Guitarists, what’s your favorite drum machine?

Pine Apple Slim

Pine Apple Slim

Armchair Expert
Sorry don’t wanna insult any real drummers, but y’all ain’t always available at my beck and call any old time of day or night. If this post would be more appropriate to the guitar or keys forum, I’ll be glad to move it.
I’m looking at drum machines for a couple of reasons,
First, I like a beat to practice guitar to,
second, I’m looking at getting into analog synths and want an easy to use machine that will play nice with them.
I’ve had an old Boss Dr5 Dr Rhythm for years, but it’s kinda a pain to sequence with its tiny pads and menu diving.
I also have Logic Drummer, which is nice, but a lot of the time I just wanna flip a switch and jam without firing up the daw, there’s something about staring at a computer screen that tends to kill my inspiration.
I’ve looked at a lot of options and listened carefully to a lot of different machines with headphones, both sample based and analog, and I think I’m gonna get an Arturia Drumbrute Impact. It seems the easiest and simple to program. Although analog, I think I can live with the sounds. Sure they don’t sound like real drums like a sample can, but from listening to a lot of examples on YouTube thru headphones, I think the sounds are good enough for me. I like that there are only a few basic sounds with basic, easy to get to edits, and the sequencer seems easy to grasp. Plus the midi implementation seems straightforward, and it also has cv clock out, so it should play well with just about any other device be it hardware or software, cv or midi.

Do any of you guitar players use a drum machine? Analog, pedal, samples, hardware, software?

Am I way off based with my evaluation of the Drumbrute, if anybody has one?
 
I can sell you an Alesis SR-16. I don't use mine for recording, as GarageBand has built in drum sounds.
 
I had a Drumbrute (not the Impact) and the snare was not great sounding. People mod them to fix the issue. It was fun to play with, and I liked it a lot.

I have a Novation Circuit, which is nice, but it plays drum samples so it's really down to the quality of the samples. It is fun and easy to play though, and you can use it to sequence a couple of analogue synths if they accept midi. The Circuit is inexpensive and fun.

I also have a Pocket Operator PO-32 Tonic. It might sound the best out of all of them, but it isn't touch sensitive. It's definitely the most portable and best bang-for-your buck.

I'm thinking about selling off my synth stuff, including the drum machines. I'm just not using it enough.
 
SR16, Thanks but no. I realize it sounds decent and are pretty simple and old school to operate, but I’m starting to hate the whole concept of presets. Be they in software, hardware, keyboards, drum machines, or guitar pedals. There’s always way too many of em, most are useless, and it’s just soul killing looking for that one you can use.

I want a simple machine where you can just flip it on, twist a few knobs, and go with it.
If I was gonna go with a sample based device tho, the Circuit does have a lot going for it.
To my ears the Impact sounds better all around, snare included, than the Reg Drumbrute, and I dont really need all the extra outputs and sounds.
 
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I use this as my metronome. The best part of it is the simple drum samples. There are two buttons on the left. That wide one and a small one above it. That's the drum section. It has several rock options, couple metal option, couple blues options, raggae, country, dance, and a few more. One knob lets you select the drum option, one knob is for volume, and one knob is for beats per minute. Some of the guitar presets sound great with headphones but not amps. You can find these used for around $20.

I use my Boss looper too. I have garage band on my phone but have found it to be a pain in the ass.


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Well I ate my own words re presets and ordered a slightly used SR 18 off Reverb for around $100 less than a new one.
Having never really experienced analog electronic drums live, I was in the end afraid that I may hate the tones.
The Alesis sounds I’ve heard, they sound like real drums. After watching a few vids on the SR 16 and the 18, I decided to go with the 18 because of the large screen, tap tempo, and what seems to be relative ease of use live. We’ll see.
Having to mute the bass track seems a bit of a pain, but idk, maybe I can figure out how to program them, or or play in my own bass lines via midi.
It lacks cv, but most analog synths have a midi to cv converter at the input at least, so unless I really get into modular synthesis in a big way, that’s not really an issue.
 
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I bought an Akai XR20 a while back and the sales guy didn't know it was Hip Hop/R&B based. I make it work but I'm not fond of it really. They make a more rock n roll version. Should have grabbed that one but had no idea that was the difference in the 2. It was more expensive if I recall.
Might sell it and get something else.
 
newbuilder said:
Apple loops in garage band. There’s some fun stuff in there.


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I have GB and Logic X. Yea, there’s loops. There’s also Drummer. There’s plenty of plug ins. There’s all that stuff. And way too much of it to sift thru and fiddle with when your just inspired to play something, or bust out a quick jam with a bud. That stuff has its place, esp when it comes to composition. But I want a simple quick stand alone machine for a more immediate and tactile experience.
 
jp_nyc said:
When I play Black Keys covers I just put a set of bongos in the dryer and set it to “medium dry.”
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That sounds like the beat would be too consistent.

I tend to use software drums in my DAW like EZ Drummer or GGD Modern & Massive.
 
I still have my Akai XR20 and still don't use it. I tried the Trio Band Creator and it sucked too. My buddy used to be a whiz on the SR16. I can't program any of these things to something I like.
 
Since I started this old thread thought Id give an update. I would up with a used SR18 and the Drumbrute Impact. The SR18 has the natural tones and is pretty easy to program your own beats into. Lots of good built in patterns but sorting thru them is a headache. I really prefer the Drumbrute Impact because step programming it is a breeze. Just a matter of pushing a few buttons and adjusting the tempo and swing feel and you got yourself a decent beat. You dont have to actually play the pads. It doesnt sound like real drums but its fast and easy to get going and works well for practice.
 
Awakening this from the dead. I am looking at recapped Boss DR5 that is aimed at Guitarists. I think having something physical and not just trying to do it with a mouse in my logic pro or GarageBand might be better.
 
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