Tunable Analog Drum Machines

I've already got a digital drum machine (707), so now I'm looking into getting an analog one (I figure it makes sense seeing as I tend to use synth drum vsts more than hit samples). Any suggestions? Doesn't have to be tunable, but that would be nice.

I'm also building one on the cheap, but it could be months before it's anything other than a weird noise generator.

* = BYO sequencer

Fully analogue, tweakable

TR-808

MFB-502

Vermona DRM-1 *

MFB-522 (cheers berk)

AcidLab Miami

Partially Analogue, tweakable

TR-909

JoMoX Xbase09

JoMoX XBase999

JoMoX Xbase888

JoMoX AiRbase99 *

MFB-503

Fully Analogue, not tweakable

TR-606

Boss DR-110

"partially analogue" means kick, snare, toms are analogue, everything else is samples

you can tune the 606 in a simple way but you have to open it up to do so :)

MFB-522 (sort of an 808 clone, reasonably priced, lovely bassdrum, and 100% tunable basically - and of course 100% analogue)

really nice, but I'm still kind of looking into a real Roland analogue drum machine, cause I want those beautiful hi-hats (606 hi-hats in particular)

Thanks for the list, Wings. I'll keep an eye out for those. Well known ones like the TR-*0*'s will probably always be selling for crazy high prices, but a quick scan of Ebay had some of those at fairly reasonable looking prices.

edit - that looks intriguing as well, Berk.

yeah the MFBs are your only realistic cheap option.

the vermona is so tweaky it'll give you hollowed out cheeks and make you want to make electro house, but it's priced accordingly

Yeah, I was thinking MFB. I'm trying to stay cheap on this one because anything too costly & my inner cranky old man will start complaining about how I could (eventually) build one for a fraction of the price.

I forgot to mention that the MFB 522 only has MIDI IN by the way, no MIDI OUT. So I guess that means you should keep it at the end of your MIDI chain or something..

That thing looks and sounds pretty nice! But no MIDI OUT? Why? That's just silly.

I think I'm going to go with the MFB 522, so if anyone here has one they've been thinking of selling now would be the time to PM.

I just got a Jomox M_Bass 01 - not a drum machine per se, but a fully analogue kick drum module. it's really fucking good - best, deepest, lowest, boomiest kick drums I've ever heard...you want 808 boom? check. 909 thump? check. something with twice the decay of an 808 plus more low end? definitely check. it's quite simply the best thing I've heard for kick drums and everyone should have one.

  On 3/15/2010 at 3:37 PM, BCM said:

it's quite simply the best thing I've heard for kick drums and everyone should have one.

Hell, I'm sold.

  On 3/15/2010 at 3:37 PM, BCM said:

I just got a Jomox M_Bass 01 - not a drum machine per se, but a fully analogue kick drum module. it's really fucking good - best, deepest, lowest, boomiest kick drums I've ever heard...you want 808 boom? check. 909 thump? check. something with twice the decay of an 808 plus more low end? definitely check. it's quite simply the best thing I've heard for kick drums and everyone should have one.

plus you can play it like a synth, and it does 20hz kicks

all jomox boxes have pretty much the same kick module - longer decay option on later ones like the MBase

i only have an xbase09, and while it's fucking fantastic for making booming analog bass drums, its not great at recreating an 808 kick with that long decay. It comes close, but i've heard other things come closer like a Nord Modular.