stock Eproms, after market Eproms and binaries made from custom samples. We provide Eproms for virtually any Eprom based drum machine including... SEQUENTIAL CIRCUITS DRUMTRAKS, LINN LM-1, LINN DRUM, OBERHEIM DMX, OBERHEIM DX, E-MU DRUMULATOR, ELEKTRON MACHINE DRUM, KORG ER-1, ROLAND MC-303, ROLAND TR-909, ROLAND TR-808, ROLAND TR-727, ROLAND TR-707, ROLAND TR-606, ROLAND DDR-30, BOSS DR-202, ALESIS SR-16, ALESIS HR-16, MPC MUSIC PERCUSSION COMPUTER, VARIOUS MODULAR ANALOG DRUM KITS, and more."
via this auction
TR-505 Modification:
(6) 1/4" Individual Line Outputs with level controls. These outputs correspond to each of the pitch controls and cover all the same sounds/groups. When an output is used that sound is removed from the MAIN MIX (master output) which allows you to mix/or process some sounds independently.
