Finally finished: Modular Style Roland TR-626 [with video now]

[breakbeatnazi]

Been a bit tied up recently with personal matters but finally got back to business and it is DONE.









Here's a really funky little thing I put together using only one pattern... Have a listen! Really kicks with that synth line huh? http://cheezer999.googlepages.com/VOC076.MP3 This is nothing but the 626!

Here's a really short audio demo I put together in a few minutes for this post: http://cheezer999.googlepages.com/VOC075.MP3

This thing is, to say in the least, incredible if I may say so myself! When I started making it I wanted to make almost every available useful modification I could find accessible... I did just that.  Took lots of money, time and effort but was most definitely worth it! Hope to be performing with it as well sometime. The wood panels were made and stained myself and the metal panel was ordered online.

So, down to detail....Where do I start...

On the case itself:
- Heavy full sound distortion/bass generator knob with on off switch
- "Bass line" switch (adds low octave synth tones with lowpass filter effect)
- Bass drum distortion switch
- Pitch down switch
- Switch that adds odd tremolo to congas/toms and reduces cutoff for cymbals
- 3 Individual squarewave synth outputs (3 different octaves)

On the panel:
- Volume knobs and kill switches for bass drum, snare, hihat, toms, crash/ride. Volume knobs go from muted (left) to normal (middle) to loud and crunchy (very right)
- 8 "kit replacement" switches... just replaces drum sounds with other sounds/pitches
- 8 "fill" switches/buttons.  Creates odd repeating patterns, snare rolls, different rhythms. This is attached to the RAM chip but I've found these points to be secure.

The monster patch bay!  

This may be a lengthy explanation... Okay, first off there are quite a few "sections."

- 32 points for IC15
- 8 points routed again to points 27, 5, 6, 7 and 8 on IC15 (explained in a minute)
- Two multiplexers (One with 6 linking points, 2 with 3 linking points)
- 8 points linked to various other ICs and the stable points on the RAM chip
- 12 points connected directly to various individual drum sounds. 2 for each sound, one "normal" volume and one distorted volume point.
- "Control bay": 24 points linked to a switch and a button, for making favorite patches easy to turn on/off and keep in place.

Now, the most interesting thing about the patch bay is that you have the ability to take the "sound" patch points, and reroute them to the IC points 27, 5, 6, 7 and 8 on IC15.  This replaces that particular sound with a squarewave. What octave the squarewave depends on the point you've patched it to... From lowest to highest octave: point 6, 5, 27, 7, 8, and 9.  The pitch of the synth is altered also by the programmed pitch of the actual drum sound itself.  So now you can intermingle drum sounds, synth sounds, create fullout simple 8-bit chiptune melodies and put together incredible sounds, all while having control over it with the control bay. You could also just try re-routing the sound patches to other points and it'll replace the drum sound with white noise, distortions, bleeps, etc...

You can get insane sounds by just multiplexing the hell out of it, especially throwing in a RAM chip point or two.  One of the most amazing things to do is line up all the patches in the control bay... pre-pitch everything correct, get a few rhythms programmed... then:

Slowly replace different sounds with squarewaves, add a few patches that throw in random crash cymbals and rim clicks at no specific time, flick some kit change switches, end every few bars with a "fill" switch for a noise roll... this thing has literally endless combinations.  You can shove as many patch cables as you can inside it and it'll spew out noises you have never heard and will never hear again.  I've still got access to the battery compartment too  

My thanks goes to GordonJCP who helped me bring this 626 from the dead by suggesting I replace the 4051 chips.

Hope to get some sounds/videos up soon enough, just been busy! Hope you guys enjoy this post.. lemme know whatcha think!

[[ALSO if anybody wants to know about any of the mods I did, I made a full .doc file with everything down to detail with pictures and explanations.]]

EDIT: The .doc with a full explanation of the machine and how it was modded is up here: http://www.burnkit2600.com/thom/tr626/other626s/GG%27s%20Roland%20TR-626%20mods.doc

[Dylan]

Wow.....oh wow.

[phantompowers]

That is fuckin' brilliant. You are the master.

[LoFi-Ninja]

Sick.. Nice build ! Your karma is going up 

[computer at sea]

[picks jaw up off floor, slowly walks away]

[Circuitbenders]

I salute you sir!

That is truly one of the most brilliantly over-engineered bits of bending i've ever seen, lovely stuff 

I particularly like the way you've just hacked a hole in the back of the 626 case! 

[Bogus Noise]

That looks and sounds excellent! Great job on that build.

[ne7]

thats bloody fantastic

[sensor]

how to make the mute switches for each instrument?
thats something i still miss on my bent 626.

matthias

[sensor]

and how to make the pitch down switch was interesting too.

this is my 626

[manufactured zero]

This thing is great. I dread to think how many hours went into it but having tinkered with the 505 recently i reckon it was undoubtably worth the effort 

[Signal:Noise]

You my friend are a certified genius

I salute you

[goldenbaby]

This is CB at it's best!  This kinda project is the one that shuts people up about the often limited use of CBOs in music.

[jochenp]

Hey, could you post/email the .doc file? I've got a 626 laying here and I'm currently using it as a backup-drumbox, but I want to mod it when my circuit-bending supplies get here  Pretty please 

[breakbeatnazi]

Circuit bent modular style Roland TR-626 drum machine

I did a little video today.. it's outside with no straight recording other than the camera though.