Back in the late '80s, during Oberheim's wild bankruptcy phase, they dropped the Perf/X series—quirky MIDI performance boxes that aimed to spice up live rigs without breaking the bank. The Drummer stood out as an interactive pattern sequencer, designed to make drum grooves feel alive by reacting to your keyboard playing in real time.
Housed in a compact, lightweight gray metal case with a simple front panel layout, it features a bright two-character LED display with flashing dots for MIDI sync and metronome visuals. Controls include Start/Stop, increment/decrement, Mode, and five function buttons below a 4x5 LED matrix for Song, MIDI, and Preset parameters, all on the bottom half—top is just ventilation slits. MIDI In/Out and multiple footswitch jacks on the rear let you tweak patterns on the fly. It's fully digital with 16 tracks, 32 RAM/64 ROM patches, and 100 presets assignable to patterns, 100 rhythmic "Feels," kits, tempo, time signature, and more—no onboard sounds, so pair it with MIDI drum machines like the Alesis SR16 or Roland R5 via 16 pre-mapped kits (13 factory, 3 user-customizable).
Collectors dig its ahead-of-its-time interactivity, where it dynamically adds fills and tweaks based on your playing for realistic, live-responsive beats that beat basic drum machines. It's a rare gem in the Perf/X lineup alongside oddballs like the Strummer, perfect for vintage MIDI enthusiasts chasing that organic groove magic.
