i think i need a drum machine...

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andydeedpoll

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hullo :) i'm hoping this is a good place to put this thread...

but yes. i think i would like to buy a drum machine, for practise, recording and live use. i would use it for fairly minimal patterns and things - the only problem i can see arising, is that i write in funny time signatures quite a lot, regularly playing in 5/4, 7/4 - cross rhythms a-plenty :) so i need something that is fairly open to abuse in that area :p i would also like to be able to create my own 'beats' (or whatever the word is) on it, rather than only having access to presets.

live - it would be used a longside a real drummer - more to enhance rhythms and stuff, rather than create them completely.

has anyone got any thoughts?

thanks in advance :)

Andy.
 
Consider a module/drum machine that does its own drum patterns but accepts midi input - that way you can play the odd time signatures externally from a PC based sequencer (like Noteworthy Composer)


Leafdrums (freeware) may offer an alternative on your PC.
 
oh, good thinking :) i was actually looking for something that i could use as a reference guide - i find it quite infuriating when i'm sat at the piano/guitar, mucking around with ideas for a song, and i can hear the drum pattern in my head, but i can't convince myself it'll work :p and lugging my computer down to where i'm playing can be hard work, hehe.

looking myself, has anyone got anything to say about the Alesis SR16? that looks potentially like something i could use?

Andy.
 
andydeedpoll said:
has anyone got anything to say about the Alesis SR16?
Click to expand...
It's an old machine and Alesis still makes it because it just about the cheapest one out there right now. It's got some dated sounds and some that you can still make some good music with.

If you need just a click track and the occasional beat, the SR-16 will fill the bill.

If you want a deeper, more modern sounding machine, consider this one. It's a little more expensive, but as a long time drum machine user and abuser it's the one I would buy if I needed to pick one from lower end of the market.


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ah, cool :) it's nice to have some options. i really like the idea of syncing it up to my computer (thanks lumbago!) - can i assume that the Boss can do this (i see quite a lot of midi routing options)?

thanks for the help,

Andy.
 
andydeedpoll said:
can i assume that the Boss can do this
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Yes.

It has both midi in and midi out jacks as well as a full midi implementation to go along with them.

The only thing you'll need to buy separately is an adapter, but since you're in the UK (and the merchant I linked doesn't ship there) you're probably just gathering opinions to take to your local music shop - which is a very good idea.


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You've not said how much you want to spend, but those DR-670's are about £200 in the UK, whereas the SR-16's are £80, and for about £120, you've also got the option of the Boss DR-3, all of the Boss machines will allow you to program in 5/4, 7/4 etc, in fact I think you're alright as long as the bottom number is 4 or 8. My first drum machine was a Boss DR-3, it wasn't bad, but I ended up part-exing it for a DR-880 (they go for about £300) - I was creating drum tracks in a sequencing program and/or ripping them out of existing smf's, but the only way you can transfer them to the DR-3 was to set it to record and set your sequencer to play - a rubbish and unreliable way of doing it, that's why I ended up getting the DR-880 - it lets you upload SMF's directly from your PC to it's flash memory. Anyway, here are some reviews of the Boss drum machines:

http://reviews.harmony-central.com/reviews/Keyboard+And+MIDI/brand/Boss

http://reviews.harmony-central.com/reviews/Effects/product/Boss/DR-880/10/1

It might also be worth going to the Boss website and checking out the manuals just to make sure they can do everything you need.
 
:) thanks for the replies.

apologies for not mentioning a budget - i suppose i hoped you guess i was at the bottom of the market by mentioning the SR16!

less than a £100 would be wonderful, for now - this isn't my biggest priority at the moment - i'm still having to programme all my midi with a mouse (looking at a CME UF5 for a bit o' midi work, both live and recording, and that will come before any drum machine.)

i'll probably leave it a month or three and then go for the Boss or SR16 :p

thanks for all the help :)

Andy.
 
andydeedpoll said:
looking myself, has anyone got anything to say about the Alesis SR16? that looks potentially like something i could use?

Andy.
Click to expand...

I have one. Use it all the time as a metronome. Sounds OK, I dont use it for recordings, but I am quite happy with it. Its fun to just turn it on and have a jam.
 
look for a zoom rythemtrack 123. fairly small. lots of sounds and pretty easy to use all together.t hat alesis is nice too though. i used ot have both of them when i was about 16 years old. now i just stick with my mpc and sample sample sample
 
I think their both pretty poor compared to live drums.
I have the Alesis and it sounds ok I wish it had some back lighting though it is extremely hard to read you have to look straight down at it to see what is set.

I've used a couple times on it's own but now I use it only for a click track. It works great that way. Then I go back and play real drums along with the click track. Really help keep the beat going if your not really a drummer.

Honestly for what you can get a SR16 on ebay for why spend several time more for a boss it doesn't justify the price difference especially if your just using it as a click track.
 
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