It doesn't seem like six months since we started the musical instrument world's most comprehensive - and most outspoken - buyer's guide to gear. Just to remind you of the formula, we split the hi-tech hardware and software field into three sections, with each section getting an airing once every three months. This month it's the turn of electronic percussion, which means a rundown of all the drum machines and electronic drum systems currently available in the UK, from companies big and small, British and foreign.

We list the typical selling price and basic facilities of each product, and also include some of our own comments (positive, negative and conclusive) if it's passed through the hands of our reviewing team at some stage.

Three months ago, when we listed electronic percussion devices for the first time, we mentioned in the introduction that the market was the subject of a downward price spiral fiercer than any other in what is a fast-moving market at the best of times. That's still true as summer turns to autumn, as importers and retailers try to rid themselves of surplus outdated stock in order to make room for newer gear. And that isn't in any way a bad thing for the musician, because it means you can find a slightly older, less-fashionable product (a Drumtraks, say, or an original Drumulator) that offers more than a contemporary competitor for rather less money.

It's a tough old world out there, so you might as well grab it by the scruff of the neck and make the most of it. Don't take our prices as gospel, and haggle if you sense the dealer is anxious to make a sale.

Next month, it's back to polysynths, expanders and remote keyboards.

DRUM MACHINE CHECKLIST

AHB

Inpulse One - £1095 Eight-voice digital drum machine. Eight pads for live performance, 99 programmable patterns, 15 songs, trigger inputs, individual voice outputs; 16-voice basic sound library includes bass drum, snare, handclaps, timpani, gunshot, conga, claves, hi-hat.
+ Build quality, ease of use, promise of expanding voice library;
- some sonic disappointments, difficult to get hold of;
= a fine machine that combines editing facilities with real-time playability, sadly underrated.

ANVIL

Anvil Percussion Synthesiser - £4995 16-channel programmable drum machine with analogue and digital sound sources, built-in sound-sampling, real-time sequencer, MIDI and external trigger connections, disk-drive for storage of samples and sequences. Available January. To be reviewed.

BOHM

Dr Bohm - £669 (kit), £949 (built) 24-voice digital drum machine. 180 pre-programmed patterns, 36 programmable rhythms, 8 separate outputs; 2 bass drums, 3 snares, 2 rimshot snare rolls, 12 toms, 2 bongos, woodblock, 2 congas, 4 closed hi-hats, 2 open hi-hats, 4 cymbals, 2 tambourines, 2 maracas, claves, cowbell, handclap.
+ Vast range of built-in sounds, kit package gives the soldering-iron crowd a real bargain;
- bewildering control layout, lack of decent interfacing facilities, ready-built price-tag slightly high;
= a bit of an oddity these days, but pre-programmed patterns are useful building blocks for inexperienced programmers.

BOSS

Dr Rhythm Graphic DR110 - £125 Six-voice analogue drum machine. Built-in LCD, mono output; bass drum, snare drum, open & closed hi-hat, cymbal, handclap.
+ Superb display makes writing and editing patterns a doddle, unbeatable analogue clap sound;
- balance control offers only limited adjustment of voice levels;
= successor to the immortal DR55 and justifiably popular, proves analogue technology still rules the roost at bottom end of electrodrum market.

CLEF

Master Rhythm - £129 13-voice analogue drum machine. 24 programmable patterns, mono output; 2 cymbals, rimshot, brushes, claves, snare, 4 toms, 2 bongos, conga, bass drum.
+ Wide range of voices for the money;
- doesn't sound as good as DR110, and isn't as easy to use;
= if the voices are the ones you want, there's simply no alternative.

E-MU SYSTEMS

Drumulator - £985 12-voice digital drum machine. 36 programmable patterns, 8 songs, cassette storage of programs, sync (24, 48, 96 ppqn); basic sounds include bass drum, snare, clave, cowbell, handclaps, rimshot, open & closed hi-hat, 3 toms, cymbal - alternative sound chips also available.
+ Digital voices still sound good next to Japanese competition, excellent range of additional ROM-based voices;
- falling behind in both price and composing facilities;
= low High Street prices make this a decent bet despite its age, though it's now overshadowed by Emulator SP12.

Emulator SP12 - £2999 24-voice (16 preset, 8 user-sampled) digital drum machine. 100 segments chainable into 100 songs (minimum capacity 5000 notes), MIDI (In, Out, Thru) and SMPTE equipped; bass, snare, electronic snare, rimshot, 4 toms, 4 electronic toms, hi-hat, crash & ride cymbals, claps, cowbell.
+ Wonderful digital sound quality thanks to 12-bit resolution, user-sampling equally impressive, easy to use, first US drum machine to offer genuine real-time programming,
- high demand means limited availability;
= probably the best drum machine available anywhere, completely without rival (at least for the time being) and easily upgradable through hardware/software updates.

HAMMOND

DPM48 - £499 23-voice (15 programmable) digital drum machine. Seven programmable patterns, MIDI (In, Out, Thru) equipped; 4 toms, 3 bass drums, 3 hi-hats, 3 snares, 3 cymbals, 2 cabasas, clap, 2 agogos, rimshot.
+ Sounds good despite home organ origins, MIDI retrofit makes interfacing facilities complete;
- lacks the informative display facilities of more recent models;
= recent £200 price drop makes Hammond's only pro instrument irresistible: if only they'd come up with more...

KORG

DDM110 - £225 Nine-voice digital drum machine. 32 programmable patterns, LED display, real- and step-time programming, programmable trigger out, stereo output, sync (48ppqn); bass drum, snare, rimshot, 2 toms, open & closed hi-hat, cymbal, handclaps,
+ Cheapest digital drum machine on the UK market, links neatly to MIDI (and tape) with optional KMS30 interface;
- you don't get impeccable sound quality for this money, so some sounds bettered by analogue equivalents;
= another justifiably popular machine, even with (unavoidable) digital noise problems.

DDM220 - £225 Latin Percussion version of DDM110, spec as above except for voicing; 2 congas, timbale, wood block, cowbell, agogos, cabasa, tambourine,
+ Marvellously realistic approximations of Latin drums that really do sound different;
- nothing at this price, except non-Roland standard sync;
= the first drum machine to offer more than the usual rock percussion set-up, and they're not charging the earth for it.

MR16 - £449 19-voice digital drum machine for connection to pre-existing MIDI software, individual and stereo outputs,
+ Voices identical to those of DDM110/220, hence pretty good,
- some dodgy ergonomics, not cheap when combined with essential SQD1 sequencer;
= a sound enough idea that now has an excellent sequencer (Korg's own SQD1) to go with it, though there's still no specifically drum software to perform specifically drum tasks.

LINN

LinnDrum - £2650 23-voice digital drum machine. 42 preset and 56 programmable patterns, 49 songs, individual and stereo outputs, cassette storage of programs, alternative sound chips available; 2 bass drums, 3 snares, sidestick, 3 hi-hats, 3 toms, 3 cymbals, 2 cabasas, 2 tambourines, 2 congas, cowbell, handclap.
+ The original still sounds excellent, open-ended voice structure, healthy service back-up the world over thanks to instrument's popularity;
- now looking very expensive against recent competition;
= like the Rolls-Royce, outclassed and outdated, but a lot of people still ask for it by name...

Linn 9000 - £4675 18-voice digital drum machine and MIDI sequencer. Individual and stereo outputs, 2 programmable trigger outs, MIDI (In, Out, Thru), tape sync facility, 32-track polyphonic keyboard sequencer, disk and cassette storage of programs; bass drum, snare, hi-hat, 4 toms, 2 congas, 4 cymbals, cowbell, handclaps, cabasa, sidestick, tambourine.
+ Superlative drum sounds, elegant all-in-one-box design concept;
- horrendous price-tag, lack of step-time input and other crucial recording facilities, no sampling yet;
= without its promised hardware and software updates (steptime input, editing, sampling), an expensive dinosaur.

MFB

512 - £299 Nine-voice digital drum machine. Eight song, 64 programmable patterns, trigger in, trigger out, individual (DIN) and stereo outputs; bass drum, snare, 3 toms, handclaps, cymbal, open & closed hi-hat.
+ Wonderful sounds for the money, light and compact;
- terrible ergonomics, thus difficult to use;
= Germany's little digital gem, though made in small quantities so you don't see many about.

MPC

Music Percussion Computer - £299 Nine-voice analogue/digital hybrid drum machine. 26 programmable bars, 25 programmable sequences, eight pads for live playing, real- and step-time programming, individual and mix outputs, tape sync facility, ZX81 interface; bass drum, snare, open and closed hi-hat, 4 toms, handclap, cymbal.
+ A marvellous idea (like a cheap Inpulse One, though the MPC came first) backed up with some presentable sounds;
- no MIDI, Sinclair software not very friendly;
= a pioneer coming to the end of its useful commercial life, though it's still a worthwhile machine, and new MPC pricing policy makes it something of a bargain.

MXR

Drum Computer - £995 12-voice digital drum machine. 100 programmable patterns, 100 songs, sync to and from tape, individual and stereo outputs, cassette storage of programs; bass drum, snare, rimshot, 3 toms, bell, open & closed hi-hat, cymbal, claps, block.
+ Punchy, dynamic sounds, well laid-out controls;
- lacks decent tuning and interfacing facilities;
= another golden oldie (two years!) made cheaper by increased competition.

OBERHEIM

DX - £1575 18-voice digital drum machine. 100 programmable patterns, 50 songs, LED display, individual, stereo and mono outputs, real- and step-time programming, instrument sync (96ppqn) and sync to and from tape facilities, alternative sound chips available; 3 bass drums, 3 snares, 3 hi-hats, 3 toms, 3 cymbals, 2 shakers, handclap.
+ Usual Stateside virtues of good sounds and easy chip replacement for voicing variety;
- usual Stateside vice of relatively high cost;
= an underrated machine with price-tag that's ensured a low profile in UK, but updated version with MIDI as standard available soon, price TBA.

DX Stretch - £TBA Hardware add-on for DX giving additional voices and MIDI facility. To be reviewed.

DMX - £2975 20-voice digital drum machine. 200 programmable patterns, 100 songs, real-and step-time programming, individual, stereo and mono outputs, sync (96ppqn) equipped, cassette storage of programs; 3 bass drums, 3 snares, hi-hat, gunshot, 2 toms, noise, conga, timbale, tambourine, rimshot, shaker, handclaps, cowbells, clave, 2 cymbals, punch.
+ As for DX, plus usefully large range of onboard voices;
- again, mainly the price;
= the original Linn-beater, but like its rival, feeling the pinch from more cost-effective competition.

ROLAND

TR707 - £525 12-voice digital drum machine. 64 programmable patterns, liquid crystal display, real- and step-time programming, individual and stereo audio outputs, MIDI (In, Out) and Sync 24 equipped, cartridge and cassette storage of programs; 2 bass drums, 2 snares, 3 toms, rimshot, cowbell, handclap, tambourine, open & closed hi-hat, 2 cymbals.
+ Marvellous sounds, DR110-like display makes programming a piece of cake once you're suitably acclimatised, cartridge storage is great relief after tape, useful set of separate outputs;
- not nearly as well-built as Roland's old TR808 analogue flagship, idiosyncratic programming technique, no individual voice tuning;
= despite its limitations, the best middle-market drum box available - if you like Roland's programming system.

TR727 - £525 15-voice percussion version of TR707: facilities as above except for voicing. 2 bongos, 3 congas, 2 timbales, 2 agogos, 2 whistles, quijada, cabasa, maracas, star chimes.
+ All the 707's attributes, with an equally marvellous selection of sounds;
- 707 and 727 together cost too much: if only Roland believed in replacement voice chips;
= like a big-budget Korg DDM220 and every bit as useful - if you like Latin sounds.

TR909 - £425 11-voice analogue/digital hybrid drum machine. 96 programmable patterns, real-and step-time programming, LED display, individual and stereo outputs, MIDI (In, Out, Thru) and sync 24 equipped, cartridge and cassette storage of programs; 2 bass drums, 2 snares, 6 toms, rim shot, handclap, open & closed hi-hat, 2 cymbals.
+ Mainly-analogue sounds will retain charm so long as TR808 remains in fashion...;
- ...but sound weak next to Roland's own digital fare;
= outdated machine now out of production, too, but haggle with the dealer and you've got yourself a bargain.

SEQUENTIAL

TOM - £795 Eight-voice digital drum machine. 99 programmable patterns, programmable tuning and volume, reverse play of sounds, real-and step-time programming, MIDI-equipped.
+ Basic sounds are pretty good, more sounds available on cartridge, unique sample reversal is a great gimmick;
- lacks separate voice outputs, not as well built as Drumtraks;
= confirmation of Sequential's electro-drum prowess, though lack of individual outputs should ensure continued success of Drumtraks as well.

Drumtraks - £995 13-voice digital drum machine. 99 programmable patterns, LED display, programmable pitch and volume, individual and mono output, MIDI (In, Out), sync (24 or 48out, 24ppqn in) equipped, cassette storage of programs, alternative sound chips available; bass drum, snare, rimshot, 2 toms, 2 cymbals, open & closed hi-hat, claps, tambourine, cow-bell, cabasa.
+ Superb sounds, tuning and editing facilities unrivalled at this price, sound chips interchangeable with Linn's;
- not as well laid-out as later TOM, though it's not that tricky to use anyway;
= in terms of programming and tuning flexibility, still very hard to beat.

TECHNICS

DP50 - £595 25-voice (15 programmable) digital drum machine. Stereo outputs, MIDI (In, Out, Thru), 7 programmable patterns, 4 preset patterns per programmable voice; programmable sounds: bass drum, snare, 4 toms, 2 congas, tambourine, handclaps.
+ Well built, some excellent (but non-programmable) exotic percussion sounds;
- complicated to use, no proper song storage or output facilities, preset patterns take up vital memory space, programmable sounds lack definition;
= too flawed for professionals to take it seriously - unless they work in a cocktail bar.

YAMAHA

RX21 - £249 Nine-voice version of RX11 and RX15. 56 programmable and 44 preset patterns, real- and step-time programming, built-in LCD, stereo outputs, MIDI (In, Out), cassette storage of programs; bass drum, snare, 3 toms, open & closed hi-hat, crash cymbal, handclaps.
+ Same strong sounds as its more expensive RX brethren, disarmingly cheap;
- same programming difficulties as RX15/11, stereo outputs are restricting, suspect build quality in places;
= excellent value for money if stereo outputs aren't an insurmountable problem - spells big trouble for the rest of the big drum machine guns.

RX15 - £499 15-voice version of RX11; spec as below except: stereo only outputs, cassette only storage; bass drum, 2 snares, rimshot, 3 hi-hats, 3 toms, 2 cymbals, handclaps, cowbell, shaker.
+ Fine sounds, good range of editing facilities, informative (if limited) LCD;
- not the easiest machine to use, lacks individual voice tuning;
= Yamaha's first venture into programmable drum machines is a real success, especially in the context of an X-series MIDI system.

RX11 - £799 29-voice digital drum machine. 99 programmable patterns, real- and step-time programming, liquid crystal display, individual and stereo outputs, MIDI (In, Out) and selectable sync outputs, cartridge and cassette storage of programs; 3 bass drums, 8 snares, 2 rimshots, 5 hi-hats, 4 toms, 2 cymbals, 2 handclaps, 2 cowbells, shaker.
+ As RX15 only more so, separate outputs make it a studio user's dream;
- more complicated than RX15, hence even trickier to use, range of sounds lacks imagination;
= serious competitor for Roland TR707, once you've overcome its user-unfriendliness.

ELECTRONIC DRUM CHECKLIST

CLAVIA

ddrum - £295 Single-pad digital unit using ROM cartridges. Different duration sample chips available, battery powered, pitch control, trigger in.
+ Magnificent sound quality thanks to sample recording care on factory's part, vast (and expanding) range of sounds both conventional and unconventional;
- almost absurdly expensive, digital noise intrudes on some samples, not everybody likes the idea of hitting a small, square pad;
= the Rolls-Royce of digital drum units and similarly pricey, thus not very widely distributed.

ddrum Rack System - £2023 Five-channel, rack-mounted digital electronic drum kit comprising ddrum electronics and set of Remo heads, expandable to eight channels, individual outputs. To be reviewed.

DYNACORD

Percuter - £550 Eight-channel digital electronic drum kit. Interchangeable digital modules, individual and stereo outputs.

Big Brain - £795 16-channel drum sequencer. 50 programmable songs, 100 user-programmable patterns (50 optional preset or programmable), cassette storage of programs, MIDI (In, Out, Thru), Sync In & Out.

Boomer - £725 Digital percussion sound-sampler. Trigger in from pad or sequencer, editing facilities.

Digital Hit - £125 Single-voice digital percussion module. All Dynacord electronic percussion machines to be reviewed.

HOHNER

CDX9 - £TBA Eight-voice, seven-pad, digitally-sampled electronic drum kit. 2U rackmounted voice unit, overall tuning facility, individual and stereo outputs.

CDX11 - £TBA As above, but with five voices and rimshot.

CLX1 - £TBA LFO unit for CLX2.

CLX2 - £TBA Individual drum voice module. Pad/MIDI triggering.

CQX3 - £TBA Real-time drum sequencer. MIDI (In, Out, Thru), external input from pads. All Hohner electronic percussion machines to be reviewed.

KLONE

MultiKlone - £399 Five-channel analogue drum kit. 5 identical sound channels, 5 Trigger Ins, 5 Audio Outs, auto flam facility.
+ Flexible budget electronic drum kit, useful as either an add-on to an acoustic kit or in its own right;
- only one preset and one user-programmed sound simultaneously available for each channel;
= remarkably good sounds for very little money, deserves to rule the budget roost for quite a while.

Dual Percussion Synthesiser - £299 Two-channel analogue electronic drum add-on. Basic spec as Kit 2.
+ Again, it looks good and it sounds OK, plenty of scope for 'weird' sound effects in addition to conventional percussion voices;
- drum sounds lack bottom, feel;
= useful addition to either a MultiKlone or (better) an acoustic set-up.

MAXIM

Electronic Drum System - £500 Five-channel analogue electronic drum kit. Mix, stereo and individual outputs, one factory preset, two user-programmable presets, one live setting, FX send/return, provision for two extra modules. To be reviewed.

MPC

DSM1 - £199 Non-programmable electronic drum module. Sensitivity, decay, pitchbend, pitch, noise and click controls. Can be triggered by MPC Standard or Super Pads.

DSM8 - £199 Auto-tom unit producing tom roll from single pad strike or sequencer trigger, incorporates voicing circuitry and sequencing electronics.
+ Certainly very clever, and pretty cheap for what you get;
- has to be powered from MPC drum module, built-in tom sounds are hardly revolutionary;
= decent budget sequencing machine for the lazy and/or incompetent.

DSM32 - £299 128-memory analogue electronic drum module. Spec as for DSM1 plus modulation control.
+ Excellent analogue sounds, mod control widens sonic vocabulary to include FM-like synth timbres, programmability well worth having;
- dynamics not programmable, single decay control;
= a very neat analogue kit, especially when triggered by same company's Super Pads (£299 for five with stands).

Programmer 8 - £199 Eight-channel drum sequencing software for ZX81, Spectrum or Commodore 64 computers.
+ Superb graphics display similar to Roland TR707/Yamaha RX software, hardware can be triggered by just about any electronic percussion device;
- Sinclair models lack sync facility, have software stored on tape;
= well-considered package that makes drum programming a cinch and is capable of remembering an entire set's worth of rhythm patterns. All MPC products susceptible to price reductions following company's decision to deal with customers direct on mail order basis.

PEARL

DRX1 - £1020 Five-pad analogue electronic drum kit with eight user-programmable kit sounds.
+ Superb, responsive pads are among best available, unique Overtone control makes Latin Percussion sounds a possibility;
- basic drum sounds lack character, kit a little pricey, needs overall volume control;
= more than many, a drummer's electronic kit - or what you'd expect from an acoustic drum manufacturer.

ROLAND

DDR30 - £1950 Digital electronic drum kit. Six-voice rack-mounted sound module, eight memories per voice, 32 kit memories, MIDI In and Out, individual and stereo outputs. To be reviewed.

SIMMONS

Clap Trap - £75 Single percussion unit for clap and similar sounds, not in second (digital) generation, internal trigger source, triggers to foots witch/mic/tape.

SDS1 - £250 Single pad digital module/pad. Derives sound from EPROM, battery power, external trigger.

SDS6 - £1435 Eight-channel programmable drum sequencer. Programmable dynamics, 250 patterns per sequence, MIDI-equipped.
+ Marvellous (and much-copied) LED pattern display, new-found MIDI compatibility;
- a little bit expensive, all things considered;
= a custom sequencer that makes an awful lot of sense for existing Simmons owners.

SDS7 - £2156 Five-channel analogue/digital hybrid electronic drum kit. Expandable to 12 channels, each channel has individually-controllable analogue, digital and noise sound sources, 100 different 'kit' programs.
+ Unrivalled sonic flexibility thanks to variety of sound sources, handy 'pad' program selector, impeccable pad design;
- if you can afford it, nothing;
= rapidly becoming to the electronic drum world what the Linn Drum is to the drum machine market, and deservedly so: MIDI coming soon.

SDS9 - £1199 Five-channel analogue/digital hybrid electronic drum kit. Interchangeable PROM sounds, 20 user-programmable kits, 20 factory-programmed kits, auto-trigger facility, tape storage of sounds, individual outputs, MIDI-equipped. Software-generated bass drum, sampled snare, cross-stick and rimshot, 3 analogue toms.
+ Packed jam full of features, all of them useful, well packaged and above all, extremely good-sounding;
- not particularly cheap, doesn't make the tea;
= has just about everything a modern drummer, studio owner, or session programmer could want from an electronic drum kit.

SDS200 - £360 Twin-channel analogue electronic tom synth. Individual, stereo and mix outputs. To be reviewed.

SDS400 - £550 Four-channel analogue electronic tom synth. Individual, stereo and mix outputs, run generator feature. To be reviewed.

SDS800 - £630 Four-channel analogue electronic drum kit. Bass drum, snare, two tom channels, individual, stereo and mix outputs, built-in run generator. To be reviewed.

SDS EPB - £392 EPROM blower to be triggered by SDS7 and SDS1. Blows 8K and 16K EPROMs from onboard RAM, variable sample speed.
+ Quick, easy way of making your electronic drum kit sound like no-one else's, fits in neatly with Simmons scheme of things;
- no avoiding the fact that sampling quality could be better;
= pioneer product that serves its purpose while leaving room for subsequent improvement.

TAMA

Techstar TS500 - £930 Five-pad, six-channel analogue electronic drum kit. One preset and one user-programmable voice per channel, trigger inputs, individual and stereo outputs.
+ Generally good (if derivative) sounds, excellent pads, neat rimshot facility;
- like so many imitators, it lacks character;
= serviceable Simmons alternative from the first acoustic company to go hi-tech - with more products on the way in the near future.

Techstar TS600 - £989 Six-channel analogue percussion synth. Four toms, synth and handclaps, details as TS500.

TED

Digisound - £115 (single-sound), £149 (dual) Sampled-sound percussion machine triggered by built-in switch or external source. Sounds stored on EPROM.
+ High sound quality, ever-growing factory library of EPROM voices, now dynamic as well;
- a teeny bit expensive, dual bass-and-snare model a bit silly as sounds can't be triggered together;
= a neat electro-percussion add-on for non-drummers fed up with their drum-machine sounds.

Digimemory - £TBA Universal EPROM version of Digisound. To be reviewed.

The Winner - £TBA Microprocessor-controlled EPROM blower/programmer, built-in MIDI and serial computer interfacing. To be reviewed.

ULTIMATE PERC

UP5 - £555 Five-pad analogue electronic drum kit. Eight preset kit voicings, individual and stereo outputs.
+ Fine analogue sounds, follows Simmons philosophy of deliberately restricting range of sounds available;
- nothing, save that it doesn't have Simmons written on it;
= so long as you don't want access to a wide variety of drum sounds, the best way of getting into electronic drums.

K2 - £745 Analogue electronic drum kit. To be reviewed.

WERSI

CX5 - £TBA Electronic drum system comprising digitally-sampled drum sounds, five triggering pads, drum sequencer with 27 drum sounds, 64 pre-programmed rhythm patterns and one user-programmable song. To be reviewed.