A Boss DR-202 Drum MachineMusic educator Joseph Schillinger and the Rhythmicon (1932)
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Drum Machines

A drum machine is an electronic musical instrument designed to imitate the sound of drums and/or other percussion instruments. more...

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Most modern drum machines are sequencers with a sample playback (rompler) or synthesizer component that specializes in the reproduction of drum timbres as well as the sound of other traditional percussion instruments. Though features vary from model to model, many modern drum machines can also produce unique sounds (though usually percussive in nature), and allow the user to compose unique drum beats.

History

Early drum machines

Early drum machines were often referred to as "rhythm machines." In 1930–31, the spectacularly innovative and complex Rhythmicon was realized by Léon Theremin on the commission of composer-theorist Henry Cowell, who wanted an instrument with which to play compositions whose multiple rhythmic patterns, based on the overtone series, were far too difficult to perform on existing keyboard instruments. The invention could produce sixteen different rhythms, each associated with a particular pitch, either individually or in any combination, including en masse, if desired. Received with considerable interest when it was publicly introduced in 1932, the Rhythmicon was soon set aside by Cowell and was virtually forgotten for decades. The next generation of rhythm machines played only preprogrammed rhythms such as mambo, tango, or the like. The first commercially available rhythm machines were included in organs in the late 1960s, and were intended to accompany the organist.

The first largely successful drum machine was the Rhythm Ace. It was released around 1970 by a company then called Ace Tone (later called Roland). The Rhythm Ace was a preset-only unit; it was not possible for the user to alter or modify the pre-programmed rhythms. A number of other preset drum machines were later released in the 1970s. The first major pop song to use a drum machine was a cover version of Sly and the Family Stone's "Somebody's Watching You" recorded by Little Sister. The song, produced and composed by Sly Stone, entered the R&B charts in 1971. The first album in which a drum machine produced all the percussion was Arthur Brown/Kingdom Come's Journey, recorded in November 1972 using a Bentley Rhythm Ace.

Drum sound synthesis

A key difference between such early machines and more modern equipment is that they used analog sound synthesis rather than digital sampling in order to generate their sounds. For example, a snare drum or maraca sound would typically be created using a burst of white noise whereas a bass drum sound would be made using sine waves or other basic waveforms. This meant that while the resulting sound was not very close to that of the real instrument, each model tended to have a unique character. For this reason, many of these early machines have achieved a certain "cult status" and are now sought after by DJs and producers for use in production of modern techno and electronic music.

Read more at Wikipedia.org


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Mint Multivox Rhythm Ace Fr-3 Rhythm Machine Mint 1960s $99.00 Zoom Rt-223 Drum Bass Machine Free Ship +$25 Adaptor! $179.00
Roland Mc-303 Groovebox $50.00 Roland Spd-S Spds Sampling Drum Pad Mint in Box!! $375.00
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Yamaha Digital Rhythm Programmer Rx7 $39.99 Roland Electronic Drum Pd120 $225.00
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Drum Machine Beat Generation Software Kit/Program +Xtra $5.98 Mint Condition Akai Mpc 1000 w/ 2Gb Cf Card $625.00
Akai Hdm10 Hdm-10 & 120Gb Hard Drive 4 Mpc1000 Mpc2500 $149.95 Drumkat 3.5 + Roland Kd-7 + Pintech Hh + Kat Kf-1 Pedal $300.00
Akai Mpc 500 Near Mint 128Mb card 32Mb internal/Great!! $325.00 Finger Drums Table Top Electric Drum Set Jam New $22.99
Akai Mpd24 Mpd-24 Usb / Midi Pad Control Unit [3214] $179.00 Boss Dr 880 excellent condition with Fs-5U and Ev-5 $350.00
Akai Mpc5000 Music Production Center-Pristine Condition $1,599.99 Alesis Performance Pad Drum Machine Percussion Control $299.99
Roland Pm-10 V-Drums Personal Monitor Amplifier Used $24.99 Roland Spd-20 Spd20 Total Percussion Drum Trigger Pad $475.00
Massive Drum Sample Library!!! tr 909 tr 808 korg akai $7.00 Roland R8m R8 m Original Owner's Manual English +++++++ $14.00
Akai Mpc2500 Mpc5000 Cdm25 Cd-M25 Cdr/Dvd Drive $79.00 Yamaha Dd-55 Digital Percussion Drum Machine $120.00
Akai Mpc 2500 Excellent Condition $750.00 Roland Mv-8000 Version 3.5 $999.99
Ac Adapter Power Supply Alesis Sr 16 sr16 Drum Machine $9.99 Alesis Sr16 Electric Drums Drum Machine World Shipping $148.00
Roland Td-20 Td20 Percussion Sound Module Look! $1,500.00 Roland Spd-20 Drum Pad $550.00
Roland Electronic Drum Set - Td-10 - Roland V-Drums $1,150.00 E-mu Sp 1200 Drum Samples Mpc 3000 Instant Load To Pads $25.00
Ion iEd04 Digital Drum Machine $50.00 E-mu Sp 1200 Drum Samples Mpc 2000xl Hip Hop/Undaground $25.00
Syndrum Cm electronic synth drum $75.00 fatKat bass drum trigger pedal $40.00
Yamaha Dd-55C Drum System Touch Sensitive $110.00 Alesis Dm5 Drum Module $159.00
Transport Audio T-Shirt / Sequencer/Retro/beat maker $9.99 Yamaha 4 Pad Digital Drum Machine $57.99
Yamaha Drum Kit Dd-55C!! New In Box! Open Box $79.99
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Prices current as of last update, 01/05/09 8:20pm.


See also...
Alesis, Drum Machines, Electronic
Boss, Drum Machines, Electronic
Other Brands, Drum Machines, Electronic
Roland, Drum Machines, Electronic
Yamaha, Drum Machines, Electronic

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