Members The Unknown Posted May 21, 2006 Members Share Posted May 21, 2006 Hi ! I could get a old DR-550 (not the mark2) and wonder if it's worth it. What I need is a basic drum machine (no need for bass sounds) with sounds I can at least edit a bit. No absolute need for internal effects... I've got a few effects modules I can hook up to the machine. I read the DR-550 offers a few controls over the sounds it has : color, decay, pan, accent, etc. Are these pretty effective ? I mean do they "do" something noticeable ? Other question : Is it worth it to get a DR-550 over an Alesis SR-16 or a Zoom RT-223 I would pay twice the price for ? Thanks ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Lancaster Posted May 21, 2006 Members Share Posted May 21, 2006 How much can you get the DR-550 for? It's a nice, easy machine to use and program, but it's limited by today's standards and doesnt have very good MIDI implementation ( doesnt support Song Pointer Position). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members The Unknown Posted May 23, 2006 Author Members Share Posted May 23, 2006 Originally posted by Lancaster How much can you get the DR-550 for?It's a nice, easy machine to use and program, but it's limited by today's standards and doesnt have very good MIDI implementation ( doesnt support Song Pointer Position). Yeah, I went seeing it... it's as you say. I guess I'll just keep on looking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GigMan Posted May 24, 2006 Members Share Posted May 24, 2006 You can get a BRAND NEW Alesis SR16 for $149.99 these days - I have one, they're great! I actually have two - bought the 2nd one in case the 1st one gives me trouble on a gig... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wetwareinterface Posted May 24, 2006 Members Share Posted May 24, 2006 for the price of the dr-550 used you can get a r-8 mk II.it will take expansion cards to boost the soundset but still is limited in the sounds it has available. a better option is just to buy a cheap used sampler in the akai s2000 or e-mu esi range and an alesis hr-16. you can get both for under $200 if you look around and then you have a complete sound source in the sampler and all the advantages a drum interface and pads give for programming rythms. the sampler will be infinately programmable as far as sounds you can find and program/sample mangle on your own. plus it can be used for weird fx sounds, synth sounds etc... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wetwareinterface Posted May 24, 2006 Members Share Posted May 24, 2006 for the price of the dr-550 used you can get a r-8 mk II.it will take expansion cards to boost the soundset but still is limited in the sounds it has available. a better option is just to buy a cheap used sampler in the akai s2000 or e-mu esi range and an alesis hr-16. you can get both for under $200 if you look around and then you have a complete sound source in the sampler and all the advantages a drum interface and pads give for programming rythms. the sampler will be infinately programmable as far as sounds you can find and program/sample mangle on your own. plus it can be used for weird fx sounds, synth sounds etc... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wetwareinterface Posted May 24, 2006 Members Share Posted May 24, 2006 for the price of the dr-550 used you can get a r-8 mk II.it will take expansion cards to boost the soundset but still is limited in the sounds it has available. a better option is just to buy a cheap used sampler in the akai s2000 or e-mu esi range and an alesis hr-16. you can get both for under $200 if you look around and then you have a complete sound source in the sampler and all the advantages a drum interface and pads give for programming rythms. the sampler will be infinately programmable as far as sounds you can find and program/sample mangle on your own. plus it can be used for weird fx sounds, synth sounds etc... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Paolo Di Nicolantonio Posted May 24, 2006 Members Share Posted May 24, 2006 Actually I like the DR-550 very much. It even has those "Q highs" or whatever they are called - instant Kraftwerk... The SR-16's sounds are not editable, so what you hear is what you get (rock and pop, very few electronic) The R-8 MkII is going to be much more expensive than a DR-550 The sampler + HR-16 would be a good option but two devices instead of one, plus cabling etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted May 24, 2006 Share Posted May 24, 2006 I would spend the few extra dollars and get a DR-660 which has more sounds but, my first choice would be to get a RT-223 since the samples are 24 bit. The Zoom drum machines came out later and sound better IMHO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members The Unknown Posted May 25, 2006 Author Members Share Posted May 25, 2006 I was wondering... what do pros use (like Nine Inch Nails, for instance) ? They seem to get great sounds... better then what I sometimes hear from expensive boxes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted May 25, 2006 Share Posted May 25, 2006 I think the biggest "secret" is to stack your drums. Stack two or three claps/snares/kicks to create a custom sound. You can also stack industrial sounds/strings/hi-hats/farts with snares/kicks to create unique drums. If you have a sampler then just download a lot of sounds or buy a few cheap sample cd's off eBay. I purchased a Neptunes wav cd for $10 and found lots of cool sounds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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