Alesis sr-16 or Roland r8 ?

[theundertakermc]

i can get an alesis sr-16 for 140 $ can and a roland r8 drum machine for 150 $ can ......wich one would you go with ? i really need your suggestion ...

[Z]

I would personally go for the Roland. I bought the Alesis D4 new when it came out but sold it to buy the R8M, which I still have. To me, the drums sound beefier. Plus you can use the individual outs on the R8 to add FX and stuff.

SR-16's are all over Dallas' Craigslist for under $100 USD, not sure how that converts to CAN.

[winningatlife]

R8 For sure.

[Phenom]

The Yamaha RY30 is better than either. It sounds better, it's pads are better, it has good real time control, a serious sequencer, decent digital filters, it's expandable and has a backlit display.

The R8 is decent, and you can get decent control for rhythms, but not really of the sounds themselves. The onboard sounds are pretty dated, and the cards are expensive. The midi timing is not rock solid when slaving to another sequencer. I personally didn't like the pads that much, but the multi outs are great. Don't forget the old Boss boxes the DR 660 and 770. They're decent too.

The SR16 is a class below these drum machines, and is fine for practicing guitarists (intro and fill-in features!). The sounds are pretty poor, and there's not much you can do with them. I remember the one bit of weirdness on the SR16 was a feature called "sample and hold" but it really wasn't like sample and hold on a synth. It's a dead straight drum machine, and I think most VSE folk would find it very boring.

What style are you trying to create? For techno I'd recommend an RY30, if you want good latin presets the DR770 is decent.

[winningatlife]

The R8 is decent, and you can get decent control for rhythms, but not really of the sounds themselves. The onboard sounds are pretty dated, and the cards are expensive. The midi timing is not rock solid when slaving to another sequencer. I personally didn't like the pads that much, but the multi outs are great. Don't forget the old Boss boxes the DR 660 and 770. They're decent too.

Yeah, I agree - I sequence and trigger my Vermona DRMMKII and with my R8 which works well. I don't mind the programming so it is ok. Some of the sounds are actually pretty decent if you want 'realistic' drum sounds.

Personally I like to double them up/layer them. Analog + Digital = Win.

-Ryan