Sampling Vintage Rhythm Machines [INCLUDES FREE SAMPLES]

I love the sound of old analogue rhythm machines, but I always wanted to be able to program them like my drum machines. Without the knowledge or skill to modify them, I thought that maybe multi-sampling them would give me what I was after.

I’m over the moon with the results and I think that the Kontakt multi versions sound awesome. Hopefully you’ll have fun with them too!

Download: http://bit.ly/RhythmMachines

Bit of background: Although the earlier rhythm machines were intended to accompany lone musicians (mainly organists) and were controlled with start/stop footswitches, they do crop up in a few records.

The “Cha-Cha” preset from the TR-77 appears in Ultravox’s “Hiroshima Mon Amour” and it’s apparently the (rather processed) rhythm machine heard at the start of Squeeze’s “Take me I’m yours”. The seemingly popular “Cha-Cha” also appears at the start of Duran Duran’s “Girls on Film” albeit at a different pitch (perhaps done with tape speed).

The earlier version of the Rhythm 55B (the Rhythm 55) was also the very unit used by Joe Jackson on “Steppin’ Out”. In fact, he’s recently been bringing it out on tour with him:    • Joe Jackson - Steppin' Out (Studio ve...  

The Korg is a bit of a hanger on being released in 1982 given that 808s, LinnDrums and DMXs were out by then. The Roland CR-5000 and CR-8000 also snuck into the 80s, but they were really at the end of this kind of instrument that had its heyday in the late 60s and 70s.

Instruments used in this video:
Roland Rhythm 77 / TR-77 (1972)
Korg Rhythm 55B / KR-55B (1982)
Roland SH-1000 (1973)
Korg MS-20 (1978)
ARP Odyssey model 2813 (1975)
Roland Juno-6 (1982)

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