The internet premier resource for keyboardists and tech-heads: synthesizers, soft synths, samplers, organs, pianos, keyboards, drum machines, sample CDs, effects, tutorials, reviews, and a lot more.
The DR-770 is a direct descendant of the longstanding and popular Boss’ DR “Dr. Rhythm” line of drum machines that dates back to the minuscule DR-55.
The successor to the DR-660, the 770 improves on several aspects, including number and quality of samples, memory, and most of all, it features DPP, useful and lots of fun, especially in a live, jam or rehearsal situation.
The sample ROM is very generous, with many sounds to choose from, including vintage, jazz, hard, electronic, and ethnic samples – most people are not going to miss the expansion capability of other drum machines, such as – say – Roland (of which Boss is part of) ‘s classic R-8.
The 770 is an extremely compact instrument, with the buttons spaced pretty tight next to each other. Two alpha dials serve duty for volume and value changes. The inclusion of ambience and modulation effects is a big plus, especially for genres like reggae (the kits have great echo/delay effects on the right instruments) and electronica that can always benefit from them – as opposed to more classic styles like rock, that pretty much are okay with just a pinch of reverb.
In all, this blue wonder is a great tool for composing, and certainly great-sounding, and thanks to its large sample ROM, can be used in any recording or live situation that requires being able to provide percussion in several different styles.
Boss DR-770 audio demos
Here is the DR-770 on-board factory song:
and following are examples of the preset patterns:
The successor to the A3000. The A4000 (and its bigger brother, the A5000) is an exquisite-sounding sampler. It’s truly a powerhouse and comes with a very large library of sounds on CD-ROMs. This line of samplers came out in 1999, just before the soft synth and soft sampler craze started. The on-board effects in particular, make this machine very unique, and its “sonic character” is warm, imparting some sort of “analogness” to sounds sampled into it.
This sampler was embraced by the dance community – especially because features like loop divide, and the numerous great-sounding effects make it especially adept to House, Dance, Techno and Trance.
Yamaha A4000 audio demos
The Yamaha A4000 comes with four demo floppy disks, and several CD-ROMs full of sounds:
Demonstration floppy disk 1 ”A4000-A5000”Demonstration floppy disk 2 ”Rainkiss”Demonstration floppy disk 3 ”A-Dream”Demonstration floppy disk 4 ”CheckMe!”
Piano / Keyboards (from the included Factory CD-ROM PSLCD-101)
Guitar / Bass (from the included Factory CD-ROM PSLCD-102)
Brass / Wind Instruments (from the included Factory CD-ROM PSLCD-103)
Strings / Choir (from the included Factory CD-ROM PSLCD-104)
Real Drums (from the included Factory CD-ROM PSLCD-105)
World / Latin Instruments (from the included Factory CD-ROM PSLCD-106)
Syntraxx / Loops (from the included Factory CD-ROM PSLCD-201)
DJ / Producer Tool Kit (from the included Factory CD-ROM PSLCD-202)
Standards – Yamaha Professional Studio Library
The A4000 also comes with a CD containing software and the rest of the tracks are high-quality samples taken from popular sample CDs, from noted sample manufacturer AMG.
Sony Acid Music 2.0 was one of the products of the second version of the classic program “Acid” by Sound Forge (later Sony, now Magix) – one of the first sequencers / DAWs in which it was possible to “paint” patterns and notes and “stretch & loop” while maintaining the pitch.
Thanks to the blindfolded Goddess of Luck, I won this keyboard in a raffle at a Mars Music (great store unfortunately no longer in existence) Keyboardist Night years ago. It is comparable to the Casio CTK-601. This is a useful auto-accompaniment keyboard, capable of some respectable sounds and rhythms. It sits at the lower end of the EM-series, but holds its own compared to its bigger brothers and sisters.
Roland EM-10 audio demos
Roland EM-10 specs
Other useful features found in this keyboard include:
Metronome button
Transpose button
Chorus/Reverb on-off button
Arrangement mixer
Style Manipulator (a great feature, allows to mute/add parts and exchange parts with other on-board styles, effectively mixing and customizing your own rhythms
Keyboard velocity on-off button
One Touch button (automatically recalls preset accompaniment and sound setting suitable for the style chosen)
“Intel”ligent harmony button (adds harmony to the solo voices, played automatically as you play the melody)
“Organ” mode (EM-10s’ for “split” section L+R)
Variation button that allows to recall variations of the standard GM set on board, for many sounds (i.e., pressing preset tone A57 (SyBas101) and then the Variation button, allows to get access to variation sounds “SyBass3” and “SynthBs1”
Powerful on-board speakers
Colorful panel scheme.
This keyboard is both GM (General MIDI) and GS (General Standard), and features “Style Morphing” (style manipulator).
Bottom line: an inexpensive keyboard with quality GM sounds, interesting rhythms, and all-around fun to play – perfect for the beginner, intermediate player, or for piano-bar, and entertaining at family parties.
