The MR16 MIDI Rhythm Sound Unit is the latest item to appear from Korg and it's a fairly unique product. It's a MIDI controllable unit in which are stored 19 digitally sampled percussion sounds. These range from conventional snares, bass drums, hi hats etc to exotic agogos, timbales and congas.

Although there are many different set-ups in which the MR16 could be useful, it is primarily designed to be used in conjunction with a straightforward MIDI sequencer and MIDI keyboard set-up, in which its role would be to provide the MIDI synthesist with quite a versatile drum machine. The extent of its versatility would then depend on whether the synth and sequencer were touch sensitive, and whether the sequencer could overdub lines. If it could, then you could 'play' the MR16 from the keyboard, whilst storing the data onto the sequencer, and gradually build up a drum track with quite a human feel (being both velocity sensitive and recorded in real time).

Other uses for the MR16 might be to provide alternative/additional percussion voices to a MIDI drum machine, or even a MIDI drum kit (such as Simmons' latest range), etc.

The MR16 consists of a rectangular box from which protrude two rows of small knobs — two for each drum sound (volume and pan), and one big knob for power on/volume. The rest of the front fascia consists of an illustration of a MIDI instrument's keyboard and indicates which keys trigger which percussion sounds.

On the rear of the MR16 are individual audio outputs for each sound, as well as a stereo/mono output, a socket for the unit's 9V power supply (a pity it has an external mains transformer), MIDI In and Thru sockets, and six function switches recessed behind the back panel. Via these switches, you can select metronome on/off, 3/4 or 4/4 timing, and the MIDI receive channel selection is achieved by the remaining four switches — there is a matrix diagram next to the switches themselves which illustrates how the switches relate to the MIDI channel: when all four are switched down, the MR16 will only receive MIDI information on channel one; channel two is down, down, up, down, etc. (elementary binary-ish stuff).

Slaves and 'nomes

As the MR16 is essentially a MIDI 'slave' (it provides sounds, but on its own it has no means of controlling them), you may be wondering where the metronome switching fits into all this. Well, the MR16 is very clever, as when it is being used in conjunction with a MIDI sequencer, the MR16 will give metronome-like clicks from its stereo output, which will guide you when programming drum patterns into the sequencer, or in any configuration in which there is a MIDI clock.

The sounds themselves are quite varied — the two congas, timbales, and agogos are very good and 'characterful' samples, but a little noisy. The conventional drums sound fairly unspectacular on first hearing although they are very 'Eq-able'. It is quite an important point of reference how the sounds of a drum machine react to Eq — I can think of quite a few drum machines whose sounds are quite good, yet simply cannot be Eqed into anything better than or different to their original sound. These are the type that are always identifiable — E-Mu's original Drumulator was/is one such offender.

The other sounds such as the cymbals and hi hats are also quite acceptable — of a decent length, without any obvious sudden endings to the crash or rides where sample time has run out.

Although quite a few keyboardists have had fun playing MIDI drum machines remotely from MIDI keyboards, the usefulness of such a configuration without a sequencer is quite limited; and it is primarily when used with a decent MIDI sequencer that this MIDI Rhythm Sound Unit is put to, possibly, its best use. For me, the most successful way of using the MR16 (with a sequencer and keyboard) was to be had by a combination of step-time programming and real time fills. As certain of this unit's voices are assigned to several keys — the closed hi hat, the snare, tom toms (each tom has three keys), it is very easy to program very fast 'licks' and flams in realtime.

Conclusion

There really isn't anything with which to compare the MR16. Very few drum machines offer such a large (19 percussion voices) selection of sounds, and those that do are not cheap.

This unit does its job without complication, whilst having some very useful 'extras' (such as the internal metronome bleeps which are controlled from an external MIDI clock). Nevertheless, I am not convinced that for this unit's £450 price tag, most of us might not be better off with a 'complete' drum machine — such as Korg's own DDM110 or DDM220 (which retail for under £250 each...). But still, for MIDI keyboardists who have both a synth and sequencer this certainly would be well worth having a look at.

KORG MR16 MIDI RHYTHM SOUND UNIT - RRP: £449