Drumulator

E-Mu Systems' first drum machine, introduced in 1983. Like the earlier Linn LM-1 and the Oberheim DMX, the Drumulator was a sample playback machine; used samples of real drums rather than using analog circuitry to synthesize drum sounds. However, at an initial list price of $995 US, it sold for less than half of those units, and consequently became a sales success for E-mu.

One of the Drumulator's money-saving techniques was to use 8-bit sampling, as opposed to the higher bit width sampling of the higher-priced competitors. The 8-bit width gave the Drumlator a distinctly lo-fi and "crunchy" sound. Nonetheless, it found its way into a number of pop, rap and hip-hop records in the 1980s. The unit contained 12 samples, all crammed into 64K of ROM. The drum sounds available were:

Kick
Snare
Rimshot
Toms (high, medium and low)
Hi-hat (open and closed)
Ride cymbal
Cowbell
Clave
Handclaps

Each drum sound had an individual output on the rear panel (in the form of very closely spaced RCA jacks), in addition to the mix out. There were no onboard effects; most of the samples played back with no or minimal filtering for tone control. The mid and low tom sounds were filtered through VCFs implement with an SSM 2044 circuit; the CPU generated a simple AR envelope for these. The cutoff frequency was not controllable from the panel, but could be adjusted via internal trim pots. The samples themselves were recorded completely "dry".

The Drumulator had four playing pads, labeled A-D, to which an accented or un-accented drum sound could be assigned; only four sounds could be played or added to a sequence at a time. The main method of building sequences was somewhat like recording to tape; it was done in real time, with or without quantization, and with a metronome sound to assist. The user assigned drum sounds to the four pads, recorded the desired sequence, assigned four more sounds, overdubbed those into the sequence, etc. A limited editing capability existing, but the primary method of fixing mistakes was to erase and then play them again. Sequence memory consisted of segments, which could then be combined into songs. 36 segments were available, but the original version of the operating system only allowed for 8 songs. A later operating system update changed the way songs and segments were stored in memory, expanding the song capacity to 64. A cassette interface allowed sequence memory to be saved and reloaded. Segments and songs could be set at tempos up to 240 BPM, and a number of choices of time signature were possible.

As originally designed, the Drumulator did not have MIDI. For synchronization, it had simple clock pulse inputs and outputs. The output generated pulses at the rate of 24 per quarter note. The pulses were very short (about 1 ms), which caused difficulty with synchronization with some other synths. The unit had the ability to divide down the incoming clock rate, so that it could sync with clock sources using 48 or 96 pulses per quarter note. There was also a remote run/stop gate input. Later, a MIDI In retrofit was offered so that the Drumulator could be controlled by other MIDI devices. No MIDI Out was available.

Two accessories were offered for the Drumulator. An external "pad programmer" contained four circular rubber pads, intended to be played with sticks. The pads served the same functions as the A-D pads on the Drumulator itself. A software package that ran on an Apple II computer allowed segments and songs to be programmed and played graphically, and drum sounds could be sounded at any of 16 volume levels. The Apple II interfaced via an RS-232 signal that was fed into the clock in jack after the Drumlator was placed into a special operating mode. Unfortunately, there was no capability for the computer interface to load or store sequences to/from the Drumulator's memory.

At its low list price, the Drumlator was a big seller for the relatively brief time it was on the market. E-mu sold over 12,000 units over two years, before dropping the Drumulator in 1985. A "Drumlator II" model, with sampling capability and full MIDI interface, apparently did not get past the prototype stage, but rather morphed into the SP-12, which replaced the Drumulator in 1985.