Boss DR-220

It's a very easy drumming machine to use. Even easier than my Yamaha RY8 - it's more like my Boss DR110.
The presets sounds like typical mid-80s drums samples. that means: a flat sound, but it's much better with some good reverb.
The manual explains all what should be explained...
Anyway, the SHIFT button location isn't good - it could be located much better. SHIFT isn't user friendly. Although all the buttons works very fine - just like Yamaha RY8 from the 90s.

It's a polyphonic drumming machine, but without the buttons sensitivity. Anyway, you can change drums' volume or add an accent to improve the sound a bit.
It can't accept cards, etc. and other expansions and it has no MIDI.
The on-board sequencer can handle 8 songs with 128 patterns each and, 32 preset drum patterns and 32 user patterns. that's enough to do some nice noise with DR220A.

It sounds typical like the 80s drumming machine - not good, but not bad at all. VERY EASY TO USE and I play mostly rock with that nice grey thingy.

It's a very fine drumming machine. The sound could be better and it could be produced nowadays, after some improvements: that means - better samples and MIDI on-board. It's a good machine for live playing, although not as good in the studio - only one monophonic output...

That's a good machine, I don't have to contact Roland, but I think they're helpful when there's something wrong with DR220.

A good drumming machine for live playing, not as good in the studio. I liked it's sound with some reverb and it's very easy to use. SHIFT button's locations sucks. It has no MIDI support, only Trig In and Trig Out sockets - shame on Roland/Boss for that!
It could be produced nowadays with better samples and MIDI as the cheap, budget drumming machine - as it was in the 80s.

I like this thing a lot. Once I figured out how to program the beats in, I would perform live with it no problem. I could sync it up to the jx-3p just by plugging them together, big plus. No midi, boo. I don't have a manual. The batteries compartment didn't work so plugging it in kinda sucks.

Polyphony, not always what you want. Too many sounds at once makes a dead spot. This thing is pretty straight up, I don't know about much else besides the patterns (pattern play mode rules) and songs (also cool).

These sounds are awesome. I use it for everything I play, which is everything. I have several drum machines, and this one is hard to sync up because of no midi, but I got a groove effects and those two together are dangerous.

Dependable. Giggable. Portable.

hard to get much info out of boss. But YOU CAN BUY THE MANUAL FROM THEM FOR 5 BUCKS!!!! Call their 1800 no and they'll hook you up

I own a DR 550, yamaha RX 10, Roland PR-100, Roland u-20, Roland Jx-3P, Roland Groove Effects, and 8 track minidisc mixer, and this thing fits right into the mix. If It was stolen I'd go get something different, only because I want a change of pace in my life.

The DR-220A is easy to use, with a simple screen layout and chunky, well-labelled buttons. I have just started using mine again but can't find the manual, and it takes me ages to delete one rhythm and start another, which is why I am not giving 10 out of 10.

Polyphony is limiting on this drum machine. The sounds are grouped, so that only one tom can be played at once, the crash and the ride cannot be played simultaneously, and neither can the rim shot and the clap. The open and closed hi-hats are also grouped, but since they are never played together anyway, this doesn't matter. The machine has trigger inputs and outputs, which I haven't used. The machine itself cannot be expanded, but can be linked up to the DR-220E (the same machine with different sounds).

Expressiveness is the machine's weak point. The overall level of each sound can be adjusted, and there is an adjustable accent feature, but this is not a substitute for a drummer. The sounds are basic and 80's-like, but suprisingly good latin rhythms can be made using the toms and rim shot. The snare is the worst sound, but if you stick to the clap, hi-hats and kick, you can make perfectly adequate techno. Quirky sounds can also be made using the crash and ride, which block each other out.

VERY reliable. This machine has never done anything strange whilst I have had it. I recently found it at the bottom of a drawer, with battery acid all over the contacts, but I filed them down and now it works perfectly again.

I love this drum machine - it sounds great when you put it through a distortion pedal, and I want to find a DR-220E to go with it. However, I'm open to offers for it (if you live in the UK) as I need the cash right now.

Creating patterns in step or real time is very easy.
The shift button is too far away from the enter button.
Creating songs from patterns is time consuming, but easy. O yeah,
there's an insert function that comes in handy.
The preset patterns are mostly uninteresting, but there are
some good ones. The display is clear and well laid out.

16 step sequencer for creating patterns. No real polyphony, but you can
have up to 6 instruments on the same step (oh, hang on, that's polyphony).
well, you know what i mean.
No MIDI, but you can trigger another unit from the first one. Compared
to what you can get today, or even what you could get ten years ago,
it doesn't really have many features. But it's fun, and very quick to
get into.

No onboard effects - the only way you can change the sounds
is Accent them, or mute them via the Level value (0-5). No velocity
or after-touch. There are twelve largish rubber pads to hit. Nice.
There are 11 instruments to choose from, but you can only play
a maximum of six at the same time:
Bass Drum (Kick)
Snare
Rimshot OR Handclap
Ride Cymbal OR Crash Cymbal
Closed OR Open High Hat
Low OR Medium OR High Tom
Get it?
The sounds are typical mid-eighties sounds eg. the snare sounds like
someone punching a big bag of air.

It is VERY dependable - I have never had a problem with it, and I
bought it second hand. My unit is well over fifteen years old and
still going strong.

I have never needed to contact them. The manual that comes with it
is good, and has a very useful listing of all the preset patterns.

For what it is (a small box with limited features/sounds) it is
excellent. It is a great way to get started in programming drum
machines. You can get some intriguing effecys by playing around with
tempo and volume, and using the complementary sounds eg closed and open
hi-hat to cut each other off with the instrument level way down.
It's so goos, my brother bought another one. Remember, it is limited,
BUT I am sure those mid-eighties sounds will be making some kind of
horrible comeback soon...