Cherry Audio CR78 Drum Machine

[Guy Rowland]

Have to say this looks and sounds smashing. It's a faithful recreation of the Roland CR78, but with added flexibilty to tone shape, program and add effects. It's not samples - the first audio I heard the snare didn't sound right to me, but it sounds like you can get it pretty authentic with the right tweaks.

All 34 factory preset rhythms and “variation/fill-in” patterns included

Simple shift-click action to combine two factory presets

Over 250 additional rhythm and sound presets, including special categories that go far beyond the classic CR-78 tones and patterns:

Kits: combinations of instruments matched and tuned to specific genres, with patterns that demonstrate each of the sounds in sequence

Melodic: using pitch tuning and effects to create synth bass or melodic accompaniment along with the beats

All original sounds exactingly modeled — no samples used

Voice Edit panel for mild or extreme sound editing

Familiar X0X-style 16- or 24-step pattern programming

Super flexible pattern and instrument copy and paste capabilities

Swing percentage setting

Real-time step entering via Trigger button

Unlike original, all sounds independently addressable in user pattern mode

Easy to use Song Mode with up to 99 patterns and 99 steps per song

External MIDI sound triggering with velocity sensitivity and user-assignable note mapping

Effects/Mixer panel with studio-quality effects for overdrive, flanger, delay, and gated reverb that can be individually applied to each kit instrument through an innovative “one-button mixer send”

Mixer with independent level, pan, and solo/mute for each instrument

The Effects/Mixer panel also includes a wild and characterful master compressor and six-band graphic EQ

Drag-export function allows simple mouse-drag conversion of patterns to DAW MIDI tracks (plug-in version) or Standard MIDI Files on the desktop (standalone version)

Separate out plug-in version for independent processing of each instrument in a DAW

Super accurate DAW sync

User-adjustable oversampling control

Complete MIDI control and DAW automation for all controls, with easy-to-use MIDI learn and mapping (Preset and Global)

Cherry Audio’s popular Focus zoom-in feature, as well as standard UI zoom and resize via drag

Complete documentation available directly online from the instrument or in downloadable PDF format

Intro price €49 https://cherryaudio.com/products/cr-78

[Ashermusic]

Ok, here goes

Thanks to their ubiquitous use with Hip Hop, then modern R & B, and now virtually every other kind of contemporary music genre, as soon as a song starts and I hear Roland type drum machine sounds and sub bass, I lose interest.

And Logic’s Drum Machine Designer is fine for when I am paid to do something with those cliches.

So I could not possibly be less excited about a product.

[Guy Rowland]

Uh-hem - hip hop was the TR808, which came considerably later.

The CR78 predated it by some way, launched in 1978, and it came nowhere close to sub bass. As the 2nd video shows, musically it's most synonymous with Phil Collins, Blondie, Joe Jackson, Peter Garbriel, Hall & Oates, Ultravox and Tears For Fears. I always loved New Musik who used it a ton on their 2nd album.

But each to their own and all that.

I have, of course, a boat-load of CR78 samples, so it's hard to justify a dedicted plugin. But it looks really good fun, and those tweaks are very welcome (and yes, in this version sub bass is actually possible). I'll probably wait for a can't-possibly-say-no sale.

[Ashermusic]

I am well aware of the history of drum machines, and have owned several, none of which I miss, and none of which I care to hear again

But as you say, to each their own. I am over them, unless someone pays me to use them.

[Guy Rowland]

I am well aware of the history of drum machines, and have owned several, none of which I miss, and none of which I care to hear again

But as you say, to each their own. I am over them, unless someone pays me to use them.

You must hate them so much you're a little rusty on how they got used...

I kinda hope this is the start of a new range from Cherry. I'm actually more interested in interesting drum machine recreations than synths at this point. Cherry have made a lot of synth knock-offs that don't offer much in a crowded marketplace. Sonically they're not the best and there's not much to distinguish them.

Howwever I think a faithful classic drum machine recreation with new options to tweak generated sounds is an appealing prospect. Being able to drag the patterns to the DAW is a good touch (hopefully you can do this with the preset rhythms too). I can't think of a better looking or sounding virtual CR78 competitor, so bring on the 808 and 909, KR55, the drumatix and maybe the Linn - though being Digital there might be copyright issues with that one (not that it has stopped a millon sample packs).

[Ashermusic]

Seriously though, there may be a customer base for it. Btw, if you read Malcolm Gladwell’s “The Tipping Point” he has a section on how drum machines re-emerged after having mostly been abandoned.

[Guy Rowland]

Thanks Guy, for confirming that you have awful taste in music

Jay, this is pretty weird.

You said you have no interest in the product whatsoever because it's all hip hop sub bass and RnB. (post 1980s black music). I pointed out that this particular drum machine is synonymous with a bunch of old white rockers and some electro, and no hip hop at all. You said you knew already. Now I have awful taste in music.

I'm not starting a fight, I just don't get it.

But yes, I'm a sucker for old drum machines. I haven't read Malcolm Gladwell's book, but I don't think they ever really went away. They were organ accompaniments, then the CR78 brought it into mainstream white music. Synthpop ran with it from the early 80s, then rap and then dance music in general in the late 80s. Samplers and loops then too of course, but hip hop and RnB have used them pretty much constantly tbh. Admittedly it quickly became samples more than the actual machines themselves (alongside loops).

There's just a handful of machines that really did change how music sounded, and those sounds are all still well used today. They're like primary colours. Fascinates me how these sounds - originally thought to be cheap and wimpy next to real drums - became so iconic, and entire genres of music came from them. People like drummer Phil Collins embraced the cheesy CR78 and turned it into gold on In The Air Tonight. Soul legend Marvin Gaye embraced the 808. IIRC Sexual Healing was planned to have real drums, but they did the demo with the 808 and rightly decided the sound of it couldn't be replaced. A seminal moment right there. These artists recognised that trying to sound like real drums shouldn't be the aim - Phil memorably used both to complement one another.

[Ashermusic]

Guy, it was an ill-advised joke and I deleted it but apparently you read it already.

That said, I have little love for a lot of music you love and I suspect you feel similarly.

Which is fine, so again please disregard my bad attempt at humor.

[Ashermusic]

I have had a tough couple of weeks and sometimes I am a cranky old man.

Guy doesn’t deserve to be written to as I did. My apologies to he and the forum for my boorish behavior.

[Guy Rowland]

Oh goodness, only just seen this Jay - no harm done, wishing you the very best.