It seems to come up often that the Rytm and Syntakt hihat machines are a weak spot… so wondering if anyone has any go to drum machines that they really like for hihats (specifically)?
Which drum machine has the best hihats?
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Rytm is much better at hi-hats now with the HH Lab machine! However the Machinedrum is better for them in my opinion with more flavours available than any other drum machine I can think of. The Nord Drum does excellent hi-hats as well. Special mention to the hi-hats of the Pulsar-23 for their cutlery-esque timbres.
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TR606/DR110 have the best hats
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Jomox Alpha Base is exceptionally good at this…
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apart from the obvious Roland options, LXR02 never disappoints me…however I tweak them, they sound great.
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Is this still the general consensus ? Syntakt hi-hats in particular ?
Yes, at least for me.
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Perkons has v nice hihats.
I have to say the Model:Cycles and Syntakt have greats hi-hats. The Syntakt even offers analog hi-hat machines. I’ve been able to create all types of hi-hats/rides with these machines. You can even take hi-hats into “extra non-hi-hat” territories 
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I got both of those samples in Round Robin format in this pack. There’s even some sampled through the Space Echo RE-150 preamp. However, since it’s all down to personal preference I will say my favorite hats are BOSS DR-55 and TR-707.
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It depends on what one wants. If it is TR-606/DR-110/TR-808 hihats, those can be done with Syntakt and Rytm’s analog machines in my opinion [which are actually underrated - some of those have lots of parameters, a large range, a filter, overdrive and one or two LFOs …] 
Hihats/Cymbals, are characterized by a brilliance that manifests as shimmering high-frequency sizzle with a very pleasing effect completing the sound spectrum of a musical piece. If one wants dull plastic instead, there’s Model:Cycles Metal and Syntakt Cy Alloy 
(although that can be improved with FMing via LFO.)
If one wants more metallic sounding (more in acoustic cymbal territory) - which is me - then the options are:
- Machinedrum
- Nord Drum 3p
- Volca Drum (utilizing the Waveguide Resonator)
The Machinedrum offers many different machines, all sounding great, and with 16 tracks, they can be layered without worrying. Nord Drum 3p is nice, I had not much time with it, but I’m a bit concerned they can be fatiguing in their prominence. I don’t know yet. Volca Drum sounds amazing, but that thing has no midi out to backup one’s data (though there’s a genius webapp created by @OscillatorSink , so one can create the sounds there, save them from there, and then load them onto the Volca Drum).
Digitone can do nice cymbals, I would put it into the list above if it had a peak filter.
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any sample of an analog drum hit will be the same/static everytime (unless you go deep into modulation).
direct from the machines there’s electricity magic every single hit.
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(Though it’s genius how the 909 samples keep on working well …)
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Akai Rhythm Wolf’s hi-hats sound fantastic! …
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Gotta be the TR-606 for me. I think the interplay between closed/open and accent is really fun and can sound quite organic. IIRC the decay is somewhat tied to tempo too, pretty nice.
I like the Machinedrum PI hihats too, they’re pretty goofy but has a nice sheen to them.
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Depends strongly what kind of sound is needed. Some machines deliver a klick-like sound, some a sizzeling from noise or FM.
Most natural HH are IMO available from samples.
I like the HH from my Perkons, but - TBH - after sending the sound through the overdrive circuit
IMO combining HH synth sounds with some overdrive (analogue) is mostly delivering good and usable results.
Just to have it mentioned. For me options to achieve expression are much more important that the pure sound. Modulating HH with accent, filter, pitch, or volume can create a nice groove even from simple basic sounds.
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I did mean drum machines specifically, not samples, I’m talking about hihat synthesis/sound design.
(Not to discount samples, obvs there are great ones available, but auditioning/demo’ing them is less fun/interesting than having the full control of a drum synth.)
Reading the replies, I’m thinking I should dig out my TR8S and use that with my Rytm and Syntakt… ACB in the TR8S covers a lot of mentioned suggestions here.
606
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IMO best HHs on the rytm are the noise machine 
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CR-78 is my all time favorite, they just have this softness to them that never gives me ear fatigue.
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