bottom@katadn.DEC (04/10/85)
8-APR-1985 14:20 KATADN::BOTTOM
Well I finally got my TR-707. WOW! This machine is real nice. A brief
rundown follows.
The TR-707 has 12 voices:
2 Bass drum cowbell
2 Snare drum handclap
hi tom tambourine
mid tom 2 closed hi-hat
lo tom open hi-hat
rimshot crash
ride
Each voice except for the rimshot/cowbell and the handclap/tambourine are
individually mixable into either a mono, a stereo or individual outputs to
be mixed on a different mixer. The rimshot and handclap share the same
fader for mixing ie:rim/cow = 1 fader and the hand/tam = 1 fader. the outputs
for these pairs are shared also.
The voices are digitally generated but I'm not sure what sample method(s)
are used. The sound is very good.
Triggering for external devices (synths etc) is done off the rimshot signal
and the trigger has a separate output, uses a 1/8" plug. Programs may be saved
using tape (1/8") there is a save and load jack. These jacks are also used for
sync out and in. At this time I'm not sure what the functionality of that is.
There are three MIDI din connectors. MIDI in, MIDI out and SYNC. Additional
memory is available in plug in cartridge (approx $75, Wurlitzer does not have
these yet).
The program display is the same LCD type arrangement that was used on some of
Rolands cheaper units such as the DR-110 etc. It works ok.
Programming can be done in two ways. Step mode : you select a bank (there are
four banks A thru D, each has 16 16 beat measures) and then manually plug in
each voice as you want it and where. The number of beats in each measure is
programmable and not limited to a choice of just 12 or 16 any number between
0 and 16 is acceptable. During the step write time you can change each beat
by simply selecting that voice at that time or deselecting it. Each beat has
a button to push to make the selected voice play at that time. Or you can Tap
Write: Star the clock and play the voices in in real time. A nice feature of
the unit is that you can chain measures together so that if you need a 32 beat
measure to get the intricacies of your beat in you can do it. You can chain
all 16 measures in that bank together if you like.
After you get the measures together you can then program a track, ie a song
so you get a number of measures in to get a whole song. There is a whole
variety of edit functions that go with this but I'm still learning them.
The song will play from start to finish and then stop.
In the step write or pattern play mode the number of beats per minute is
displayed in the LCD.
I just picked the unit up this Saturday and I'm very pleased. It comes with
a rom based demo program in it, you can write over the demo and recover it at
a later date if you like.
What I don't like: 1: the cymbals should have a programmable decay (nice but
not necessary)
2: The accent is very exaggerated on the crash cymbal but manageable.
price: $560.00
availability: to my knowledge limited I waited since January for mine to come
in on special order.
PS: it also has a headphone output and a start/stop jack for footswitches.
*db*
dec-rhea!dec-katadn!bottomdce@hammer.UUCP (David Elliott) (04/19/85)
A few additional comments about the Roland TR-707. I bought one three weeks ago (I only paid $525, but I buy everything from the same store), and I have been very impressed with it. The user's manual is very well written, and you get a reference card so you don't have to carry the manual. The sounds are excellent and the set of instruments is quite adequate for most purposes. I also have a DR-110 (a nice little drum synthesizer which is well worth the $190 I paid for it), and have played with the other Roland drum machines. The TR-707 provides the programming modes of both the DR-110 and the other machines, so you get the best of all worlds. Since the last reviewer didn't talk a lot about the editing features, I will. A "track" is a sequence of patterns, like a song. A single track can have up to 998 patterns in it. There are four tracks, and they share the 998 pattern area (so if you have one 900-pattern track, you only have 98 to share amongst the other three tracks). There are four edit functions: pattern-pattern copy, track copy, track insert, and track delete. Pattern- pattern copy makes a copy of one pattern in another pattern space, which is very nice for variations. Track copy enables you to copy a sequence of patterns from one part of a track to another, which is nice for most rock songs (there is no Da Capo on the TR-707 as there is on the DR-110). Track insert allows you to insert pattern sequences into a track (great for when you find out you missed a part after writing a long song). Track delete allows you to delete part of a track. These editing features make a big difference. With the DR-110, you have to rewrite the song if you mess up. I agree that the crash cymbal is a little loud when accented, and I too would have liked a decay control. Can anyone out there recommend an inexpensive VCA/Envelope Generator unit? One with both an external trigger and triggering from the input would be great (I don't want to give up my rimshot trigger, since it runs my percussion synthesizer box). Also, if there are some people with TR-707's that would like to trade tracks, contact me. David Elliott tektronix!tekecs!dce