How the Roland TR-1000 actually soundsRoland’s new digital and analogue TR-1000 might be the best drum machine on the market right now. Some may lament the $2,700 price, but there’s no denying it delivers when it comes to sonic quality and variety. In our review, we conclude that the broad range of sound sources, processors and performance tools combine into what many will see as the ultimate drum machine.

READ MORE: Roland’s TR-1000 might be the world’s greatest drum machine

The most important thing, though, is how it sounds. The TR-1000 covers a lot of ground, with analogue and ACB modelled circuits, alongside samples, FM percussion, a plethora of eclectic effects, and an analogue drive and filter.
If you’re on the fence about parting with your hard-earned cash, then we’re here to help you make a decision, with a range of audio clips that show off the many features of the unit.

Analogue vs ACB circuits
The TR-1000 is the first Roland drum machine to feature analogue 808 and 909 circuits in over 40 years. The kick drums in particular have a wonderful sense of depth and rounded low-mid harmonics.
If you want a slightly different sound though, then the circuit-bent ACB modelled versions are a good alternative. These audio files play the same beat on the analogue circuits, followed by the ACB. They’re not meant to sound exactly the same, but more offer different flavours for each instrument.

909 Kick / 808 Bass
The fact that both the analogue 808 and 909 circuits exist on the same machine is a glorious thing. There’s no other product that lets you combine the punchiness of a real 909 kick with the sub weight of a real 808.
The extended parameters that have been added to these circuits allow for longer tails and tuning, so you can build powerful-sounding basslines with ease. This stripped-back audio example shows a tight 909 kick alongside an 808 bassline, although you could also choose to layer the sounds to make a single mega hit.

Circuit-bent ACB
The ACB circuits can sound more like traditional drum machines, but they can also be twisted into resonant, ringing, sound-designed weirdness.
This track takes various 808 and 909 models and pushes the parameters to the extreme to make a more characterful-sounding beat.

FM Percussion Models
Alongside the traditional drum machine sounds, the TR-1000 features seven new FM percussion models that can be pushed to some quite radical sonic territories. They have a brightness and precision that pair well with the rougher analogue sounds.
Here we have a purely FM beat with a mix of tight percussive hits and more tonal rhythms.

Acoustic Drum Samples
The TR-1000 comes with a massive collection of PCM and sampled sounds that can be used alongside the other models. Don’t expect to be making realistic acoustic drum parts, as there’s no deep, round-robin and multiple velocities here. However, the drum and percussion samples themselves are excellent and can be used to make solid and powerful-sounding acoustic-style beats.
This beat uses a bunch of sampled hits to provide a groove that could easily cut through a mix.

Insert FX
One of the things that really helps the TR-1000 stand out is the large number of effects, and the fact that you can apply a different one on each of the 10 tracks.
This simple 606 beat is transformed into something more characterful with different effects types such as saturation, bit-crusher, pitch delay and phaser used on each part.

Send FX
You also get a reverb and a delay as send effects that can help to create depth and to glue your beat together by putting it in a unified space. There are six reverb algorithms and four delay types to choose from.
This audio example features some subtle echo delay and cycles through the different reverb algorithms (Ambience, Room, Hall1, Hall2, Plate and Mod).

Master FX
To top things off, there are 14 Master FX that can either be used to provide more subtle glue or fun and characterful colour and performance effects.
This audio file cycles through a bunch of them on top of the FM beat (Bypass, Crusher, Filter+Drive, Isolator, DJFX Looper, Scatter, Flanger, Phaser, Side Band Filter, SDD-320, and a very slammed Fet Comp 76).

Analogue Drive & Filter
Built into the output is a tasty analogue drive and analogue state-variable filter circuit. Although there are several other drive and saturation options available via the insert effects, this one sounds especially nice if you want to add some extra harmonics and beef up your bass.
This track fades up the drive to show how it can be made to break up when pushed to the extreme, with a 12dB low-pass filter sweep at the end.

Morph Slider
There are plenty of dials to turn and buttons to press when performing live with the TR-1000, but the most fun can be had with the Morph Slider. This is essentially a mega-macro that can control all of the tracks and also the Master FX at once, making for some great edits or transitions. You can also store up to 16 different sweep settings that are switchable via the sequencer buttons.
This beat features a morph sweep that adjusts multiple track parameters whilst also changing the Scatter effect on the master.

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