Welcome to The French Shuffle’s Gear Guide, a news segment launched in 2016 to analyze both vintage and recently developed music equipment. Today, we’re reviewing quite a magical drum machine created by Roland Corporation: the TR-707.
Background
Who: Roland Corporation
What: TR-707 Rhythm Composer
When: Built in early 80s, popular for a lifetime.
Where: Can be heard in releases from Boys Noize, SBTRKT, Aeroplane, Etienne de Crécy, Sharooz, Laurent Garnier, The Prodigy, and more.
Review
Roland’s TR-707 has been a mainstay in music studios around the world since its inception in 1984. Primed as a staple in early house music, the drum machine features a slim, easy-to-use interface and vintage sound, boasting a number of capabilities, including MIDI In/Out functionality, a mappable matrix display, volume control, sync control, and programmable operations.
In addition to both its old-school style and great features, the TR-707 essentially serves as a cheaper alternative to the widely-popular TR-909. Loaded with 15 digital samples, the Roland product is the perfect extension to any contemporary musician’s arsenal. Check out a list of the digital samples below:
- Bass Drum (x2)
- Snare Drum (x2)
- Toms (Low, Mid, and High)
- Rimshot
- Cowbell
- Handclap
- Tambourine
- Hi Hats (Open and Closed)
- Cymbals (Crash and Ride)
Get your TR-707 here or download some digital TR-707 samples from Influx Studios.