Back in 1980, this machine kicked off the digital drum revolution as the very first to use real acoustic drum samples, ditching synthetic tones for something that actually sounded like a kit in the room.
It packs 12 voices from EPROM-stored PCM samples at 28kHz—kick, snare, open/closed hi-hats, three toms, cabasa, tambourine, congas, cowbell, clave, rimshot, and handclap—powered by a Zilog Z80 CPU and that gritty 8-bit AM6070 DAC for its signature lo-fi punch. Program up to 100 patterns or full songs across 8 tracks with real-time or step entry, flams, rolls, swing/shuffle feel, and auto-correct to tighten timing at 48 PPQ resolution. The front panel shines with 18 large play buttons for live triggering, individual tuning knobs per voice (about one octave range), and a 13-channel stereo mixer using sliders and pan switches for precise balancing before hitting the 12 separate mono outs, stereo mix, and click out. Rear ports cover tape sync I/O for storage/backup, clock in/out with dividers, footswitch, and memory protect on later revisions—all in a sturdy, road-ready chassis that weighs in around professional studio heft.
Only about 500 were built, but players like Phil Collins, Prince, and Depeche Mode turned its raw, tunable grooves into 80s hits, earning it a cult status for that unbeatable humanized swing despite no MIDI or cymbals.
