Awesome Drum Machines

For the 2023 YouTube Makers Secret Santa, Sam from Look Ma No Computer drew Ali Spagnola’s name out of the gift-giving hat. Given her passion for music and fitness, he got to work building a unique drum machine that changes rhythm based on her heartbeat. Sam received a similarly awesome gift from engineer James Bruton.

Before digital synthesizers and drum machines, instruments like the Mellotron used pre-recorded tape loops to play short sound samples. Musician Hainbach got his hands on a Bandmaster Powerhouse, a 1970s analog drum machine that used custom 8-track tapes to play drum loops. Its now well-worn tape cartridges produce some fantastic lo-fi sounds.

Brick Technology answers the question “Can LEGO play the drums?” with a resounding “Yes.” He built this LEGO Technic machine using a series of levers that tap switches, triggering a digital drum machine. Like a music box or player piano, it uses a series of bumps on a rolling track to tell it which buttons to tap.

The guys from Electronicos Fantasticos! are no strangers to making electronic music with unusual instruments. Here, they show off a custom-built instrument that clangs the bell of an old-school rotary telephone with a circuit controlled by a Korg SQ-1 step sequencer. Now they need to rig the dial with a motor and amplify its clicks.

William Sun Petrus took an old 1920s Remington Portable typewriter and modded it into an electronic drum machine. Basically, it works as a MIDI controller, so it can play whatever sounds he loads into Ableton. He had to remix the live audio so you could hear it over the mechanical clacking sounds though.

Roland’s latest electronic rhythm maker, the TR-6S packs a six-track sequencer into a portable, battery-powered box. What really makes it special is its ability to play sounds from famous drum machines like the 808, 909, 707, 606, along with preset and custom samples, as well as FM-generated tones.

Korg’s portable drum machine is packed with 60 patterns and 120 fills, and has 16 Velocity-sensitive performance pads for editing your own patterns. It can run on AA batteries or AC power, has a built-in 2-watt speaker for practice sessions, and a 1/8″ stereo output and footswitch inputs for live performances.