It offered velocity on each instrument, a preview function, a flam effect (which adds a grace note, or notes, to an individual drum-hit) and the shuffle, which gave the 909 its endearing groove characteristics. However, unlike its predecessors, it boasted much more sonic clarity and punch it used digital samples for the cymbal and hi-hat sound had MIDI connectivity and came with additional external memory storage. So, when developing the TR-909, our basic goal was to improve upon our TR-808 with higher quality sound, sequencer improvements and MIDI technology for synchronisation.”īasic goal achieved: like the 808 and the 606 before it, the 909 used analogue circuitry to create most of its drum sounds. “In 1980 we produced the TR-808, which was our first ‘drum synthesiser’, where users could edit the sound of each instrument with parameters like tuning, decay, snare snap and level, and then build those sounds into a sequence or song. “Originally, Roland had produced drum machines like the CR-68, CR-800, CR-78,” explain Kenichiro Nishi, a long-standing designer and developer at Roland’s Tokyo HQ, and Atsusi Hoshiai, the original technical engineer of the 909.
The idea of the series was simple - to develop drum machines into drum synthesisers. Launched exactly 35 years ago, it followed two other significant machines: the TR-808, probably the most used drum machine in the last 40 years of music, and the TR-606, which was made to partner up with Roland’s TB-303 (a bass synthesiser that accidentally gave us the famous acid sound). The 909 was Roland’s third rhythm composer.
Used on records by Richie Hawtin to Daft Punk, KRS-One to Madonna (and everything in between, even Phil Collins), this humble 48cm wide, 4.5kg unit has helped to revolutionise and characterise a huge wealth of contemporary music since 1983. If there’s one instrument that faithfully captures the true spirit and essence of electronic music, it’s the Roland TR-909 Rhythm Composer: a machine that has infiltrated every imaginable genre, from the heaviest uncompromising techno to the lightest unapologetic pop.
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