Best drum machine under $500?

roboctopus · Post by **roboctopus** » Thu Feb 21, 2008 5:15 pm

Ah! I just found out the 626 has individual outs and is fully tune-able. And it has a trigger out for my Juno arp. clock. And good midi. Now we're talking. Sounding cheesy is fine, I'm going to mangle it with effects anyways. And it's a lot cheaper than a 707. Plus, Tyler2000 is right, I can get more hands-on sequencing controlling it with an electribe.

I have a dcb-midi converter, so I'm guessing I can use an electribe to sequence my juno, as well.

I like the idea of the novation drum station, as well. Never seen one of them though.

Post by **wiss** » Thu Feb 21, 2008 6:16 pm

roboctopus wrote: I like the idea of the novation drum station, as well. Never seen one of them though.

its pretty good....I am not a fan of rackmounts, so I didnt give it enough attention as it needed.

roboctopus · Post by **roboctopus** » Thu Feb 21, 2008 6:36 pm

I'm not a fan of rackmounts, either. Only rack thing I have is a compressor/expander.

But if I could control it x0x style with an electribe, I would think about it.

Tyler2000 · Post by **Tyler2000** » Thu Feb 21, 2008 9:39 pm

roboctopus wrote: I have a dcb-midi converter, so I'm guessing I can use an electribe to sequence my juno, as well.

I don't see why not. Also, just because it is rackmountable doesn't mean you have to put it in a rack. You can just set your 'tribe on top and put it where ever your drum machines go.

nick_emulated · Post by **nick_emulated** » Sun Feb 24, 2008 9:20 pm

wahit wrote:The TR-626? That one is pretty easy to get on Europe, and also pretty cheap, but I've read some bad reviews about it, and even VSE site describes it as Its sounds are pretty drab, they are 12 bit low-quality samples of the most boring acoustic drum sounds around.

Hummm....

i never understood why the 626 is such a red-headed stepchild....6 programmable pitches per step/sound, 7 programmable velocities per step/sound....32 sounds....its freakin awesom....and a steal compared for what the 707 is going for....its programming is super simple...u really cant ask for much more for such a cheap box....id get one before people start realising how great they truly are again and the price gets to the ridiculous levels the 707 and 606 are at now.

JSRockit · Post by **JSRockit** » Sun Feb 24, 2008 9:31 pm

nick_emulated wrote:
i never understood why the 626 is such a red-headed stepchild.....id get one before people start realising how great they truly are again and the price gets to the ridiculous levels the 707 and 606 are at now.

Well, with drum machines, it tends to come down to the sound set... since the 626 doesn't sound as good as the others, it doesn't sell for as much as the others. It is that simple. (That is until someone does something with a 626 and makes everyone want one.

)

thestreets · Post by **thestreets** » Mon Feb 25, 2008 3:34 am

Edit: Sorry missed "old school" drum machine.

Was going to suggest the ESX. Oh well.

nick_emulated · Post by **nick_emulated** » Mon Feb 25, 2008 1:49 pm

JSRockit wrote:
nick_emulated wrote:
i never understood why the 626 is such a red-headed stepchild.....id get one before people start realising how great they truly are again and the price gets to the ridiculous levels the 707 and 606 are at now.
Well, with drum machines, it tends to come down to the sound set... since the 626 doesn't sound as good as the others, it doesn't sell for as much as the others. It is that simple. (That is until someone does something with a 626 and makes everyone want one. )

honestly....i love the 626's sound set....the kick and snare arent the greatest...but the rest of it is pretty good...especially if u use the individual outs and run the sounds thru distortion, ring mod, chorus, etc.

different strokes for different folks i guess.

JSRockit · Post by **JSRockit** » Mon Feb 25, 2008 3:05 pm

nick_emulated wrote:
honestly....i love the 626's sound set....the kick and snare arent the greatest...but the rest of it is pretty good...especially if u use the individual outs and run the sounds thru distortion, ring mod, chorus, etc.

different strokes for different folks i guess.

Yeah, but that is my point. The others have sounds that sound great straight out of the box. If you process the h**l out of something...pretty much anything can sound good. However, IMHO, it is easy to make the 606 sound great and the 707 just takes a little more work to sound great...where as the 626 takes alot of work.

D-Collector · Post by **D-Collector** » Mon Feb 25, 2008 8:46 pm

The Akai XR-10 is a killer drum machine and is quite cheap nowadays, that is if you can find one. They are getting quite rare. Btw, many thanks to Premieklovn for selling me his

I think the pricing on some vintage machines are rediculous. I recently came across a TR-808 here in Norway (online ad), and the seller wants 10 000 NOK (about 1900$) for it.

They usually go for about 1500$ here, as do the 909.

But say you got the money and want to buy it. What exactly are you paying for??? 1900$ for that cowbell and bassdrum is a lot of money.

roboctopus · Post by **roboctopus** » Mon Feb 25, 2008 9:49 pm

I think if you're getting a 909, it's not just about the bass drum and the cowbell. It's about holding that box in your hand and pushing those buttons. If I were rich, yeah, I might buy one. I'd buy a lot of other things first. in the meantime, I'm very far from rich and have to make do with the cheap and the strange. S'okay, I like it that way. You have to think harder to get the sound you want! It's good for your brain.

ramos · Post by **ramos** » Mon Feb 25, 2008 11:07 pm

tr-707 and a tr-727

D-Collector · Post by **D-Collector** » Mon Feb 25, 2008 11:27 pm

Well, I agree with you roboctopus. I love the 909, and I would very much like to have one. Who doesn't like tweaking knobs and pushing buttons?

But I think with the 808, it is a different matter. Even though it is a collectible now I don't feel it brings enough to the table to justify that sort of price tag.
In the end I guess it is a matter of taste, and money of course.