Affordable alternative to TR-707

Love the sound of this one, but don't want to spend a fortune on an overpriced 2nd hand 707. 

As the sounds are all digital, maybe I could get a sampler or something? 

if anyone knows of a nice machine that has (sort of) the same hands on feel then I'd love to hear recommendations. I could also use my laptop and play the 707 sounds from that, but I tried and it sux tbf.

Thanks in advance!

I personally don't think the 707 is overpriced. I think its a bargain still. I got mine for £250 which was a great price I will admit but you can get one for £300-400 still now. Ebay tends to push prices up but check the local ads. Decent alternative I think would be the Roland TR8S I would guess. That said a TR8s will costs almost the same as a 707. A 505 is a nice alternative with similar but different sounds but not so hands on which is the down side plus no indvidual outs. The other thing to think about is the 626 which does have individual outs so in combo with a mixer you've a fairly hands on situation while keeping an authentic and original vibe!

yeah TR-626 is wicked. they're getting a bit pricey these days though I think, not 707 money but not peanuts either.

I tried to get a 626 for £80 but the seller wasn't having it. I think he upped the price from £150 to £250 ha ha.

Have you considered the tr8 plus 7x7 expansion? Have been using one for a couple of years, it’s far from perfect but it’s really playable and I’ve found myself gravitating towards the 707 sounds even though I considered the add-on secondary when I bought it second hand. 
 

Think that with a bit of patience finding one second hand with the expansion installed should be doable for 250-300,- 

I fele like I've heard the MIDI implementation on the 626 iusn't quite as good as on the 505.  The 505 is the most primitive of the x0x series in terms of sounds but for sequencing external gear it's great.  If you can find one for $130 or less I'd say consider getting that and using it to sequence something else.

A couple years ago I'd suggest a Roland MC-303 as a good option but now they're really overpriced, they were $100 at most just a little while ago.

A 505 is still around $150 if you're in a hurry and want it NOW but you can probably find one for less.

My take on drum machines. Don't buy one unless it's either a) going to be your bread and butter for everything or b) you have the money/space/ergonomics for everything.

I go for a high-flexibility, minimal desk-space setup just short of using a laptop. Samplers do it all. My octatrack comes equipped with a library of 808s, 909s, 707s, 606s the list goes. plus it samples any song I want to steal a hit or loop from, a library of classic breaks, and I can sample synths and random percussion into it. I can take that, make a loop of it with up to 8 tracks, sample that loop internally into another sample, slice that, mangle it, add effects, compression, anything I want. If I was sticking to classic acid setups or something that'd be one thing, but if I just want to do a track or 2 that sounds like an 808 I can grab some of the 1000s of 808 samples floating around on the internet and just use it and most people won't know it's a sample. I still use a couple physical synths though because I find I don't like sampling those unless it's a loop I've already created and I need more layers.

Or buy one of the many new behringers. I would not pay too much for a drum machine. 707 price is not worth it, I used to have one but it only cost 150 dollars. It's fun but nah.

Thanks for the suggestions guys.

I sold my 505 a while back. I got it for 50 back then lol. Now they're like 150+ I reckon? The505 was pretty nice, though I was missing the soft snare from the 707 and things like that. 

Bubba you make a good point, but I prefer not to sample analogue (707/505/626 is another story). I love having dedicated (clones of) 808/909/606 etc. Makes me feel like " I'm controlling lightning in a box" to quote someone on gearslutz or whatever. It's impractical and irrational as fuck (nobody will probably hear the difference, especially when you use nice outboards and record to tape) but music is about dem feels innit. I have a nice big table that I can use but I'm beginning to run out of space. Maybe run by a thrift store at some point to look for another table or desk. Bought a nice double keyboard stand for 50 euros that saved up a lot of space for me.

@yek yeah 150 is about my max price point for such a drum machine. So annoying that the price has gone up so much. 

707 is definitely overpriced right now, the sounds though can't be argued with. 

I'd go with the (butt ugly) TR8s to get the volume sliders. Plus it has all the other classic sounds and was recently upgraded with FM synthesis, etc.

I think TR8s is actually nicer looking than the TR8. I know its not as pretty or as cool as the other vintage Rolands but I think Roland did alright with that product.

Bought a 707 for $75 in a used music shop in the early 2000's, flipped it on ebay for $150 and thought I was brilliant. Just checked eBay sold items and they go from $400 to $500 now. Crazy!

I played with a circuit bent 707 a few times. Sounded way more interesting than the original sounds, which are great, but the bends that are possible really take it into crazy territory. 

  On 8/17/2020 at 2:46 PM, modey said:

I played with a circuit bent 707 a few times. Sounded way more interesting than the original sounds, which are great, but the bends that are possible really take it into crazy territory. 

would love to mod my 707, is there anyone still doing it?

It was this mod, not sure if they still do it but it looks like they do:
https://www.circuitbenders.co.uk/drummachine/TR707.html

  On 8/17/2020 at 1:58 PM, TheBro said:

I think TR8s is actually nicer looking than the TR8. I know its not as pretty or as cool as the other vintage Rolands but I think Roland did alright with that product.

Ah, your're right. They let that horrible Aira look go on that one.

  On 8/17/2020 at 2:48 PM, mause said:

would love to mod my 707, is there anyone still doing it?

Hey Mause! I'm pretty anti circuit bending. I just like the purity and beauty of the original machines when they're left untouched. Like I say that's just my view though. Hope you're well dude.

  On 8/17/2020 at 3:01 PM, modey said:

It was this mod, not sure if they still do it but it looks like they do:
https://www.circuitbenders.co.uk/drummachine/TR707.html

Ha ha that's hideous. I feel sad looking at the picture.

  On 8/17/2020 at 4:23 PM, TheBro said:

Hey Mause! In short no. I'm pretty anti circuit bending. I just like the purity and beauty of the original machines when they're left untouched. Like I say that's just my view though. Hope you're well dude.

oh yeah, im all for the sanctity of retro gear too, but the 707 is like..only 300 bucks and pretty functionally sub par as standard  so would be great to have more options in hardware. the thing ive always wanted from the 707 was decay control, then pitch options..i have to sample my 707 into ableton if i wanna do that which just makes me feel sad about the 300 quid i dropped on the machine 

im well, thanks for asking! on the tail end of a real shit creative and mental rough patch so lookin forward to knuckling out some more tunes  hbu?

  On 8/17/2020 at 4:26 PM, TheBro said:

Ha ha that's hideous. I feel sad looking at the picture.

i would agree that its very..rough and ready looking..would much prefer it if they used knobs and switches that at least kept the style of the 707. but as i said before, 707s arent rare, they're cheap.. and they also arent all that nice to look at either

  On 8/17/2020 at 4:33 PM, mause said:

oh yeah, im all for the sanctity of retro gear too, but the 707 is like..only 300 bucks and pretty functionally sub par as standard  so would be great to have more options in hardware. the thing ive always wanted from the 707 was decay control, then pitch options..i have to sample my 707 into ableton if i wanna do that which just makes me feel sad about the 300 quid i dropped on the machine 

im well, thanks for asking! on the tail end of a real shit creative and mental rough patch so lookin forward to knuckling out some more tunes  hbu?

i would agree that its very..rough and ready looking..would much prefer it if they used knobs and switches that at least kept the style of the 707. but as i said before, 707s arent rare, they're cheap.. and they also arent all that nice to look at either

 

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A transient designer might be the hardware solution for adding decay to drums. I posted a thread about it in which I show Gwem using one. Anyways man I'm good. Just making tunes etc. Trying to move forward with the music game!!!

  On 8/17/2020 at 4:37 PM, TheBro said:

A transient designer might be the hardware solution for adding decay to drums. I posted a thread about it in which I show Gwem using one.

yeah transient designer would be a shout, ive also been looking into getting a MAM Adx1 and having it running in parallel to the 707 on an effects return on my desk..but yeah i dunno, as far as the roland tr's go, the 707 is pretty pointless

  On 8/17/2020 at 4:37 PM, TheBro said:

Anyways man I'm good. Just making tunes etc. Trying to move forward with the music game!!!

good stuff, gotta keep on that grind!

Oh man you're so harsh on your poor 707 lol. I personally love it. I know the drums aren't 909 or beefy but they sound perfect for house and deep house!!

What's your Soundcloud dude by the way?

  On 8/17/2020 at 4:42 PM, TheBro said:

Oh man you're so harsh on your poor 707 lol. I personally love it. I know the drums aren't 909 or beefy but they sound perfect for house and deep house!!

dont get me wrong, i love my 707, its the backbone of my setup!

its just..in terms of drum machines..it only has 1 pallet of sound. maybe the r8 has spoiled me a bit

tell ya what tho, the 707 ride is unmatched

  On 8/17/2020 at 4:46 PM, mause said:

dont get me wrong, i love my 707, its the backbone of my setup!

its just..in terms of drum machines..it only has 1 pallet of sound. maybe the r8 has spoiled me a bit

tell ya what tho, the 707 ride is unmatched

You have an R8 - interesting man. I'm in search of Power Supply for an R8. Looking high and low on the internet but the only thing available is £100!!!

  On 8/17/2020 at 4:49 PM, TheBro said:

You have an R8 - interesting man. I'm in search of Power Supply for an R8. Looking high and low on the internet but the only thing available is £100!!!

thats ridiculous, surely theres an affordable psu out there somewhere! i think the r5 used the same one, might be worth lookin for one of those

http://theinstrumentcenter.com/product_info.php?products_id=230353