Sound Master SR-88 vintage analog drum machine repair MF#54

[@ThomasGrillo]

Thanks for sharing this vintage instrument. Loved the boot sale at dawn at the end. :)

[@TheStig1961]

Good method to avoid scratches on the chassie in 2:05. Im gonna use it in future. Regards Stig Österberg (from Dalsbruk in the South of Finland).

[@AnalogAudio1]

a grey version also existed, that one even has trigger jacks, but the blue version does not have them

[@Michael_Smith-Red_No.5]

It sounds like something Suicide would've used on stage. I love it. Great video, as always.

[@JakobHaq]

Great video Markus, live your videos. You e got a very relaxed way of doing things. Thanks for sharing!

[@markusfuller]

+Jakob Haq Thanks Jakob :-)

[@LEKProductions]

I've had some great synth stuff from car boot sales in the past, including a Yamaha CS10 for £10, a Jen SX1000, and a Casio CZ1000 for a couple of pounds each, and my Weller soldering station (which I still use) was only £5. That 5AM rise is worth it; one day it could well be a TB303!

[@markusfuller]

+LektroiD Ah the elusive TB-303 I just keep on looking. one day I could be lucky enough after all I have found some much rarer items than the TB-303 so the law of averages says I must get one within the next year. (i can only wish)

[@marctronixx]

of course i found it helpful! never heard of this gear before but it's great to see the internals of analog drum machines...

[@markusfuller]

+Marc Abernathy Thanks Marc, there are much better analog drum machines than this one. I think this is one of the lowest quality drum machines I could possibly have found.

[@michaelbauers8800]

+markusfuller Achievement unlocked! ( Cheapest analog drum machine purchased at boot sale achievement)

[@markusfuller]

Brilliant :-)

[@mCKENIC]

Really cool Markus! Fascinating looking little machine!

[@markusfuller]

+mCKENIC Thanks mCKENIC. It looks much better than it sounds :-)

[@mCKENIC]

+markusfuller Lol! Well do let us know if your passing it on, I think you might have found a little box that may be worth more than you think! Ive watched fellow modular user DavidH's SR-88 videos and am intrigued as Im sure are a lot of folks! :-)

[@markusfuller]

Im not sure what to do with it. in the right hands it could sound pretty good im sure with a bit of after effects and tweaking around it could be much more than the rattle i got out of it :-)

[@ronnieperez7650]

+markusfuller It just seems to be extremely irritating to program. I think in the 80s someone would be more inclined to make something with it, maybe hooked up to an AMS RMX or something.

[@ludwigkopp8130]

Well done. It came to life again.

[@NeutroWorld]

Great tip with the credit card! Would recommend a set of small tube spanners or deep sockets to use for the nuts also. Its too easy to slip when using pliers!

[@ian_b]

I had one of these but the grey painted version. I really liked it despite it being so limited. It went very nicely with my Jen SX1000. The SR88 died and got thrown away, the Jen synthesizer got stolen with all my other keyboards (Moog Prodigy, Sci Pro-One and Juno 106). And yes, I still weep for them sometimes.

[@nihonam]

Big knob - what is it for?

[@jim3232]

Hello, if the battery connector was for 9v why did you connect 6v to both the battery plug and the power jack? Thanks

[@GoodnightWounds]

It runs on 6v only! This machine will break if you power it with a 9v

[@NicholasBryantBonzaiSequoias]

There was an SR-99 later on.. and the 305 Stix was a beast.. whatever happened to SoundMaster?

[@isoldeisobelle552]

Can't wait for the MK2 kickstarter!

[@galin3world]

I saw some of your videos and this last remember me I have found a Klone dual percution synthesiser in realy bad condition dead potentiometers, unwired wires and already dismounted I bought it ther are a long time for try to fix it but I haven't found shematics. can you help me in this mission? Thank you in advance.

[@Slider2732]

Good tip with the credit card/gift card...not that you'd need to use a working one for this, costing a quid lol The Jen SX-1000 type knobs on those pots are note worthy :)

[@markusfuller]

+slider2732 Yes I think I have £1 worth of parts in this :-)

[@GNeuman]

Was my first ever drum machine! It's actually a shameless clone of the Boss DR-55, which Depeche Mode used extensively on their debut album...It actually should sound better, so not sure if your fix is 100%...For sure, you can also do all Suicide's first album with this beatbox!

[@siccavicca]

Hi does anybody have any info which can help me to give my unit individual outputs .. .. i love these old machines & am part way to mod'ing mine .. many tnx ya'll .

[@jaco-t8g]

Another great video, I like how you open up things and explain the insides. It was your first Behringer X32 video that caught my eye and I have watched every video since. Does this video show a glimpse of an Allen&Heath Qu mixer, did you replace the Behringer or is that yet another repair job?

[@markusfuller]

+jacoforall Hi I replaced the Behringer X32 for the Allen & Heath QU16. main reason was that the Behringer was just too large for my small workspace. I like the QU16 its very neat and compact and you can do standalone multi track recording onto a standard usb hard disk without a computer. so no repair job on this (unless I have to :-)

[@andrewramsey6730]

thanks for the red / black wire reversal lesson

[@RetropUk]

What sort of boot sales are you going to to find stuff like this?

[@markusfuller]

+scumbaguk theres 10 seconds of the early car boot sale at the end of the video. very early on sunday mornings. there are plenty to choose from in the south of england. however I do not find this type of gear every week. its a matter of luck and being in the right place at the right time.

[@lachopakapura]

hey Mark great video thanks for sharing. I was wondering if you can help me out by giving some tips. I have an audio interface, a prism sound Orpheus which is about 10 years old (I think). I bought the unit from a friend who's had it in his studio for a couple of years, I enjoy this piece of gear very much but I've noticed that the unit gets really really hot. Plus when I hook up headphones to the headphone jack I sometimes lose clarity in the stereo image and have to wiggle in the Jack or volume potentiometer. since the warranty is long gone. I sometimes find myself tempted to open the unit up and maybe give it a little clean. could you maybe upload a video explaining and giving tips on how to clean up an audio interface unit? how can i the 'end-user' know if a piece of gear is running too hot. would you even recommend opening a unit up? any information will be greatly appreciated... Thanks a lot.

[@markusfuller]

+lachopakapura sharon lerner's channel Hello. I do not know anything about the Orpheus, however I have a focusrite twintrax on my desk at the moment and it gets very hot - but i have looked around the web and people say it just gets hot but is fine, Im sure if your Orpheus got too hot it would simply shut down as many power chip devices have thermal safety switches built in. I dont think it would be a problem opening it up, I wish more people would get inside their gear and poke around (not breaking it though). the only clean up procedure you can do with these devices is to clean the pots and switches and sockets with contact cleaner, though even some contact cleaners contain degreasing agents and just simply push the dirt around. look on youtube for synthesizer keith he has a video about cleaning pots. or as I just tried type in "potentiometer cleaning" several information videos just turned up in the search list. Good Luck. from Markus

[@rot_studios]

Sounds like a good synth for underground Black Metal :P

[@PorchBass]

Great video as usual! it's a dr55 clone. yes it is supposed to sound like that, my mate has one.

[@markusfuller]

+James Porch Hi James. I think if I put it in a washing machine it would sound better. I should have done that for the video. Doh

[@lesingemonotone]

did you eventually repair it, because it certainly didn't bahave like it?

[@markusfuller]

+lesingemonotone No for what it was worth I just gave it to a friend who wants to butcher it and mod it anyway.

[@lesingemonotone]

+markusfuller the SR-88 behaviour at the end is classic "broken 4011UB". It's a shame to butcher such a nice drumbox.

[@bloodyhell6378]

+lesingemonotone I have the black (early model) version of this and it seems to have the same problem, except the snares fade out after ca. 10 secs. Replaced the 4011, no change. Any ideas what else could be wrong with this thing? I'm kind of suspecting the memory chip could be at fault but I'm hoping to get some advice before I doctor on.

[@lachopakapura]

Thanks for the tips😊

[@tbx0x]

Hi Markus, it is not repaired yet...It doesn't play the pattern you entered, it just plays the first step (hence the washing machine...). Could be something simple like putting in batteries though. Check it.

[@markusfuller]

+tbx0x Hi yes when I listened to the video carefully I realised there was something I must have missed when I attempted to program it, but I have placed it on the shelf to gather dust now.

[@tbx0x]

+markusfuller Actually it is quite a nice little drum box when you program it. Maybe not as your main drums but nice to let it rattle along. :) Along the lines of the 606 and 808 but cheaper, less sounds but still analog. You can find a mod online to make it sync-able.

[@ronnieperez7650]

+markusfuller I never heard the snare. Are we sure it's repaired?

[@markusfuller]

Hi Ronnie. I think the snare was so low you could not hear it on the video, I had a look around the web and people say the volume of this thing is quite bad. I have given up looking at it and it has been shelved.

[@Nervejam]

Hi Markus, did you ever get this working? I just bought one for £72.. and that was a bargain..

[@cresshead]

Looks like a boss DR55 clone, I had one called a Amdek Rhythm Machine was something like £49 back in 81 or 82...

[@NicholasBryantBonzaiSequoias]

+cresshead Back in 1982, I bought a DR-55 and didn't like it, swapped it for an SR-88. Way better!

[@ian_b]

Amdek were Roland's kit division, like Boss were their effects and little things division.

[@Nervejam]

That's not what it should sound like! I've had a few of these, a LOT of DR-55s (still have some) and a couple of EDC-SR-99s. It doesn't sound like it's remembering the snare or cymbal patterns. On a DR-55 the main problem is the 4011 chips - which have to be the right ones as well, followed by the RAM chips. I always socket the 4011s..

[@gavincurtis]

It's still broken. Sounds much worse than it is supposed to. Recap to make it sound less like crap.

[@markusfuller]

+The Dollar Guy It only cost £1 to buy. I have already given it away as it isn't worth spending any money on at all.

[@Mint-bt6wt]

where do i get dat shirt :OOOOO

[@Heathcliff_hensel]

+Mint There are tons of synth shirts on ebay, i picked up an Arp Odyssey shirt recently.

[@markusfuller]

+Mint I had that shirt for a long time I think I got it off eBay for around £6

[@lordjacksonmusic]

Cheer up mark :)

[@markusfuller]

+James Jackson Sorry James. I was getting bored making that video as I hoped there would be something a little more interesting in the fix but it worked out too simple. I almost did not bother to list the video as I thought it would be a little bit too boring.

[@bobbyberetta4206]

Another fantastic video, but I have one question & hope i don't sound like an idiot but what exactly is a Car Boot Sale?

[@markusfuller]

+Bo88y Beretta Hi Bo88y, A car boot sale is similar to a garage sale but it is a place where people go and sell their unwanted items every week like a market for second hand goods. organised in a way with advertisement to let people know where several people will have tables and sell many items from their car boot. hence the car boot sale. they are quite popular in the UK but most are on sunday mornings and start very early.

[@bobbyberetta4206]

Wow that is really interesting, this is something that would definitely work here in Texas if not the States. We have very similar things but not exactly like it. Thank you for the information & I Thank you for what you do Mark, keep'em comin'.

[@xianleung1135]

5am?!? No wonder there's never anything good at the flea markets when I arrive at 3pm...

[@markusfuller]

Xian Leung Oh theres one market I use to go to that started around 4am.

[@xianleung1135]

YIKES! That's when I usually pack it in for bed. (I work nights, too)

[@LFOVCF]

i=note...o= rest BD ioooooooiooooooo SN ooooioooooooioii CHH iiiiiiiiiiiiiiii basic 16 beat pattern, it's all coming back to me now lol

[@tubical71]

Looking similar to a BOSS DR-55;)

[@markusfuller]

+TubiCal Yes they do seem similar.

[@LFOVCF]

A QUID? I sold mine and regretted it. It's no 808, but it teaches you how to step programme.

[@markusfuller]

+LFOVCF It sounded horrible but yes its the perfect tool to learn step programming. I passed it onto a friend who wanted to try out that very thing.

[@Bishka100]

June 2019.....£150 on eBay

[@Bishka100]

Jun 2017: I have just seen one of these on eBay £149 !!!!!!

[@Nervejam]

TB 303 isn't a drum machine..

[@mastercylinder1939]

It’s a BOSS DR-55 clone.

[@mk1st]

Time for a socket set😑

[@markusfuller]

+Mark Furst Hi Mark, I have a good socket set but just could not be bothered to dig it out for this drum machine. sorry

[@muzikman2008]

lol.. bin it Markus ;-) not worth the effort.. great video tho as usual :-)

[@markusfuller]

+muzikman2008 True. but it would be unfair to fill the bin with this. besides in a few years it may be worth double what I paid for it. :-)

[@davelordy]

£1 Depeche Mode

[@matiasss550]

1 POUND >> WTF ?!!!!!

[@kierenmoore3236]

Sounds like a weak lawnmower. :)

[@Mint-bt6wt]

ill pay u 2 pounds for it!

[@markusfuller]

+Mint I think I will keep it on the shelf for a little while but thanks anyway :-) besides I think the postage would cost more than the machine is worth.

[@michaelbauers8800]

What an awful sounding bass drum ;)

[@noddyspuncture]

waste of a £1