Results are in! Cheap Behringer clone vs two real Roland TR-909s! 

People wanted to clone acoustic drums in the 80ies, now we clone the clones that defined the sound of the 90ies to reproduce it 30 years later. Circle of life in the music industry.

Very cool info here. Love the detail on the filters on the main and individual outputs. When it all boils down the minutiae of the details probably don’t actually make a difference overall from a musical perspective but it does help explain the minor differences we can hear. I’ve never owned a 909 but have so many records with it on I feels like I know it inside out. The overall feel is there for me - and it’s great to understand why there are specific differences. Respect for the detail 👍

Fascinating, thanks for the video!

Brilliant work! Thank you!

Excellent video. Thanks for the detailed breakdown

Thank you for the very thorough comparison.

This was awesome! :-) Thank you!

This was awesome. Thanks for taking the time to do the comparison.

Great work!!!

30-40 year old electronics in the original are going to make a difference. Also I'm sure if you played someone a Roland 909 and told them it was a Behringer they would instantly say Not as good!

Well done! Great video!

Thorough stuff, appreciate your solid work on this video. Subscribed now, hoping to see more from you on instruments, sounds, electronics, derivatives or whatever loosely related. Thanks again.

Wow, I've almost doubled my subscriber number the last few weeks! I'm over a 100 now, I did not expect that! Should I pretend to be a proper RU-vidr and make a 100 subscriber special? What should it be about in that case? The only idea I have is that I show my collection of drum machines. Or maybe a channel trailer? Maybe someone has another idea?

Woooow.... Estupendo análisis!!!! Deseo que el número de suscriptores en tu canal crezca mucho!!!

damn that was so interesting ! Thanks !!

Thank you for the Video 👍

Fascinating. They all sound wildly different - pitches are all over the place and yes, the filter is way higher on the RD-9. But I wouldn't have known which is supposed to be the 'correct' one as I've never owned a 909, only various samples, all of which are also quite different in terms of pitch and timbre. Great info on the different components on the main vs instruments outs as well. Thanks!

Very informative video. Would really like to see a video with your overall conclusion about the RD9!

I like the well researched approach.

excellent review, analyse , thank you

What a nice analysis :)

Amazing. Good work.

I like this comparison with technical background, thanks for that! Also, I already found that adding a global lowpass to the TR-8S makes it sound much more 'calming' to the ear. The same 'mod' :)

Professional review!

Awesome content. It’s interesting how detailed we get dissecting each sound. The reality is, the audience doesn’t care about gear as much as we do. 😅

I really like your comparison between the two! I actually do enjoy the sound of the RD-9 but I do like the original's sound as well. Regardless I'd love to have either one haha! Great video! 🥁🎶

Super video !

This is amazing thank you.

Great video.

I listened to a few sounds and quit the video, because it was clear to me that they sounded or could sound the same. The clone has the character of the original and so I decided to buy me one and I do not regret it. The clone is awesome.

Awesome, very deep and technical and interesting facts well explained.

Solid analysis.

This is the most impressive compare between RD-9 and TR-909 that there is on the internet!!! (so it must be true! 🙂) Massive Respect!

Warmness/Fullness/Fatness == electrons hanging around == tubes/tapes/germanium/noise/old stuff Sharpness/crispness/cleanness/brightness == electrons going where they're meant to go == silicon/digital/filters

impressive body of work here! Also i am loving the RD9 !

Then there are the TR-909s made on June 6th, 1984 where a new worker, who we will call "Mary" inserted the wrong capacitor in the filter circuit giving a unique sound and the group Dirt, Air and Flames a #1 hit.

Great Video

I missed the original video but this was really interesting. Fwiw, I only got one in this video, which was the kick. Edit new sub today. The algorithm works! I have been watching a lot of diy synth tutorials in the last week and you were top of the feed this morning.

amazing nerdy video loved it :)

Would be good to hear the RD-9 sequence run through a 6db filter as you say, and compared again with the TR909. The way individual sounds behave and interact with each other when sequenced always seems to be where clones have difficulty.

very interesting video, i really appreciate how in-depth this was. most people comparing clones just check individual sounds and while they often times match up, the devil is in the details. it doesn't surprise me that most people could tell the clone from an original when an entire pattern was being played. what a lot of engineers miss when creating a clone is how everything sounds in a context. you can replicate every small part of a circuit, but still not get the overall sound right. i am very interested in the RE909, but haven't heard enough demos to convince me to spend 2k on one.

Excellent video, thanks for the effort! Gives me confidence that an RD-9 will do just fine until I can get the real deal.

Very interesting take. From what I can make out it's not just that most people can't tell an RD9 from a 909 they can't tell between the different iterations of 909 production, and to be fair why the hell should they?

Interesting to hear the differences, and thx for the explanation on the different revisions. You gotta know what you're comparing to....nice video! With regards to your comment on the tom revisions, I think it is audible in the attack of the toms, but nothing you'd hear when you wouldn't focus on it and easily lost in a mix. The low pass at 15K, I'd imagine can impact the hats, even if it's just 6 dB/oct, the 7K most definitely does, like you said. All in all the RD9 seems to hit it pretty well, I'll really have to try one in a store. If anyone is interested in how a fully modded RD9 sounds, Maffez has a sample pack on his website where he documented all the mods (Maffez Synth Mods). Cheers

Brilliant comparison! I’m a happy rd9 owner

Your review helped me shape a decision, I got myself a RD 9 , I have to admit, it sounds superbe , and the versatility of the instrument is very nice and capable.

well done sir, big Behringer clone fan here

nice vid. thanks

Very interesting 😎👍🏼

I feel the real comparison test is putting the sounds in a sequence, there's something interesting I remember, that when the claps are close together on the real tr909, they start sounding.... hard to describe it in words.

Great video mate!I am very interested in the Oscar Video and the reasons they failed to clone it!! Cheers!!

I would be interested in the general impression: if sound is almost identical (and will probably be altered in effects / pedal processing anyways), are you more limited on a RD-9 than on a TR-909 in matters of composition, improvisation and pattern writing ?

Excellent tutorial. So like the RD-8, I foresee a MKII of the RD-9 with the filtered outputs 😀

I feel like an argument can almost be made that the RD9 is mimicking what the 909 was originally intended to sound like. I suspect that 7K filter was not originally intended to be there and only showed up after prototypes were exhibiting too much noise and a compromise had to be made. Regardless, it sounds like they really did their homework and the consumers are the real winners here.

Very cool video! That seems like a lot of work put in! The thing I have trouble with getting used to with my RD-9 is the clap and the snare. The clap doesn’t move like my 909 used to. What I mean is, the 909 has a more lively feel on each hit it seems. The RD-9 does have that but it seems less pronounced or something.

It's ironic that so many people are hyper-concerned about emulating timbres from 30 or 40 years ago, when the pioneers who used those tones were looking to the future, trying to do something that had never been done before. We have limitless posibities as electronic artists. Why stay fixated on the past? They sound great, but art is for pushing past the status quo into unexplored territory-is it not?

great test ! i got the loop guess correct, top end boost

I’d like every sound comparison possible! Especially the 909? Sure 👍 Heck I’d listen to daily examples lol. Now I’m fascinated with what a 6db output noise filter sounds like…individual hits, rhythmic patterns with various busy-ness…is there an ‘attack’ sound to the filter? (& then I hear your examples at the end 🤣🤐👏👏) I’d love the wav files 🤷‍♂️ Very informative video, thank you 🙏

The RD-9 Is An Awesome Drum Machine In It's Own Right .

Really the best comparison I've seen so far. Based on facts and not feelings. Grymt jobbat!😊 I think the most prominent difference is that I feel the sounds from the RD9 are less balanced/glued together. When you play the loops, the sounds from 909 feels like the play togehter like a unit. The RD9 sound more like individual sounds playing together. Are there any compression or other dynamics in the 909 glueing the sounds together?

I prefer the sound of Behringer, without noise and filter, that's the raw sound I want to have from the get-go.

Thank you so much to Cryptout and Acid Mitch for sending me recordings of their TR-909s! Can you Share These samples with us ❤?

Fantastic review, thank you 😊 and a new subscriber here. I have the RD9 and extremely happy with the results. I wonder could you make a video on post processing of the audio output from this,let's say in Ableton, such as recommended equalisation etc. I ask this as you know many people have these unit's now and may will be recording tracks with them. Many thanks

Interesting info about the filtering of the outputs, i wonder if this accounts for the RD-9 sounding slightly higher in pitch.

Very interested to see how the flams and swing compare - Does the RD-9 groove like the 909??

more comparisons please

Sorry I missed the poll, but it was so easy I don't understand how people got it wrong ? The RD9 was always the brightest/ hifi sounding and the rev 2 was mostly the dullest/ low passed. Very enjoyable video, thank you Also, I def subscribed, maybe do another poll on the individual outputs and maybe more people have seen this and will contribute to give you better testing results.

They picked C at 2:39 because that is a more "vintage" sounding kick, IDK how to explain it other than that. I did not take the test myself, so I have no stake in this, lol. When people hear the 909 or clone make a sound like what is used in a lot of the applicable music, they think the sound is from the original. If you make a sound that is a little "off" compared to what people expect, they will assume it is the RD-9.....just my 2 cents.

Thanks for that interesting video. It was a strange listening experience. From listening the single sounds, I thought that the REV2 sounded the best, followed by the Behringer. The single sounds of the REV4 just sounded horrible. But when I heard the loop, I really like the REV4.

You think like me. Your on point.

The 909 has MIDI OUT for up to 16 additional Notes that can be played at the same time. Its still dwarfs the RD for live therefore. However I love Behringer. If you are just for the sound... go for it.

These comparisons are only for gear geeks like me. The gen pop listening has no clue nor care about any of it or what they hear on radio or in their cars. IMO, the analogy I use is comparing vintage stereo gear from the 60’s and 70’s and some 80’s to today’s stereo gear (sans very HQ and extremely expensive). I know a repair shop that makes their living off rebuilding and reviving vintage receivers, amps, speakers, LP players, cassette decks, reel to reels, etc. Just as there is discernible distinction to audiophiles who treasure the sound and essence of gear from that era, so it is with electronic music gear aficionados. (But not to anyone else 😃) And frankly Some of us just can’t afford it anymore😄

Good video. What do you think about Prpellerheads ReBirth 338? Is that close to the real things that are in there?

sounds close enough for me!

I know I'm an ass but assuming an overlapping of 2 distributions by looking at data from such a low sample size is... optimistic.

Very well done video. I would love to see a comparison between the td-3 and the tb-303. Any chance you will do that in the future?

RD-9 sounds fantastic. The comparisons of the RD-9 and the TR-909 are IMO irrelevant, I have owned 2 real TR-909's and neither sounded exactly the same as each other. The RD-9 is a no brainer and comparisons are a waste of time but thanks for the video. :-)

In a full mix, I imagine it would be even more difficult (if not impossible) to tell the RD-9 and TR-909 apart. Especially if further processing is applied to the electronic drums, such as compression, distortion, equalization filters, or reverb.

There are differences, some more, some less obvious, but the loop sticks out. Outside the "magic" and "mojo" esoterics, if you use all the single outs on a dedicated submixer the smallest turn on any EQ pot has more weight than all the little nuances. I wonder: Since on released titles almost nothing goes unprocessed, can we find some tricks to get the RD closer to TR? Like EQ settings or maybe some compression?

Listning in isolation is total differnt to how it sounds in the mix, this is were the real stuff shines IMO correct me if I'm wrong somehow, in the mix the sounds just fit better, the electronic components just like he shows have a sound, in the end its the results that count

can u make the diferences in the rd8?

I am guessing you have the RD9 set on standard mode, switch it to enhanced and you can tune/change/manipulate the tones.

it seems that there is just as much variation between 909's as there was with the rd9

I bought an Erica lxr-02. these are both fun machines but I wanted something more flexible

I got the Behringer RD-9 (and RD-8 MKii too) and I am returning them both. Not because they don't sound like a TR-909 and TR-808, they do to 98%, but because of the shortcomings I didn't like about them. I'm a Behringer fan, and I'm 100% delighted by my VC340, and DeepMind 12. But the quality level is not what I expected with the RD-9 and RD-8 MKII. The user interface is unfriendly and the tactile experience unpleasant. The external PSU with a short lead is annoying, too.

Great content! Thanks :) could you do the same for the mythical 808? Thanks

Many of the most famous dance tracks of the 80s and 90s featuring the 909 were actually using samples of it anyway. I think anyone who pays thousands for a vintage TR-909 now is crazy, just get the RD-909. I sold mine for thousands years ago and don't regret it.

I didn't like the 909 because I have an 808 and I think it was better. Today, I would like to have one but, I'm not going to spend that much money, I only paid $500 for the 808. So I might get an RD-9 because an 808 and 909 together are sick!

Well we don’t know for sure they gave up on making an OSCar, last semi official comment was… if the demand is there we will move forward. Sadly when this was mentioned in a number of the synth groups on FB that Behringer monitors, the OSCar saw very little love as something people people wanted to see.

Its weird, the individual sounds are pretty similar, but the Loop at the end, the TR-909 Rev 4 sounds SO much better to me all at once.

This video goes into disturbingly deep, never considered before, levels of geekery that require the concentration of a brain surgeon to even slightly begin understanding the subject matter! Regardless, I want that machine soooooo badly!

What i would be interested in would be to know about the power supply, in my experience, but things might have changed (in hate beringer and that way of doing things so...) beringer power supply are bad quality and dont last. do you think an rd9 will still be there and working if regularaly used in 40 years?

What about channel leakage and timing?

hmm that filter on the main out explains a lot why i hate samples of 909 hats as they always sound to harsh for me, im guessing most people used the individual outs to sample while a lot of records used the main outs

The OSCar clone was cancelled? Damn. That's pretty much the only vintage synth I would buy if I could find one.

Great vid! Can you make the same with a RD-8 MK2? 🙏🙏🙏

i like my tr-6s :)

I’m lost… revision one two three four 😂

Anyone else having the signal bleeding thru when the filter is fully closed?

So the Behringer sounds have a bid more highs, no problem. But there is one instrument I was hoping, it is not the Behringer, and that is the snare. A bid deeper/more weight would be great. Maffez?