Re: The Best Live Drum Machine

[Mark Sottilaro <sine@zerocrossing.net>]

I've got a Roland MC-307, and I have a love/hate relationship with it.  
The drum kits mostly sound good, it's got a great selection of 
TB909esque sounds, and some ravey stuff as well.  Very geared towards 
electronica for sure.  All the delays and time based effects 
automatically synch to your BPM, which is nice.  I've used it as an 
alternative sound source for my GR-30, and I've found the sounds are way 
more interesting.

I hate the fact that the pads are not touch sensitive, and there is no 
easy way to put an accent on a beat.  (except for groove quantize mode, 
which is a pain to deal with if you want something specific) Shame on 
you Roland.  My workaround is I never program from the unit itself, and 
use a midi controller instead.

I love the fact that it's got a lot of decent effects and a filter that 
can be controlled by a full complement of programmable knobs.  Great for 
live tweakage.

I hate the fact that you can't record knob movements in song mode, or 
add another track.

Only one kit at a time can can be a bit cramped.  I wish there were 
sounds like "toms" or "Snare" that you could layer over the drums on 
it's own track.

Turntable emulation lets you vary either tempo and pitch, or either 
separately.  This can give great effects in conjunction with an Electrix 
Repeater.  Tap tempo is nice too.

They're going fairly cheap, I've seen them at www.musiciansfriend.com 
for around $400 I think.  I'd say it was a good value for the money.

Mark Sottilaro


On Sunday, June 9, 2002, at 12:40  AM, marcus savino wrote:

> Hi All,
>
> What are your favorite drum machines and why?
>
> Thanks!!
> --
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