The Sound Board

10 drum machines, a pattern engine and effects. We have absolutely been here (many times) before.

You can see why they push Jimmy Jam as the selling point. The man is a bone fide genius. Watching him at work is always a thrill. He has provided 200 patterns here and some custom samples, and the author is obvious without seeing or being told anything.

But that's the thing about Jimmy Jam. He can turn anything anyone uses into something idiosyncratic, cool and distinctly HIM. This is one of my favourite videos on the internet, Jimmy just fumbling about with gear. At this timestamp he shows where the bassline from Janet Jackson's What Have You Done For Me Lately game from - a cheap and ugly OB-8 steel drums patch that likely most of us would skip every time.



I love the sounds of DrumX, but that is because I love Jimmy Jam. Now I can instantly rip him off, but OF COURSE it won't give me anything that makes him so brilliant - the attitude, the musicality.

Ah well, it's available to mere mortals now in Composer Cloud, and to buy on May 27, price TBA.

it is interesting, and I am thrilled that they included the Drumtracks, my personal favorite drum machine.

Not sure I'll bite, but I might...