A Short History of Drum Machines
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Contents
Early Drum Machines: The Rhythmicon
The history of drum machines dates back to the 1930s, when the first rhythm machines were created to accompany organ players in dance bands.
These early machines, such as the grandly named Rhythmicon, used mechanical means to produce sounds, such as metal discs or rotating cylinders with bumps on them.
The Rythmicon was designed to produce multiple different rhythms associated with different pitches that could also be set to different tempos and time signatures.
A keyboard allowed the player to trigger the different looping patterns on the rotating disc.
Although difficult to play and not produced at scale, the Rythmicon was one of the first forays into sequenced rhythm playing, pathing the way for later drum machines.
The Wurlitzer Sideman
In the 1950s and 1960s, commercial electronic drum machines began to emerge.
One of the earliest examples was the Wurlitzer Side Man, which used vacuum tubes to generate sounds and had a range of preset rhythms representing popular drum patterns that could be set to different tempos.
A player could also trigger sounds manually using a panel of buttons.
The Sideman could be controlled remotely and housed an amplifier in its casing.
This meant solo players, or those who didn’t want to hire a human drummer, could add rhythm to their music.
The Sideman can be heard on some early recordings and was often used live.
Other notable early drum machines include the Ace Tone Rhythm Ace and the Korg Doncamatic.
The 1970s and 1980s: Roland TR-808s and TR-909s
It wasn't until the 1970s that drum machines really took off.
In 1972, the first programmable drum machine, the PAiA Programmable Drum Set, was released.
This allowed musicians to create their own rhythms and patterns, rather than being limited to preset options.
The PDS was analog: the sounds were produced by the machine rather than triggering pre-recorded samples.
The most famous drum machine of the 1970s, and perhaps of all time, is the iconic Roland TR-808.
This machine was released in 1980 and became a staple of hip hop, electronic, and dance music.
Its distinctive sound and programming capabilities have influenced countless musicians and producers.
The TR-808 produced synthesised sounds and triggered samples.
It is perhaps most distinctive for sounds like deep bass drums, snappy snares, cowbells and the iconic clap.
It also had distinctive and pioneering sequencing capabilities able to generate complex patterns and swing feels.
Roland released a recreation of the iconic drum machine called the TR-08 which retains the original sound and character but with some additional modern features and effects.
In the 1980s and 1990s, drum machines continued to evolve and become more sophisticated.
The Roland TR-909, released in 1983, was another hugely influential machine, particularly in the development of techno and electronic music more generally.
Like the TR-808 the TR-909 features sounds created by combining samples with analog synthesis, generating highly distinctive sounds that have been part of the defining sound of many electronic music genres.
In particular think of the snare sound typical of 80s and 90s electronic music: the sound of Depeche Mode, New Order and The Human League.
While 909s typify the pop-dance music of that era they have been, and continue to be, used by a wide range of artists from Aphex Twin to Radiohead (think the snare sound on Idioteque).
Like the 808, the 909 is capable of sequencing complex rhythms and also features preset patterns to begin playing quickly.
Other notable machines from this era include the LinnDrum, the E-mu SP-1200, and the Akai MPC.
Modern drum machines
Drum machines have continued to be popular and powerful features of music to this day.
Following the classic examples described above a range of noteworthy machines have been developed in more recent years, with developers aiming to increase the palate and sequencing abilities available to players, as well as creating affordable options to bring drum machines to a wider range of musicians.
In 2001 Swedish company Elektron released the Machinedrum.
The Machinedrum is highly versatile with a sound engine that can produce a wide range of sounds, from almost working from scratch, synthesising drum sounds from basic sound waves using multiple parameters to change the sounds and add effects, as well as using defined and modifiable presets.
This means while Roland’s 808s and 909s are known for their distinctive and recognisable sounds the Machinedrum is capable of producing a huge array of sounds, giving players an incredible palate to be creative with.
The Machinedrum has been used by influential contemporary artists such as Aphex Twin, Thom Yorke and Flying Lotus. Elektron also released a number of other products such as the Digitakt sampler.
Korg Volca Beats
In 2013 Korg released the Volca Beats as part of a wider Volca range (including bass and keys mini synths).
The Volca Beats is noteworthy as a foray into highly portable and affordable drum machine development, while still being able to perform to a high standard.
As you might expect the Volca Beats has slightly limited functionality compared to machines like the Machinedrum, but it still packs a punch with analog kicks, snares, hi hats, toms and other sounds and includes a step sequencer akin to other machines as well as motion sequencing which records and plays back changes to parameters in real time (for example to create a crescendo by recording volume changes).
It also has a modest but interesting range of parameters such as ‘stutter’ which creates a glitchy effect.
It is also battery powered making it highly portable as well as being able to sync easily to other machines in the Volca range.
Drum machines have increasingly become affordable and in the 2020s a wide range of options varying in flexibility and sound are available.
Drum machines continue to be an important tool for musicians and producers.
While software-based options have become increasingly common, hardware drum machines remain popular, particularly for live performance.
And with advances in technology, drum machines are capable of producing a wider range of sounds and patterns than ever before.
From their beginnings as rudimentary rhythm keepers for solo musicians drum machines have evolved to be a significant creative force in their own right, as well as providing the iconic sounds that go a long way to characterising entire genres of music such as house and hip hop.
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