Each of the eight instruments has a row of knobs to control the parameters of the sound, and given that this is an-all analog machine, there are no presets or sound settings to be stored—essentially, what you see is what you get. Addictively fun, intuitive and easy to getmeatydrum and percussive loops going -straight out the box. Drumbrute Impact is a game-changer for an analogue groovebox that won't break the bank. Finally, you turn on the Remote features on the Drumbrute, and you can gain access with the sync from the Drumbrute in Ableton. Can I Use Drumbute With An Amp?

Upon taking the DrumBrute out of the box, we were impressed by the weight and overall build quality of the unit. Our eyes were drawn to the large pads at the bottom of the machine, which are satisfying to bash and pleasingly firm and springy.The Drumbrute works as a sole analog drum machine, so it is not necessary to hook it up with the computer. Regardless of which Drumbrute drum machines you opt for, you’re unlikely to be disappointed especially if you favor gritty, electronic sounds. Both machines deliver in terms of meaty, juicy analog sounds and both machines represent excellent value for money. Being in the lookout for an analog drum machine I stumbled upon this little beast! The DrumBrute Impact made quite an impression to me, considering the price and the features: The Impact’s FM Drum unit, meanwhile, is a much more versatile percussion and sound effect generator part based on FM (Frequencey Modulation) synthesis. Four dedicated knobs give you control over Mod Pitch, FM Amount, Carrier Pitch and Decay. Turn up the Modulation and the FM Drum is capable of some interesting tones. It obviously isn’t going to be as capable as a dedicated FM synth but it is an easy to use and proves to be a useful sound generator. Color mode can be activated for the FM Drum too. As with the original DrumBrute, the hats have quite a metallic quality, which we really like, but others might not. There are front panel rotaries to control the tone of the hats and the open hat decay. The Color switches below the two hat channels can extend the length of the closed hat and change the overall harmonics of both sounds; this latter option gives a nice alternative flavour that broadens the sonic scope.

If you can’t get enough cowbell then note that the Impact comes with one pad for 808 style Cowbell (shared with Cymbal) whereas the Drumbrute offers Tamborine and Maracas instead. Arturia’s BeatStep and KeyStep sequencers have become pretty much standard issue in hardware synth rigs, and the DrumBrutes get the technology built in. As far as I can tell, the sequencer is identical across both Brutes. Bank and Pattern are selected from the step trig buttons via specific modes. Pattern launching defaults to instant take-over, ie. the pattern changes instantly but maintains the same beat position. This is how I like it and is ideal for preparing and performing variations and fills. You can choose ‘At End’ behaviour if you prefer pattern changes to queue until the current pattern finishes playing. Although I'm using it via DAW, I enjoyed playing live, using the countless sequencer features, and building patterns easily! I'm sure it will serve you well in a live gig. Yea I tend to agree - I LOVED the interface and the feel of the device as well as the knobiness but the sounds just weren’t that good with exception of what you mentioned. The hi hats were particularly unusable for my taste.

In addition, the main output also features a handy distortion control, which can be turned off with the adjacent button. I found that keeping it on around 60-70% added a nice glue to the proceedings. It’s worth noting that using the individual outs does remove that instrument from the main output and thus the distortion circuit. The Drumbrute has a ‘Zap’ part while the Drumbrute Impact has a capable FM Drum part. Of the two the ‘Zap’ part is the least interesting and is not ‘Zappy’ enough for my tastes. Don’t expect the Zap effects to send clubbers running for cover – it’s an adequate but pretty tame affair and something of a missed opportunity in my opinion. Drumbrute Impact contains no sub-menus, touchscreens or anything else that takes you away from physically “feeling” the control you have over your music. The essence of hands-on, old-school beatmaking.

Whereas the clap is already drawn-out when it reaches a decent pitch, the snare is incompetent in offering sculpting options.

Still need help ?

Patterns can be captured as live recordings from the pads simply by engaging the record button in the transport area at the top. Live recordings align to the grid, based on the current pattern’s resolution (16ths by default), unless you toggle the Record button into Unquantised mode. The pads are velocity sensitive as far as MIDI output is concerned but the sounds themselves play at just two levels: Accented and non-Accented. Live Recording is clever enough to capture the sequence with Accents based on a velocity threshold.