Sonic LAB: Arturia DrumBrute Impact Analogue Drum Machine Review 

That little jam at the end though, probably one of Nick's best

I love how he mentioned gabber...that makes it officially an artform.

“More size to it Like there where more people clapping” is what I say when I gig.

Sounds good and as a DB owner I have to say I love the sequencer and I think it pairs great with the Digitakt. It's cool to layer things.

having played with this in person now it has real breadth to design the voices, and actually sounds really nice, i particularly like the closed hat and the fm drum. also very intuitive, i could find and use the various features without needing to look up the manual.

I like the sound of this. It sounds better for industrial music. Nick, let’s no forget the 909 cymbals and things were gritty PCM samples so this is of course different. In fact this would play nicely with a Volca sample. I think I’ll buy one, I have an idea about using MED on my Amiga and sequencing the DBI and the internal samples at the same time.

Awesome review as usual, it's always very pleasing to watch Nick reviews :) :) :) cheers from france

Arturia does it again, just like the MicroBrut affordable analog for us starving artists!!!!!!!!!!!!! Don't forget all that external processing you can do with main out and 4 individual outputs, this is where Arturia really shined. Thanks Nick for a great review, your reviews go to the meat and potatoes of devices so when you are finished I really have a great understanding of the product.

You had me at "polyrhythm".

He was right about the genres associated with that kind of kick. I prefer my kicks to be more snappy and woody. This unit doesn’t deliver that. Looks like fun anyway!

It kinda peeves me to loose all of the sounds of the OG DrumBrute but the Impact just sounds so much better. The hats and snare sound great on this guy. The distortion and color are a nice touches as well.

This little sequence at the end is really excellent!

sold me on the impact; I don't need the regular drumbrute, given the other instruments in my studio, but the analog sounds and the simple workflow sold me. Plus that bit at the end, Nick, nice!

Very nice. Sounds good, love the programming features & step length for each part. Very cool. Pretty bloody good price as well. Tempting.

Analog Modern, Club, Techno dance music box for $300. It leans towards live performer

sounds fantastic, excellent review, the knobs seem to have a better range than the Drumbrute (which I have and found the sounds and adjustment range to be disappointing) - this one sounds better

I get one since a few days (I was the first worldwide to register the serial of the machine, confirmed by support because I was not able to register). My opinion is that this version of the Drumbrute is far more interesting than the original one because it sounds good and has its own sound. Bigger sound, more agressive. Saturation knob is adding a lot to the machine, a lot more than the original very weak filter effect. Now, of course, it has limitations, it will sound always the same in the built-in range of possible sounds. So you can use it : - just to peek one instrument (kick or FM perc for example), - in its whole, and you must consider it as a full instrument to play with in real time (performances mostly) - recorded track by track from the mono output (setting the level of only one track up at a time) to use each voice in your daw (bitwig, ableton for me, and it is working really well) - and certainly many other uses in a modular setup just to add some kick and hhats But for that price it will be a shame to miss this analog drum machine. You will always find a use for it or for part(s) of it...

I like it. Maybe not the best drum machine for a live set, but for recording tracks in my studio, it's a great little analog drum synth at a low price. I like it more than the original brute.

I’m realizing that with usb midi out this guy is basically a 8pad drum controller with a sequencer. Like a akai mpd 328 with 8 fewer pads. The fact I can record in real time without quantize is fantastic.

With the Reverb, this sounds pretty good. I need something simple to program. This looks easier than the Volca Drum, for me. Thanks Nick! My go to Demo guy, for this kind of stuff.

I would not buy the Impact for my only drum machine, but I want to layer this machine over my digital Electribe2 to really enhance the sound and process the kit parts separately. This combination should give me limitless sound creations. Plus, since the Electribe2 has motion sequencing, it will add modulation layers over the top of the DrumBrute.

lets all smash it this weekend!

Loved that firecracker beat 12:30 - 12:54

very helpful video guys , just bought one

I've love to see your take on the Twisted Electron deton8, much smaller unit - different style, but interesting in the price point.

This thing is sick and the price is amazing. Haven't had gear lust in like 4 years... really looking forward to picking this up.

Only thing I wish Arturia had added in the Impact would be the ability to do real parameter locks. But still... pretty nice!

I’m realizing that with usb midi out this guy is basically a 8pad drum controller with a sequencer. Like a akai mpd 328 with 8 fewer pads.

is it just me or does the lcd during the intro say “drunbrute”? .-.

As your only/main drum machine it's a bad option, but i think it will become a future Electro classic.

"I don't know what the genres are called." Neither do I! Love this comment.

Thanks, Looks like you can't go wrong at that price. sounds good, and a joy to use.

Restrictions breed creativity. Maybe it doesn't do everything but I like what I hear, and I was completely unimpressed by the original drumbrute's sounds. This has more oomph and I could really see incorporating this into my jam setup.

really weird how they didn't implement the decay on the cow bell, there is something like this with another voice in the original. I mean the controls should always do something!

Rim tap and cowbell are two of my favorite sounds so I would never buy a machine that didn't have dedicated ones. However, I think this is worlds better than the original DrumBrute.

That distorted bass drum is in the style of Zonk House!

4:17 best representation of what I want in a clap.

I like it a lot. In fact I just ordered it! £265!!! There is no way possible to compare to it to other devices at this price point. We are never happy...

Yeah, rimshot over cowbell! But, otherwise a nice piece of gear. I like the interface for live noodling... and the FM drum! Great outro jam, as always.

The fact you can get close to a 909 sound for so little $$ compared to say Jomox suddenly this is far more interesting than an 808 clone. Personally I like the 909 better ever since I saw Adamski rocking one live at a small club in hollywood in 1989.

I'm kind of torn between getting the regular drumbrute or the drumbrute impact. I like the snare on the impact and the fact that it has Distortion, but I also like the fact that the first brute has a 909 and 808 kick. Plus two Toms!..?

Good review . I nearly bought one. thanks for helping not waste me money

What odds on Korg doing a full size analogue drum machine?

imo they should've gone further with the distortion. The top setting is just *starting* to get distorted. It wouldn't have been hard to double the distortion on the knob, and it wouldn't have taken anything from anybody.

what bluecataudio plugin is that you're using to analyze the output? Is that the oscilloscope multi? It would be nice if you did a video on how to setup and analyze synth and drum machine output, I would find that very useful.

The Casio MT65 called... it wants its drum sounds back !

I dig the new kick. Everything else is on the wimpy/mushy side for my tastes, especially the snare and clap. For under $300, though, this is very tempting. Did they get rid of the high-end rasp in the cymbals/snare on the original DrumBrute? They sound clean here. Also, every demo I've watched so far skips the cowbell ("under" the cymbal), this one included. Heh.

Looks good

can you make a pattern and save it for when you turn the machine back om again?

I’m looking at a drum machine in this price bracket as a Christmas gift to myself... Had thought it’d be the Roland TR-08 but now I’m not sure...

Wow! Nick you’ve become very The man important in the industry! You seem to get new gear, the moment it’s released! Same in the US. We watch everything over here. I’d love to know your ratings in the US compared to the UK and Europe;)

I actually like the hi hat sounds very 606.

I want this so badly.

Spark is a better investment... Thinking about getting the Spark, Yamaha RS7000 and a Roland MC-909

I bought one brand new when it came out and returned it to buy the Roland TR8S. The DB sounded weak in the bass and other sounds just didn't hit me off right. Volume was an issue too. Needs an amp.

Great demonstration, many thanks for sharing :-)

I was going to sell my original DB but the clap on this one isn't very articulate. Also, I was experimenting with the filter (which isn't on the new DB impact) and it has it's place. It's great for shaping your snares snap if you don't have an analog eq. So, I'll end up buying this one too. I can't wait to play with the distortion types.

I didn't know that using the sub-outputs removes them from the main, but that makes sense. Opens up a lot of fun possibilities. Also Bo Beats has a couple of great videos where I swear the sounds out of it almost sound like a digital unit. I have the DB, and will probably get this one as well.

Sounds pretty typical modern drum machine. Not many can do the hi hats, claps, and snares of the old drum machines. Just not snappy/crunchy enough. I don't know I give it a 6/10 on sound alone.

I was looking for someone using the ventris on the fm out and there you are

wil buy 2nd hand one in the future

Wish arturia included the distortion circuit on the original DB.

Great review as usual ,, nice drum machine well worth the money .

12:06 popcorn

They added HOWL from the Rhythm Wolf heheh (except it sounds good) I'd still be tempted to get the original Drumbrute due to the outs/more controls/voices, can always throw it through a distortion. Kinda an odd two steps forward and two backwards product, but I guess it was mostly price driven.

it sounds like its being chocked, it just does not breath, everything sounds muffled and muted and it has no bounce which is essential to a drum machine, but I guess it works ok for some stuff

Now, to hear tracks actually made with it. Curious how it'd fit in a mix and what kind of genre's it could work with. Seems like it's focused on the hard hitting side of things but would be cool to hear a more sparse use of it (kind of like the outro track I guess).

I've never heard anything described as 'nifty' since I was at school. He'll be saying 'Seff' and 'Wick' before long.

Could the beatstep pro be used to sequence a pattern of parameters, such as fm pitch?

can't believe you can't adjust the transient/click level of the kick

Agreed, Nick -- rimshot would have been waaaaaay more useful

@sonicstate Great review as always Nick, thank you. At @11:08 you mention the swing and how you can dial it independently to each track "like in the beatstep pro"... I know what you mean by that: tracks being the three different sequencers in the beatstep. You may see where I'm going. Is it possible to swing each of the different drum pads in the drum sequencer from the bspro ? I know this is out of topic but that has puzzled me since I got mine and would love to have a way of doing that or at least have Arturia update the machine with that feature if possible. Cheers

You forgot the cowbell!

Any velocity action? Velocity to the VCA? i would have liked some cross fade between the 2 color modes depending on velocity. So is it possible to change the divisions per track...i mean for example 8th note triplets on the bassdrum track with 7 steps...then 16th divisions on the high-hat with 5 steps..possible? Neat little thing. Sounds great!

that 400 dollar Reverb though

but are there "tracks" that you can record midi in to? can I drive melodies on other gear with this like a big boy sequencer or is it limited to sequencing drum sounds only?

wouldnt have me picking this over a cyclone analogic tt-606 for the pricing, vittles, and accessibility, but, impressively ALMOST usable. maybe theyll get there on MK VII or VIII.

Sounds like something ymo or kraftwerk would’ve made good use of

I like its kick and snare , much better than the original

Sorry but I got to ask: why is Stephan Bodzin doing reviews on youtube? I like it!!

I'll just stick with my Korg Electribe ER-1. Sounds almost identical, has parameter lock and you can get them used for under $200. Or you can get the ipad or iphone for $10. Not analog but way cheaper.

Cant wait for you to do a review of the new Erebus 3, do you know when that will be, can you ask if you can get one in advance? :)

compared to the boutique trs... what do you think?

Can i connect this to an amp with stereo speakers?

At this price I’d honestly rather buy the TR-09 even without the individual outs. Sure it’s not analog but it sounds way better.

we need more drum synthesizers and less drum machines that are not really synths (this being as example of that). . I'm talking about being able to shape the sounds deeply. Drum synthesis can be almost as deep as any kind of synthesis. Call them drum synths, and make them real, deep, drum synths.

The clap sounds like RZ-1 🤙

When you route e.g. the snares to the effect unit, the snares will bypass the master output. Do they then bypass the distortion too?

With the RetroKit cable, would this work to sequence a Volca Sample?

where can i find the midi-controllcenter for the Impact? The one on the Arturia site is without the Impact.

That roller strip... Yeesh!

Can put a shaker on numberwang though?

Good video. Too bad it has No Clap! ( Snare 2 isn't one. ) Also - why not a machine that fits their Rack system? ( Unless, another is planned later? )

Awesome.

Does anybody know if the full-sized Drumbrute features parameter lock?

How tight is the midi sync with Live, for example?

Nice review, though didn't you kinda jump past the FM voice? That step/repeat touchstrip seems broken or something, it was way too jumpy and prone to going full right even though you were touching it to the left. Interesting product in that it sounds pretty darn good, and at a reasonable price. But I feel like there's too little editing of some of the voices, like those that can't be pitched/lengthened independently or at all. And like so many others, I'm wondering why not rimshot instead of cowbell? Especially as it can't be edited enough to be really useful. Feels like a bit of one-trick pony. It does that trick extremely well, but I think it will grow boring/overused pretty quickly. And despite being reasonably priced, it's still too expensive if it ends up in the cupboard too soon. I don't know, maybe I'm being too negative, it does sound great and has some pretty cool features..

The clap named snare...

Can you record the metronome and use it as a make shift rimshot?

Has that roll strip jumpiness been corrected at all, can anyone confirm? After Spark I'm hesitant to buy a glitchy arturia product since they tend not to fix bugs.