
Drum machines come in a ton of different shapes, sizes, and have varying feature sets. In fact, the term “drum machine” is a bit of a misnomer, as it’s hard to narrow down the technology to just one thing. If you’re wondering how to incorporate drum machines into your music, kick back as we get you up to speed and even suggest a few viable alternatives.
Size and Application
Portable Sketch Pad
Whether you want to just play with a beat machine around the house, brainstorm some ideas, or improvise on the go, most major pro-audio brands carry compact, simple drum machines that can be battery powered and easily carried around. An example of this is Roland’s AIRA Compact T-8 Beat Machine, which is not only powerful despite its size, it’s capable enough to teach you the basics of beat making and bassline creation.
Performance or Production?
If portability doesn’t matter, consider what you might use a drum machine for; some are geared towards performance and improvisation, while others are designed with recording and production in mind. With that said, there are plenty of machines that work well in either scenario.
What is a Sequencer?
If you’re just starting your search for a drum machine, consider a sequencer. It’s a tool that can capture and play back a sequence of notes or beats. Pretty much any beat maker has some type of sequencer on it. The way a sequencer is designed can have a significant impact on how you can perform grooves or produce tracks.
Steps
In respect to sequences, steps refer to the number of beats, notes, chords or sounds that you program into a sequencer. Depending on the type of sequencer, you’ll typically have a limit to the number of steps you can program into the sequence. For example, a lot max out at 64 steps, while more advanced sequencers allow up to 128 steps.
Step Buttons
Step buttons refer to the horizontal line of buttons you see at the bottom of a drum machine. Usually, there are 16 step buttons, and a typical sequencer allows you to program multiple notes and beats to each one. In addition to step-by-step programming, drum machines generally let you record your creations in real time as you perform.
Patterns
Often, step buttons will double as pattern buttons. Once your steps are recorded, you can assign them to a pattern button that you can recall when you’re ready to perform or record. It’s also common for drum machines to have multiple banks of patterns.
This gives you a ton of creative options during a live performance for example. You do this by programming all your steps into a pattern, then create a few variations on that pattern so you can jump from one to another to craft a variety of different movements during a song. When you’re ready to move onto the next song, you can just retrieve a new bank of patterns.
Pattern Chaining and Song Mode
If you’re producing or performing thoroughly crafted songs, you’ll want a sequencer that can play multiple patterns in a specified order. This feature is usually referred to as pattern chaining or song mode.
Songs are basically sections of music put together in a sequence (such as verse, verse, chorus, bridge, etc). Sequencers with song mode capability let you chain patterns in a predetermined order, so you can program a song in its entirety. This feature can be helpful in a few situations. If you’re performing a fleshed-out track, for example, you’ll have your hands free to play with other parameters like effects, or even navigate other hardware instruments and lay down vocals.
If you’re in the studio and want to produce without using a computer, song mode allows you to create fully realized track without having to record one section at a time or edit the song on your DAW.
An example of a reasonably affordable drum machine that accommodates song mode or pattern chaining is the IK Multimedia UNO Drum. As you go up in price, you’ll find more advanced machines that are specifically designed to sequence entire songs, like the Roland VERSELAB MV1, which provides hand-on workflow for complete songs including the integration of vocals.
Parameter Recording
Some of the better sequencers accommodate parameter recording, which basically captures any effects or filters you add to the sounds. You can usually record these parameter changes in real time as you program or perform. This way, if you’ve come up with some good sound sculpting ideas, you don’t have to rely on your memory to recreate the magic every time you turn on your machine and recall a pattern; the sound shaping has already been recorded along with your beats or notes. We’ll discuss this further below.
Sound
All standalone drum machines generally come with built-in sounds, and often, preprogrammed patterns (unless they’re pure MIDI controllers). Even some of the more wallet-friendly models, like the Alesis SR-18, can offer a large range of drum and rhythm sounds suitable for a variety of musical styles.
However, such a wide scope of sounds and styles isn’t always available, even on more expensive drum machines. So, it’s good to keep in mind the style or genre of music you’re looking to create.
Style and Genre
Many drum machines excel at specific genres, though some cater to multiple music styles. You’ll often see groove boxes that focus on techno or electronic music, while others are better suited for R&B or Lo-Fi styles. The Roland Boutique TR-08 Rhythm Composer is a great example of a specialized drum machine designed to reproduce the classic 80’S analogue sound of Roland’s original TR-808 drum machine.
Sticking with Roland, the SP-404MKII Creative Sampler and Effector is another fairly specialized groove maker, especially popular with lo-fi and electronic music creators. In fact, it’s an industry staple for musicians and DJ’s who focus on these genres.
Analog or Digital?
Depending on your tastes or the kind of music you’re looking to play, you should choose between a digital or analog drum machine. Generally, if you’re planning on modulating a lot of parameters, filters and effects (think analog synths), a retro-inspired analog drum machine with analog-generated sounds is a popular way to go.
There are also many drum machines that are digital but replicate analog processing or combine analog sounds with digital samples for example the Arturia DrumBrute Impact.
Synths and Effects
Are you looking to tweak or modulate your sounds? Some drum machines, especially those focusing on electronic genres, employ synth engines designed to help you sculpt percussive and melodic synth tones. The Elektron Model:Cycles Six-Track Based Groovebox is a popular and affordable example of a sound-shaping drum machine that can generate and integrate unique sonic characteristics into your grooves.
More advanced examples of models with great synth engines and extensive parameters/effects are the Polyend Tracker Mini and the Novation Circuit Tracks.
Samplers and Sampling
The idea of sampling is pretty straightforward; it’s a capture of a sound, whether a drum hit, melodic phrase, chord or vocal progression. In fact, it can be pretty much any sound you choose to record from an external device or environment, or it can just be a direct download from a sample library.
When choosing a drum machine or groovebox with a sampler, you want to keep in mind factors like the number of sounds pre-installed, or storage space available for downloading external samples. The Ployend Play+, for instance, features over 3000 onboard sounds with a 16GB microSD Card to store your own library of samples.
Connectivity
Drum machines come with a varying number of connectivity options. Some of the most common ones to look out for are analogue/mic/instrument inputs and outputs. There are others that not only let you connect with other machines, but also play and record in sync with them. Most drum machines these days also have MIDI connectivity, allowing you to connect them to the DAW on your computer to record.
Are You Beat?
As you can see, the choices are virtually endless with respect to drum machine features and functionality. It’s likely that as you progress on your beat-making journey, you’ll come own more than just a single machine, as the recording and performance-making possibilities can become addictive.
We’ve only scratched the surface of what today’s drum machines can deliver. My advice is to start with a simple model to get a feel for how the technology works, and then build from there. Afterall, you don’t want the learning curve to be so challenging that it puts you off beat making for life. Give it some time and patience, and you’ll eventually be creating grooves like a pro.
For more information about the drum machines listed, including additional features, specs, and highlights, be sure to check out the detailed product pages. Or drop us a line below, and we’ll do our best to answer all your comments and questions.
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