Old Friend No. 8 - Alesis HR-16 Drum Machine has left home.
I bought this drum machine back in the late '80s. Never did a lot with it. Programming is easy once you get the hang of it.
The pads are hard, but have touch sensitivity. Some have yellowed more than others with age!
The outputs are OK on this video. I seem to recall having problems with one channel of the primary stereo outs (it has two pairs), associated with a poor connection in one of the ICs.
A sign of its age is that its internal memory may be backed-up onto cassette tape as well as MIDI. There are two mono 3.5mm jack sockets on the back panel for connection to a cheapo portable cassette recorder - devices that were common in the early days of domestic personal computing.
I have no idea how the internal memory is retained - if there is a rechargeable battery inside, I have no doubt that it will have expired by now.
The device is complete with its original 'wall wart' external power supply, retail packaging and instruction manual. For instant reference, a condensed set of instructions also appear in a flap-up lid on the top of the machine - neat idea. You will note from the video that I have not used this machine for several years!
11 сен 2024
