Machinebeats drum synthesizer
About Machinebeats
The Machinebeats is a digital/analog drum synthesizer combining the sound generating circuits of the Roland TR-909 with a modern display based interface.
Main features:
- 12 channel 32 step sequencer
- Real time record or step by step pattern entry
- Selectable swing/groove percentage
- Tempo control through tap-tempo key
- Storage for 8 x 12 patterns
- Song mode that lets you organise patterns into songs
- Performance mode that continously plays patterns, selectable at runtime
- One click accent and fully variable per step per channel velocities
- Clip board with special swap function that stores the overwritten steps in the clipboard on paste
- Multi-tap alpha numeric keypad for pattern name entry
- Per-channel solo and mute functionality
- Flam for multiple beats within a single step
- Phones output, individual and mixed outputs
- Midi in, out and thru
- Midi-to-Din sync conversion with dual output
- Per-channel configurable default normal and accent velocities
- Midi output from sequencer with selectable note and midi channel per sequencer channel
The Machinebeats is controlled by a Microchip PIC18F microcontroller. The audio circuits are based on the PCBs by Trevor Page, now found at The 9090 project
For insight into the construction of the synthesizer, see the So 909 blog
Haslum, 25th of March, 2016
Joakim Tysseng
Xonik Devices
