How is the TR-6S so underrated? // Here's why it's great 

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Great timing on this review with all the new gadgets coming out. I picked one up a couple weeks ago and super impressed with its straight-forwardness.

Thanks for the great breakdown of this sweet machine. I discovered a couple of options I did not notice yet in your video, as a total newbie. I have great fun with it and value its immediacy and the sounds on offer. Hope to see the TR-6S again on your channel :)

Thank you for the solid content as always! Due to the less menu diving I’ll be getting the bigger model but it’s refreshing to see this get some love as it’s really a GREAT little machine. I also like the way it looks more than the big one but as mentioned I struggle with menu diving. My ADD really makes it extra painful… Thanks for all you do for the community!

Thanks for putting out this video. Informative and usefull. 👍🏻

With all the hype of the new products, no knock on them as they sound great too, it’s nice to see love for this device. I have this and the MC-101 yet get caught in the watch time of the more pricier gear when I should be working with what I have. Thank you for the inspiration.

Great video, thank you! I started with the TR6s and then upgraded to the TR8s which is a monster. However I keep coming back to the little TR6s. It is so cute, the menu diving can be annoying but once you‘ve learned all the tricks it is super satisfying to play with them. The limitation to six voices can help you focus on your performance and also you can do things on the TR6s with only one hand that you can‘t on its bigger brother. So overall this little drum buddy is a total winner. I also found Roland‘s update support for the AIRA products quite good. I hope there is more to come.

Hey man! Just wanting to drop a THANKYOU for your efforts in making videos. Ive been using the BEST sounding groovebox ever, a dr202, for decades, and through your videos, i realized that the tr6s is the SAME EXACT groove box, except updated... so i just bought one! thanks again!

love this review, thank you!

Love the video. Totally agree. As a beginning music dabbler this piece of equipment is awesome and intuitive, and not expensive..

Fantastic coverage .. thanks for breaking it all down into one easy morsel to chew on and swallow .. cheers !

i love mine. mostly for the portability but it just sounds good too. and now that they have that companion software, writing beats is so much better.

Thanks so much for explaining chaining variations! I was trying to figure out how to trigger variations automatically for ages. This is first drum machine so maybe this is a common feature, but there was no mention of this feature in the manual

I have the TR-8s and it's by far my favourite hardware drum machine I own. Something about the Roland sound that I've always loved.

I got a TR6s a week ago. I love it!

I'm thinking to get TR-6S, it looks great features packed in the small package.

I really want the 808 bass, but there's so many good sounds in the TR6s -- it seems like fun working with all of them

Ah, that’s where the velocity shortcut is! Fully agree about it being underrated.

Thanks for the video. I have a TR-8S but need to downgrade due to lack of space so might pick this up, although I’m not sure I’ll be happy with 6 drum parts. I tried making some beats on the 8S with only 6 tracks but I always ended up wanted more 😂

They're not samples, it's a drum synthesizer. ACB also means that the synthesis is happening at an electronic component emulation level. It's insanely complicated. The fact that they were able to miniaturize it and run it on a battery for the price point they're offering the 6S for is amazing.

As a second hand buy, this is a no brainer. ACB, Samples and FM all in a battery power box; the more I explore this, the more I like it.

I bought one second hand a month or two ago... and I agree that it is underrated. I had a TR8 already and didn't want to fork out for the TR8S, then found a TR6S was a happy compromise. That turned out to be better than a compromise. Obviously, the TR8S is "better" but I like the form factor and the it still brings a lot to the table... without taking up the table space.

Love your aesthetic. I subscribed... I love my TR8s, but the only limit that I hate, unless you know of a work around, is that if you course tune, you can't change other parameters with out losing the course tune. I know holding in the step and adjusting the tuning is a good way around. Also, maybe I'm greedy, but sometimes 11 tracks are sometimes not enough, so I know th 6s isn't for meeeeee. Luv ya, man.

the 6s is my first drum machine and i'm in love with it, i could see this selling higher used than retail eventually depending on how many get made

I mainly play guitar and bass. This thing is great if you import some rock samples. Reverb has a ton of free drum sample packs and you can get some better drum sounds for guitar music if that's your style. Also you can hold shift while turning the value knob to turn it way faster

I feel the same way about my MC-101. That thing is like a micro workstation with a 4 track limit (however 1 track can have 16 different drum sounds and for my purpose 4 tracks is enough). I don't know if they weren't marketed all that well or it was just that there's so much interesting gear out there that some are kind of overlooked. It could also be that it's so crammed full of features that it does take some menu-diving and it can look daunting. This TR-6S looks way more hands-on though. Definitely pretty tempted...

Picked one up a few months back and fell in love. I actually have several “better” options, but it is just so easy and always seems to inspire.

I have an MC-101, I almost gave it to my daughter but decided to keep it as a scratchpad. What intrigues me is it's potential as a portable instrument that's attached to a stick pc. Personally I don't feel the need for a TR-6 as a 101 owner. However, I love drum synths, I adore the LXR, and very interested in the Volca Drum, basically harmonic, glitch drums Drum synths have infinite potential (to a degree). What I am trying to say is the TR-6S can appear limited, but as a drum synth it's amazing, yet more to the point, attached to stick pc (or smartphone) you still have a portable device that's comprehensive, and something you can take back into the main studio and transpose all the midi files or audio tracks into a full fledged song.

It has more sounds in that than I thought. Goes well with either mc101, mc707 or MV-1. So I bought one.

Awesome video! What are the nice cases for your pocket operator called?

It's a great machine! Do I wish I had an 8S? Of course! But I just don't have the room, and if I can't get a great groove going with six sounds, I shouldn't be programming beats. Lol. One thing to keep in mind is when adjusting parameters on a per-step basis...if you want to have, say, a higher pitch for one step, the next step after that needs to be told to go back to the original pitch. Otherwise all steps after that will have the tweak too. Kind of a hassle. Sample import is a bit clumsy, but is a very powerful addition to the unit...almost my favorite part! I just wish the USB audio function worked on Win7...notta.

I love my tr-6s, pair it with another small backpack fitting synth and you can have hours of fun.

Hold shift when dialing the value knob to coarse tune values

I got myself one for Xmas and was having fun making patterns and sounds, but got burned by the fact that “kits” are shared between patterns - so when I made changes to the sounds and effects in one pattern it messed up the others. Didn’t realize this for a while until I went back to an earlier pattern and it was broken. Losing work has a way of killing enthusiasm, so I haven’t used it much since. :( I guess now that I know, I need to be careful to make a copy of the kit before touching anything to do with the kit settings. Still seems like a bad design: I’d rather the kit changes were local to the pattern unless I saved them back to the kit.

I ended up liking it so much better than the MC101 I had bought first! ; - )

Love this video you are Killen it. 😄 🤣 I am sorry I am very easily amused ;)

Would you say this worth selling the novation circuit tracks for ? Don’t need sampling anyway and this looks awesome

Great vid Liam. What cans are those?

sold!

Haven't played the TR6S but I played the TR8S at GC and was really surprised at the punch of the kick drum. I think the TR8S is underrated as well.

I'm sure someone else commented this but there's a ripcord to power the digitakt from a portable battery

Nice blend between MC101 & TR8S, Digitakt sounds different,warmer.

Until a month ago I was under the assumption that it only had the 606 sounds for some reason. After a little research I decided on buying it. My first hardware drum machine since 2017. My iPad will get a little break maybe lol.

Since there is no external input, I wish they would add class compliant drivers so the sidechain feature could be used with iOS apps. It’s a shame that for such a portable device that it has to be used with a computer in order to make use of it. Sidekick + audio/midi interface is a good work around, but I’d strongly consider trading in my TR8s for one if they added class compliant drivers.

I was thinking of getting one, but instead I got a Circuit Tracks. Might still get one tough.

I use the tr 6s and it is very underrated

I had an mc101 and ended up using it as a sample based drum machine because of the clonky user interface. In hindsight, the tr6s would have been a better purchase. I you had to choose between the tr6s and the drumlogue what would you do?

Thanks for your videos on the TR6S, I bought it partly because of that. Do you know if the OUT jacks are screwed to the case? Mine seem a bit loose/wobbly and I'm afraid they might break off soon.

My issues with the TR6S: - it only has 6 channels. Not really enough for your entire percussion unless you make quite minimal music. Worth spending more on the TR8S with its 11 channels if you need them. -the menu diving sucks. I think the new software Roland released a while back will help with that I'm sure though, but I havent tried. Other than that its a good bit of gear and the ACB is nice enough. Theres so many kits in these, but I would recommend the TR8S over the 6S if you can afford the extra bones. Probably not portable though I'm guessing? Its never been a factor for me so I dont know.

Hard to know what’s the best kid of groove machine to get started with. What would you recommend for a beginner who wants evolving grooves, with enough features to allow room to grow in the future?

I've been seeing a lot of people point to the corner and say"here's this video if you wanna see it" and then nothing is there

I think those front panels online with the short cuts on are v good. A tad pricey tho . I’ve recently got me an original 606 now to . /

Hola, una consulta, puedo conectar a mi TR 6S un foot controller (especificamente un UNI3 Parametric USB MIDI foot controller de Logidy)? gracias.

Looks like a good companion to the MPC One.

I recently got a TR6S and I first loved it. Was trying it out for 3 days and carrying it everywhere i went. Than on Friday evening I went to my studio to prepare a live set with the TR6S. For that reason I wanted to upgrade the firmware, because it was still the 1.0 I did the whole process like it’s described in their users Manuel. The update failed while it was running. The TR6S wasn’t able to be recognised from my MacBook, immediately after that happened. I went in the utility menu on the TR6S to check the firmware and it showed me this: -/- Well… that was weird.. because I was scared to shut it off with no firmware version be shown. I tried to get it recognised again from my Mac with a bunch of different cables, even tried a windows pc just to be sure. But nothing. So In that case I had to restart the TR6S. I turned the device off with the power switch. Put the switch back to on… and nothing. No screen light, no pads led.. just nothing. Tried 8 different cables. 6 different pairs of battery’s.. no function at all. The TR8s has a hardware reset button on the unit which the tr6s don’t have.. u can just do a factory reset inside the utility menu. And in my opinion this is a joke for a 400 euro device. And because that happened on Friday evening and the support is closed during the weekend I had to wait till next Monday. Roland told me a replacement would take 1 1/2 weeks. That pissed me of so hard that i send it back completely and preordered a DirtyWave M8 Tracker instead! Best decision I made for a while, when u ask me hahaha

what happened to the OP-1? also who did you get to repair it? thx 4 all ur vidz

I love my TR6, I hate not having more time to spend with it.

Hi Liam! I've recently acquired Roland Tr6s, and the first two days I think I saw an option which was ambient, and then, despite seeking for it thoroughly, i haven't found it. May I have deleted the pattern or whatever is not on purpose? Would you be so kind to let me know where it is located? Another one question, I'm trying to sort out to record in the Sd card. And I have a real mess mixture with the 2 ways on the left side of the machine. And how could I seek for it once recorded in real time or the pattern? The way to save it is variation (letter), pattern or anything more, isn't it? But how can i search for it once recorded? Thank u so much, looking forward to hearing your answer. Kind regards

I am currently using the Novation Circuit Tracks, Roland S-1, 2xKO33, Tonic and a JP8000. So far I feel like I’m not using all my equipment, however, you cannot go wrong with those sure fire drum sounds. Thinking of buying the TR-6S next to compliment what I have, what do you think?

Just got a TR-6s few days ago, which brand of USB B cable do you recommend buying for this machine? Most of the 2.0 USB Type-B cables sold on internet are usually called "printer cable" and idk if this cable can work both as power supply and for data transfer

Hey Liam... Could you make a video where you mix this with your Daw..

Excuse me for be ignorant but I would like to know what machine is the yellow one attached to the tr 6s you were using in the video and what it does?

How do you power your TR-6S or MC-101 ? I seem to get digital noise occasionally on mine.

8.44 or their abouts it sounded just like Tears. Mr knuckles.. Frankie, got to say the boutique tro6. Is amazingly good tho .. to

😮what’s up old chap .. I bought it ( after 10% your recommendations…. It will be in my flat in a few days I’m low in cash … please 🙏 is their any thing I should not do or and/ also any new stuff for a synth new bei .. not a music new bei .. like might of mentioned I’m at a certain age but have been around block with house music vinyl and free party’s /. Y don’t I ask anyone else ..!! Most of my homez are either married and bringing up their children or just not like. Me ../(I will give anyone tips on records /skating etc( I’m eating cabbage 🥬 potatoes for two weeks now. All for my music 🎵 skills

I’m new to music making and considering making a purchase. What would be a better choice for a beginner, this or one of the new aira compact t8 devices?

great video. The TR6s is super fun. I have one little issue and I can't figure out how I got in it. So when I am in TR REC mode from scratch my thing goes to 8 bars, how do I make it all into 1 bar, like a 1 bar sequence? If I try to make something then I do all in the 1st bar and then there is nothing for 7 bars and then the sound is back for bar 1...any help will be appreciated, thanks

I actually quite like the house melody sound in back ground ... but it seems roland out this in the composing ... can u ever get just plain snares and drums ..!I'm still not put off I will buy one soon i reckon... I just bought three master c and j liz toress records quite expensive.. and this is my sound .. I have to be sure .. waited money on behringer stuff etc

As per use : mandatory watch !

The velocity modulation of parameters (for more dynamic and playable drum sound design) and an Elektron style sequencer are some of the key modern features that are missing in the Roland TR-6S for me, not you !?

What do you think of this vs the new t-8

People doesn't like small things... It's like the iPhone mini, you have a powerful smartphone and you can keep it easily in your pocket, but no, people want it big, same here, doesn't look serious... Imaging Jeff Mills performing on this rather than his 909, could sound better maybe and do more stuff, than he does with the 909, but this little thing it's not as "scenic" as the other big drum machine... For me is the only reason... Same for the volcas series...

I've got the TR-6s and I've never rereally connected with it. The presets really put me off because they are just cheesy and therer's something about the process of choosing sounds that justt really doesn't work for me. I've had it for a couple of years, just hoping that one day it will click cause I really like the faders.

I wanted a drum machine and I have only one chance to buy due to my tight budget. I choose 8s instead of 6s.

What about samples management? Heard it's pretty bad. What about battery life?

wait, at 15mins you said you can apply to one instr but you ended up using master and applied it to the track??

You really are making me want this machine lately I think Roland owes you for their best promotion on the TR6s lol , sound with the acb nice 👍 and I kinda like the patterns it can chain or variations, but I really really wish it sampled with line in cause then portability over a mpc might be more justified for me if it had that It would be so lit 🔥 but at the price still think is cool 😎 for all the 808 908 classics alone .

What is the pedal you were using around 7 min

Can you sample over the USB live from your computer? I.E. can this be an audio interface? I WISH these h/w mfg's would add XLR combo ports as well as the ability to be an audio interface to their products. If there's a USB port, WHY NOT!?

For “GrooveBox” functionality, I would just let the 6S do what it does best (without wasting channels), and pair it up with a MC-101 to handle all of the melodic goodness. As for the 808, without getting an actual unit, I find the Roland Cloud versions of their Legendary boxes to be pretty darn good. I used to have an actual TR-707 years ago,and the Roland Cloud version is pretty spot on when my memory compares it to the hours and hours I used to spend with headphones trying to come up with beats.

Shame this thing doesn't have a Song Mode.. I image that it would be a simple thing to add.. I bought one of these, and i love everything about it.. The size, it has great sounds, and you can throw samples into it too.. but i write songs, so i want to programme this machine accordingly.. damn.. i may have to move it on.....

It's always a bit frustrating when people do these comparisons with og gear... Yes in a mix or especially trough RU-vid algoritms and AD/DA conversion a OG DX7 and a reface DX or even a Arturia software emulation is will sound almost the same... But in a room using it live an OG dx7 will rattle the windows and be very warm huge sounding and sounds much fatter than the software emulation

Digitakt actually can be powered using a batt bank

Portability like the Sh-4d

TR-6S gang RISE UP

Why would you say someone would prefer this over the mc101? They seem like they can both do what the 6S can do but the 6S cant do what the 101 can do.

TR-Success ;)

Behringer RD-8 is the closets thing to the real 808. Once I heard it with my own ears, I could never tolerate any other 808 wanna be.

Can it also be unquantized?

There's success in TR-6S.

We can make that Digitakt battery powered

The 6S is a bit more specialised and the MC101 is a bit more versatile. I guess many are going for the MC101 or 707 or TR8S. Probably not much room for a groove box that is fairly specialised and small, when there are both bigger more pro versions and the broader MC101 for those that want something small.

6S sounds like "SUCCESS"

How is the TR-6S so underrated? Menu diving. And knowing for a fact that Roland will not add any features in the future.

Today on Bad Gear... Oh wait...

You know why it isn’t underrated? No trigger out. Even $150 behringer clones have that. The fact that I can’t use this with my 303 is mind-boggling.

All you need is a cheap power bank and a usb printer cable and you're good.

Maybe it's underrated because of that loud knob? 10:55

Is the Spelling "TR Success" coincidential..?? Mmmhh....

What turned me off of the Roland acb driven drum machines is the lack of sound shaping options. It's ridiculous for a non-sample based, true dsp driven sound engine. All their acb synths proper have parameter tweaking aplenty, but the acb tones on these drum machines have next to nothing: pitch, decay, the basics only. And to add more insult, the pcm and fm based sounds expose plenty of paramters. It makes absolutely no sense. I mean, "well, the originals didn't have many params to tweak" is just such a short-sighted excuse. I'd so much rather stick to Elektron or Jomox or whatever else lets me edit the figgin' thing.