Still a prototype, but getting close to what you might expect in the final product hopefully early 2025.
Analog drum machine but with useful rhythmic generative controls, things like enthusiasm, and complexity faders on each of the parts, fills, etc, and effects on the output. Six analog drum sounds with variations, and patterns, that will be expanding in the future. Best to check out the demo video.
From Synthfest 2024 via SonicState.
I had a play with this today. I really liked it, very fun and interactive. Star of Synthfest as far as I’m concerned.
Sorry for the noob question. So it creates patterns? Is that its specialty?
Pretty much. It’s like an old school drum accompaniment machine, where you select the style and it plays a drum pattern. Except it’s a bit like the AI drummer in logic. You have 6 sliders that control how much of each type of drum it incorporates into the pattern, then you have an overall “enthusiasm” dial which is like giving your drummer the nod to go a bit more wild or to tone it down. It’s got a Jazz dial that’s something akin to how much swing, but it’s more than just that. There’s 3 fx dials which are undisclosed different ways to mess with the sound, they interact with each other and are bi-polar so it’s really 6 fx and a larger number of permutations. You can mess up the sound in some pretty nice ways, one of them was something in the region or bit crusher and distortion. Finally there’s a fill button and a dial to tweak what the fill sounds like.
The analog drum sounds are nice. I asked and they’re either going to launch it with the ability to use the midi out to sequence other drums, or it will come as a firmware update.
It’s the sort of box that you could record a couple of hours of noodling with then chop up some really nice drum loops to build tracks from. A nice alternative to sampling breakbeats.
I am sold! I have been saving money for my next purchases and one of them is a drum machine. But lately I realized, I am ok with my options in the box. This sounds way more fun and creative. I’d rather spend that money on it. I will watch its launch.
Also I like its color (i am trying to have all my gear in black/dark).
Ugh. Now I think of it. Why didn’t I ask if I could record some of my noodling!
This is interesting for me as well. It’s going to come down to how well you can get it to do what you want. The flexibility of it sounded good in general from what i heard in the short demo.
When i first listened i thought there was a way on computer to edit your own patterns and variations. But listening again i think it’s that they will create new patches that you can download to the unit.
Mono audio out only, but taking a slider to the bottom mutes that drum, and it has the MIDI out so you could use your own drum sounds and record that per track, or record one voice at a time.
Recording the MIDI out, and editing that should be good too.
No CV in but i would assume, though not sure that, the MIDI in would allow automation of the controls, rather that just being for MIDI drum playing.
A complaint for 70s drum machines was the lack of variation and human feel to patterns, and this should have none of that.
ADDED : Thought – One of the creator’s intents with this was to be able to set this up and start it, and then go play another instrument. A mappable expression pedal input with this would have been nice, ( or sustain pedal for fills ) though a MIDI expression pedal could do the same.
The simplicity appeals to me as well. Looks very promising.
Kinda hate generative stuff, am learning to play the drums etc etc but this sounds like a great idea. Can imagine you could just improvise over the top in a live open mic improv type setting.
What is incredibly attractive for me is that for the music I am trying to produce, I don’t need to have very complicated drum programming. So a drum machine is not going to be a very valuable investment. But having an instrument like this will help me to fill in my drums with unique patterns or hits after i chop it up. I don’t perform or plan to perform live anytime soon. This thing moved to the top of my shopping cart.
For those considering buying this, one possible frame of reference for comparison with this is the Mutable Instruments Grids, or one of its clones.
( I am not suggesting buying that instead, and yes that is Eurorack, so that’s now been said. Grids is just an earlier “standard” in generative drum pattern makers, what has already been used for this sort of thing. )
It would be cool if someone made a semi-generative device that improvised around your programmed beat. Humanizing + adding flare based on parameters.
I love the “enthusiasm” parameter idea. You can hear it on the demo and the description is accurate
OPZ has some of this functionality that allows both fast punch in fx, or more programmatic inputs for automation on the active or a cloned pattern. Great for cooking up rando transitions. Prob V1.0 of the concept you floated.
Did you know about the WOAS Aleatoric Drum Machine when you wrote that ? ( thread )
Definitely need to compare that to this, before buying either – or throwing your arms up and getting both ?
Oh, no I did not. I’m not sure why I’m following Orgeldream on YouTube. I tend to follow any obscure manufacturer I come across.
My vision machine from the quote would be adjusting velocity and micro timing of a midi signal to make it like a plausibly human drummer. I’m not sure what Orgeldream WOAS is doing yet…
Both machines look awesome. It’s great to see weird drum stuff like this happening.
Ha ! Me too !
I am not completely sure what either drum machine is doing quite yet either. Mystery is good as far as i’m concerned.
Agreed. I want to see these things in action
I’m still eagerly anticipating the delivery of my pre-ordered Beat Friend. I’ll be having a chat with the team and having another play with it at this weekends Machina Bristronica.
I was really happy to see that they’ve managed to implement the suggestions I made at Superbooth for extending the MIDI implementation to open up the possibilities for integrating it with other gear. I can see two or three viable ways I’m looking forward to using my Beat Friend in parallel with my Digitakt II.
