Old-school drum machine with some dodgy sounds and an amazing sequencer.

The Drumbrute is not for everyone. I view it as something like a CR-78 with an amazing polyrhythmic sequencer attached -- which to me is awesome, but I can see why some people wouldn't dig it. Definitely an old-school, 70's-era drum machine vibe. The sounds seem to need a lot of post-processing to sound good -- unlike say an 808 which just sounds good out of the box. Some sounds are not to my liking -- Kick 1 is intended to be 909-ish, but the pitch bend envelope is goofy and this makes it useless in 90% of knob positions -- easily diverges into 80's SynTom territory. Not good. If you dial out the bend and impact completely it is a kind of lackluster 909 kick. Sounds good with heavy distortion but I don't have much use for that sound. The "zap" is just stupid. The high hats are unique, can go from 808-ish to 909-ish, with some weird clangorous tones in between. The clap is great. kick 2 is a good but limited 606-style thump. The filter is not very useful as a performance tool, but useful for thinning out the high hats or taking top end off the snare. Despite my mostly negative review, I've been quite happy with the sound after some (heavy) individual processing, and the sequencer is good enough to make it worthwhile. This was one of only a handful of drum machines I found which could do polyrhythms/polymeters as well as randomization stuff. All in all a mixed bag, but definitely unique.

Analog Goodness

This was my first piece of actual hardware that I purchased roughly three years ago(2016) I admit that my first impression left me wondering if this was what I wanted..The kicks when used in tandem will give you the boom damn near that of the Roland 808 but with the inclusion of the HP/LP filter this left no room for an overdrive that would have truly set the kicks off and I would probably never noticed that by looking at the pitch knob of the hats causes a tsunami of white noise...Turns out this was exactly the piece of gear that I was seeking, Because like anything worth doing takes time to develop methods that will far exceed your initial expectations of it. 5 STARS NO CONTEST!

Not versatile but great at what it does

The TR8 is more versatile but this thing sounds great at what it does. If you want massive sounds, that range from the hardcore to almost industrial you wont be disappointed. The kicks definetly love a bit of compression and the high hats can be a little harsh but what drum machine doesn't love a bit of reverb. The snare is the weakest point and doesn't compare to an 808 or the TR8 version of it. However put some plate reverb on it and it comes alive. I love that it has separate outputs for each instrument. That and the combined out make for some cool ways to process easily. Worth noting is the build. This thing is a brute in name and nature. It's like a tank and will last for years.

Great deal for powerful analog drum machine.

This thing is surprisingly powerful and easy to use. Especially for the price. The flexibility this machine gives you with rhythm is really exciting. I love the ability to adjust the swing amount of a pattern or position instruments slightly behind or in front of the beat. This thing has brought out a lot of creativity in me and I highly recommend it. Not crazy about some of the sounds. Especially the "snares" on the snare drum, which sound little cheesy and unnatural. Luckily there are a few parameters/work-arounds I use to get by.

Awesome for the price range

If you want a x0x box sound drumbrute is not for you. The sounds on it are different, but the individual outputs makes it great for post processing and you can achieve great results. The drum pads are not the best on the market, but with time you get used to it. The roller/looper strip is a great add. The filters are ok but lack a little more ressonance. I great add to any setup

Fantastic, full featured analog drum machine that's easy to play.

Lots of drum sounds, easy to sequence, this machine is perfect for anyone who loves making good beats on stage or in studio. I love this DrumBrute and after carefully researching many other drum machines in its $400 - $1,000 price range, I'm ecstatic that I chose this.

Analog madness!

I love this drum machine so much, it's almost illegal. It refers to a bunch of different machines from the past, such as an 808 (kick 2), 909 (Kick 1), Clave (CR78) and the list goes on. But it differs in it's shaping capabilities.

What a Bang(er) for the buck!

From Gear Setup

Lovely drum machine for drum tweaking and performing

Soundwise, it's sort of a combination of Roland TR 808 and 606 for the most part, but with some nods to the 909 as well - all very positive. The advantage of having the performance options of a Beatstep Pro built in to the unit really opens it up to experimentation and live grooving. Plus having MIDI IN/OUT, CV clock in/out, USB and individual sound outs means that it integrates really well with pretty much anything you might already have. Overall, very straightforward to use with some useable sounds and at a decent price.

Fantastic machine

I love this drum machine. It replaces a TR-8s in my setup. It is a solid build with good performance features.

well made drum machine, not to keen on the sounds

Easy to use drum machine but I find the sounds a bit weak, so I use an Alesis DM Pro drum module as an expander to give me the sounds I want..