Funky Vintage: Roland TR-606 Drumatix Analog Drum Machine

If you like your gear a little on the esoteric side, then Funky Vintage has the drum machine for you: the Roland TR-606 Drumatix. This analog drum machine is conceivably the little brother to the famed TR-808, but has a much less glamorous history, leading it to continue flying under the radar for many musicians. But that doesn’t mean it should; this powerful little machine provides sounds that have become a standard in electronic music.
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Shop the Roland TR-606: goo.gl/5uTZPI

[@nora1395]

Roland from Big Black is my favorite drummer of all time

[@emmarossignol4445]

I remember reading that from Racer-X onward Big Black used an E-mu Drumulator.

[@cranklabexplosion-labcentr8245]

SEE IM A STEELWORKER I KILL WHAT I EAT.. IMA... IMA BRICK LAYER.... I KILL WHAT I EAT!!

[@Chungusisdantheman]

@@emmarossignol4445Nah, it’s a 707

[@chaddenton5632]

​@@cranklabexplosion-labcentr8245 GREAT BIG THING CRAWLING ALL OVER ME! GREAT BIG THING... CRAWLING ALL OVER ME!

[@bigmaz4002]

@@Chungusisdanthemanno.

[@TwistedMentality089]

606 has the best hi hats and ride cymbal

[@Wally-H]

I had one of these in my music studio. As a hip hop and dance music fan it was a 'must have' if you couldn't afford the 808. he talks about synchronising it with your synths, but Roland used a dedicated sync port which was actually based on a DIN socket / plug and it wasn't MIDI compatible. In the late 80's as MIDI became essential, at least one company started offering a conversion service. If you could find a MIDI-converted 606, it would be like gold dust for the modern dance / house music maker.

[@theanachron303]

Naw, MIDI would rob you the natural swing of the TR-606 sequencer. That built in swing IS what makes it great.

[@jjacob25101]

I had one of these brand new around the time I picked up a used 73 Stage Fender Rhodes and a Roland JX-3P. I had the Boss Hand Clapper and Synth effects, HC1 and I forgot the name of the Synth one, similar to the Boss guitar effects pedals with a rubber strike pad triggered to the two outs on the TR 606, and had that synched to the JX-3P sequencer... Pretty cool set up fir that time.

[@budandbean1]

That is so cool! Tst-tst-tst-tst.... Just pure awesomeness.

[@Luchianopalma]

Selected Ambient Works 85/92

[@mobster9966]

aphex twin

[@simonbecker748]

Ohhh yesss

[@vhsx]

saw 1 was all roland r8. no tr-606 silly.

[@cranklabexplosion-labcentr8245]

Crazy how Richard and Big Black use the same machine for such an opposite genre of music

[@Aidankkfk]

@Ripped Rascal 444 xtal sounds like the 606

[@teunputker]

Awesome drum machine

[@Wheresthepepsibismol]

This and the TR 808 are the ultimate latin freestyle drum machines

[@TonyoPet]

Is that a Roland RE-150 Space Echo in the background? How FUN! You should push the 606 through it.

[@tuddilu]

Yeah, and then the TOMs will sound nothing like real toms :D

[@spicetbedhead]

The beats I love man!!! I swear this music is IT!!! Very underrated and more able to modulate than any drums :) More creation!!!

[@stephaneschmitz8030]

Got one for 15€ on a flea market. A legendary drum machine!

[@jeffblack5024]

I remember playing with both this and the 303 back in the day. Maybe not so much the sounds, but they weren't very intuitive, You had to study both to get the best out of them. They tried attention spans even in the early 80s.

[@33bigggman]

i still have one of these

[@Jacksmusicshack]

did you know that an awesome band called big black used this drum machine for their drummer?

[@mr.mustache6400]

They actually used a 707

[@Tehstroyer]

They never used a 707. They used a 606 on the early EPs and a Drumulator later.

[@Jacksmusicshack]

Thanks Turner! i hate being one upped :/

[@mr.mustache6400]

Did not mean to one up but have a record with a pic of their rack with a 707 in it they used a 606, and later a 707 (which can be seen on top of the rack case in some live clips).

[@wungabunga]

Have to say, when I see these videos on youtube I don't automatically think of Steve Albini!

[@griefytrolly]

Daym this is good

[@kreuhnkohrman4948]

bought one in 82, loved it, sold it in 84...

[@nbuehster]

I didn't think about this until now, but there needs to be special holidays for producers/DJs. In this case, it would be June 6th.

[@misterfung]

Nice another cool trick is if you speed up your 606 into 16th notes in relation to the rest of your kit you can get cool frog like croaks with the toms a'la Rickie In Plastic Man.

[@iamyourfuture808]

not a lover of the 606 but it does sound pretty good here !

[@georgeatte788]

"The tb303 was made as a cheap bassline machine for guitarists" if they only knew ...

[@bryceneal3136]

Used by Depeche Mode on their debut 1981 album “speak and spell.”

[@vinceriley]

"if you are tired of everybody else and their 808s and 909s, pick up a 606" ..haha

[@joachim595]

Vince Riley And a lot cheaper too!

[@normdurkin6425]

..yep obviously this guy never owned a 909 or even a 808.. lol ..I had a TR-909 in the 90's until 2001...

[@tavil1296]

Or a 707

[@wackerburg]

Haha 😂 Now that I have the 909, 808, 727 and 707, I actually think about getting a 606, just because it's so cute. But NEVER ever would I replace a 909 or 808 with a 606 🤪

[@tbrownmusic]

what is the video's opening track?

[@OGGalleryCrew92]

What Does The Scale 1-4 And The Key Notes Mean !

[@MrSlimfinger]

I wish my name was Adjustin Delay too!

[@gregaluise5727]

"It's time for the Percolator... It's time for the Percolator..." (Can't believe somebody hasn't said this yet ;))

[@Zeal808]

Greg Aluise Haha sick

[@barryhomeowner1032]

Is that not a 909 though

[@skum73]

Best hi hats in the world

[@colinrussell2017]

"Total commercial bust" yet manufactured from 1981 - 1984? That whole "failure upon release" thing is a myth (808,909,303etc... okay the 909 was in production for one year) Cool feature no one seems to discuss is that the Tempo knob controls the OH decay when the 606 is synced by something else i bought one for $30 back in 1998 and immediatly flipped it for $350 when i got my tr808 ($1000) I wish I kept it! I was young and naive! I did score a CR68 for $30 and still have it! Oh the glory days before Ebay and craiglist!

[@sullycliftona]

How much now. For an original 1992/5 one. Reconditioned but original,,?

[@xBiiFGaming]

hey fellas what yamaha modell is this in the intro at 0:12

[@konradhausmann6359]

xBiiFGaming yamaha shs 200

[@yougig9980]

I had one of these around 1983. I used it a lot for songwriting, but those sounds drove me mad - they were so shit. I really wanted an Oberheim. In fact what I really wanted was a brilliant live-in drummer with a perfectly miked up Ludwig kit with Zildjian cymbals, available 24 hours a day!

[@Meteotrance]

It remember the reason why i buy an mc 303 in the 90s, it was the only sequencer i can afford, but those one have real jazz drum sound sample on it, it's was more bearable, today those drumatix and tb 303 have a cult following because of the acid house and trance music, was heavily use of those machine.

[@user-ht6qt6zv1c]

I hear RUN DMC's Hard Times in this little thing. Could it be ?

[@blacklabelmansociety]

Damn, his jacket is so dope. Where can I find one?

[@HWSNISNW]

Levis

[@RobertoCordova-vz9dg]

The Howie Tee drum

[@joermnyc]

I have the TR-505 somewhere... interesting, but yeah... not even close to a replacement for drums. I always though the TB- 303 was underrated.

[@ProjectEurobeat]

I really like my TR-505, with good reverb it sounds very powerful

[@jamiebell2164]

Bought one in a junk store for $35.

[@AllenSmithe]

I'll give you $36

[@mrager1719]

!

[@madtho]

Yeah, got mine for $40. I’ve almost sold it so many times, but I just keep loving it.

[@MrTR909]

It’s around 500€ or 600€ here in Germany.

[@raymondbaxter7489]

$30,000+ for a mint one now

[@lars-fenin]

get some sep out mod for this and you ´ll will love it !

[@wetwater90]

Dear Santa...

[@deadwhenifoundher]

You didn't use the cymbal! The beautiful 606 cymbal!

[@martinheath5947]

Tsssssssssssssssssssssssssshh!

[@ChazSeamus28]

Looks cheap, sounds amazing

[@martaraymusicproduction2051]

Justin Delay on Reverb! 😂

[@Zeal808]

Marta Ray Music Production haha

[@I3jeii3j3j3je]

Minecraft noteblock drum sounds are similar to TR-606.

[@DuroSamples]

I was lucky to work with in the 90s... Wish I could find one.. WHy ROland doesn't just re make it? BRING THEM BACK!!! no I don't want samples or some hybrid nonsense...

[@justindelay]

Not exactly the same, but the Roland TR-8 7X7 expansion now includes 606 sounds.

[@DuroSamples]

I just want that little rascal next to me and program some stuff and then post edit

[@UncleJimima]

They’re pretty dang cheap now-a-days...

[@flash92]

TT-606 nice little clone

[@CaalamusTube]

They don't remake it on account of the limited availability of the necessary parts. Some entirely unavailable at all. Also, Roland is out of the Analogue game. You'll notice how when they do release some new Analogue gear... it's a collaboration ala Malekko with their EuroEack gear, or Studio Electronics with the SE 02. Wish they would follow Korg's lead though! :[

[@OmikronGT]

It's fully analog, unlike the 909.

[@jaggass]

This one and the 808 was the last fully analog drum machines Roland made.

[@normdurkin6425]

..yea but TR-909 was easily the king.. I don't know techno head back in the day that would have traded a 909 for a 808.. lol ..I had a TR-909 from 96 - 2001

[@edglue6138]

Anybody ever told you that you have a kisser like Rocky?

[@aaronbourbonnais2555]

yeah hit me up about like five dollars

[@aaronbourbonnais2555]

not analog show me the gold form contact bar yeH bro fucking shiet is how it was

[@aaronbourbonnais2555]

nope haha your not just simething le sigh

[@paxolefeece6520]

Behringer RD-6 is better.

[@normdurkin6425]

..Hihats and cymbal is nice but everything else sucks.. obviously this guy never owned a 909 or even a 808.. I had a TR-909 from 1996 - 2001..

[@ME-ru4hv]

This was the bane of existence for aspiring rockers in the 80's.. LOL nice try tho

[@ME-ru4hv]

@Django Fett 3:22 lol listen to this shameless salesman! When you have to layer the floor tom to help the kick lol Yea 505 but its hysterical to hear this guy pawn this rotten machine as awesome. Believe me its not. Drumatix lol

[@bent540]

hahaha OMFG!! this hipster HAS NO CLUE!!!