The DrumTraks is a very programmable classic drum machine from the eighties. While its electronic drum kit sounds may not be as popular today as the TR-909 or TR-808, the DrumTraks exceeds them with superior editing capabilities. Thirteen drum sounds all with programmable tuning and level control. Extensive editing with copy and paste ability. There's even a mixer section for individual sounds, six individual outputs, one mono mix output, and cassette in/out for offline memory storage.

Pretty basic and easy programming, record a couple patterns and link them into a song. The DrumTraks can output a 24PPQN clock signal and is also fully MIDI capable. This makes it very easy to use with old analogs and new MIDI synths and sequencers. If your looking for classic eighties electro beats and the vintage instrument that generates them then look no further than the DrumTraks. It is used by Orbital, Freddy Fresh, and Prince.

visceralvoids

October 17, 2012 @ 10:36 am

@ Katox, you can get the Operating Version 5 ROM chip from winecountrysequential.com , you can either replace it yourself if you know how to work with electronics, or get someone else to do it. The ROM chip itself is like $15. I really miss my Drumtraks and hope to get one again someday.

Katox

August 6, 2012 @ 10:33 am

Hello
I'm starting to use a drumtracks, and i'm reading that it must have the latest Operating version 5 to use it in midi. How can i get it? and how to update the machine?
Thank you

lightman

July 27, 2012 @ 4:23 pm

Phortune (a.k.a. Phuture = DJ Pierre and friends) used a Drumtraks on the godly Can You Feel The Bass and other tracks.

I used a Drumtraks for a couple of months in the 90s. Great machine, easy to program and built like a tank. It has a punchy sound suitable for electronica productions or simply jamming along to. As it has been said already, its timing isn't always 100% correct, add a bit of swing to it and you'll get elastic grooves that sound a lot more organic than other drumboxes. However, the drumsamples have a distinct 80s vibe to them which may not be everyone's cup of tea.

Sol

March 4, 2012 @ 7:40 am

Wanted one of these for a long time and managed to pick one up which Im very happy with. When you use EQ and sub the drums to a channel and then compress, particularly multiband compression it really shines. Its the kind of drum machine which can really give you a particular sound. I had the samples but they never sounded as good as the real thing. Its the little differences like changing the pitch of the drums, adding accents here and there which seem to produce a different sound to the samples. Probably because they hit the filter circuitry harder. Justice used it on the Cross album.

VisceralVoids

December 7, 2011 @ 11:42 pm

@Kevin: You need to add a MIDI interface to the SH101 and make sure the Drumtraks has the latest operating version 5. Also 'enable pads out MIDI' which is in the manual. Hope that helps.

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