This month we’ll be talking about the topic of drum sequencers, where they’re used, and the various patterns you can use with them. Drum machine sounds can be found today in genres such as pop, rock, dance, and electronic music; and have found themselves becoming a backbone of modern music.
Drum machines date all the way back to 1931 when Léon Theremin and Henry Cowell, electronic-sound pioneers, created the Rhythmicon (also known as the Polyrhythmophone). This machine was made from a combination of valves and radio tech that created rhythms in response to a player holding down one or more of the creation’s 17 keys. The invention never caught on, but inspired the creation of the ComputeRhythm, the first programmable drum machine. Eventually, Roland entered the drum machine trend and released the CompuRhythm CR-78, which paved the way for the Roland TR-808 and the Roland TR-909.
The TR-808 and TR-909 were huge failures at first, and Roland ceased production of the devices. However, as the instruments began circulating in the secondhand market, underground producers found themselves forging new electronic music styles and genres that relied on the backbone of the drum machine. Eventually, new drum machines like the MPC60 were developed, and are still relevant to today’s music creation.
Nowadays, modern drum machines such as the Behringer RD-8 and Roland TR-08 Rhythm Composer are widely available in just about any music store. However there are many software options as well. XLN Audio’s XO and Algonaut’s Atlas are both great software drum machines that also function as drum sample organizers and integrate seamlessly with any DAW. These are all great places to get started!
Drum machines trigger beats based off of a beat grid. You generally set the BPM on the machine or sync it to a DAW, and then select which beats you want triggering which instruments. For example, you can trigger the kick on beats 1 and 3, and snares on beats 2 and 4. I’ve included a few examples of drum machine beats from popular songs below
Drum machines are very versatile instruments, and the best way to use them is to experiment!! More often than not, I find that tinkering around with a drum machine helps me set the overall mood for a track I’m working on. So, my best piece of advice is to explore! If you’re having trouble figuring out what drum machine to get, head to your local music store and see if you can demo a few of them to see what feels right for you!
As always, if you have any questions on how to use drum machines, or music production in general, I’d love to schedule a lesson with you for a head start! In the meantime, feel free to check out my latest Tierra Drums sample pack!
Keep creating,
Spike
