Roland’s innovations in drum machines have always been unique. Tracing Kakehashi’s output from his very first rhythm modules ...

DRUMS WEEK 2025: In the early days of the drum machine, real human drummers could sit comfortably on their stools, as their drum machine rivals harboured a reputation for rigidity and inflexibility in ...

Back in 1959, when the Rudolph Wurlitzer Corporation debuted the Side Man, originally intended as an accompanist for organ players who didn't have a live drummer to help them keep time, nobody could ...

Back in the late 1960s, creating music anywhere was made much easier with a now iconic toy-like pocket synth called the Stylophone. Now Dubreq is aiming to do the same for beat makers with a portable ...

It’s almost impossible to imagine the modern musical landscape without the distinctive sounds of the Roland TR-808 drum machine. When the Japanese electronics company Roland started releasing the 808 ...

“Drum machines may be reliable and all that, but they can`t drink as much as me," Motorhead drummer Phil Taylor once said (supposedly). Actually, Taylor, who died in 2015 from liver failure, was a ...

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Rolling Stone may receive an affiliate commission. A drum machine emulates the sounds made by any and all ...

About 10 years ago, a disgruntled pianist in Los Angeles named John Wood began a popular bumper sticker campaign with the slogan, "Drum Machines Have No Soul." Not everyone was convinced, including ...

When you open Drummer, you’re presented with two colored circles representing your first two drum tracks. Tap one, and you’re zoomed into a conventional “four bars” view of when different drum beats ...

The early drum machines were too expensive for most musicians. But a device that turned acoustic drum samples into something more powerful became a signature sound on classic recordings by Michael ...

DRUMS WEEK 2025: For as long as human beings have walked the earth, there have been drums – and for almost as long, they’ve been accompanied by cymbals! From hollowed-out logs and frame-mounted hides ...