It has analogue drum voice circuitry for some voices - ACB for others - sample playback capability, DIN sync, proper 5-pin MIDI ports and the familiar TR sequencing. Separate outputs for the important stuff and an internal PSU too! See, it can be done!
Plus it has the grey-on-grey looks of an office stapler. What's not to like?
No mention of CR-78 voices. My TR-8S is safe for now.
Looks like Roland caught up with the ghost they weren't chasing...
Last edited by The Elf on Wed Oct 01, 2025 9:38 am, edited 1 time in total.
Interesting but in the 21st Century who actually buys a device like this?
It's not going to appeal to the 808 and 909 purists.
Maybe those who don't want to use a "computer" on stage and then conveniently ignore the fact that it is essentially a computer with a limited range of functions. I doubt it "boots up" as quickly as the drum machines I used to own in the 80s, which for me would be one of the attractions of using dedicated hardware. Also for live use it needs to be able to hold and instantly call up all the samples, programs and patterns for a minimum of 10 songs without requiring external storage or complex menu diving.
It's also BIG. Looking at the photo of one with the laptop running the editor, it looks almost as big as my live laptop rig in its 3U case which does all the drum sounds and programming I need as well as all the extra synth parts and sound effects. Plus I could design my bands next album cover on it.
Finally, the price. It costs way more than the total for my laptop rig - computer, DAW, audio/MIDI interface and rack case and all the extra hardware it contains...
Last edited by BigRedX on Wed Oct 01, 2025 9:07 am, edited 1 time in total.
The Elf wrote: ↑Wed Oct 01, 2025 8:41 am
Looks like Roland caught up with the ghost they weren't chasing...
Quite. It's always seemed an odd strategy to say that they wouldn't do analog, only to reproduce their greatest hits in every conceivable digital form, and trumpet it when they did the odd analog thing (JD-Xa, JD-Xi, SE-02).
Perhaps they are finally acknowledging what the market wants, most of all from Roland!
BigRedX wrote: ↑Wed Oct 01, 2025 9:03 am
It's not going to appeal to the 808 and 909 purists.
You'll never convince the unconvinceable. But I don't believe that they are the target for this machine. For anyone of a more flexible persuasion I'm sure that the extra integration, power and control of the TR-1000 will more than compensate for the vanishingly small audio differences. It's going to make a lot of people happy.
As one who has owned almost every TR machine Roland ever brought us, I'd be content to take this one on for my TR-808/909 sounds. In fact I'd *rather* have the TR-1000 than the originals. That said I'm content enough with my TR-8S anyway - especially since it *does* include the CR-78 - but am I typical?
Interesting but in the 21st Century who actually buys a device like this?
There's still a lot of satisfaction to be had from the immediacy and serendipity of the TR process. Also having all those familiar sounds in one box is not without its attraction. The TR-1000's price is going to place it squarely in the 'pro' bracket. And I'm willing to bet that many of those 'pros' will welcome this with open arms.
The Elf wrote: ↑Wed Oct 01, 2025 10:21 am
As one who has owned almost every TR machine Roland ever brought us, I'd be content to take this one on for my TR-808/909 sounds. In fact I'd *rather* have the TR-1000 than the originals. That said I'm content enough with my TR-8S anyway - especially since it *does* include the CR-78 - but am I typical?
Im content with the TR8s too. I would guess that the CR78 stuff is also in the 1000 in ACB format.
It would be great to download the ACB editor and poke about to find out but on the TR8s editor, a TR8s needs to be attached for the editor to start up, otherwise "Computer says no"
The analogue stuff is just a fashion statement as Roland have previously said
"Analog Circuit Behaviour (ACB) is extremely different from conventional methods of modelling...... As a result, the detailed characteristics of the original musical instruments can be reproduced completely. "
BigRedX wrote: ↑Wed Oct 01, 2025 9:03 am
Interesting but in the 21st Century who actually buys a device like this?
These devices aren't drum machines but rhythm performers, they can be played live. [I notice that the 1000 is a "rhythm creator" ]
I prefer the happier looking "Jupiter" colour scheme of the TR8s.
I think the TR8s was about £500 when it came out, now 200 - 300 on Ebay
In order to be able to use it live I would need to know that I could get an entire set's worth of patterns, songs and drum sounds in the machine, no matter how complex, and that they would all be available instantly on power up, without the need for additional "loading". Also that selecting a new song was a maximum of two button presses away or could be done via MIDI Program change commands from a suitable foot controller. Otherwise as hardware it offers me no advantages.
Interestingly as a result of this thread I looked to see if anyone was offering VSTs/AUs of the classic Roland drum machines that weren't simply sample playback software and I couldn't find any. Are they really that hard to emulate?
Well that was an interesting read but then I started wondering, well, if you can write realtime audio processing logic in Reaper using JS script files, has someone ever taken the SPICE simulator and got it to run in real time so you could create a circuit in your PC and just plug it in as a VST. Your very own 'ACB' modeller, in effect.
And they have - although I don't know how well it works.
They have several audio files showing it running e.g a Marshall 'Blues Breaker' guitar pedal. So in theory you could take the analogue circuitry for any of those vintage drum machines and emulate it with this - I must download and experiment with it, what a cool idea!.
Eddy Deegan wrote: ↑Wed Oct 01, 2025 12:26 pm
I love the look (and sound!) of this and am very, very tempted.
..and I quite fancy a day in Brighton!
Haha you're welcome anytime mate. In unrelated news I just preordered a TR-1000 though looks like a 4-5 week wait. Hopefully the little tsunami of reader ads I created will go public soon so I can pretend to myself that I'm getting it for free
That’s a serious revamp of the studio Eddy! That Korg looks interesting- I’d had an eye on one but kept arguing myself out of actually getting one. I just can’t fit it in anywhere unless something goes…….
The Elf wrote: ↑Wed Oct 01, 2025 5:11 pm
Grab a TR-6S, Bill. It's close enough for most purposes.
Agreed, it would be, but I have a JD-Xi which has 33 drum kits, including all the classic analog and early digital machines, all more vastly editable than I could ever need. So I'm sorted for those sounds, thank you. And I'm not looking for a rhythm programmer either, several options for that, inc DAW. Good call, though.
IAA wrote: ↑Wed Oct 01, 2025 5:07 pm
That’s a serious revamp of the studio Eddy!
It is! I can't deny I have the collector gene in me but I also have an aspiration to get more stuff done and realised that a collection doesn't necessarily result in productivity.
Thus I've pivoted and am now bent on reducing down to a half-dozen or so of the best-of-the-best, keeping a few stalwarts in storage for use when necessary, shedding a number of "nice-to-have's" and disposing of some other minor pieces of equipment that I can't justify based on how often they are employed. There'll be a few more ads going forward.
For the benefit of friends and regulars, I really want to shift the things I've listed and although I think I've priced things reasonably and opted out of the 'nearest offer' box I'm very open to negotiation with people I know (virtually or in real life) if there's something that catches their eye.
Looks to be an esteemed piece of desireable kit, but my functional fortune doesn't allow for flights of fancy, so cannot buy - I wouldn't 'beat' myself up about it though
BigRedX wrote: ↑Wed Oct 01, 2025 1:19 pm
Interestingly as a result of this thread I looked to see if anyone was offering VSTs/AUs of the classic Roland drum machines that weren't simply sample playback software and I couldn't find any. Are they really that hard to emulate?
BigRedX wrote: ↑Wed Oct 01, 2025 1:19 pm
Interestingly as a result of this thread I looked to see if anyone was offering VSTs/AUs of the classic Roland drum machines that weren't simply sample playback software and I couldn't find any. Are they really that hard to emulate?
Pretty sure they're not sampled (apart from the obvious ones!)
For many years I've relied on Sonic Charge's Microtonic drum/percussion synth, and for Christmas Eve 2020 its developers gave owners a free present of 'Vintage Tonic' - using machine learning algorithms to program its engine to closely reproduce recorded sounds from classic drum machines with the Microtonic synth engine, along with their original patterns.
These included:
Maestro Rhythm King (1960)
Keio / Korg Minipops 7 (1966)
Roland CR-78 CompuRhythm (1978)
Korg KR-55 (1979)
Roland TR-808 Rhythm Composer (1980)
Oberheim DMX (1981)
Linn Drum (1982)
Roland TR-909 Rhythm Composer (1984)
Roland TR-707 Rhythm Composer (1984)
Roland TR-505 Rhythm Composer (1986)
Up to a point I'm happy with samples of all these classic machines, but the TR's ACB recreations do have a certain something that gives them a spark - probably because no two adjacent hits are identical.
Would a listener know, or care? I doubt it.
My TR-8S's SD card is filled with samples of my past drummy friends, which makes it an expensive sample player beyond the ACB models, but it's nice to mash them all up in the TR sequencer and see what comes out.
Never underestimate the creative power of the TR sequencer - it does inspire and produce some wonderful accidents.
BigRedX wrote: ↑Wed Oct 01, 2025 9:03 am
Interesting but in the 21st Century who actually buys a device like this?
It's not going to appeal to the 808 and 909 purists.
Don't be so sure about this. Many purists are very excited so far.
Finally, the price. It costs way more than the total for my laptop rig - computer, DAW, audio/MIDI interface and rack case and all the extra hardware it contains...
Yeah and a Casio is cheaper than a Steinway. Different market.
The Roland store in Denmark St has one to play with. I only had a few minutes to check it out before attending a theatrical performance at Leicester Square (Born With Teeth - a cracking 'what if' story about Shakespeare and Marlow). It doesn't feel like something costing over £2,200, with a small monochrome non-touch OLED display out of keeping with the substantial size of the unit, and fairly ordinary faders and buttons, and it's not an immediately intuitive machine to interact with, at least, without the manual.
But it certainly did sound nice. As it bloody well should for that price. But how long it'll be before a 'BR-1000' appears for £399 from you know who, I don't know....
See, it can be done!
My TR-8S is safe for now.
