The First Famous Drum Machine!

The Roland CompuRhythm or CR-78 from 1978 is arguably the first famous drum machine. In this short video, I take a look at why that is.
Free sample pack: drive.google.c...
Thanks to the owner of this CR-78 and thanks to Autoy for filling in the sounds I couldn't get due to it needing a visit to the synth doctor.

[@AlexBallMusic]

Add your favourite CR-78 hits below.

[@AlexBallMusic]

wHaT aBoUt gArY nEwMaN?!

[@ciro_costa]

Radiohead's the numbers and present tense the PTA backyard performance

[@fjfrancois]

@@AlexBallMusic Lol 😂

[@fjfrancois]

What about The Chauffeur by Duran Duran

[@studiomilo]

Duchess - Genesis

[@Wacholder]

Every German teenager from the 80ies will know this drum machine as it was prominently used in every second "Drei Fragenzeichen" music track :)

[@AlexBallMusic]

Thanks for the tip. Don't know that one.

[@MaccWebber]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/o5LIh2WEhJ2Gpbs kzbin.info/www/bejne/p2qYk3mugM2Kmpo kzbin.info/www/bejne/r6S3gHl9psl0qJI kzbin.info/www/bejne/eqGnkq2Lo7CdfKs kzbin.info/www/bejne/fJ7MoGZtj5WsY9E

[@peterstanchion3197]

In Australia it was called the 8𝘓-ꓤϽ.

[@alfredgravy6375]

Top notch pete

[@nebula0697]

Wow that's flippin' random dude. And strangely familiar...

[@annother3350]

I've heard your vinyl; spins the opposite way to ours

[@alfredgravy6375]

@@annother3350 yes true US and English pressings are particularly troublesome

[@reggiep75]

@@annother3350 - Yeah, devil record players that need the arm snapped off and attached on the left hand side!

[@Laborejo]

Alex Ball's finger snap is so famous that a Prophet 10 becomes a mere backdrop for it.

[@AlexBallMusic]

A recreation of the video where Daryl Hall is clicking over a Prophet~5.

[@marcuspearson6214]

I use to be John Foxx's window cleaner when I was 18......many many years ago. And I use to drool over his studio set up. He was a really lovely bloke who was extremely down to earth.

[@MA_GE08]

In what year?

[@AlexBallMusic]

Ah nice story. He does seem like a nice guy whilst also looking like he appeared from another planet, fully grown and playing a synth.

[@ElectricApe]

@@AlexBallMusic Met him after a gig in Brighton, and I was a giggling 13 yr old again. He was lovely and very patient. PS. Do check out the No-One Driving double 7" which contains some instrumental gold in the shape of Glimmer and Dr No...

[@theaudioeng]

😯😁🙌

[@marcuspearson6214]

@@MA_GE08 sorry for late reply, I have only just seen your question, it must have been 1989 as I was driving my triumph spitfire around with the roof down and my ladder on the front seat

[@philmarsh5593]

I grew up with Numan, Foxx and Warren Cann mod'ing his like hell so its cool 40 years later to see comments from people discovering that for the first time. Cann said there are tuning pots inside the 78 - he altered the decay of the kick as the standard kick tended to go "BOING!" through a PA instead of "THUD!". They didn't use backing tracks live so he also had it mod'ed to display a tempo readout as it triggered the bass synths on some tracks. Anyway, great little vid as always - but 2 small things you missed off - the programming part was done by a plugin write switch, and the 78 came in 2 finishes - the "rock and roll" black you showed, and the "creaky organist" wooden case. Alex Ball - preserving EM tech history for the future. Nice one. :)

[@user-yc5um2pl5v]

Warren Cann is an unsung hero of drums, both acoustic and especially electronic. His legacy is long overdue for reappraisal.

[@CHESEABUN]

Just love the percussive sounds of the CR 78. Still sounds great today. One song to add using the CR 78. “Games without frontiers” Peter Gabriel. Many thanks Richard.

[@CrossCuntryFranco]

Wasn't the CR-78, but the PAiA Programmable Drum.

[@TLGElectro]

I love this drum machine , there's a Genesis gig from 1980 ( available on KZbin), where Phil Collins "plays" it, in the intro to the song Duchess, he manipulates the standard pattern using the faders. So many iconic songs that were created from one machine, it's the DX7 of drum boxes.

[@jimbob1ist]

Roland the bisexual drum (rhythm) machine

[@keykrazy]

Came here to mention Genesis as well! It's on two tracks from the Abacab album. At one point they had SEVEN CR-78 units belonging to the band! I believe guitarist Mike (Rutherford) picked up one of the prototypes / early demo models during a visit to the Roland factory in Japan while out on a tour, IINM.

[@jimbob1ist]

@@keykrazy I think Phil, Tony and Mike each got a unit when they went to see the demo.

[@ardvrech]

@@keykrazy It's pretty central to Duchess on Duke...

[@electricgrand7929]

@@jimbob1ist Serial numbers 4, 5, and 6, I think it was.

[@nonahyobusiness8063]

METAMATIC IS A MUST HAVE. Damn. Such a classic album.

[@robertgrant721]

Metamatic, what an album. My mates mocked me endlessly for going “liquid in the sheets”! But I knew it was a work of art.

[@AlexBallMusic]

It certainly is.

[@GNeuman]

"Underpants!"

[@macronencer]

I'm 99% sure that Metamatic was one of the first two albums I ever bought. It holds up extremely well today, and the production quality is solid. The other album was Replicas, and yes... I was one of those people shouting "what about Gary Numan?" :)

[@WillieWonka928D]

Duchess by Genesis is probably my favorite use of the CR-78. I Am a Camera by The Buggles from Adventures in Modern Recording. The album also features a lot of Linn LM-1, Simmons SDS-V, and TR-808.

[@audiodood]

genesis used the crap out of one yeah, roland the bisexual drum machine

[@GullySyde28]

Love this drum machine didnt realise Roxy Music used it too. Behringer are doing great things preserving history

[@AgsmaJustAgsma]

2:37 I was listening to this part in another tab, and it gave me such a whiplash that I felt like a gorilla about to drop the sickest drum solo in history.

[@rorz999]

I love the CR-78! It might be my favourite sounding Roland drum machine overall

[@scottkeenan1646]

Glad to see Metamatic getting a mention, still listening to that record. A little nod to John Foxx me thinks in your excellent, as ever, outro tune. Your channel is ace btw.

[@AlexBallMusic]

Harnessing a touch of the old Foxx there, yes. 😉

[@bobz1736]

Still got the vinyl I bought when it came out... love it 😀

[@TheUnfinishedSynth]

Metamatic's such a fab album. John Foxx was great being interviewed on Martyn Ware's Electronically Yours podcast recently.

[@MrValBar2]

I really dig this jam at the end, very creative use of MS-20 and also REALLY FREAKIN COOL harmony

[@AlexBallMusic]

Thank you

[@markusfuller]

One of those drum machines I would love to own but they just get more and more expensive. great demo Alex

[@PorchBass]

The cyclone clone tt78 is very good!

[@spacemodular]

The evil B is supposed to release a version at some point as well.

[@GrumpyTim]

Amazing!!! I'd never heard of the CR-78 yet as soon as I heard it everything sounded so familiar - all those tracks that shaped my musical taste. Awesome stuff Alex.

[@AlexBallMusic]

Yep, there it was all along!

[@chibacityblues2003]

When I was in 7th grade Metamatic was one of my favorite albums! It was just as I started to realize that I wanted to get into music production,. I had no idea it was as a CR-78 for the drums! But listening back through it it’s really clear!!! Thanks for mentioning it, I’ve been having a lot of fun relistening to it again!

[@AlexBallMusic]

An important album for so many, even though it's not widely known in popular culture, yeah.

[@guyinsf]

The Heart of Glass intro is so iconic!

[@theleastsignificantbit4794]

My friend Jeff was a drummer for a somewhat famous Texas band. His brother played that John Foxx album nonstop until Jeff turned “Underpass” into “Underpants” and his brother couldn’t listen to the song anymore. UNDERPANTS!

[@achomik1999]

1. The Cure - New Day [Ariel is also great but has no full version due to tape's run-out during live recording...] 2. The Glove - Looking-glass Girl [a rare case of using CR78's accent function] 3. Depeche Mode - In Chains [I would choose Barrel Of A Gun if I was certain it's CR78] 4. John Foxx - A New Kind Of Man [from the best album ever (eq aequo with Violator

[@user-yc5um2pl5v]

"Face the future, face it now, you can't stop it anyhow" :)))

[@richardballinger517]

Very John Foxx ish track at the end there. Have Metamatic on original vinyl, cd and the later released 3CD set, great album and sounds why I've loved synthesizers since I first took note of them as a kid being used by ABBA. Great video as usual.

[@AlexBallMusic]

CR-78 and Odyssey and you're already amongst the Foxxes. 😉

[@CaidicusProductions]

Excellent micro-documentary about a cool piece of kit. Thanks for another great presentation, Alex.

[@Esrom_music]

With out a doubt. My favorite drum machine sound. Duchess was such a game changer

[@superserge]

Thank you, Alex! It was brief but informative. All musical examples took me back to a pleasant past.

[@jakelawson1]

Massive love for referencing the "I Can't Go For That" video.

[@SamLowryDZ-015]

Yes I was screaming at the screen and then you pulled out that album and I was immediately calmed and transported.

[@AlexBallMusic]

😉

[@travelandmiscellaneous4871]

Love the song at the end. Sounds like a timeless classic from 1981!

[@AlexBallMusic]

78 and old synths FTW!

[@JorbLovesGear]

The prophet glamour-shot snapping for I can't go for that 🤣😂🤣🔥🔥

[@AlexBallMusic]

😉

[@masonx3376]

Finally! Love the CR-78! I'm gonna pick one of these up one day!

[@user-yc5um2pl5v]

Ha-ha! Prepare to pay a fortune! Videos like this drive the prices skywards.

[@Darrin.Crawford]

Wait for the Behringer clone to come out.

[@scottkinder4888]

Westlicht Performer Module + Blck_Noir is a pretty sweet new rendition of the CR-78. My go to setup. Thanks for the vid!!

[@AlyxxTheRat]

Metamatic by John Foxx is one of the best synth albums of the 80s, highly recommended listening.

[@L.DOT.P.]

This is such an awesome sound! It speaks to me so much lol... and thank you for the sample pack!

[@CraigSueSound]

Great Video Alex :) So glad you showed Foxx... It's amazing that damn CR-78 is the drums for the whole album... I will never part with mine !!

[@Bigsbeee]

I once read Warran Cann modded the crap out of his. I've a CR78 myself being Metamatic is prob my all time favorite album ..I send it through MXR 126 Flanger. .Sounds a bit gorgeous !!

[@AlexBallMusic]

It flanges beautifully, yeah!

[@Kkidzz]

Yeah, the song ‘Dislocation’ from Systems of Romance was born out of their CR78 starting to break down.

[@wiidlbeetle3857]

I’m very happy to have watched this video because I had never heard of John Foxx before. I just checked out some of his work and I love it! I’m a new Gary Numan fan and had been wondering if there were any other artists with a similar sound. Foxx sounds similar to me but also different enough to stand out from Numan.

[@scottlarson1548]

@@Kkidzz Warren Cann explained that all of the percussive sounds in "Dislocation" are entirely from the ARP Odyssey which they stumbled on while trying to make it do the bass drum sound in "Just For a Moment".

[@davidhill5976]

Great video! Thanks for putting this together... didn't know Phil used this on In The Air Tonight. Fun stuff!

[@krsTBedfordStudios]

Oooooh nice shout Mr B... I love this machine so much for its sounds, it reminds me of the rhythm accompaniment box (teak vinyl, 6 presets 😉) that I inherited from the old man when he thought it was too hip for his set...! I use this a LOT on the TR-8s... Groovy video Bally !

[@velonaut303]

I can't stomach the prices on Reverb. So, until Behringer releases a clone, I'm stuck with samples. Thanks Alex for putting them out there.

[@nexusobserve]

bespoke synth has a free drum synth until then

[@velonaut303]

​@@nexusobserve I'm not interested in VST instruments, but someone is. Good point.

[@SharpblueCreative]

Yes. The good old CR78 - everything I listened to in the late 70’s & early 80’s had this drum machine on it. Used to go to the local music shop which stocked Roland and play with it pretending to be Visage or Gary Numan.

[@ashfaq1999]

Great roland cr78 video. I remember seeing pop group the quick use this on their song hip shake jerk back in 1980.

[@IanWaugh]

Heck, I remember that. Another bit of gear I couldn't afford 😢 I had an electric organ with rhythms although not programmable but I had to make do with that. My first programmable was the TR-606. Also had Metamatic. Will have to listen to it again now 👍

[@thomasherbert6346]

Sick guy for including the samples!

[@DaveG207]

How did I not know about Fade to Grey and this (and bearing in mind who was behind that track, of COURSE it is). Great video, and loved the outro piece.

[@AlexBallMusic]

Yep, it's really obvious when you know. Those Ultravox guys got around.

[@carlosserrano3985]

@@AlexBallMusic And you got a Simmons SDS-III to make the huge tom sound of Fade to Grey, Rusty Egan confirmed to me they use one Visage album.

[@spookybaba]

@@AlexBallMusic Magazine were the majority (McGeoch, Formula, Adamson). It was only Currie from the reincarnated Ultravox. Egan and Ure from the Rich Kids. The pair from Tubeway Army, too.

[@DarkSideofSynth]

I was surprised too, and then I wasn't. It seems so obvious once you hear in Alex's video. and go... why on earth didn't I realise it earlier?;)

[@Schilliebillie]

I still have one! Lovely machine.

[@bennyshambles]

Props to you, Alex, for spotlighting John Foxx’s ‘Metamatic’ and mentioning that his song (and Virgin subsidiary label) “Metal Beat” was inspired by the “Metallic Beat” setting of the CR-78. I always thought it was his exact inspiration. He also used plenty of Arp Odyssey, so it was a perfect choice for your track. I’m a longtime fan of that album (and it’s accompanying singles and b-sides), so it’s pretty cool seeing it receive this kind of recognition.

[@MPPelli]

Genesis was playing Japan in 1978, and as they were already using quite a lot of Roland gear, they got a free factory tour. At the end of the tour each of the three band members were courteously presented with a brand new drum box. The CR-78 was just about to be put on the market, and it was obviously something the folks at Roland were very proud of. But Phil Collins was almost offended, thinking to himself: "Why the hell would I want a drum box ? I'm a drummer!" I think it's a good thing he went along and accepted the gift, as he did put the CR-78 (and later other Roland drum machines) to good use.

[@carlosserrano3985]

Actually Phill Collins use of drum machine is that he created a pattern and build the rest of the song around it, that is his main composition tool and to finish the product he addis his drums on top of everything..

[@chrisjunosmusic]

Thank you for the nostalgic sound of CR-78 !! !! You create an enjoyable track bro !! !!

[@gamma_noize]

CR-78 is kinda cool. Kinda wondering when Roland will shrink it into a boutique. ^^ And huge thanks for those samples! They're greatly appreciated!

[@TDRKB]

Your videos are like a trip down memory lane! I remember seeing this when it came out and I thought it was more of a toy. Little did know how iconic it would become. I love how you used your Mini Korg 700 in the track. Great video as usual and track.

[@AlexBallMusic]

Has a sound we can all hear in our head before even switching it on!

[@EspenKraft]

I always liked the sound of this. Fun demo Alex! :)

[@blandee]

Fantastic video and the track at the end amazing 🤩 defo a nod to the great man John Foxx , keep up the great work 😊👏👏

[@reggiep75]

I still love the CR-78 after I got a CD with loops on in the 90's. A nice amount of gated reverb & compression and you could turn those little popcorn beats into monster beats. Thanks for the sample pack 👍

[@AdamBorseti]

My favorite analog "drum" machine. I know, the 606, the 808, the 909 and all the classics, but this one has such a unique sound! Instant John Foxx, Ultravox, Gary Numan...... Edit: I wrote this before you even mentioned Metamatic lol my man

[@musique4581]

My favorite drum machine, very expressive sounds.

[@thesequencer4971]

Waiting for Boutique Version with additional "in the air tonight gate drum fill button" 🤩 🥁 my favourite CR78 is Slow Car to China "Gary Numan"

[@AlexBallMusic]

Haha. The button should say "Phil/Fill"

[@thesequencer4971]

@@AlexBallMusic Phill/Fill Sounds Great haha 😅

[@bestrickie2]

Excellent performance to he music you play towards the end.

[@fisk0]

My favorite drum machine hihats of all time, love my Cyclone TT-78

[@tehedx]

Thanks for your video on this Alex! And the sample pack is cool, it really adds something new to load this onto a TR-8S (which is probably way too digital for your studio, but it is a very versatile choice for limited space and budget).

[@carlosserrano3985]

Hall & Oates also used on Kiss on my list too, definitely Roland foundation for the TR-808. Great video and thanks to be so kind on sharing the samples, that takes time and effort, very grateful. Cheers! FYI: I got the sounds of the CR-78 on my Uno Drum, they have the Anthology Libraries with a lot of samples of old drums machines to load on the Uno Drum, is a cheap alternative in hardware mode.

[@tonyisyourpal]

Forgotten Keys did a brilliant emulation of this for Kontakt, including the sounds, the built in patterns and importantly being able to combine the different rhythm patterns (and much simpler programming than a WS-1 :) ) There were also presets, including the excellent “Gary Numan Live 79”…

[@EstuaryMists]

Seconded. Great way to get an authentic CR-78 experience (as opposed to samples) and great price too.

[@Darrin.Crawford]

Thirded, they nailed the preset Duchess by Genesis

[@baward]

Primitive interfacing on this of course, with its TRIG OUT jack! Another track, for all you jazz heads out there, the title track from around 6'10 on 'As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls' by Pat Metheny and Lyle Mays. They also used the box on a couple of other tracks here and there.

[@SeanT181167]

It's my birthday today, and you've just given me a delightful present, made from your own love & effort :) God bless you, sir. May your rewards be mighty and often.

[@TeraGreene1]

First time here. Thank you for this. It was fun to revisit some music history with you :) Thanks for the samples! Will load them in my MpC Live and see what transpires. Keep it up!

[@kevinputry5655]

That's a cool tune you made at the end of the video Alex!

[@mariusleicht]

Awesome. Great sound design throughout the final track. That patch on the Korg700 is piercing my nape in such a pleasant way! :-)

[@AlexBallMusic]

Hey Marius! Got the album in the post the other day, very enjoyable. Beautiful stuff. Korg700 - video coming about that dude.

[@RayinStirling]

Used one right at the start. Our trio became a duo when our drummer decided to quit so we carried on by using this box. A few venues complained that even though the floor was full of dancers it was wrong to have no drummer. In fact the manager at one place suggested we should at least get a cardboard cutout. No we didn’t change our name to clunk click. Amped through a big Vox bass cabinet and flared horn.

[@PantaFlux]

The Roland CR-78 and the KORG Minipops are by far my favorite vintage drum machines. Sounds of the youth, I’d guess.

[@AlexBallMusic]

Beautiful things.

[@ktreier]

Yes, I am so pleased you featured John Foxx’s amazing album!

[@larzonya]

Alex, Thank you for the sample pack! I look forward to having fun with them!

[@AlexBallMusic]

Enjoy!

[@t8283287]

Awesome thanks....soundtrack of my youth...

[@palpiethesithlordofchillin8149]

I'm really into synthpunk right now so the CR-78 is basically my favourite drum machine, not only for things like Metamatic but also Solid Space's Space Museum and Das Kabinnete's 2000's release, Spy Thriller, both of which are basically a showcase of the versatility of this unit

[@onecubicmetreofsound8949]

Thank you for your gear history lesson. I don't think I've ever listened to any of the John Foxx's albums so I will educate myself immediately on this one

[@tonyduncan4875]

Like an animal by the glove with Robert Smith of the Cure and Steve Severin of Sousxie and the Banshees. Cr 78 is the intro to the track

[@ronnyb5890]

thanx for the samples Alex

[@frenchtrace9862]

I was just looking up this drum machine! It was used in the movie "Liquid Sky" for a scene where there is a live music performance.

[@AlexBallMusic]

Oh really? Thanks, didn't know that.

[@frenchtrace9862]

If I see a drum machine or synth in a movie, you know that's all I'm looking at. If I can't ID it right away, I'll spend way too much time trying to figure it out. I knew I'd seen this one before, but it took way too long to ID this one for some reason.

[@minisynthcollective7822]

Really enjoyed this. Great track at the end. ace vid. Thanks

[@baconfister]

Fantastic video as always!!! Thank you!

[@jamesr2934]

Absolutely brilliant video as always, what a drum machine and love the track!! Thanks for the sample pack - a real bonus!

[@AlexBallMusic]

Enjoy!

[@paolobragaglia]

Thank you for the brilliant video, and for the mention of one of the milestones in electronic new wave (yes I'm an old fan of John Foxx), and congrats for the foxxesque track in the video. Great!

[@AlexBallMusic]

Cheers Paolo.

[@leeselectronicwidgets]

Great stuff, I really love the CR-78, though I gawked at the prices and bought a TT-78 instead which sounds similar but has a totally different interface… it’s a beautiful and distinctive drum machine, and yes I also identify John Foxx/Metal Beat (Metamatic being one of my favourite albums) with Metallic Beat 😄

[@airsickgrove]

Just before you showed Metamatic I was saying "what about John Foxx" and a second later... thank you, never had a CR 78 but Ive used machines and software that emulate it o.k. not sure if a facsimile would ever catch its sonic prowess... someday though, some day I will have one.

[@ZenMountain]

Metamatic... great album. Great video, thanks!!

[@Kkidzz]

CR78 thru the MXR150……instant Metamatic. 😉 Still have mine…midi’d with velocity sensitivity.

[@buckrogez87]

Jesus that jam at the end was fucking SICK!

[@AlexBallMusic]

Cheers

[@geertvanschlanger8057]

I usched thisch on Heart of Arsch.

[@0xABADCAFE]

I've heard those percussion sounds on countless tracks to be honest. The bigger surprise was the realisation afterwards just how similar the percussion sounds on my ancient Casiotone MT100 are, especially if you use a bit of EQ on them.

[@Ni5ei]

Ultravox also used it. In fact Warren Cann (the drummer) had it modified so the tempo knob was connected to a digital volt meter to give a readout. The tempo knob is very sensitive so this way he could just write down numbers for each song so it was easier to dial in the right tempo during gigs. I've seen Phil Collins had his modified as well with a multi turn potentiometer for the tempo to have more precise control.

[@baronvonchickenpants6564]

How interesting, Roland made and is still making wonderful things

[@AlexBallMusic]

They are indeed.

[@jaggass]

CR-78's are just great. They work on anything.

[@AlexBallMusic]

I totally used your Phil Collins breakdown video to help me out by the way.

[@jaggass]

@@AlexBallMusic It didn't take too long to figure out. It was programming the extra kick drums that were a pain as it you had to get the timing correct.

[@JorgeAlmeidadamaged]

Thank you for the samples.

[@cerebralkaos2385]

Another great video Alex, and thanks for the samples, much appreciated!

[@vinto34]

Ceramic Hello - The Absence of a Canary New musik - Anywhere. Two 80s albums that feature the CR78 heavily.

[@muz8419]

Thx so much for these samples!

[@theaudioeng]

....... Japan ...... still love that band, shame they didn't live out that long tbh 😔

[@theaudioeng]

​@group-music Great early 80's new wave band 😔🙌

[@comfysynth]

Awesome track Alex. Very evocative of the whole vibe and using super cool vintage stuff.

[@d_vibe-swe]

Nice! And thanks for the samples! I was thinking of Speak&Spell by Depeche Mode, but it doesn't sound the same and it turned out to be a Korg KR55 :)

[@garealtours]

Oddly never had previously heard of Metamatic nor John Fox. To me, sounds like a precursor to DEVO. Excellent discovery; thank you! Also, thank you for the sample pack :) On 2/14, a well-known developer of digital instruments is releasing what many are expecting to be a CR-78 VST. Should prove interesting!

[@briancassidy6678]

Thank you for mentioning John Foxx. Always thought that was such an under appreciated record.

[@AlexBallMusic]

A classic.