DR-110 Dr. Rhythm

Back in 1983, this little silver box brought one of the first LCD graphic displays to a drum machine, letting you visualize your beats on a grid like nothing else at the time—perfect for that instant "aha" when a pattern clicks.

It packs six crisp analog voices—bass drum, snare, closed and open hi-hats, cymbal, and a snappy hand clap—into a super-portable 190 x 110 x 30 mm frame weighing just 450g, with battery power for gigs anywhere. Program via step entry on the LCD grid or tap tempo live, across 16 presets and 16 user patterns in four banks, chainable into two 128-bar songs at 45-300 bpm. Controls are straightforward: four knobs for volume, balance (kick/snare/clap vs. hats/cymbals), accent, and tempo; 13 buttons and six non-velocity pads; plus mono out, headphone jack, and trigger out to sync arpeggiators. No MIDI, but that's part of its pure analog charm.

Players love its punchy, warm 80s tone for new wave, industrial, or lo-fi beats—think early post-punk vibes—and the easy programming draws in beginners and pros alike, though some note the fixed sounds and basic mixing keep it niche rather than a full studio beast.