Is it possible to make your own PCM cards or ROMs?

[Z]

OK, so I've seen some YouTube videos where Alesis HR-16 has been modded with custom samples. How is that done? Can I do it to a Roland R-8M? What would be involved in making your own PCM cards for a R8 or similar instrument?

[balma]

Actually, you can. But it's pretty expensive.

THE E-MU ULTRA can actually burn your own ROMS. But each writeable ROM cost $300-400 each one, as much as the Ultra itself.

And this personal ROM can be used on E-mu modern romplers like the command stations.

That's a dream to me: mangling my own samples on a command station. Just the idea of doing that gives me a hard on....

[D-Collector]

OK, so I've seen some YouTube videos where Alesis HR-16 has been modded with custom samples. How is that done? Can I do it to a Roland R-8M? What would be involved in making your own PCM cards for a R8 or similar instrument?

It would be awesome to just take some cheap old drummachine, Yamaha RX type or something, and just install a new rom with awesome samples. Would blow everyones mind.

[Sir Nose]

Sample eproms are easily swapped in and out on the SCI Drumtraks. The Oberheim prommer can be used to burn new eproms. Eproms are also readily available with already burned samples. But, I do not know about the R-8M though.

As far as I know ROMS written with the E-mu Ultra are only usable with certain e-mu devices (things that accept the proteus series ROMs)

[aredj]

And those emu roms have gone the way of the dodo...
IF I ever actually saw one for sale. . I likely couldn't afford it..

[Z]

Sample eproms are easily swapped in and out on the SCI Drumtraks. The Oberheim prommer can be used to burn new eproms. Eproms are also readily available with already burned samples. But, I do not know about the R-8M though.

I'm familiar with burning your own EPROMS for the early machines (Linn, SCI, Oberheim, Simmons), but those are a single drum sound per EPROM (sometimes multiple EPROMS).

I'm pretty sure that new later PCM machines have all their sounds on a single ROM.

I really like the R-8M, but would love to update the sounds. It would also be nice to have a ROM chip with even more sounds. Not sure how much is already loaded in there, but surely we have the technology for at least quadruple what's already in there.

[Stab Frenzy]

Digidesign started out as a company making custom ROMs for the Linndrum (IIRC) and look where they ended up. As people have already said, it can be done, but it's not really cost-effective these days when there are so many cheap samplers around.

[gmeredith]

It's completely possible. These guys are doing it for the HR16 and Kawai R100 and others. The Roland would be no different in process I wouldn't think. Get in contact with them, they might help you try:

http://www.burnkit2600.com/diy-sound-roms/

http://www.burnkit2600.com/kawair100/

Cheers, Graham

[Z]

Thanks, Graham. I just emailed them.

[gmeredith]

This guy here has made his own TR626 ROMS, which can't be far off an R8:

http://www.nekosynth.co.uk/wiki/RomHacker

He was on that other site going through the progress of it with them here:

http://www.burnkit2600.com/tr-626-rhythm-decomposer/

Cheers, Graham

[crystalmsc]

The Zadok SAM-1 for Wavestation, M and T series. Also the Alesis QS line allows sample transfer to the PCMCIA card through Soundbridge.

[desdinova]

I've made custom PCMCIA flash cards to use in my QS, it's kind of a pain to find 100% legit working cards, especially for any kind of sane price.

[gmeredith]

What did you use to make your own QS cards? I was kind of interested in a rack QS a while ago for my own samples but got put off by the price of the cards

Cheers, Graham

[polardark]

Burning your own sample eeprom for older sample playback units is cheap. You just need an eeprom burner and an empty eeprom of a suitable size. Of course it helps if you know the format of the data you're trying to put in there as well and you should probably know your way around a hex editor.

[desdinova]

What did you use to make your own QS cards? I was kind of interested in a rack QS a while ago for my own samples but got put off by the price of the cards

I used their software, soundbridge. If your QS is original though, you can't burn the cards, just read them. Only the S4+ and the qs6/7/8 keyboards can, iirc. Maybe the QS Piano+, too, I forget.