TRS 8 or RD 9 or DRUMAZON 2?

[Trancer]

What do you think between these three products?

Beyond the fact that the RD 9 is a clone of the TR 909.

My question is the following, when a fairly well-designed emulation like the Drumazon 2 still sounds pretty good for a vst, is it relevant to invest in a Hardware machine given the result of the vst emulation?

In a mix, will the difference between the TR8S, the RD 9 and the DRUMAZON 2 be audible?

Use is only for a home studio.

[sin night]

The TR-8S does a lot more than just 909, it has emulation of other classic Roland drum machines, it loads samples (but it's limited in this regard) and it has a limited FM drum engine. And it has some effects.

I never tried the RD-9 so I can't say much, other than it's a just a bare analog drum machine (I think they added a filter to it?), so it probably needs some processing.

Drumazon 2 sounds great and has the advantages of being fully itb (and also the disadvantages, because playing with an hardware drum machine is nice in my opinion). Being itb, you can easily have every sound on its dedicated channel to process it as you please (the TR-8S has some fx, but it's limited, then you need to record it through usb or use the multiple outs with a multichannel interface if you want/need to process it further).

Now: the difference would be audible? Maybe yes, if you know them well. Would it matter? I'd say no.
I can only praise how good Drumazon 2 sounds and I think I will use it for sure (and I'm waiting for the new version of D16's take on the 808). And I have a TR-8S, I think I'll use both solutions. The onboard processing of Drumazon 2 is really effective by the way.

[HOTF]

Is live performance part of your recording process at all? the biggest advantage to hardware espacially drum machine is acces to multiple parameters on the spot easy to reach with both hands. Drumazon 2 sounds amazing imo but you are stuck with programing with keyboard and mouse. I would consider the hardware stuff only if you plan to interact with it in some sort of lively matter. I wouldnt bother paying for maybe, possibly marginely better sounds.

[sin night]

I would even question the concept of "better".

I didn't make any side by side comparison between Drumazon 2 and the TR-8S, I didn't even spend much time with Drumazon 2 yet, but I went through the presets and I fiddled a bit and "it just sounds right" to my ears. I think the built in effects matter a lot to get that result.
I don't know which instrument sounds better, but I think Drumazon 2 is really convenient and can compete with the TR-8S (when it comes to 909 sounds).

See, I bought the TR-8S quite soon after it was launched, I think there was no real alternative for 808 and 909 sounds (as digital synthesis... there's never been shortage of samples!), except for the real ones (expensive!!!) or clones from various manufacturers (Behringer or others, more rare / expensive brands). Speaking of digital emulations, I think the TR-8S was the best solution with its ACB technology a few years ago, with no real alternative (there are the Roland Cloud versions of course, but I'm not into subscriptions or periodic online verification for permanent licenses).

Nowadays, a few years later, if all you need are 808 and 909 sounds and you want to use a drum synth, Drumazon 2 is a viable alternative for recording / producing ITB, and I'm really looking forward for the newer version of Nepheton (to have the 808 sounds well covered, hopefully)
I'm not even sure I would buy a TR-8S nowadays (I use mostly 909 and 808 sounds and I could use plugins when it comes to record producing, while I could use a sampler like the Digitakt or a MPC for jamming and spend the money on something else).

I don't know which instrument is "the best", but I'm not sure Drumazon 2 would be "the lesser one".
There will be some sound differences (I didn't test Drumazon 2 and the TR-8S side by side, so I can't really tell at the moment, but I expect to find some differences), but I think it doesn't matter, I would have no problems at using Drumazon 2 on a track (and I plan to use it indeed, it allows for a faster workflow than recording my TR-8S, especially if I'm not going to use any OTB processing or TR-8S specific features). The 909 is rarely left "clean"/"raw" by the way, so I think it's more a matter of "what sounds right in the context of the track" (and both the TR-8S and Drumazon provide a good raw sound to start).


These are just my opinions on the subject and my recent story with Roland drum machines; your opinion may be different of course.
Anyway, I encourage everybody to try the demo version of Drumazon 2 and see if it works for them. Unfortunately the intro sale ended a few days ago (maybe they'll have another one in future? I have no clue, but we are heading towards the sales season).


Also, I know it's pure speculation, but I would also keep an eye on Arturia, since they emulated the 303 a few months ago, maybe they are working on 808 and 909 too (I have no idea, but I think it would make sense to offer the trio).

[egbert101]

You already went down the Hardware route, and a RD-9 isn't that expensive, I would get that, if your genre focuses so much on the 909 (techno). All the other alternatives are just as good but they are still not real analog.

[vitocorleone123]

You already went down the Hardware route, and a RD-9 isn't that expensive, I would get that, if your genre focuses so much on the 909 (techno). All the other alternatives are just as good but they are still not real analog.

What does “real analog” have to do with sounding good?

[SoundDesign33]

> Use is only for a home studio.
Should the drum quality be better because it’s only for a home studio?
If it were for a Rave the audience would not perceive a difference?

Maybe it would be better to try to have some tracks played at a Rave.

Hardware needs a lot of space, cost more.
Is software equally good? Or merely 80-90% of hardware sound quality?

I won’t buy a Tr8s until I need one.

[Trancer]

Many thanks for your responses and opinions.

My use will only be for a home studio, so a software version is not a problem at all.

I would like a simple solution and a workflow that is easy to use and intuitive.

Very important for inspiration and spontaneity.

Too much manipulation in the menus breaks the creativity process.

For my musical style, all three would do the job perfectly.

The TR8S is certainly more versatile than the other two.

The RD 9 and Drumazon 2 is an emulation of the TR 909 and the RD 9 is simply a clone.

The easiest to use seems to be the Drumazon 2.

The hardware versions seem more suitable to me if you do Live, for the home studio a software version is not sufficient?

As already said, what is very important to me, ease and speed of use.

[Trancer]

I'll take the Drumazon 2.

Given my home studio use, this seems to me to be the best option.

Plus, it sounds divine, even if a vst.

Thank you again for your responses and opinions.

[egbert101]

Something missing from this list is the Korg Drumlogue.

https://www.korg.co.uk/products/drumlogue



Although OP seems to have made his final decision anyway, I don't know enough about the drumlogue to say whether it's worth it or not.

[DaniZzz79]

I'll take the Drumazon 2.

Given my home studio use, this seems to me to be the best option.

Plus, it sounds divine, even if a vst.

Thank you again for your responses and opinions.

The drumazon 2 is f****g awesome. You can even find heavily discounted here or on knobcloud. The effects are also amazing. As a variation I also use the Heartbeat from Softube, cool too.
But then this year I fell in love with Microtonic . Not a 909 tho
Now I'm mainly using my octa2, another ball game

[chk071]

@Trancer: I thought you were DAW-less.

[Trancer]

Thank you for your responses and opinions.

There was also the Korg, but I wasn't impressed by the model offered.

Indeed Micotronic not bad, but the Drumazon 2 meets my needs more.

Absolutely, I want to do without the computer as much as possible given my setup.

But I realize that it is very complicated, especially for recording.

So, I use a Daw as a multi-track and therefore, using a vst only represents a tiny part of using a computer.

To be even more precise, I have a Studiolive 32sx and after the arrival of the 16 Rig and an adat interface in addition (especially since I can use it standalone with memory), I will be able to route all my equipment (synths and hardware effects via the publisher).

The Studiolive 32sx was the ideal solution (but it takes a lot of space) and above all nothing else at the time to meet my needs.

With the Arturia 16 Rig, it can be very different (works standalone, therefore a hybrid solution).

So, a considerable space saving.

Very clearly, I still want a dawless system, but I realize that despite everything, a computer is still useful for certain things.

[egbert101]

I tried the recording on a digital recorder route, via a Zoom L-12 mixer, and it was such a horrendous workflow I shelved it and went back in the DAW instead. A DAW for recording is just a dream in comparison.