At the first glance this channel is ticking all of the boxes, obsolete / hated gear that I've been dumb enough to waste money on, high impact cut scenes, bright colors and flashing lights, micro jam sessions and a lit selection of proper memes, thanks for watching, and see you next time.
I was legit like number 809 so I ruined it. I had a Drumbrute Impact and my godson visited and enjoyed playing it and then got a synth, so I leant it to him and then thought it would be incredibly mean to ask for it back. I won't tell him that it made Bad Gear. 😃
@@modularblack It isn't. But the actual quality of the gear isn't what decides whether it gets on Bad Gear or not, it's the amount of complaints online.
The Impact sounds SO much better than the OG Drumbrute. I love it. Kick, hats, FM, and clap is my favorite parts. I don’t think I’ll ever get rid of it.
I cannot express how much I enjoy this show! Not only do we get a great review of obscure gear (often well-deservedly so!), the cut-ins are absolutely hilarious and nerdy, and OMG how do you come up with these great jams EVRY SINGLE WEEK???? You, sir, are a hero!
I love everything about your videos: even though they're packed with useful info they're incredibly funny. And your editing and meme games are the best!
I had my drumbrute sitting on the shelf for years and started reusing it for midi-out sequencing other gear. As it turned out, the pads are actually velocity sensitive. Started to let it run by itself through my analog mixer and some delay and by now i actually really like it. The Lowpass-Filter is suprisingly usesable. And yes i have plenty of other gear to use for drums ( Tempest, Rytm, Octatrack )
The Impact is one of the only pieces of gear that I genuinely love, and I think the hate it sometimes gets only strengthens that. Yes, the cymbals and hats are a bit esoteric and the toms are so bad that their channel is honestly a waste of space on the machine, but the workflow is incredible and the kick, snare, and clap (snare 2) are filthy good. Pairing the Impact's kick and snares with the 909's cymbals and toms is a god-tier combo.
This. I picked mine up for $120 used and I instantly fell in love with the workflow, the big washy snare 2, and the way a little randomization generates nasty closed/open hat choke patterns.
The shining moment for the Drumbrute Impact was its introductory video. The one where a lovely young professional dancer did a wild hip-hop routine while a handsome young frenchman manipulated the Impact producing provocative beats. Winning stuff!
@@AudioPilz The video I referenced was for the Impact's introduction. The video was so "hot" that it made the Sonic State podcast panelists squirm uncomfortably...
Here's the Impact intro video from 2018 for those wanting to take a trip down memory lane: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-JhVIowuArSo.html
This video is ticking all the boxes - Arturia, a drum machine and the TB3. Also, Jam 2 was immense. I have been looking at the Impact as they often pop up second hand at decent prices. Also, simpler is often better when you just want to make a beat and enjoy yourself. As you said, "Of course I do", I fully concur.
@@AudioPilz Honestly the solo + pedals jam is one of my favorite things I've heard on the channel. Reminds me of something you'd hear from Anthony Rother.
This video convinced me to get one of these bad boys recently, other than the obviously small feeling toms it is perfect for a "pull it out and make something fun quickly" type of session, this show is definitely going to be watched by musicians for a very long time because you obviously care about what you do!
Ah we got some phonk in that last jam. I’m impressed to see you drawing from the youth’s musical reinterpretation and reappropriation of past musical forms. Truly a nice exercise and test drive of the Impact! EDIT: Also I would love to see you test the Alesis MMT-8!
@@AudioPilz what an utterly useless piece of crap mmt 8 is! If you play with midi fader you'll eat up your event capacity in like 16 bars. Wtf? Older sequencers were.... Pretty idiosyncratic
I thought I could learn to speed read to catch everything in your videos. But alas I had to rewind towards the end because I missed something, then I noticed something else I missed and rewinded again and again discovering new things until I ended up at the start of the video.
the important thing about this instrument is the fun to price ratio, which is quite high. You can get in fast, figure It out relatively easily, then get to jamming with the random and repeat functions in no time. One of the interesting things is it recalculates random each repeat triggered by the touch strip, so, you can get some really interesting outcomes performing on this box. There's enough voice editing to be expressive and find different ideas, but yeah, still limited.
I just found a floor model in mint condition and ordered it yesterday and you reviewed it today. I'm not a electronic music maker myself but use alot of electronic instruments to help build my songs as interesting fill and drone sounds. I think it will work wonderfully for what I do.
Just picked one up… super easy to use, the sequencer and individual track shift is pretty handy. The random algorithms are comparable to the mutate on the mono station, the note accent , polyrhythm really twist up a nifty beat structure. Hits hard and sounds great!
Top 5 Bad Gear for sure, absolutely in love with its cheap '80s sounds (especially the snare and weird 606 hats), the FM drum, and the fill strip. Mad Analord vibes
You have officially become the third channel I put notifications on for! Unrelated to the bell but I'm very surprised you actually go back and read comments on your older videos (and even replied to my incessant comment spam). I binged a lot of your episodes in the last days because my personal DX7 is growing bigger :D.
Speaking of drum machines, have I already mentioned I'd like to see DSI Tempest on the show? It used to cost a lot, had an awesome feature set on paper, very flexible sequencer for the time, but those features didn't quite add up due to quirky interface and hardware limitations.
@@AudioPilz Oh, that would be so cool. Its biggest hardware limitation is an almost complete lack of effects, so it'd be particularly cool to hear your "now let's hear how it sounds with external effects" test.
@ghost mall I own one and it's not that it sounds bad, it's just that for most of it's advertised functions you can find something that does it easier, cheaper and possibly better. It can be an analog drum machine, but it's voice structure is that of a general purpose synthesizer with a few nods towards the drum sounds - so the sounds are harder to dial in compared to a dedicated drum machine, especially if you don't remember all the recipes for drum sounds. It can play back samples, but it's basically a rompler - can't load your own samples, can't sample from an audio input, it doesn't do multisamples etc, so basically an MPC or an SP-404 is more powerful. It kind of works like a groovebox, but it almost doesn't have effects and automation is limited to the sliders, so when it comes to quickly creating complex, evolving phrases, a lowly Electribe ESX-1 blows it out of the water. It does make for a nice synth module, I'll give it that. So all in all it isn't necessarily very bad, but it does have a reputation of being an underwhelming piece of gear, especially if you think about the price. I'm not sure if there will be enough hate on the forums to qualify it as one of the most hated audio tools, but if Blofeld or Micron qualified, then I hope this one will as well :)
@@tomaszmazurek64I found the dry sound quite underwhelming and not very sophisticated... the distortion sounds amazing, shame that it is either on or off... no real in between. This thing could have been so great! with just some FX, a few UI tweaks, and 8 or 10 voices... My main gripe was actually that it's so annoying that when you play and tweak it live (what is it meant to do) once you change a parameter, say filter cutoff, it imediately changes that value instead of waiting for it to come to the current value... which is a no go, when playing with different sounds at the same time.. The workflow is very fast and intuitive though (unlike what I expected). Like you said it's a hard purchase to justify these days... still mad expensive, and if you really want to use it as a standalone groovebox, you basically need two.
Florian! You know how much I love drum machines so the inclusion of the drumbrute impact puts a hole in my soul. While I was not a fan of the og, I told a friend once they incorporated an orange stripe and a cowbell then I would be sold. I only use it for multitrack recording so I definitely apply eq and compression on each instance and I am very happy with it. But considering 10 years ago no one in their right mind would have conceived of a full analog drum machine for $300 I think it’s amazing. Thanks for posting see you next time!
Lovely episode. Sick tune at the end too, but I can't get over how much better it would sound with an 808. That DBI snare sounds like face punching sound FX.
I love the darn thing. It's quick to scratch a beat, then cheat the manual automations as samples through maschine. I mean, it's a brute for a reason until you unlock it with a more powerful brain.
Great video Florian! This was very timely as I was considering bidding on the Impact on an auction. Would be curious on your view on the Volca Nubass too :)
Got one of these in a trade last year. I think it’s good for what it is, although there isn’t much sonic variety. Kinda wish Arturia would make an entire FM based drum machine. I think that’s where the Impact really shines honestly.
Love the DBI, yeah the Tom’s are weak but if you always use the impact setting on them and distortion all the way I think they sound pretty nice. I’ve used the kick + Tom’s to string together a sort of “bass line” and can be quite nice sounding because the Tom’s are a perfect 5th apart in tuning. This drum machine is so useful for my studio, I even use it as an (all anal log) metronome when practicing 😂
1st jam: the moment you wake up in the middle of a hangover 2nd jam: Unreal Tournament or late night riding or drifting 3rd jam: i kinda want an 80s supercar now, take out the abs, all other safety stuff, tune it to the max and blast the jam inside
I have both, the drumbrute was my first "classic" sounding full form factor drum machine, but the industrial fan in my loves the impact. I appreciate them both for different reasons. They are fun to sync together as well
Here's an idea for you. Take all the bad gear you can get your hands on, and create a "Bad Gear Orchestra" episode, where all that bad gear is used to create a single piece of music. You would use multiple drum machines, multiple mono synths, multiple poly synths, multiple samplers, etc. Pick your favorite sounds and features from each unit, and ignore any sounds or features you don't like. For example, you might use the original Drumbrute and only use one of its 17 drum sounds and ignore the rest. You might use an 80s rompler for a single "orchestra hit" sample that only occurs once in the composition, etc. Since this idea is so complex, you might want to reserve it for a special occasion, perhaps an anniversary show? Anyway, I just love the idea of a Bad Gear Orchestra! 🙂
Hell yeah, I love my DrumBrute Impact! Sequencer is amazing and the sounds work for the electro-influenced stuff I make, plus there’s enough individual outs for sound replacing if needed.
How about a bad gear on the Alesis SR-18? It’s the same as the XR-20, with a sample set that’s erratically organized. But there are some nice techno stabs!
Better than the OG drumbrute for sure, but all the sounds still need considerable processing to actually be good. Let’s keep the arturia hate flowing, please do the Beatstep Pro next!!!
@ghost mall The value knob to sequencer button layout is a wonky mess. Dialing in slide and velocity is more painful than its worth. 2 cv sequences are not enough. 64 steps are not enough. The CV outputs are only positive voltage so an offset module is needed to reach lower notes. Patch cables touching other knobs will prevent the intended knob value from showing. The firmware feature updates shouldn't have been afterthoughts. Muting drum hits feels inconvenient. You have to own other Arturia gear to remember where the polyrhythm button is. The octave worth of pads is practically unplayable and really just an oversized transpose button. The shift options and sequencer options are easy to mix up. We all deserve better than this. 😤
The key I find with the snares it’s to combine the two. Individually they sound like trash but if you program them together you can get some useable sounds
the 80s supercar track is sick is there a longer standalone version? We need an album playlist of your best track to groove to they are getting really groovy 🙂
I tried it and I was underwhelmed, but you had a good run with that mini-jam through pedals. Bad Gear it is, though it's not awful gear. Happy weekend :)
I had this machine once... it wasn't bad as such, but I never found a use for it in my studio. My main gripe is that you can't pitch the cowbell! I bought the Impact rather than the OG because you can 'colour' the sound and because there's an overdrive/distortion circuit. But these days I actually much prefer the OG version. Gotta have those zaps!
Not many are so freak on this Channel but you (shall not tell names !!) That is why I love. I wonder how much time you need for such a video for instance , please tell us. Thanks and congrats
@@AudioPilz Thanks We have in France Les Sondiers network and Knarf explains he will stop ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-oEGiL6tZLIM.html because he is not ableto live from RU-vid, also mainly because the time to mount videos ... Are able to live from YT yourself ?
These jams are wonderful, some of my faves from your channel. There’s a warmth to the Impact which bleeds into the whole mix and makes it thick (and like you have expensive outboard gear)
Hi, I really need your help, my drumbrute doesn't make any sound, I already check all the outputs, updated firmware, I did factory reset.... AND MAKES NO SOUND!
Wait……. With a volca sample, you could record and pitch shift the cowbell and automate the kick sub… add distortion pedal, reverb and slight delay, and you could improvise phonk live!
Hallo. I'm always amazed (in the good sense of the word of course ) by mastering the instruments you present. As usual, a great video. Looking forward to the next !!! :)
Most hated or "bad" music gear is useful if used right way. Even retro toy synth can be very great if used right. Bad Gear channel does and showing exactly that.
its super wierd to see you use a guy from my town in Canada in an uncredited meme appearance. he is someone i run into semi often and that aparently extends to watching this channel
@@AudioPilz the Venetian Snares meme. He's a very nice hometown fixture here. When I see these I remember he is also pretty big deal. And to his credit his live shows go really hard! We are from Winnipeg.
😂Okay, this was a blast! Lol, "globally", and extra brownie points for Monty Python! And just know watching it took almost double the time, I didn't want to miss the memes.
I was on the fence about buying one. Aside from the more conventional review videos, I now check here too, to get an honest view. I now made up my mind.
@@AudioPilz I did not. In the end I decided I need to work harder at getting the most out of the gear i own, rather than moving on to the next shiny toy.
Here’s a recommendation if you could get your hands on one in Austria, the Alesis HR-16. Unless I am mistaken, that is one of the first models to feature a hard drive instead of EPROMs. I don’t mind being shown to be wrong, but I keep thinking that’s the case.
I'd love to hear a little more behind the regular "song mode is not my thing" comment. I get the sentiment just not how to form an expectation about my own preferences. Great work as usual of course, big fan'!
Thanks! IMHO song modes on grooveboxes and drum machines don't make sense anymore. In a live perfomance you should be playing it anyway and if stuff is supposed to be released you gotta get the tracks into a DAW (which is usually better for arranging) for mixing and mastering
I really liked my drum brute impact, the sequencer is pretty awesome and almost worth it alone. I really enjoyed the FM synth section, the roller strip and the really easily accessible, big controls for the mute tracks. It is excellent for sequencing the delicious sounds within the Alesis SR-16 and I found myself combining the two quite regularly. It’s the kind of drum machine that’s eminently playable and tweak-able almost begging you to make some music. I chalk that up as a win. However, with all that said I don’t miss it and haven’t looked back since getting a Roland TR-6S instead.
@@AudioPilz Arturia Software Centre > set the midi channels on the Drum Brute to the same as the SR-16 > use an analogue mixer with all the audio channels from both machines separated = insane tweak-able drum sounds with an arturia sequencer. Much fun, but very inefficient use of space ^_^
So I've been watching your channel a lot lately, and now I kinda want to make some synth-y music. What is a good drum machine/groovebox and synth pairing for a synth noob to jam and make some heavy/agressive stuff with that doesn't require a DAW? (I'm good with DAWs, I just don't want to do that here, I want to do live/jam stuff)
Maybe get a Microbrute (very guitar-like) and an OG Novation Circuit. Complete setup and the Circuit gets as aggressive as you want it to be (sample import, distortion on every channel)
