Boss DR-550

Fairly easy to program basic beats but I highly recommend having a manual if you plan to do anything beyond the basics. Once you learn the process it's pretty easy to edit patterns but don't try to get funky with this.
One thing that always pissed me off is that the number buttons go from 1 to 8 so there is no 'pattern 10'...you get 1 thru 8, 11 thru 18, 21 thru 28, etc all the way up to 88. Now that's just dumb!

I never had any issues with polyphony so I guess that's a good thing. The pads respond well to the touch but you only get the loudness that you programmed for each pad. There are no effects other than adding accent to make a given note louder or softer. You can tweak sounds a little bit - like making the drum sound last a few milliseconds longer. It only has MIDI in - no out. I never used MIDI anyway so I can't comment further on that.

For a drum machine this size and price the sounds are not bad. The average person might not notice any limitations but a decent drummer might find it lame. I used this for home use playing Rock and Blues and had a ***** of a time getting it to do certain things. I couldn't put a hi-hat, for example, exactly where I wanted it. I programmed "Change the World" as recorded by Clapton and this machine sucked every last drop of soul out of the song. The final recording sounded quite lame as far as the feel of the song but the drum sounds themselves sounded pretty good. The pads do not respond to velocity or expression...you get sound on or off.

I bought this unit used in the early 90's...the manual says 1989 so it's 20 years old. I haven't had any reliability issues and it still works fine here in 2009!

I never dealt with C.S.

If memory serves, I paid about $60 or so back in the 90's and I remember feeling a bit ripped off. My buddy's Alesis HR-16 was sooo much easier to use and infinitely more versatile - I felt like I had to trick the dr 550 into doing anything but the most basic beats. It has decent sounds but getting it to do anything expressive was not worth the aggravation. I ended up hating this machine so much it has sat in a closet unused for about 10 years. I finally bought an Alesis HR-16 of similar vintage on ebay so I'm getting rid of the dr 550.
Overall it served its purpose of backing up a schmo playing guitar in his room but I could have done more recording if it was a little more capable and a little less tedious to program.

i have the dr550 mark 1,presets are ok,the same as all of roland/boss products...limited patch editing...i need the full freaking manual for this one,not the turbo start shit....

polyphony is neough...pads are ok...limited effects and easy to use...there is only midi in..no out...which sucks tho...memory depends on the battery...if the battery runs out...everything tha you programmed in this lil thing goes out with it...that sux too...no memeory card either...for that price its ok...

good sounds!...good for rock..dance music..especially industrial,think the early nin pretty hate machine album...onboard fx are limited...no velocity aftertouch...

very reliable...im planning to use it live...cause now im still programming sons with the dr202,mc50 and dx7...

roland boss service center here kinda sux!...

i only use it as a module because of the memory problem...if lost id buy me the dr 770 which is much better..but then again i bought this one reeeeeel cheap!...more memory!!!!dammit!!or external memory..even the dr 202 doesnt have one...fucking rip off!

NO SOFTWARE Needed-----presets sound excellent thru some medium effects----editting is a breeze-----I NEED A MANUAL and not that TURBO QUICK thing that is on the net!

A drum matachine with some great analogish digital sounds----

CIRCUIT BENDING BENT-- anomalies--by BENT MONKEY CAGE--- BEND this puppy to some XXtreme divisions and audio anarchic anomalies------

yes indeed-----I put these beasts inside my BENT DEVICEs

ROLAND is the GREATEST-------cuzz we are all in CALIFORNIA and very close KNIT

yes I always buy BOSS and ROLAND devices------it helps make SYNCOPATED INDUSTRIAL NOISE----and incorporates itself superbly with BENT NMONKEY CAGE's Circuit Bent Devices

Boss DR-550 MK-II - i found the nanual online (after a lot of google-ing):
http://img.musiciansfriend.com/dbase/pdf/ts/700550ts.pdf
The device is plug & play, as far as stand-alone jamming.
I have not used it with a computer or anything beyond garage jams.

There's lots of info out there; i just wanted to post the manual because of all the requests.

same as above...

i bought mine in the Summer of 2002 - do the math!
this sucker seems to be older than my wife, and it sounds great!

who would i call?

my first real drum machine, other than electric piano built-ins.

This machine is simple to use, but I believe it would be alot easier with a manual.

The sounds are pretty cool as far as the different drum sounds go, a bit digital but with the right effects supertight. As far as other features I have'nt worked with them to much

I personally like the sounds in this unit. They are nice crisp and clear

just plug and go.

nevr dealt with them

if lost or stolen I would definitely replace it with another just like it or a slightly newer model.

I bought this drum machine at the PAWN shop w/o a manual but I would like one.It sounds pretty good with potential to make some phat beats.....

the boss DR 550 does has the midi hook up and is somewhat easy to use because this is my 1st drum machine and I have done alright w/o a manual....

You can make any type of music with this drum machine.....

For sure....

Never dealt with the company but I want a manual if possible

It is outdated now especially since I had this drum machine for almost a decade but until it gives out on me I will continue to get use out of it.....

Its easy to get some cool sounds out of it and play back the preset loops... but we still haven't programmed much into it. There is no manual, so its all trial and error. If I had the manual I'd probably give it an 8 or 9 rating here.

Not a lot of features. The drum sounds, sound like... well, a drum machine. Has a digital sound. Get some effects hooked up to it, thats where it shines. I have it going through my Boss GT-5 effects board right now, the sounds I get from it in this setup are why I bought it. Any kind of distortion, delay, pitch shifter, wah, fuzz, anything will add a lot to your sound. If you've used a GT-5, you know that there are a lot of options available (think of really any guitar effect available). This allows me to program banks and switch effects or move the pedal (which controls pitch, depth, wah, etc depending on the effect) with my feet while playing guitar. Depending on the effect, different aspects of the loop are accented, sometimes giving it an entirely different sound and even a different drum pattern. Without the effects though, its a 5.

Again, not a lot here. Get it going through some effects.

Seems pretty reliable. I've only been using it for a week or two but if we work it into our live set, I'd use it without a backup.

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Its a basic drum machine. If you want something fancy that sounds terrific get something else. If you're using it with effects for cool drum effects over a live drummer, then its pretty cool and its great for me.

I acquired this drum machine second hand, with no manual. I was able to figure out the basics fairly quickly, but I ended up renting the video manual from the local music store to fill in the gaps. Overall, it has a very simple interface, and even a moron should be able to use it.

It seems that the Boss drum machines are generally lacking in features. It does what it should do, but nothing extra. All in all, it's pretty functional for a basic no-frills drum machine.

It has a large enough variety of sounds to cover all the bases. I imagine it works fairly well for all types of music, since it has almost all of the building blocks available. It's not terribly expressive or reactive, but it does the job.

I can't believe this thing still works. The previous owner beat the hell out of it. I got it so cheap because it wasn't expected to live much longer. I've beat the hell out of it, even dropped it down the stairs, and it still keeps kicking and ticking like the day it was born.

Never dealt with support. Haven't needed it.

Overall it's a very good basic drum machine. Unfortunately it's very basic. I mainly use it as an enhanced metronome for practicing bass/guitar/keyboard/drums. The more expensive Boss models (DR-660 and DR-770) are much better, but you get what you pay for. It's very much worth the money, but don't expect it to perform miracles.

This drum machine is the best drum machine I've owned (out of seven). Very easy to program, but as with all Dr. Rhythms, the patterns are pretty limited. I've used is as a drum sound module, using my old Alesis HR16 as the midi master.

Total midi, total high-q sample quality, you get it. This thing's a great sound module and pretty decent stand-alone drum machine.

Whoa, does the "expressive" capabilities on this machine SUCK!! You get three volumes: normal, accent and OFF. Again, I totally reccommend it as a sound module. The midi capabilities lets you control the volume MUCH better than through their own interface (which simply BAFFLES me)

As with all DR drum machines, the thing is a workhorse.

Never used.

It's been a pretty good drum machine, and when using as a sound module, it's given me some REALLY good sounding drums.
Please note: the reviewer no longer owns the product: