Saturday, 15 November 2014

Roland Drum Machines - The Timeline

The history of drum machines according to Roland.
This brief summary also includes the affiliated Roland companies of Ace Tone & Boss

1964
++ R1 Rhythm Ace (Push button percussion)
      This was the world’s first transistorized, non-automatic (no preset patterns),
      percussion instrument.

1966
++ Rhythm Ace R-3

1967
++  AceTone FR-1 (Rhythm Ace)
++ Ace Tone FR-2L (FR-2D)
++ Ace Tone FR-3 (FR-3S)
++ Ace Tone FR-4 (Multivox)


Ace Tone FR-3



1968
++ Ace Tone Rhythm Ace FR 5-C
++ Ace Tone Rhythm Ace FR-6
++ Multivox Rhythm Ace FR6M
++ Ace Tone Rhythm Ace FR-7
++ Ace Tone Rhythm Ace FR-8
++ Ace Tone Rhythm Ace FR-13

1969
++ Ace Tone Rhythm Producer FR-15 (provided the feature to modify the pre-programmed rhythms)
++ Rhythm Ace FR-20 (Floor type)
++ Rhythm Ace FR-30 (Floor type)
++ Rhythm Ace FR-60 (Floor type)
++ Ace Tone Rhythm Ace FR-70 (upright drum machine)


1972  - This year marks the birth of Roland
++ Ace Tone Rhythm Fever FR-106
++ TR-33
++ TR-55 (see Acetone FR-6)
++ TR-77 (Acetone FR-8L)
++ Ace Tone Rhythm Ace FR-7L - a variation of the TR-77

++ TR-700 Rhythm 700
      The TR-700 is an upright drum

 
The TR stands for Transistor Rhythm. These were the first Roland-branded products.
The 77 is known as an updated version of Ace Tone Rhythm Ace FR-8L. It is also known as Hammond Rhythm Unit.



1973
++ TR-330 (Rhythm 330)
++ Roland TR-66 (Rhythm Arranger).



1978
++ +CR-68 (Human Rhythm Player.)
+++ CR-78 CompuRhythm.
+++ CR-78 repairs & internal pics
+++ CR-800 - very rare - upright drum housed in a speaker cabinet.

These were the world’s first microprocessor-based rhythm machines.
The CR68 was called the "Human Rhythm Player".
The Roland CR-78 is  called the CompuRhythm:


 1979
++ Boss Dr-55  Dr. Rhythm ( production started in 1979-1980)

1980
++ TR-808 Rhythm Composer Rhythm machine.
This programmable rhythm machine allowed musicians to program an entire song, and achieved legendary status around the world


1981
+++ CR-5000 Compurhythm
++ +CR-8000 CompuRhythm  (CR 8000 Mods)
+++ TR-606 Drummatix




1983
+++ TR-909 Rhythm Composer
+++Boss Dr.Rhythm Graphic (DR-110)
+++Roland Rhythm Plus PB-300

1984
++ TR-707 Rhythm Composer

++ Boss HC-2 (Hand Clapper Pedal)
++ Boss PC-2 Percussion Synthesizer
++ Boss DB-66 Dr Beat.(Metronome)


1985

++ α-DRUM (Alpha Drum)- Digital drums. Roland's first electronic drum set
++ Roland DDR30 drum sound module.
++ Roland PAD-8 Octapad.
++ TR727 Latin Rhythm Composer
The TR-727 is visually identical to the TR707 aside from having blue highlights on the case, but it contains a different, Latin-inspired sample set.
++ MKS7 Super Quartet.(a duophonic lead synth, a monophonic bass synth, and a four-voice polyphonic synth (hence the name... 2+1+4 = MKS7) plus a drum machine with 11 PCM sounds drawn from the TR707)

Roland DDR-30 (Digital Drums)

Roland OctaPad PAD-8

+++Boss Dr Rhythm DR-220A (Acoustic)
+++Boss Dr Rhythm DR-220A (Electronic)



1986
+++Roland TR-505
+++Roland CR-1000 digital drummer.



1987
++TR626 Rhythm Composer.

1988
++ PAD-80 Octapad II controller  
++ Roland RA-50 Realtime Arranger

1989
++ R-5 Human Rhythm Composer.
++ R-8 Human Rhythm Composer Drum Machine: A drum machine with velocity-sensitive pads.
++ DR550 Dr Rhythm.

1991
++ CR80 Human Rhythm Player.
 
1992
Roland R-70 Human Rhythm Composer.
Roland R8 MkII Human Rhythm Composer.
Roland TD7 sound module. (V-Drum)
Boss DR550 MkII Dr Rhythm.
Boss DR-660 (DR Rhythm)
Boss R70 Human Rhythm Composer.
Boss R8 MkII Human Rhythm Composer.
 Roland's TD-7 (The heart of the Compact Drum System)

                                                     Boss DR550 MkII Dr Rhythm (1992)


1993
Boss DR 5 - Dr Rhythm section

1994
Roland TD5 sound module. (V-Drum)

1996
MC-303 Groove box.
This was Roland’s first entry into the club and DJ scene; it became a new hit in the world of dance music. It was their first non-keyboard drum machine, sample-based synthesizer, and sequencer combination bearing the name Groovebox. Supporting a full 8-track sequencer.

 

1997
TD -10 V-Drums Digital drums.
Boss DB12 Dr Beat.
Boss DB88 Dr Beat.
Boss SP202 Dr Sample.


1998
Roland MC-505 GrooveBox:
(Successor to the MC-303 with a more powerful synthesizer and sequencer).
Roland SPD20 percussion pad.
Roland SP-808 Groove Sampler
Boss DR- 202 Dr Groove. 
Boss DR770 Dr Rhythm.




1999
Roland HPD15 Handsonic percussion controller/drum module/sequencer
Roland TD-8 sound module.(V-Drum)
Roland MC307 Groovebox.
Roland HPD-15 HandSonic (1999)
Roland TD-8 Percussion Sound Module (1999)
2000
Boss DR-202 (Dr Groove)
Boss SP-202 (Dr Sample)
TD-10 (enhanced) - V Drum

2001
BOSS SP-303 Dr. Sample
Boss SP505 sampling workstation.
Boss  DR-670 Dr Rhythm.
TD-6 V-Drum
Roland D2 - GrooveMachine

2002
Roland MC-909 Sampling GrooveBox
Roland MC-09 PhraseLab
Boss SP-505 (Groove Sampling Workstation). 

2003
Boss DR-3 Dr, Rhythm
TD-6V  V-Drum 
Boss Dr 3 (Dr. Rhythm)
2004
TD3 V-Drum module.
TD6V V-Drum module.
TD20 V-Drum sound module.
VH12 hi-hat.
Boss DB60 Dr Beat metronome
Boss DR880 Dr Rhythm.
SP-606 Groovesampler.

2005
Roland SP-404SX Sampler
TD-12 V-Drum 
Roland SP-404 SX - Linear wave Sampler
2006
Roland MC-808

2007
HD-1 V-drum module

2008
TD-20 Enhamced V Drum Module
TD-8 V Drum module

2009
TD-4 V Drum Module
Roland TD-4 (V-Drum Module)
2011
TD-9 2.0 V Drum module

2012
TD-30 V Drum Module
TD-15 V Drum Module
TD-11 V Drum Module
HD-3 V Drum Module
TD-15 V Drum Module
2014
Aira's TR-8: Rhythm Performer, based on the drum-sounds of the TR-808 and TR-909.
TD-1 V Drum Module
TM-2 V Drum Module


2016
Roland Boutique Tr-08
Roland Boutique TR-09

2018
Roland TR-8s

2019
++ Roland MC-101 GrooveBox
++ Roland MC-707 GrooveBox
      (MC stands for Micro composer)





I'll update this as I go. Please let me know if there are errors or omissions.
J

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