decent drum machine hardware

["loop.pool" <looppool@cruzio.com>]

I think I may have posted this before, but I think one of the cheapest 
hardware solutions
for a drum machine (if you happen to own a sampler) is to buy a used or new
Alesis SR-16 drum machine (which has the most antiquated drum sounds of 
all 
the machines
currently available new) and use it to trigger your own sounds from a 
sampler.

Drum machines are almost invariably closed architecture affairs and the 
fact 
of the matter is that
drum sounds go in and out of style (or we just get sick of them).

The SR-16 has good MIDI implemenation; is really easy to program and with 
a 
little effects processing
you can even get the late eighties drum sounds to sound good if you don't 
want to use a sampler.

Speaking of that devil,  my wife is very fond of using some of my really 
old 
analogue drum machines and then
putting them through different stomp box pedals.  It's amazing how fresh 
drum and percussion sounds sound
when put through some flanging and distortion and chorus, etc, not to 
mention some of the wilder sounding rack mounted
DSP boxes out there today.

Heck, any drum machine connected to something like the Alesis INEKO can 
sound really fresh and innovative.
Besides,  it gets boring to me to hear stock drum machine sounds, even if 
they are cutting edge in terms of style.
Throw something through the random filter patch on those pricey Lexicon 
units and you are really humming.

Just my 4 cents.