Boss DR-5 Drum Machine

first off, I LOVE this little box!!!....as for the ease of use; the shift button your friend. hold it down while pressing other pads and read the menus. to edit sounds: shift+pad; to copy patterns and phrases: shift+copy; to transpose phrases: shift+trans; ect. i was too stubborn to read the manual for about two years and still managed to get some awesome sequences out of it.

the main feature i love is the 30 plus pads. you can assign a different midi note to each one and use them to sequence samples, program changes, or sounds from other sound modules and software. second major feature is the sequencer. it's very flexible for the price of the unit. four tracks of sequencing with quantize in real time or step is pretty awesome for something less than a hundred bucks. third outstanding feature is the editable drum sounds. this was my first drum machine and i feel kind of spoiled by the ability to adjust pitch, level, and decay of every drum sound in a user kit. also a great trick to use is assigning the same drum sound to different pads and slightly tweaking the pitch, level, and decay to get variations and movement within the patterns.

a tom can be pitched down to sound like a bass drum. a triangle sound can can be pitched up and have it's decay choped off to sound like a cheap hi-hat. a synth brass sound can be lowered two octaves and sound like a uniquely wicked bass tone. just press: shift+pad, start scrolling and manipulating sounds. presets are kind of disgusting bad.

i've owned the very same unit for about nine years now. it's been used live, in the smoky-est studios, dropped, stepped on, vomited on, used as a blunt object to attack the singer with, and of course took all the handheld abuses it's supposed to take and still works like a charm.

never had a reason to call 'em.

i have so many fond memories using this particular unit so that if it were stolen or lost, i'd be really bummed out. i'd buy another one in a heartbeat. i cut my teeth on this box and i love the pads and the feel of the real time sequencer. i've used other units but none have really seemed to impress me (well maybe the roland micro-composers impressed me a little; oh, and don't forget about the Akai MPC's- but those are tricky to use). the quantizing on other units seems to over-quantize and sound unnatural, not the case with the DR-5. i wish it had velocity sensitive pads and a filter section, but if you see one for under a hundred bucks; BUY IT. for the price it can't be beat.

Bought this machine for $50 used. I was tappin out beats and jumpin between tracks in the first ten minutes. As with ANYTHING it takes a while to learn how to compose a good song. If it was simple to make a beat on the machine, everyone would be calling themselves a producers. Just stick with it, it will pay off.

The synths are really good sounding. The on board memory is a bit low, but if used with the Free software dr5edit you can download and save your work to your computer. A sequencer in the machine too?? YUP! and it works really well too. The pads could be more velocity sensitive, but still you can tap out about five beats a second

The instruments are deadly real. I've played drums since i was 12 years old. The drum sounds are not clipped, they're the full spectrum, with reverb right where it needs to be. They are dangerously life-like sounding. I like the Funk2 kit. It's got a real "Stevie Wonderish" funk guitar with nice drums too.

VERY DEPENDABLE. WOULD GIG WITH IT.

It this baby was stolen, I would be heart broken. Then i'd buy a new one and feel whole again :) Used with dr5edit, it is unstoppable. Works well with Cakewalk too.

If U can read, U can use it. Definatley get the manual. Editing is easy after U get the hang of it. Would prob be easier w/ keyboard instead of pads. BUT Im a guitar player so its great that its layed out like a guitar. Great for doing demos and practicing, takes time but what doesnt when it come to sequecing

19 sounds at once, I use it to practice as backing band, & use it for recording. I can only record one track at a time so I will add the kick, then go back and record the snare, ETC, its cool cause since its quantized it will always line up and keep time and feel. Havnt looked into expansions for it, not needed right now, but I have heard and read that U can add external stuff, memory, storage,ETC

I have an audio/music background. The thing I like it U can create sounds that are variations of the sounds already there. Example.theres only one tamorine sound, but obviously U need standard accented tamborine to add to a song. so by playing w/ the volume, pitch and decay times U can create that sound. Looks like the guys that built this knew its limitation but put in resources to expand the uses. most sounds are nice, some are cheesy, some are like "WHA??" but for 150$ used cant beat it

No probs at all, I've known people that have had them long time, no probs

never dealt w/ them

INVALUABLE practice tool, great for recording demos, havnt used live. would prob use a mini disk if I ever needed tracking live just for ease of use. best $150 I ever spent, thinking of buying another as backup. GET IT!!!!

I found this machine pretty easy to use, which i consider pretty good for someone who hadn't used a drum machine before. It took a while to investigate and implement the nuances, but thats to be expected with any piece of equipment.

I basically bought this because the drum sounds impressed me (especially the old 808 etc.) but learned to love the rest. The only thing that annoys me still is the waste of memory that the pre-programmed stuff takes up. I've never used them in ten years and thought the space could be better utilised (for me!!). I am a keyboard/guitar player so, once midied to keys, i felt i could get the most out of the unit. Stil program drums on the 'fretboard' though, just seems easier.

As with any sound module/drum machine, there are going to be sounds you never use in a million years. This one is no different. I must say that i have heard guys with thousands of dollars worth of gear that i thought sounded inferior to the sounds that this unit has. I've had this unit for a long time, and i've learned to manipulate the sounds to my own liking. Using the 'accents' when doing drums makes all the difference. I find the rhythm section (drums and basses) to be oustanding. I can understand guitarists that don't play keyboard not getting as much out of it as myself, as the sounds program so much better when midied and played thru the dr-5 instead of on the 'finger board' pads.

I don't gig with it anymore, but i did for a long time and the dr-5 takes a licking and keeps on ticking. It got dragged through pubs and clubs for years and didn't skip a beat. The limited memory made me investigate other possibilities however (having to do up to 50 songs a night), so i record everything to my boss br1180cd recorder and then dump that onto minidisc for gigs. So now my dr5 doesnt leave the house.

In ten years i've never had a problem with the unit, but i'll soon have to get some of the buttons fixed as they are sticking and the wheel is getting very sensitive! (the patterns change if you put too much pressure on the area around the wheel).

If the dr5 was lost or stolen, i'd be shattered. Familiarity has not bred contempt in this case. I'd get another one in a heartbeat.
It's reliable and basic (a complement) and does everything i need it to do. It's served me well through 10 years of bars and made me sound better than i thought i could. If only boss would come to the party on a new model with media card (at least) and a touch more memory....but in the meantime, i'll stick with what i have.

Having a little experience with Roland / Boss products, I find this device not at all hard to master.

It's really a drum machine and midi sequencer, with the extra External Pitch control so you can play midi instruments with your guitar. Monophonic, okay, but I was surprised at the tracking speed and accuracy. Really. I actually use this onboard function for programming and it definately works.

The internal sounds are okay, both drum and instruments and it's nice to be able to change pitch and decay settings for the drum sounds. I still like Alesis sounds better - as I like my keyboard instruments better, so I stack sounds using the Dr 5 as a midi sequencer. The pads on my Dr 5 are velocity sensitive, and there seems to be sufficient memory for the full range of song programming.

The guitar fretboard interface is great for recording parts. That's the "ease of use" part. But you definitely need to spend some time with the manual, because each pad is used for multiple functions, and there are lots of menus and scrolling. It is pretty, easy once you learn how, to copy patterns and songs, switch kits, assign sounds to pads, and sequence songs, but it's not intuitive.

It has a lot features for the price and size. The sounds I need are good (drums, percussion, bass, piano, electric piano, organ). It has quantizing for ease of recording. MIDI in and out. Tuner. Enough polyphony for me. Can play guitar through it, but no effect onboard.

Lack of storage is a problem, but it would cost a lot more if they added storage, no? Would have been nice for BOSS to include a software package to back up/edit on a PC (like they did with the BR-8). It had to buy one from a third party to make the unit truly productive. Also bought a MIDI Data Filer to get around the storage issue when playing live (I use two Dr-5s, each with half a set on them). Believe me, even though there's slots for 20 songs, you'll run out of memory way before you get to 10. Again, it would cost a lot more if they added a memory solution.

No surprises here. The usual mix of good drums, bass and keys, together with the predicatably awful MIDI sounds like brass and distortion guitar. Why is that damn brass ensemble sound the default on all MIDI units? That sound is why people cringe when they hear the word MIDI. If you want a simple backing machine, that sounds like a small combo behind you, this is a good one. I use it for jazz and Latin.

Bought an old used one and it works fine.

They were very helpful when I had a problem with my BR-8.

While the unit has limitations (memory, slight learning curve), this thing makes a great sounding back-up band. I think they stopped making this one because it's too much of a MIDI device for most guitar players, and probably most guitar players would prefer a simple drum machine with onboard storage, to use for practiucing, not performing. AS a self-contained unit, the lack of storage works against it.

But if you're not opposed to getting DR5Edit software you can back up everything to your PC, and you can also port MIDI arrangements to the DR5 from programs like Band-In-a Box. If you get MIDI Data Filer, you can store as many songs as you want and just change out the songs between sets.


The DR-5 is a great machine, but you need other software/devices with it to really be productive with it.

I've tried to use the EXP PITCH in order to control the dr-5 sounds by my guitar, but I think it's no working. The only sound that is issued is the original guitar sound. For example, I don't know how to use
the guitar to play piano sounds. I've reviewd the manual several times

The Dr5 wasn't the easiest drum machine for me to get the hang of immediately, but once I did, it was worth the effort. I think almost all of the preset voices sound great...a lot better than many other units in this price range. There isn't a whole lot of patch editing capability, but you'll probably find that not much is necessary. The manual is sufficient, although I struggled somewhat with the chord feature.

I wish it had a little more polyphony, as I like big, rich chords. If your music is more sparse, you'll fine it's quite adequate. Reverb would also be handy, though the voices are so rich and vibrant, it might sometimes get in the way. My favorite part is the 4 track sequencer. At first I thought 4 tracks might be a limitation, but instead, I've learned to whittle my arrangements down to the absolute minimum requirements (percussion, bass, lead, and accompaniment) without a bunch of unnecessary clutter, and my sound has benefitted greatly because of it. I used this unit to create an album of classical tunes, reinterpreted as pop-jazz ("Blue Danube", "Fur Elise" etc.), and you can hear what this machine sounds like in action by picking up a copy -- it's called "Classy Cool" and it's about $10 at http://hometown.aol.com/motionizer/page47.html

My favorite voices are the basses and of course the drums/percussion. If you use nothing else, you'll use these. They're really great. But I wasn't disappointed with any of the sounds. It's probably best suited for rock, pop and related styles. The distorted guitar sounds are absolutely stunning.

I had one bad experience, where it lost it's memory on me and ruined a song I was working on. But that was probably my fault, because I was operating it outdoors in the winter, with near-zero temperatures. You don't want to do that. Other than that, it's been very well behaved.

I've never contacted them, and hope I won't have to!

I intend to buy another one of these, just so I can have more tracks. I would like to be able to use the 4 built-in tracks for basic parts, and then put horns and strings down on the other machine, and MIDI them together. (As you can see, I haven't fully given up on my love of big productions). It is definitely worth the price. To create my "Classy Cool" CD, I used this machine for the backing tracks, and then I played lead (a stereo grand piano patch) on a Casio keyboard. Together, they sound brilliant, just like a live combo. Hear for yourself! http://hometown.aol.com/motionizer/page47.html

The presets sound very good, especiall funk/jazz/soul with keyboards. I like the standard and brush drum kits a lot. With very slight random volume change on the volume output or with a mixer fader, and elso the tone pots on the mixer, the drums lose the repetitiveness and come alive. Guitar patches don't sound natural, but i haven't seen natural sounding guitars on any synth, even on a 1200$ synth i recently owned. The strings are ok, as with any other synth. I love the arrangement of the pads as on a guitar neck, I can play anything on them. Even things i can't pla on the guitar or the keyboard. Patches are easy to edit, but there aren't many editing options as in a regular synth. However, i don't like editing patches anyway. I like the manual, but because this thing is a bit more complex than a drum machine, it has a synth module and a sequencer, so there are more things to explore (if you wish anyway).

I remember it's a total of 19 sounds f polyphony. It's more than enough for drums + 3 channels of accompaniment. It doesn't have reverb or chorus, but the patches have a decay function that behaves the same as reverb. Keys are not pressure sensitive, but there are buttons for different accent levels, so it's not a big problem. The sequencer is very flexible. I learnt sequencing on this baby. Then i found other sequencers hard to use, and i continued to use the sequencer on the DR-5, even when i had an expensive Roland synth with a sequencer on it. The sequencer doesn't support pitch bend, but i find pitch bending on a synth sounding unnatural anyway. You can enter notes directly with a guitar, i donT2 use it, because the pads are very friendly and more versatile than even a guitar or a keyboard. I would like more pattern and song space, or a means for extention with smart card or disk drive.

The instruments i like and need (keyboards, strings and brass mostly) are realistic enough, but of course not as a real instrument. I don'T like sampling emulation of real instruments anyway, so it does the job for me. Some patches, especially standard drums and acoustic guitars were better than the ones on my 1200 USD Roland synth. It suits rock/pop/fusion/soul. It reacts to velocity, if it's played with a velocity keyboard or guitar input, the pads have accent levels, no velocity. i don't remember if it reacts to aftertouch.

It's very reliable. Only the data dial needed cleaning (which is an easy task) after years of use and abuse.

It was and is still the only gear with similar features and it's still in production after many years since it's introduction. I've been using it for more than 7 years. I would like more patch/song storage options like smart card or disk drive interface. Also, velocity sensitive pads would rule. I would also try the Yamaha (SY-something) sequencer before buying again, if my DR-5 were stolen. However, i still would want another DR-5 because i love the arrangement of the pads like a guitar neck. Superb convenience for a guitarist. My guitar and music skills advanced with trying different fingerings and ideas on this instrument.

El manual de instrucciones es completo. En Espa?a te dan 2: uno en ingles y otro en castellano, cosa que se agradece.
El funcionamiento a fondo de la unidad es un poco complejo de aprender. No pq en si sea dificil, sino pq al haber tantisimas funciones has de estarte un buen rato con el manual consultando dudas. No obstante cuando ya lo dominas es fantastico y facil.

Muy bueno. 1 pista de bateria y 3 de instrumentos. Muchos kits de bateria e instrumentos y sonidos muy variados. Interface amiga con los guitarristas (se visualiza como un diapason). Posibilidad de 3 niveles de dinamica para el ataque de cada nota. Posibilidad de pitch shifter para "afinar" al gusto cada elemento de la bateria!!! Posibilidad de ajustar el decaimiento de cada golpe de la bateria!!! esto es fantastico... hace que los platos suenen y suenen con un decaimiento mas natural que en la mayoria de cajas de ritmos similares. Control absoluto de todo... puedes hacer casi cualquier cosa que puedas imaginar. Los limites son tu creatividad

Bueno... este modelo es del a?o 93. Algunos sonidos obviamente han quedado superados por el inexorable paso del tiempo. Hoy en dia la tecnologia permite cosas mejores... pero igualmente esta bastante bien y algunos de los sonidos que saca esta cajita son francamente buenos. Si le a?ades algo de reverb desde alguna unidad externa (yo lo hago con un holy grail) suena mucho mejor. Los sonidos de piano, organos y vibrafono estan muy bien... algunos sonidos de sintes tambien... lo peor las trompetas y cuerdas... pero claro... ya se sabe... los vientos y cuerdas suelen ser el talon de aquiles de estas cosas pq son muy dificiles de sintetizar. Resumiendo... no esta nada mal.

La compre de segunda mano... y esta impecable. El tio la uso mucho... pero es dura. Construccion solida. Botones de calidad.
Aunque el chasis es de plastico.

Nunca he necesitado el soporte tecnico de BOSS. Pq nunca se me ha estropeado nada. Eso es debido a la calidad de sus productos.

Es una herramienta muy buena para componer y para estudiar. Tambien da la talla para el home studio y hacerte tus maquetillas. Igualmente nunca sustituira una buena bateriatocada por un bateria de verdad de verdad ni un buen teclado tocado por un buen teclista, pero de hecho tampoco lo pretende.

Had mine since 1999. Very easy to use. I actually composed something within the first hour of use. I have it hooked up with a dr-550 now.

Fantastic sequencing. Wish it had even two more tracks

Wish it had more sounds

Has skipped a few times during song play back.

Do they exist for a perfect product?
I dont think i'd have to call them re DR-5

If I cant afford a good synth I'd buy two used dr-5 just for the track.

If it is the first time for you to use a sequencer/synth/MIDI device it can be a bit daunting...people with low experience levels should buy the Video Manual to get going.

If you understand basic sequencing, mixing and MIDI concepts learning it is easy IF you read the manual. Certainly this device favors guitarists (which I am) and works best for them.

Generally any of the things that make it difficult use are solved by the DR5Edit program available via shareware. I'll give the DR-5 a 10 due to availability of this sofware...otherwise I'd give it a 8.

This thing is amazing. I use it for my home studio and composing. I can build four tracks of music, then record each individual track to my BR-8 digital studio. Awesome results.

The unit does need some effects and some updated sound libraries, but it is does a good job if you run external effects on each track.

The guitar fretboard interface is great..I often wonder though if I would achieve the same results if it had an inexpensive keyboard built in to it instead.

I've never ran out of polyphony, but it is limited.

The sounds are pretty bland as they come, but if you process them independantly you can make it sound pretty good.

The buttons are not velocity sensitive as is the case on most drum machines these days. This is a liability and asset as you can get it sounding pretty good without learning to 'play' it.

I've owned two of these units and they were both reliable. They take abuse and come back for more. I'd use it to gig with without backup. I use it more for concepts/composing though.

Never dealt with Roland after years of using Boss/Roland stuff.

As I said before, this is the second one I have owned. I had one before and used it with a cassette four track recorder. I decided to upgrade to a digital portable studio, so I sold the DR-5 to raise the funds. I missed it within a week of shipping it out. I then tried buying a keyboard synth to do the same work, but I am a guitarist, not a keyboardist, and the synth thing didn't work out. I ended up buying a DR-5 again off of eBay and with 24 hours was composing better than before. The combo of the BR-8 and the DR-5 is awesome! I'm going to re-record stuff I did in the keyboard phase of life with the DR-5 to get the compositions back to the tightness I like.

No problem -this was my first sequencer ,and it remains my second instrument after my guitar. I read the manual thoroughly, and set myself the task of programming a "classical rock" version of Mountain's Nantucket Sleighride as a learning project .Project successful, and I now write original material on it ,and I've also programmed about three hours worth of live backings for the Desperate Dan Trio (UK) which has kept the band in work for over five years.I occasionally knock out a boogie piano or hammond organ solo (over a programmed left hand keyboard part with bass and drums) which no other instrument on the planet allows me ,as a guitar player ,to do (especially midi guitar!)

Polyphony- sufficient for simple (i.e.effective) live backings. For recording purposes, sync it to your recorder via midi and record each instrument in turn, adding FX on your recorder. Massive result if you've got enough tracks.No built in FX , emphasis is achieved during programming with accent buttons(4 levels).For memory live we use a simple Yamaha Midi Data Filer with floppy disc for some songs, Internal song memory for others, and specified pattern play for yet more . We prefer to keep backing really simple ,and add the excitement with the real instruments- is anybody at all interested in how clever a programmed drum fill sounds? This devastating realisation has given us about 75% more memory, simply by looping patterns .We also run in mono, which means we have drums and bass panned left(in the DR5) on one mixer channel and other instruments panned right with reverb on another fader so instruments can come in and out of the arrangement without programming by simply bringing them in and out on the PA.

Instrument sounds are solid on the whole, rarely cheesy. For the best drum results ,don't use the eighties rock kit, use the biggest, reallest dry sounds and ADD REVERB EXTERNALLY with a digital FX unit.HUGE sounds are possible.The DR5 suits realistic sounding music best, which it does better than the most expensive QY series Yamahas.We have people leaping about to our blues and rock numbers on a regular basis, which they don't do,however drunk, if the backing grooves sound fake.

You can depend on this unit,but your Wall Wart will need to be treated gently and replaced on occasion.Forget batteries! We have two DR5 units ,but one stays home for writing purposes, so yes we gig it without back-up.

I work in a music shop and I continually pester our Roland/Boss Rep( a most helpful person) about the need to reintroduce this product , preferably with more memory, onboard effects (chorus and reverb) ,an extra assignable output which would enable us to separate our bass sounds and add reverb to our drum sound live via our PA's FX unit without muddying the bass sound, and no more Guitar Triggering ,which simply doesn't work and has put some stupid people off using a DR5 altogether! IS ANYONE AT ROLAND CORP. LISTENING TO WHAT WORKING, THRIVING GUITAR PLAYERS NEED? Oh, and please ask the programmers to be less creative, and keep the presets to simple, short traditionally acceptable and universally adaptable patterns with no internal chord changes so we can actually USE the bloody things in our song programming (like Zoom do on the rhythmtrack machines) without wasting memory and effort on some tiny edit to remove a silly bit from a nearly useful pattern. One more thing- a smartmedia slot so we can store song, pattern and kit info for each song as a file, so we don't need to buy a Yamaha product for data storage !NO repairs have been necessary,and no upgrades are, I believe available up to now.Does the man who designed the DR5 still work for Roland/Boss and if so does he care about this design classic?

I would buy it again, but I deeply resent the way Boss have allowed this unit to die off in this format.The PMA 5 stylus interface was an unpleasant one, the DR770 was too expensive (and after all only a drum machine,) the DR670 is only a bass and drum machine, not something a guitarist unfamiliar with the piano keyboard can write entire arrangements on and record with. As for the dreaded Jam Station JS5, the sound sucks like a hoover, the interface looks like a toy, and the preset patterns were programmed by someone who has obviously never done a Pub or Blues club gig in his or her life.WE DON'T NEED A MACHINE THAT CAN PLAY BUSIER ARRANGEMENTS THAN FRANK ZAPPA, WE WANT SYMPATHETIC BACKING THAT DOES AS IT'S DAMN WELL TOLD! .I have a powerful synth workstation which remains unused- I am a guitarist so I write on the DR5 fretboard interface for preference, despite its age (and quite probably because of mine!) If Yamaha can regularly update and improve the QY machines, why can't Boss improve on the old DR5 .It can't be too complicated ,after all it's only for GUITAR PLAYERS ,for goddess'sake ! Despite the moans, however it's the only one of its kind, so it has to get first place till someone raises the bar.

Not so easy to use, you can use it at 100% only after reading manual a few times.
Too much sub-menu and not so very intuitive commands, such as SHIFT button commands. But when you will learn to use, you can do EVERYTHING with the drum & the instruments. Manual is easy to use (the english-italian translaction is good)

Sometimes the poliphony doesn`t work very well, for example among the chords of a song the sound seems "not continuos". The guitar in is very good for play into DR-5, but you haven`t any kind of effect. I don`t like playing guitar assigned to another instrument in DR-5: it doesn`t sound good. The internal memory is TOO SMALL. You have to transfer your work on the PC when it`s full.

I simply never heard an electronic drum machine sound like this. I will use the sounds of DR-5 even if i have an integrated sequencer on my digital multitrack recorder. The bass sounds are great, expecially the finger bass and the synth basses. Most of the instrument are great too, and don`t forget you can always change all the parameters of the sounds (ex. PAN, VOLUME, DECAY etc)

Never had a problem, considering the 9vdc power supply is not a BOSS original.
Be careful to use rotary dial !!!!

Never repaired, never ask helpful.

I owned two of this. I think i will replace it if it was stolen !!

There are some stupid issues regarding the interface on this machine. For instance - The "erase" pad is also the "shift" key. That's just stupid engineering design. Having said that...this machine is like others - once you get used to it, the moves become natural and it's as easy to use as the very first Dr. Rhythm ever - that grey/silver bar shaped thing with like 24 sounds. If your'e techno savy with these things...youll find it's like the rest - it's tedious to get past the learning curve, but once you do it's well worth it - because it's got some incredibly cool features to exploit. It's not an easy machine to learn to use - but what do you expect for all of the cool shit it can do ? Use your head and dig in...it's worth learning to use. I hate these lazy people who complain about machines being too complicated - it's not going to write music for you...but it comes pretty damn close once you get fluent with it. As far as the manual ? Again, if you are techno savy...you wont need to study the manual. You'll need to reference it. Its not an easy machine to program, but my god it is worth it.

It's got everything. One thing that pisses me off about it however, is that there are only 4 nuances in volume. You can't screw with each individual note - for instance...With the R-70, the user could dig deep into every single beat and screw with a whole range of parameters on every single note. But on this machine - You'd have to assign the same instrument to 5 individual pads...and set the volume for each pad differently if you want to extend upon those nuances. But beyond that as a shortcoming...it's advantages are by far superior. And yes - the pads are tiny...that annoys me. But they are laid out like a fret-board which is really cool. There are zillions of presets - so many that you will almost alwatys find what you need. I am usually anti-preset. Ordinarily I want the flexibility to do it myself, and fine tune as I see fit - but I have to admit...the presets cover alot of ground with this machine. It has what you need.

What can I say - this category rates a 10. Sounds amazing...from rock, to rap, to country, to jazz...in fact, the jazz sounds are intense. Its unreal what comes out of this machine. I couldnt believe this machine was a sequel to the original Dr. Rythm...The doctor has come a long way.

It will cut a gig. Serioulsy...if you can program it....you can count on it.

I have no idea - Havent needed it yet.

Buy it - great for live as well as for making demos. It does a hell of a lot. Its drawbacks can all be worked around.

PRICE PAID US $500.00 I BOUGHT THIS DR5 NEW WHEN IT FIRST CAME OUT TO WRITE SONGS ON(I HAVEN'T FOUND ANYTHING BETTER SINCE) AND I HAVE TRIED JUST ABOUT EVERY NEW PRODUCT THAT HAS CAME OUT FROM QY'S TO SAMPLERS TO GROOVE BOXES.THIS WAS BEST FOR THE PRICE.THIS IS VERY EASY TO USE IF YOU WILL SIT DOWN WITH THE MANUAL AND DO A STEP AT A TIME JUST LIKE IT SHOWS BUT IT WON'T HAPPEN OVERNIGHT,I'TS GOING TO TAKE A FEW TRYS,BUT ONCE YOU GET THE HANG IT IS REALLY EASY.

19 VOICE POLYPHONY(I USED THIS MACHINE AS A ONE MAN BAND-4 PIECE BACKUP PLUS PLAYED MY GUITAR THROUGH IT WITH A DIGITECH VOCAL HARMONIZER AND MADE OVER $10.000 IN 1999 DOING ROADHOUSE CLUBS,AND I'M NOT TALKING COFFEEHOUSES BUT REDNECK ROADHOUSES PLAYING SKYNARD,SEGER,CLAPTON STONES,ROD STEWART,ANYTHING I WANTED AND PROGRAMMED IN EVERY PART MYSELF AND WAS TOLD BY MOST CLUB OWNERS AND THE CROWDS I SOUNDED BETTER THE MOST OF THE ROCK BANDS THEY HAD IN THERE)FUNNY I HAD NEVER EVEN CHECKED ON THE POLYPHONY.IF I HAD KNOWN IT WAS ONLY 19 VOICE POLYPHONY I WOULD NOT HAVE EVEN BOUGHT IT.--NO EFFECTS YOU CAN APPLY-BUT THERE ARE EFFECTS BUILT IN TO THE SAMPLES,BUT IT HAS A WONDERFUL CLEAN DETAILED STUDIO SOUND LIVE ON STAGE THAT DOESN'T DISTORT WITH VOLUME WELL BALANCED(I HAD NO SOUNDMAN)DIDN'T NEED ONE START AND STOP SONGS WITH FOOTSWITCH,LOTS OF PRACTICAL FEATURES.I STARTED OUT DOING SHOWS ON MY ROLAND XP 80 AND I NOTICED THE SONGS WERE SOUNDING BETTER WITH THE DR5 AND THE PEOPLE WERE COMMENTING AS WELL.I LEFT THE ROLAND HOME FROM THERE ON OUT-TOO MANY EFFECTS TOO CLASH ON THE KEYBOARD-THIS IS ALL YOU NEED AND BROTHER IT HAS THE BEST SOUNDING ACOUSTIC GUITAR ON IT THERE IS (BAR NONE INCLUDING THE $3000,00 KEYBOARDS-MIDI IN AND OUT-YOU CAN COPY PRESETS TO USER PATTERNS THEN ADDS PARTS,MELODY LINES,ERASE SECTIONS OF THE ORIGINAL PARTS,MUTE PARTS,CHANGE THE MIDI INSTRUMENTS TO ANY OF THE 3 CHANNELS(DRUMS ARE STATIONARY),OVERDUB AN AMAZING AMOUNT BEFORE DROPOFF-IT SURE DOESN'T SOUND 19 VOICE-IT IS SETUP FOR 20 SONGS BUT I COULD ONLY GET 10 ON IT IF THE SONGS ARE DECENTLY LAYERED,I DID HAVE TO INVEST IN A YAMAHA DATA FILER TO STORE MY SONGS ON FLOPPY BUT THEN I HAD UNLIMITED STORAGE FOR LIVE GIGS.BY THE WAY THEY HAVE STOPPED MAKING THESE THOUGH THEY AREN'T BEING CLOSED OUT YET AT THE MAILORDER DEALERS,I KEEP WAITING FOR A NEWER MODEL,BUT INSTEAD BOSS HAS COME OUT WITH GARBAGE LIKE THE JAMSTATION INSTEAD OF FOLLOWING UP ON A REALLY AWESOME MACHINE-(IF ANYONE HAS ONE OF THESE AND YOU HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT FUNCTIONS ON IT,FEEL FREE TO CONTACT ME AT --THEMUSIC.MAN@VERIZON.NET

MOST REALISTIC INSTRUMENTS ARE THE ABSOLUTELY AWESOME ACOUSTIC 6 AND 12 STRINGS AND THE HAWAIAN GUITAR WHICH I USED TO GET A SOUND SIMILAR TO -THE MAVERICKS-ALL GUITARS ARE GOOD THOUGH AND ABOUT 80 PERCENT OF THE INSTRUMENTS ARE GOOD SOUNDING THOUGH NOT LOADED DOWN WITH INSRUMENTS-BUT IT IS SUPPOSED TO BE A DRUM MACHINE-BROTHER THAT'S AN UNDERSTATEMENT-I ALSO USED THIS MACHINE AS A PRAISE AND WORSHIP LEADER IN A 500 CROWD CHURCH FOR A YEAR BEFORE MUSICIANS STARTED COMING TO THE CHURCH-I'VE WRITTEN OVER 100 SONGS ON IT AND DONE RADIO JINGLES AND COUNTLESS YOUTH REVIVALS WITH JUST THE MACHINE WITH AMAZING RESULTS.

NEVER EVER HAD A PROBLEM WITH IT GIGGED WITHOUT BACKUP TO THE TUNE OF 10.000 DOLLARS--THE ONLY THING I CAN SEE YOU NEED TO WATCH FOR IS THE ROTARY DIAL CAN BECOME FAIRLY STRIPPED OUT IF YOUR TOO ROUGH AND TURN THROUGH THE PRESETS 90 MILE AN HOUR BUT YOU CAN GO INSIDE AND TIGHTEN BACK UP-I DID THIS ONCE-OTHERWISE NO PROBLEMS.

NEVER HAD TO DEAL WITH THEM

I DONT PLAY ANYWHERE ANYMORE BUT THE HOUSE-BUT I HAVE BEEN PLAYING LIVE SINCE 13.I AM NOW 46.I WISH BOSS WITH COME OUT WITH ANOTHER VERSION BUT SINCE THEY HAVE QUIT MAKING THIS MODEL I AM GOING TO PICKUP A COUPLE MORE TO KEEP AROUND.I KNOW I COULD BUY SOMETHING LIKE THE YAMAHA RMIX OR GROOVE STATION FOR THAT BUT I"VE TRIED THEM AND I'M STICKING WITH THIS-FOR MY STYLES,SOUTHERN ROCK.BLUES.TOP 40,COUNTRY ROCK,COUNTRY- STUFF YOU CAN REALLY ROADHOUSE GIG WITH IT CAN'T BE BEAT THOUGH THE PRAISE AND WORSHIP STUFF I DID WITH IT WAS COMTEMPORARY AND ULTRA MODERN-A VERY SURPRISING LITTLE MACHINE IF YOU STICK WITH IT AND DON'T GIVE UP AND QUIT AND USE THE EXCUSE THIS THING SUCKS.

Ok, this thing isn't easy to master on the beginning, it takes some time to master it. I did it by downloading my favorite's bands drum tablatures for guitar pro and then I tried to write it myself on DR-5... and by some time (few days to week) I finally did it and it's really a child's play, very easy to use! I'm playing a guitar and with Boss DR-5 I can write whole songs by myself, from all process of songwriting it's easiest for me to make a drum kit for all song.
Manuall is OK, it has everything - you just have to be patient and read! :)

I'm giving it 8 cause I tried to put my guitar in it but it didn't responded to me well... effects are good enough for me, well it's a drum machine and it's basic function is to provide drum set and that really works GREAT!
I didn't get any software with it but I foun on internet some software that uses me to save my drums and bass from DR-5 to PC cause it has memory for 3-4 songs only :(. I also found on the net scheme for electronics needed between DR-5 and PC and it works fine (MIDI support)

I'm in metal and it's pretty easy for me to adjust metal drums although this drum machine supports very larg variety of drum music stiles

This thingy never let me down, it never happened that it freezes or something, but I would like if display would have more contrast.
I wouldn't use it on gig cause it doasnt have enough memory to store more than 3-4 songs I make, but I'll record it on CD and use it that way :).

It's worth the money I paid it, even more, the goy that was selling it needed the money badly so I got it under price :), I recorded some music with it and I intend to keep on using it, I use it for drums and bass both

Entering simple patterns is easy enough, but creating complex patterns or chains is a complete nightmare. The 'menus' are unnecessarily deep, screen space on the already tiny display is frequently wasted, and long patterns can only be entered one measure at a time -- this completely destroys my flow. Others have posted decent ratings in this department; I can only assume they use external sequencers to drive the thing. I create user interfaces professionally (I'm a software engineer), and I tell you, this interface is PATHETIC.

The guitar features that make this unit special -- the pitch detector, the tuner, etc. -- are simply awful. Read the other reviews; you'll find that no one has had a good experience with these. The buttons are stiff and often unresponsive. Other standard features are adequate but unremarkable.

The patches sound fine though, as usual, there are too many turgid, overly-reverbed metal sounds. The pads are not velocity sensitive.

Haven't subjected it much abuse in the four months since I got it; can't really say.

I strongly recommend that you NOT buy this machine. The special guitar features are so crappy as to be worthless. The patches themselves are fine, but the DR-770 offers more sounds and better articulation (i.e., reverb, EQ, etc.) for the same price. Please do NOT make the mistake I made; no amount of wishful thinking will ever make this unit better than average.

The Presets sound amazing for it to be coming out of a digital box like this. But it is really tedious to enter complicated drum tracks (with rolls and offbeats). The Preset songs have no corresponding patters which can be copied and modified for use - they seem to be 'hard coded' in the machine.

The keyboard action is pretty good. There are no builtin effects which can be used on the guitar.

The instruments sound very realistic - especially with other tracks filled in, the drums sound very real. Works well for Rock for me. The reaction to playing is bad though.

Very dependable.

It's a treasure. I love the realistic sound quality. But I hate the effort it takes to program anything complicated.

THE SOUNDS ARE COOL...THE PRESETS ARE COOL...EDITING PATCHES ARE
EASY...THE MANUAL IS NECESSARY.

THE MIDI CAPABILITIES ARE REALLY VAGUE...I REALLY WANT TO EXPAND
SO THE SEQUENCER IS ABLE TO SEND THE ACTUAL VOICES INSTEAD OF THE
PIANO SOUNDS ON CHANNELS 1-3. IF ANYONE HAS ANY FEEDBACK LETS TALK.
THE SYNTH SOUNDS ARE AWESOME AND THE DRUM SOUNDS ARE TIGHT.AS FAR
AS I CAN SE PROGRAM CHANGE IS NOT POSSIBLE...DISAPPOINTED ME.

BASS SOUNDS ARE REALISTIC ESPECIALLY FINGER BASS AND ACOUSTIC BASS.
WORKS WELL FOR ROCK,FUNK AND JAZZ.NO F/X...THE ABILITY TO EDIT THE VOICES I.E.GATE,ACCENT,VOLUME,PAN ECT. IS WONDERFUL

VERY DEPENDABLE...HAS NEVER LET ME DOWN...NOT A SINGLE PROBLEM AT ALL
NO NEED FOR A BACKUP...

I HAVE DEALT WITH THE COMPANY IN REGARDS TO THE MIDI CAPABILITIES.
IT WOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER IF THEY HAD A TOLLFREE NUMBER FOR TECH
SUPPORT.THEY WERE HELPFUL AND GAVE ME ALL OF INFO,SO MUCH SO THAT I
ONLY ABLE TO ABSORB A LITTLE AT A TIME.I WILLL HAVE TO CALL THEM
BACK TO CONTINUE TO PROGRESS.

I PLAN TO BUY ANOTHER. I BOUGHT THIS ONE IN 1994 NEW FOR 450. AN
IT HAS BEEN ONE OF THE BEST MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS I HAVE EVER INVESTED
IN. VERY SOLID.BUT IM NOT IMPRESSED WITH THE MINI CAPABILITIES
YET.MAYBE THERE IS SOMETHING YET TO BE LEARNED ABOUT IT.

This drum machine is very easy to use. To record a pattern, alls you have to do is select a track, record a part, and when the loop comes back around, record another part

The polyphony is around 12. It hasn't dropped out on me and I connect my MIDI keyboard to and and lay down 6-note chords.
It has no effects, but the sounds and so darn good it doesn't matter.
You can upgrade the storage by adding a Yamaha MIDI Data Storage Device.
The Keys aren't pressure sensitive, but it still sounds good.
It has a 4-track Sequencer that's EZ to use

The instruments are incredibly realistic, especially for a beat box.
It Works for anything but some unmodified classical is weak.
it isn't velocity sensitive
The sounds are TIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I Use it W/O a backup, O.K.?

okay first of all, this drum machine makes me want to blow my brains out. with that in mind it is fairly easy to use. i just had _absolutely_ no use for it. ALOT of that ctrl + other button rapid wheel spinning stuff though.

okay. all of the drumkits are, imho, gay. they are the deformed product of 80's hard rock sensibility. also it should have come with an adapter.

with some tweaking of the limited kits and distortion and delay pedals, this thing sounds pretty cool. not that they are needed all the time but the lack of onboard effects really limits its usefulness.
it does a poor job of tracking from its external input but it was fun to fool with but as for trying to match up to guitar, forget it. it is a waste of time.

i give it a five because it is a pretty solid unit, but somehow the lcd screen came loose in the housing. I opened it up and fixed it [i really do not recommend this, and i have fixed alot simple things in electronic music equipment]. the problem is that the wheel is connected to both the top and bottom and is very difficult to just 'leave alone' as you fix something else. basically it is inoperable without the wheel, and my dr-5 is ruined.

god i would never buy one of these again. the reviews i read seem to be mainly from guitar players who find it useful in their line of work and i respect that. for this purpose i could see why it would be handy, even though at its price i would say it is not worth it. it completely bites as a standalone if you want to use it for electronic music. the drum kits are so rigidly unchangeable. and even though the sequencing aspect is pretty good, i really didnt want to use it in conjuction with my akai s5k because of the lack of velocity control. just buy something else. i wouldn't buy this unit used for more that $75.

It's easy to use the presets (200 patterns), and it's easy to copy the presets and modify them. As usual, the presets sound like they were programmed by a computer jock, but, that's what this is. You can also go direct to an empty pattern spot, and start recording by playing directly with the keys, or, by using a more complicated step time method.
The manual I got with my unit was printed in 1999, and is clear and straightforward. Once you get familiar with the control locations, the manual can get you to where you want to go. Haven't tried the midi interface yet, but that's not my thing.
There's a lot of buttons, but they're not too hard to figure out.

I use the machine for practice and for playing with my group. For practice, I connect the DR5 via the 1/4" jacks to two tracks of my 4 track, connect my strat through a JD10 DI box to another channel, set up a pattern or song, and wail away. It's great for setting up chord progressions and practicing strange keys or modes. With my group, we use it as a drum machine. The footswitch function allows me to turn it off or on, or change patterns while playing guitar. It's good for setting up drum patterns on the fly, and for storing them and naming them for later use. The sound quality for the drums is great. If there's room on the board, you can get a good stereo drum mix. The instruments on tracks 1 and 3 are ok. You may need more musical knowledge than I have to program them and use them to full advantage. They sound weak compared to the drum section. The bass track (no.2) is used a lot, there's about 12 different sounds available. I find only one or two that I like for our stuff. (rock, blues, weird shit etc.) If you want a drum machine, I'd rate the sound a 9.5. If you want instrumentation, I'd rate it a 5. No noise to speak of in the machine. It's possible to run a guitar through the machine to practice without any other amp, but it really makes your guitar sound cheap. There are no effects on the machine. Some of the drum voices are gated (reverbed).
Since I play drums, I found it useful to set up a custom drum kit with the drum sounds I wanted to hear. I then use that kit to play other patterns, and I sound like myself. I miss the rivet cymbal though.

I've owned it a few months, and it's dependable so far. I'd gig with a live drummer before I'd use a machine to avoid programming hassles, spilt beer, etc.

I'm relying on Boss/Roland quality, and hope I don't need customer support. I own a few other boss pedals and they've proven reliable for the past ten years or so. The machine is a compact unit, and as long as it doesn't get dropped, it should be ok.

I play rock, blues and whatever comes up in the session. I've been playing guitar for ten years or so and drums for about thirty. Drums are hard to mike in someones basement, and the group I play with does a lot of original homerecording with 4 track and we've just started cd production. I looked around via the net to see what was out there before I decided to buy the dr5. We were using a Yamaha drum machine, which sounded ok, but was a bitch to set up. The DR5 has a great drum section, so-so instrumentation.
The feature that I like the most is the ability to program drum tracks almost immediately, tweak them, and save them. I like my music visceral, not cerebral, so it's nice not to have to "compute" the sound I want to hear in the moment.
I've had problems with some pad sounds if I rush through the controls. It clears up once I slow down.
I hate a lot of the preprogrammed patterns. It's possible to listen a complete jazz tune on this machi