As might be expected by how, the number of digital drum machines hitting the market has really started to take off, and this latest product from MXR is the newest to appear.

In fact it's so new that, when told by my ever-informative Editor that the review unit was the first in the country, I rushed home clutching this prized object, intent on putting it through its paces as soon as possible.

A half-hour train journey allowed me to absorb the manual (a draft version at this stage, but clear and concise all the same) so I was ready, the moment I got home, to plug the MXR in and start programming right away. Well, what does this box of tricks have to offer? MXR have a long and successful track record in studio quality effects, so I was looking forward to this unit representing the 'state of the art' in current technology.

The machine offers twelve sounds: bass drum, snare, rim-shot snare, high, mid and low toms, open and closed hi-hats, crash cymbal, claps, 'block' and 'bell'. These are all pretty much in keeping with what we now expect from these machines, but I felt the overall quality of sound wasn't quite as crisp as that of, say, the Drumulator. (See MUSIC U.K. June — Ed.)

I must also say, however, that I found the tom-tom sound particularly good, with the pre-set relative pitches arranged very nicely. The crash cymbal was also recorded quite well, although I was a little unhappy with the time offered for decay period, as it is quite noticeable when the sound cuts off even when there's a lot else going on. I suspect that a certain amount of economising on chip space has caused this — a pity as it detracts from an otherwise excellent feature.

The only sound I didn't like was the 'bell', which sounded to me more like a short 'parp' on a car horn! I think I'd rather have a ride cymbal facility instead, as the occasional use of that would certainly help to take much of the dryness out of computer generated beats. Well, so much for the sounds and on to the programming side. Firstly, I must say that MXR must have put considerable effort into working this side of things out really well, as I found programming both rhythm patterns and songs very straightforward. The way a song is built up is pretty standard now, with the basic building block being a 'pattern'. Patterns can be up to 99 beats long (one bar of 4/4 being 4 beats), songs can be up to 100 patterns long. The storage capacity of the machine is 100 patterns and 100 songs, which is pretty comprehensive. Lithium batteries ensure that anything in the memory lasts five years with the power off!

A tape dump facility allows patterns and songs to be stored outside the machine, although I was a little surprised to find a recommendation in the instructions that the tape dump be made to a reel-to-reel recorder rather than the more usual cassette recorder. This, however, is only a recommendation, and I can add that I got satisfactory results doing tape dumps onto a not very special cassette deck.

In order to programme a pattern, the machine is set to the 'pattern' mode; you allocate a pattern number (0-99) and length of pattern (in beats). The machine can then be put into the record mode and repeats the pattern as you build up the required rhythms. You play the sounds into the machine in 'real time' (which means no programming of beats and rests) and a separate switch pad is provided for every sound. Mistakes can be rectified pretty easily by an erase button which allows odd notes to be removed or every occurrence of a particular sound throughout the pattern. There is also an automatic correcting facility (called accuracy) which re-allocates notes into their exact slots if you're a little wayward during the programming (and who isn't!). The 'size' of the accuracy slots can vary from 8th notes through to 32nd notes, including triplet settings, too.

"...I FOUND THE TOM-TOM SOUND PARTICULARLY GOOD, WITH THE PRE-SET RELATiVE PITCHES ARRANGED VERY NICELY."

Having programmed a pattern, the machine has some rather nice little features for manipulating them. Patterns can be doubled in length, copied into other blank pattern numbers or added to other patterns, all at the touch of two or three buttons. This really helps cut down the time taken to assemble a complete song, as very often patterns don't vary all that much from one another. Duplicating the basic rhythm without having to re-programme individual sounds saves a lot of intensive labour.

Having developed a set of patterns, you then switch the machine into the 'song' mode and assemble them in the desired order. This is where you find that it really helps to make a few notes as you go along, eg, Pattern 01, intro 1st 4 bars, patterns 03, 04, chorus, etc. Having made a first pass at assembling a song you'll want to listen and see what you've got. Making changes is easy as patterns can be added or deleted at the touch of a couple of buttons. Again, it's worth making notes as the machine plays through, if only to record the points at which you want to make a change. This is child's play, as the MXR displays the step and pattern number as it proceeds through a song.

With songs and patterns now programmed, the machine still has a few more tricks to offer. Overall tempo is adjusted via a slider, with the setting displayed as beats per minute. A rather thoughtful feature is called 'shift'. This attempts to give a human feel by slowing and speeding the internal clock during playing. Three settings are available in addition to the no-shift base value. The most pronounced one, I felt, rather overdoes it, but the intermediate settings certainly reduce the robotic feel.

The pitches of the sounds are variable collectively by plus or minus 1%. This is a nice feature as it enables you to blend with other instruments already on tape, or even to slot in with some real drums. Unfortunately, it does not extend to the individual sounds, which is a pity as it would be particularly useful to have tunable toms.

Each sound has its own output slider, which is how the levels are set in the output. Individual outputs are positioned at the rear of the machine, behind their respective sliders. In addition to the individual outputs (via ¼" jacks) there is also a pre-panned stereo output (again, via standard jacks) and also the tape dump and receive sockets. The other two connectors are by 15 pin multi-connectors and provide sockets for external triggering of individual sounds in the machine as well as a connection for possible future external voices - these, incidentally, will be triggered via the 'bell' pad.

The MXR can also be triggered from an external clock (via the tape socket), which is always useful as it can thus produce a sync, 'click track' - ideal for multitrack recordings. External appearance of the MXR unit is very compact, neat and tidy, with steel panels, finished in dark brown, with wood end pieces. Add to that the clear LED information display as to the status of the machine, the pleasantly light-actioned push keys and you have a well presented product.

MXR Drum Computer (RRP £1,500 inc. VAT)

FURTHER DETAILS FROM: Atlantex Ltd, (Contact Details).