Conference napalm::commusic_v1

I am very satisfied with my Tr-707 (roland). You could try read notes
#51, 58, 79, & 148 in this notefile as they all deal with drum machines.

dave

I'm a big fan of Roland gear.  I have a TR-707 that I use extensively,
though I don;'t take it on the road.  I have taken a TR-606 on the road
to use as a click track source, and never had any trouble.

A 707 will hold 64 patterns and 4 songs totalling up to 999 bars.  You
can significantly increase its capacity (to 192 patterns and 12 songs) by
plugging in an MC-64 memory cartridge (it adds two 707s worth of storage).
The cartridge is about $80 if you can find them - they're in very short supply,
but this may ease up after NAMM.  The 707 goes for about $550.  The sounds
are very good, although the handclaps and tambourines are a little lame.
The bass and toms have a little too much impact transient for my taste,
but a little EQ and reverb fixes this up nicely.

I've listened to the RX11 and was impressed, but not enough to trash my 707
or augment it with an RX11.

Note that teh voices in the 707 cannot be tuned, and cannot be replaced with
alternate chips.  It can be played from a MIDI controller, and the MIDI
implementation is very flexible.

I've never used an Oberheim DMX, but I know some people swear by them.  Same
for the Linn (a little pricey), but I'd be wary of the Linn's begrudging
MIDI implementation.

Incidentally, these are properly called drum machines rather than drum kits,
a term most people use to mean real acoustic drums.  If you want to read more
about drums and drumming than most people would care to, see my ongoing
effort "Drums and Drumming for Musically Literate NonDrummers" in MUSIC
notes, note 447.

You might also consider a MIDI_ compatible drum synthesizer (like a Roland
DDR-30), but they lack a built in sequencer and usuually don't include
cymbal sounds.

len.

Re:-1

Thanks, Len.  That's exactly the kind of input I've been looking for.

BTW, I know I should have used "machines" instead of kits, but I had a severe 
case of stonehands and after several mistakes, decided to go to something 
short and sweet like "kits".  Do drummers get stonehads?   8^)


Brad

RE:.2
 I priced the TR-707 expander cartirdges at $39 at Crazy Ed's in 
Portland Maine. he had them in stock at that time (November). This price 
of $80 was the Wurlitzer's price and is one of the reasons I have since 
ceased to do business with them (Wurlitzers).

dave

Well, Portland's a little far for me to go to save a few bucks, but I'll
bet if you talked to them recently they'd have a better price (Wurlitzer).
Price is usually a function of availability and the manufacturer's desires.
I have NEVER been stiffed on a price at Wurlitzer.

len.

    Well, I finally bought a TR-707.
    
    Would someone clear the air?  Here's what I think I understand:
    
	1. The 707 has maximum 64 patterns/4 tracks
	2. The expansion cartridge effectively triples that - i.e.,
	   192 patterns/12 tracks.
	3. The cartridge still goes for around $40.
    
    True?  False?  WIFGO?
    
8^)

    re .6
    
    	1.  True - 4 tracks, and 4 pattern groups of 16 patterns each.
    
    	2.  True - an M64C adds 2 707s worth of storage - an additional
    		8 tracks, an additional 8 pattern groups.  Note that
    		you can only access one of the three track/group sets
    		at a time.
    
    	3.  I wish.  M64Cs run about $75 to $80.

    len.  (BTW, what's a WIFGO?)
    

Re: .7
    
    1. 8-)
    2. 8-)
    3. 8-(
    
    WIFGO = What In Fooey's Going On
    
8^)