Comments on: Bring that beat back! (press "start")

Bring that beat back! (press "start")

flapjax at midnite — Wed, 27 Dec 2006 09:03:44 -0800

Of course you know the rhythm box/drum machine has had a profound impact on modern music-making, but how much do you know about its history? Was the Rhythmicon the very first rhythm machine? Korg's DoncaMatic (great name, eh?) was one of the first commercial models. Up until 1979 they were all pre-programmed, but Roland ushered in the modern era with the user-programmable CR-78, and followed it up soon after with the legendary TR808. Go here for a fairly comprehensive overview of vintage drum machines (organized alphabetically, with photos and descriptions/background info). And here you can interact with a wide assortment of virtual [Flash] rhythm boxes of the 70's and 80's. (Knee-jerk Flash haters, go ahead and hate it, but this is one of the best uses of Flash I can imagine.)

By: beaucoupkevin

beaucoupkevin — Wed, 27 Dec 2006 09:19:41 -0800

Lovely.

By: Burhanistan

Burhanistan — Wed, 27 Dec 2006 09:24:23 -0800

Good memories. Once while playing with a Roland machine I had some sort of transcendent rhythmic experience where the rhythm was liberated from my bones and into the space between my figertips and the little drumpad buttons on the Roland. For a fleeting moment I could see the source of rhythm and its relation to time. Fun stuff, and only possible because my body wasn't wholly engaged in the means of production of the rhythm as it would be if it were sitting at an actual instrument that required more force. Ahem..anyways.

By: amyms

amyms — Wed, 27 Dec 2006 09:27:18 -0800

Cool post :)... Your last link (to the interactive rhythm boxes) also features a virtual version of Mattel's BeeGee's Rhythm Machine, which is cheese-tastically fun!

By: adipocere

adipocere — Wed, 27 Dec 2006 09:30:44 -0800

Raise your hand if "Me and My Rhythm Box" began playing in your head. "It is ... preprogrammed ... so what? SO WHAT?"

By: al_fresco

al_fresco — Wed, 27 Dec 2006 09:51:47 -0800

[raises hand]

By: Elim

Elim — Wed, 27 Dec 2006 10:07:53 -0800

{Raises Hand}, and hangs head in shame for knowing the reference.

By: NationalKato

NationalKato — Wed, 27 Dec 2006 10:11:31 -0800

The 808 kickdrum makes the girlies get dumb.

By: Bovine Love

Bovine Love — Wed, 27 Dec 2006 10:15:06 -0800

Along the same lines, the Baseline Baseline video at Nate Harrison's site is an extremely fascinating view on the TB-303. Between mefi and youtube (yes, youtube), i have come to rekindle my love for music and make it all the stronger.

By: Devils Rancher

Devils Rancher — Wed, 27 Dec 2006 10:17:25 -0800

There went my afternoon. I had a friend who drove me crazy with his Dr. Rhythm, and we actually used a Roland TR-505 in a band for a while, in about '83, I think. I've still got home demos featuring both, though they're cringe-worthy. I thought I'd hit the big time when I bought me a Yamaha RX 15, but I ended up hating that thing within about 6 weeks, after it began to appear in every jingle recorded for the next 2 years.

By: loquacious

loquacious — Wed, 27 Dec 2006 10:17:37 -0800

unf unf unf chk unf unf unf unf unf unf unf chk unf unf unf unf unf unf unf chk unf unf unf oom unf unf unf chk unf unf unf oom unf unf unf chk unf unf tak oom unf unf chk chk unf unf tak oom

By: Devils Rancher

Devils Rancher — Wed, 27 Dec 2006 10:19:05 -0800

Oh, and how about that Casio Demo Song? that was a catchy little ditty.

By: kid ichorous

kid ichorous — Wed, 27 Dec 2006 12:07:24 -0800

If you want to play with a software 808 and 909, here's a link to the now-freeware Rebirth.

By: rhythim

rhythim — Wed, 27 Dec 2006 13:15:44 -0800

Oh to own/get to play with a real TR-909, if only for a little while.....sweet, sweet rhythm composer. Gotta love that bass kick!

By: doctorschlock

doctorschlock — Wed, 27 Dec 2006 14:57:45 -0800

Hey Hey! My old band played with that there uhmmm.. Bee Gee's rhythm box...and it rocked...it rocked Dude. Just like that uhmmmm...Casio hand-held thingamabob. Oh man..those were the days.

By: Twang

Twang — Wed, 27 Dec 2006 16:45:06 -0800

I'd guess that mechanical carousel music-machines predate the Rhythmicon and could play a number of tunes (so might have been programmable, possibly with music-box-style wheels). Did they predate player pianos? Interesting question. It'd be great to hear about a book that covers the history of mechanically-produced music and rhythms. No doubt they go way back, possibly thousands of years ... wouldn't be surprised if the ancient Greeks did that.

By: Twang

Twang — Wed, 27 Dec 2006 16:46:51 -0800

"unf unf unf chk unf unf unf unf" That's what she said.

By: bardic

bardic — Wed, 27 Dec 2006 17:12:33 -0800

I thought the 808 was a smashing success from its birth -- interesting to hear they fell way out of style before they became popular again.

By: rsanheim

rsanheim — Wed, 27 Dec 2006 17:18:29 -0800

No mention of the classic TB-303 in the FPP?! The essential Roland box that had multiple genres named after it? (acid house, acid techno, acid trance, etc) For shame! The 303 was produced by Roland as a studio replacement for a bass guitar. Its sound is nowhere near a real bass guitar, but the synth was discovered to have an insane "liquid" sound perfect for electronic music. It inspired endless forms of techno, house, and trance, not to mention the careers of folks like Josh Wink, Hardfloor, and Chris Liberator. The 303 is still an essential piece in many electronic musicians. and it continues to fetch $800- $1500 for used units on the market. (it retailed for ~$200 when it came out) Hearing some classic acid house at a club still makes me grin and dance like a crazy fool. Good times.

By: geekhorde

geekhorde — Wed, 27 Dec 2006 17:28:30 -0800

Um. The 303 is not a drum machine.

By: flapjax at midnite

flapjax at midnite — Wed, 27 Dec 2006 17:51:51 -0800

No mention of the classic TB-303 in the FPP?! For shame! Well, it was a fairly long FPP already, and the 303 doesn't exactly fall into the "rhythm box/drum machine" category. Perhaps another FPP on sequencers is in order. But thanks for the 303 link. It was an important (and certainly lovable) little machine. Side note as relates to the 303: I did some gigs (as drummer) for a Japanese group called Buffalo Daughter, and one of the tunes used a 303 for the bassline. It sounded great, but the tempo was wobbly as hell: drifted like crazy, and was really hard to play to.

By: Artw

Artw — Wed, 27 Dec 2006 18:50:12 -0800

808 State are fucking great!

By: dydecker

dydecker — Wed, 27 Dec 2006 20:09:55 -0800

Best drum machine ever

By: lekvar

lekvar — Wed, 27 Dec 2006 21:02:03 -0800

The Mattel Synsonics drum gets nothing but greif from "real" musicians, but it's capable of some great things in the right hands. A percussionist I jam with squeezed some Industrial beats out of that goofy little toy drum that would make Ogre or Al Jourgensen grin. We fed the signal through a professional bass amp (the Synsonics has stereo out), it was great! I'm planning on getting my own now.

By: lekvar

lekvar — Wed, 27 Dec 2006 21:03:39 -0800

Synsonics link from the Keyboard Museum link, above

By: rsanheim

rsanheim — Thu, 28 Dec 2006 07:35:06 -0800

The 303 definitely fell into a the "rhythm box" category. It might not have been created as such, but the way it ended up being used certainly put it in that category. Even if its not strictly in the same category as the 808/909, they are just like milk and cookies. Sure, you can have them separately, but its just not the same.

By: flapjax at midnite

flapjax at midnite — Thu, 28 Dec 2006 20:00:57 -0800

Okay, okay, rsanheim, we bow to you superior knowledge! The 303 was a rhythm box! It was also a breath freshener, a bottle opener, and could double as a helicopter engine carburetor, in a pinch. Are you happy now?