Back in 1998, this rackmount drum module took the raw punch of analog drum synthesis and cranked it up with nine-voice polyphony, letting you layer multiple hits without dropping notes—perfect for those thick, vintage beats that defined late '90s electronica.
It's a hybrid beast: fully analog circuitry for the kick, snare, and dual toms, with tune, decay, harmonics, pulse, and envelope controls giving you deep sculpting power, while hi-hats, claps, rimshots, crashes, and rides draw from 8-bit ROM samples of 808, 909, CR78, and JoMoX originals, all run through 2-pole resonant lowpass and highpass filters plus a simple VCA/AR envelope. Two global LFOs per kit sync to MIDI clock with four waveforms, modulating pitch across instruments or hi-hat cutoffs for wild movement. The minimalist 1U front panel keeps it simple with just two knobs, buttons, LEDs, and a 2x16 LCD for menu diving, but MIDI parameter control makes editing a breeze from your sequencer; the back packs 10 individual outs (auto-muting from stereo mix on insert), stereo main, headphone jack, and full MIDI I/O. At 4.15kg with external 12V AC power, it's rack-ready and built like a tank in Germany.
Owners still hunt these down for the authentic 909-style snap and analog warmth that samples alone can't touch, praising the massive 1024 user + 500 preset kits and velocity response—though the menu-heavy editing keeps it a sequencer companion rather than a knob-twiddler.
