Back in 1973, this little rhythm arranger kicked off Roland's legendary run in drum machines, paving the way for the iconic CR series with its pure analog heartbeat.
Weighing just 8.8 pounds, it packs six analog voices—kick, snare, hi-hat, and misc percussion—into 27 preset patterns, split between 18 drum grooves and 9 rhythms like foxtrot, swing, march, and parade. A clever balance knob lets you blend kick/snare against hi-hat/percussion for endless variations, plus A/B section switching and auto-fill modes to keep things lively. Tempo control and a start switch with trigger input make it dead simple to sync with organs or amps via the mono output, all in a compact, cut-out design perfect for mounting under a keyboard.
Over the years, collectors cherish its warm, transistor-driven tones for that authentic old-school electronica vibe, though its fixed presets and need for a programmer limit deep tweaking—still, the raw character shines through in lo-fi beats and vintage setups.
