I seem to have found myself lusting for a TR-909 recently. I’ve been watching them on eBay for at least six months. I have never used one in person so I don’t know if the prices are truly outrageous right now or completely worth it. I love house music with a passion and have my MD loaded with a friend’s 909 samples from his 909 machine. They sound ok and I use swing and even the accent functions on the MD to simulate the real thing the best I can. But I still can’t seem to convince myself that I may be missing out on that signature mojo of a real 909. I’ve even tried other samplers like the MPC2000xl to capture that swing/groove, which is truly great in it’s own right, I just hate the MPC workflow 95% of the time.
Is the TR-909 worth the money they are commanding currently? They seem to go from $2400 to $3200 on eBay right now. There is one on my local Atlanta craigslist for $2900 FIRM… fucking outrageous! Is it REALLY worth it? Or is the MD fully capable of the same kind of groove? Obviously the MD is capable of much much more synthesis wise, but my question is, can the mojo be simulated enough with samples in the MD to not justify the insanely high cost of the real 909?
Completely not worth it in my opinion. It’s a cool drum machine, but such a one trick pony and not at all versatile. For the money you could get a Machinedrum and a Tempest, or a Xbase 999 and Octatrack, or so many other more versatile and interesting machines.
Hell I’d take Maschine over a 909 because at least it can’t ONLY sound like a 909.
Then again, if I had infinite money, I’d probably have one on a shelf for those occasions where you want that specific sound.
But barring that particular case, I would take a lot of other machines first.
Never used one and I am sure there are people who would say you cannot duplicate the sound ( similar to a 303 vs clone discussion). I personally think the price for one is outrageous when there is kit that is more versatile, and cost effective. You are better off getting a new Jomox or MD for sure. Sure I would love to have one, but I know I am just lusting over novelty instead of something that is practical for my needs.
Well, at least I can keep convincing myself that those songs I love which use the 909 sounds are most likely samples… right? It’s just that sometimes I’ve found that using a specific machine was when I found how some samples have an effect on each other.
For example, the SCI Drumtraks… A lot of the samples are cut off because they share the same audio circuit. Like the “crash and ride” share output #4 and “claps, tamb, cowbell,and cabasa” share output #6. Kinda adds to the mojo or the way the sounds interact with each other and creates that signature groove she you program it from the machine. It’s that 1% difference I guess you pay the thousands of dollars for?
if you just want the sound i’d get a jomox airbase. you can get one for 500-600 bucks and they hit harder than any 909 samples i’ve ever heard. you could sequence it with your MD.
but it sounds to me you want the real thing for its own swing and sequencer.
i say if moneys not an issue, do it! people will say why pay 3000 dollars to achieve what you can with free samples. but the real thing is magic.
Never had one. Never would buy one. Same with the 808. They sound great, and if I could find a smoking deal on either I would buy them, but these days, it just doesn’t seem worth it when you consider cost and functionality. I guess if you are a collector or a completist with money to blow, sure, but there seem like a lot better ways to meet that need.
I think this answers your question ^^^
If you can’t tell the difference between the real 909 vs. samples or other machine, then I doubt you’re missing out on any “magic mojo”. I doubt whether anyone can really tell, once they sounds are mixed into a track. I think the retro gear hype is just that, most of the time, when considering what is available nowadays.
Personally, I’m more interested in new and original sounds rather than recreating the “classics”.
Couldn’t agree more. I honestly couldn’t tell the difference between the real thing and the sampled version in Maschine, they sound EXACTLY the same to my ears, so I would say it’s a bit of a waste to give that kind of money for a one trick pony.
i own 707/808/909/303 as well as OT, Tempest, MPC3000 & SP1200… ok i’m a total gearslut… luckily i got most of the classics over a decade ago, not sure i’d be able to afford most of those at todays prices… i will even concede it’s true that the 909 is somewhat of a one trick pony… especially when compared to elektron gear… BUT if classic house & techno is you’re thing, you don’t really need much else for drums then a 909… it’s the foundation… the meat & potatoes… the rest is gravy… FWIW i use my 909 about 90.9% of the time when i’m building a house/techno track… even sometimes just the kick & clap… samples really pale in comparison… the arrangement sounds static & flat… i remember trying to emulate the 909 with samples on my MDUW… i always had to P-lock shit to get it to groove right… 909 does it on it’s own, that’s the beauty of early VCO analog and quirky low-res step sequencers… the different sections can also be tweaked in real-time for further movement and the accent feature changes the sonics instead of just volume on digital gear… i could go on & on about the merits of the 909 but i think you get the picture…
in the end it’s true the audience probably can’t tell in most cases wether you used samples or the real thing, however in the studio, you the producer will notice the difference, sonically & workflow wise, and that’s what matters inspiration wise…
I used to own one. They are totally overpriced at the present time. You will never replicate the groove/swing but it’s not worth the premium you are paying. Loading OT with samples is a much better option, I also personally love maschine as well and is also as mentioned a great option.
Whilst 909 has all those classic sounds it is limited. If I was gonna pay well over the odds for a machine I would take an 808 anyday over the. 909.
I had 1 which I swapped for a MD.
It is probably the most overated DM in electronic music history
but havin said that the prices have almost doubled since I offloaded mine in 2009. 1 things for sure they will only go up in price , so if you get 1 your better off spending more on a minty .
I think you will be mostly disappointed by a bare naked 909. It will sound weak compared to modern EDM tracks because a 909 needs compression, eq, and overdrive and other processing to sit in a track right these days. In other words, a lot of other gear is needed to make a 909 sound like you think it should sound -(unless you prefer the primitive sound of a naked 909).
Believe it or not, a Machinedrum or other quality VA or sample based machine may be better if you want immediate results and little processing.
Hey man,
If you want a 909 and you have a machinedrum UW, if you purchase the gold baby 909 tape samples, I will send you a template that will essentially convert your machinedrum into a 909. Of course you will have to match the sample position to what I used, but it’s something I’d be willing to share.
The template is setup with a series of triggers, lets say M1 triggers M2 for an accented kick M2 by itself is an unaccented kick etc… It was a template made by Moritz, and it really brings the fun into making beats. To hear the MDUW with 909 samples in action, I used it on the track below.
The cool thing about doing accents this way, is you hear the accented note right away vs when the pattern repeats itself, so you know exactly what your pattern will sound like when it loops. This was brilliant for improvisational jamming or recording in play mode.
You are better off using samples and triggering using the MD UW or Octatrack. You get the choice of using any drum machine sample 909 808 606 Drumtraks. With the right sample it won’t matter to the listener and you get the benefits of all the classic drum machines.
I have the 9090 version and it’s not exact due to not having the exact transistor for snare noise, it is more difficult to set it in the mix than triggering drum sample from the OT.
You get the added benefit of mixing it in the sampler without wiring up separate outs and filling up your mixing board.
Sure, if you like classic machines… and you really want a genuine 909.
because of… its a 909…
nothing else will make you happy…
then again… I would stake allot of money, claiming that : From all the hip producers that actually make money now and found their fame in the last 7 years… more then 95% will use samples…
layered and processed samples… from a daw… and never came from a real machine, (well maybe the original sample 20 years ago)
Even more funny… Even if you take account for inflation and all that… most people ask more for their 909 now… then its actual new-price…
so worth its money as a classic object for collectors. yes.
as a tool to make music as a pro-musician… doubtfull (unless you where famous in the 90’s … and people expect you to have stayed the same)
as a tool to make hobby-music… Nope… way to expensive
Yeah, the 808 is now going for almost double what the 909 goes for. That’s what you were getting at, right? haha
DaCaVa: Thanks so much for the offer. I’ll look into the gold baby sounds again and PM you if I go that route.
rockreid: Yeah, sound wise you can probably get most of the way there, but how much of that GROOVE are we missing with the MDUW?
XanaX: Totally agree. It’s the meat and potatoes of house and techno. You really don’t need much more than a simple house pattern to sound groovy. It’s funny that something that’s “so simple” is also the most difficult to emulate.
And to be clear, it’s not only about the sound which I’m referring to, it’s the groove. So how far off is the MD from the 909 in terms of groove? Maybe the Airbase is an option after all?
Yeah, the 808 is now going for almost double what the 909 goes for. That’s what you were getting at, right? haha
DaCaVa: Thanks so much for the offer. I’ll look into the gold baby sounds again and PM you if I go that route.
rockreid: Yeah, sound wise you can probably get most of the way there, but how much of that GROOVE are we missing with the MDUW?
XanaX: Totally agree. It’s the meat and potatoes of house and techno. You really don’t need much more than a simple house pattern to sound groovy. It’s funny that something that’s “so simple” is also the most difficult to emulate.
And to be clear, it’s not only about the sound which I’m referring to, it’s the groove. So how far off is the MD from the 909 in terms of groove? Maybe the Airbase is an option after all?
This is kinda what I’m talking about:
Watch a ‘current’ producer use one with an Octatrack (not some old dude from the 90’s ) - even if you dont like his style - tell me you wouldnt enjoy rockin this setup - so simple yet sooo f*ken groovy
Buy one already I would in a heartbeat if I had the clams.
Yes the money is ridiculous for both 808 and 909.
I don’t own either but have had both on borrow from friends at various times.
Bottom line is if they are in good condition they are both absolutely bangin’ at what they do and sound savage and are a total joy to use.
If I had the money, I would defo have both.
I do own some other Roland gear (SH-101 and TR-606) and they are awesome. Like most people, I’ve gone for cost effectiveness in my set up.
MD, OT and A4 do far more than any vintage Roland gear could ever do.
I might add that I also picked up a Tempest recently and it is the shit. I would recommend you look into one of those if bangin analogue drums is what you’re after. Tempest sounds fantastic !!
Had lots of initial frustration with it mainly due to the fact that i had become something of an Elektron retard and was looking for the Tempest to work like my other Elektron gear.
Here’s a good lad to keep you’re eye on for vintage synth gear. He’s in Japan but he does fantastic work and the prices are pretty reasonable all things considered. You need to keep an eye on his incoming gear and get an email off to him to reserve stuff