Boss DR-660

Heaps of kits available, if you get one that someone else has programed just reset and start from scratch. 255 16-bit sounds in there and a lot of them don't even appear in the preset kits. Manual is finally available from roland online. 7 kits preset, the other 28 kits are re-programmable.

12 note polyphony, has velocity sensitive pads but you are much better off running it from a good keyboard as you won't get the full expression available using the built in pads. All kits are standard midi, so once you learn where the pads are on a keyboard all kits play the same.

Can be programed with the standard, fill, variation, fill format so can actually be played live.

156 different programmable patterns, 100 presets.

Sequencer is limited in that you can not change tempo, you can get around it by linking different songs into one, as each song can have a different tempo. Really only good for two songs at a time this way though.

To all those stinky-faces out there that point out that there is not a full 909 kit on it, the 909 ran 6-bit high hat and cymbal samples, if you cant tweak this back to those sounds with the the pitch, decay and nuance settings maybe you should get a beret and a a pair of bongos.

Onboard effects are serviceable, individual level settings for each pad, flanger will give you some freaky sounds for sure. 2 assignable outputs beyond the stereo mix are all you really need. One for kick and one for snare, leave the high hats and toms on the stereo. 4 outputs total is just right for a machine.

Will work best programed with a keyboard or something that can output a broader range of midi velocity. The pads are really hard to get subtle differences out of.

Accepts expression pedal input for nuance, nice for programing realistic, natural sounding drums.

Japanese made, nothing cheap inside, the pad triggers will work forever. They are the sealed-sheet membrane style, no dust can enter. This is a billion hit machine, your fingers will be dirt before this stops working. Just change the battery and you are good to go for another century.

Don't abuse the plugs on the back as the case is all plastic, and the plugs are mounted on the main circuit board.

You could drop a grand on an 808, and have the headaches that come with it (no midi, rotten triggers, limited sequencing abilities and patterns) or you can get this. It is a roland, the 808 samples are true, and convincing, good brushes. Pedal high-hat pretty realistic. Cymbals are all a little crashey though.

The basket-ball kick rings and rocks, as well ability to layer and scale the sounds via velocity with the cross fade. IE Combine pad bank A and B via velocity, hit a pad soft and get a brush snare, hard and get a stick with a nice blend/crossfade between the two. Only a couple of the presets are cross fades but it gives you the right idea. Since you can only play 1 set of 16 pads at a time the best way to set this up is with layered sounds on each pad. Eg. 2 snares at a time, 2 kicks with different decay rates, hard stick and a high hat, etc. That is the secret to this box.

Wish you could run it off batteries, for those long bus rides.

It is easy to use. I prefer to use it as a module and trigger sounds through MIDI with my sequncer..but it's fun to have a spot where you can store a few beats. I just wrote a mindblowing beat a few minutes ago. You can get a cross between old school rap and Peter Gabriel..bonk a few times and you've got a new electronica sound.

As people have said, tweeking sounds acheives impressive results with this unit. if you have ever played with a Yamaha RX-17 from the generation of mid to late 80's digital drum machines or the like you would appreciate how deeply programable these sounds actually are. And..a friend of mine has a real TR 808. I have had a chance to reprogram the 808 sounds on this thing to make a cooler 808 kit. Haven't heard them side by side yet. This is a pretty damn affordable subsitute for a real 808 and if you're just getting into playing electronic music this is a great addition. The other reviewers are right..it isn't a full TR909 kit..but heck..tweek those hi-hats yourself and do something more original. I am still not convinced the TR909 is the mother of all drum machines especially when you play one you HAVE to put your kick on every quater note. But..kido...this 660 here will get you in the game with some 808's and some 909's and ...well..let's see what you got shorty!

The sounds here are ...pretty great and up to the user to show how good they can be. I love them. There is a "plasticy" and 2-D element to these sounds..I really noticed after getting a TR606..but guess what? My TR 606 broke down after two years and my DR660 still runs great after I bought it new in..gosh..'94 I think. In other words, there may be hipper drum machines with cooler sounds..but this thing will turn on and play when you need it to. It's got those 808's..it's got some 909's. And you can make some pretty cool Drum and Bass kits. I made some great R&B kits in the late 90's. Made some D&B kits a few years ago. I had just been taking it back to some straight 909 acid-kinda kits tonight. I can hear some aliasing on the 808 kick. There are sample artifacts here and there..the IDM and industrial guys like that and make it louder.

It just turned on after my being on couch tour, study abroad and caretaking in some pretty but nowhere USA town....it came on tonight back at my folks' house.

Never tried..the manual seems to be enough.

I love this thing. I also like a real 808 and my broken TR606 (waa!), I got some cool sounds on my EMU PK6...only Reason or some Korg module sounds and the real x0x stuff turned me on more. This thing rocks in the right hands. The individual outputs make it pro-worthy.

*The EPROM is unchanged from the factory settings when I first purchased it.
*Customizing "kits" is a breeze. Modifying the settings of individual drums is a breeze.
*Programming "Parts" in real time is a breeze. Make a mistake, hold down the "erase" button and the pad while recording and mistakes dissapear. Now do it over again, this time get it right.
*This Manual IS THE MANUAL that made me want to become a technical writer. ALL MANUALS should be this easy to use!!!

*This is a drum machine. Are you doing "Cream" or "Stanley Clark" fusion jazz cover tunes? Damn, I think you need a drummer. Are you doing R&B (or what passes for it today) and radio "stuff". You should be able to get it done. The pads are touch sensitive and still work well (after 13 years).
*There are "overall" chorus and reverb controls as well as chorus and reverb controls for individual pads. The adjustments can be made in real time and are immediately evident.
*The MIDI capablities ARE AS FOLLOWS. MIDI/IN/OUT AND THRU. THRU and OUT are on the SAME PORT! They are switchable through the software menu under the MIDI menu.
*The on board sequencer is simplicity itself. I have it locked up to my Alesis MMT-8 never a problem and easy to "slave" with the software or turn it back into it's own "master" device when I just want to program it without turning all my other equipment on.

*Realistic? It sounds good. It is a drum machine and again it is easy to use. It can't be as powerful and dynamic as drums because well, it isn't drums and a musician.
*This is drum machine is IDEAL for covering Janet Jackson, R Kelly, Mint Condition (easier Mint Condition), that genre of R&B plus Rap. Expanding the decay on the 808 is the ILLEST SON!

Over the past 13 years my drum machine has been ON most of the time that I have owned it. The battery is still good. The display still works (every segment and dot).

I have Reason 1.0. If this drum machine was gone, oh well too bad so sad. I would miss it! This EXTRAORDINARY drum machine is the standard by which ALL OTHER ELECTRONIC GIZMOS IN THE WORLD SHOULD BE JUDGED FOR EASE OF USE. I used to work as a group home counselor and sometimes to break up the monotony I would bring that drum machine to work so the boys could learn how to program beats and get familiar with the music they were listening to all the time. I showed most of the kids how to program custom patterns, do fills and sequences in about half an hour. IT'S AS GOOD AND EASY AS ADVERTISED!!!

I had a Roland R-5 until I got my hands on my own DR-660, so I was used to the decay, nuance and pitch thing. The drums can be edited while the sequencer is running on tne Boss. No stopping.

Be smart about decay and polyphony. Things disappear and get cut off.

The 808's and cr-78 sounds are cool. You can do crazy stuff with the flanger. It's missing a hard 909 kick.

I have seen other DR-660's get their jacks worked loose, knobs stop working, but I"m talking about major abuse. It will hold up for normal people who don't go around breaking stuff. I got lucky enough to find one new in the box for $250 US. It had been on the shelf at a local music store since 1994.

This machine is out of production. I bet you can't get much help from Roland.

If I lost this machine, I would replace it immediately. I have been DJing for 10 years now, and picked up synth gear here and there along the way. The only machine that compares is probably a Roland R-70, but I have only read specs on that one. I use the DR-660 in almost every thing I do. other gear: Yamaha SY-77 synth, Boss DR-670, Roland R-5, Boss DR-5, Boss SP-505 Sampler/sequencer, Roland TR-505, two Casio Keyboards.

Once you've figured out how to use the DR-660, it's fairly easy and intuitional (RTFM). The manual is okay (at least the german one). Sequencing is very easy, though it's not as easy as the typical Roland-TRx0x way.

Built-in FX sound okay, but not very versatile. Reverb sounds good. Delay and Chorus/Flanger could have at least a higher parameter resolution (only 31 steps).
Another sad thing: No mute feature. Since a pattern does not contain multiple tracks, muting is not available. If you want to "mute" certain instruments (i.e. hihats) you've got to copy the pattern and then delete the hihats.
Shuffle is okay, but again there could be a better parameter solution.

Sounds are okay, lots of natural drum sounds and few electronic ones (like CR78, 808 and 909). Works good for drum'n'bass I think. FX are not very strong, could be a bit more extreme.

Just got my DR-660 and played a bit. Didn't crash yet! ;-)

Manual can be ordered from Roland Corp., but I would prefer a PDF download.

Got mine for only EUR 50 from eBay, but wouldn't buy it again because it does not fit my needs (no track muting). If you do mainly song-writing and need some real drums, then this is your machine.

I'm a bit shocked that others have rated this product so high for ease of use - I think it's awful. Perhaps others wish to show off their techno-prowess. My Roland TR-505 was *much* easier to use. Real-time pattern creation is ok, but overall, usability is poor. The manual is also not especially well-written, and in terms of MIDI capabilities, manual coverage is woefully incomplete.

The feature set is reasonable. Touch-sensitive keys, decent sounds, and advanced editing capabilities. Some expanability would have been nice, and there seems never to have been a software upgrade offered for the device. Skip the onboard effects.

Sounds are good, programming for velocity response is reasonable (if not cutting-edge). Overall, it is possible to get decent sounds out of the unit.

No problems with it. I use it in a home studio, so gigging with it isn't really a factor.

No real experience with customer support, so no opinion. No software updates offered.

If it were lost or stolen, I would look for something with a better user interface. I bought it because I thought it would be a quick and easy way to put together drum tracks for demos. I think I'm happier with the MIDI Drum Editor in Cubase. Overall, if you need a hardware box and need only simple functionality or presets, it's great. Otherwise be prepared to spend some time reading the manual (again and again, if you use it infrequently, because you won't remember the uninituitive controls) and if you want to do advanced MIDI stuff, you'll have to figure it out on your own, because the manual won't help you.

Preset sound quite well. Editing patches is not that much easy: the screen is a little small. Touch pads are good. Manual is OK. MIDI implementation is OK as well.

there are two low quality FX. 255 preset sounds which you can edit, 4 out (2 assignable). Internal sequencer is pretty good.

It sounds well, even the sounds are a bit old. Expresiveness is good enough.

OK.

Well, it's just a rythmn box with 255 sounds, 32 Drum Kits, 100 RAM presets, and a good internal sequencer. Nothing more, this machine will never be a vintage...

Pretty easy to use, once you get the logic involved. Mostly, I use the realtime instead of step programming, and wheel through the patterns I selected.

Lots of great editibility in this machine, from the parameters of the individual sounds to the touch sensitivity of the pads, to the easily programmed time signature changes (different patterns sequence easily). Two things that bothered me with this unit. 1) Inability to change tempo within a song. Once you set the initial tempo for a given song, there seems to be no way (at least none that I've found) to change the tempo as you add patterns to the song, so any change in tempo in a song (ritardando, or tempo change for time sig change, etc) is either impossible, or must be done by hand adjusting the tempo dial as the song plays. 2) Memory, or lack thereof. There seems to be a lot of memory in this piece, but as I started programming different patterns for a song in order to make the drums interesting, I ran out of room several times. For saving more than 3 songs' worth of patterns, it was nearly impossible. As someone said, all the extra crap they throw on it in unremovable patterns, I'd at least have more room to play with, but as they're unremovable, it only irritates me that they're there. Aside from these two gripes, this really is a great machine, especially for the price.

The thing I love most about this machine is the programmability of the sounds. It is extremely easy to edit sounds and save them in your user kits. I found I usually use just a couple kits (for different types of music- rock/metal and electronic), so the rest of that space would be nice if it could be allocated to patterns, but I know I'm dreaming...

The only physical problem I had with this unit is the selection dial wore out after a couple years. It would sometimes roll through selections, and sometimes when you would roll it, it wouldn't move anything on the display. Given that it took a couple YEARS of extensive home use for this to happen, and the unit still continued to function properly otherwise (you can reel through selections using << and >> buttons, just not as quickly), I feel it's a very reliable machine.

I don't know; never had to contact Roland.

Excellent machine, despite any problems I may have had with it- those are merely problems/limitations you deal with when purchasing an affordable item like this. I have recently had mine stolen, so I plan to replace it in some time. It will be used primarily for hashing out ideas instead of fully developing them for recordings. More for 4-track taped ideas to take to band practice.

This thing is quite easy to use. You can tweek just about every setting of each individual drum sound.

Velocity sensitive pads are great, but it is much easier to just plug in into a sequencer. I would have been nice to have drum settings responsive to midi data instead of just sysex.

The most disapointing things about this machine is that it does not have the full 909 set. It is missing the hi-hats. Who in their right mind would include the 909 kick & snare but no 909 hi-hats. It does has some nice 808 sounds and acoustic drums.

The levels seem to drop periodically in a long sequence. This might just be my imagination though. It is a good machine.

I have purchased a Boss DR-202 because it has more techno drums. I think that this a great machine for someone who wants more acoustic sounds.

Incredibly easy to use.

You can tweak all the crappy factory sounds into oblivion.

Does it really matter? It's a drum machine!!! Why would you even try to emulate an acoustic drummer. Besides, acoustic drums are obsolete my friend.

Be careful hooking it up with an external sequencer.

If you want an easy way to write good sounding industrial music then this is definately the way to go.

Roland Boss Dr-660 is what I am using, and there is nothing left for me to say about it 'coz every owner of it has said evrything about it.
It's just a great instrument. My younger brother (age16) learnt to operate it within 2 weeks. I could just master it. Hey, I am not praising myself, but making you understand how easy it is to use.

What is not there in it.
Human shout you want, you can creat
whistle you want, you can do it
You want to play it without touching, you have midi control

Uhhhh... what elese do you need

You can have drunkits for different patterns whereas in R8 man you can't have too may kits.

I was really wondering how it was repeating the sound. It's just beautiful to listen to it.

I am really really lucky to have it man. believe me really I am lucky.

Instruments are not only realistic but also very realistic.

When you can create the sound you want from the instrument that is there, what else you want.

I am an India, and we have several Indian instruments here. When I first got this instrument I was wondering about what to do for Indian instruments. But it took very little for me to know that I can even create Indian instruments from the one that exsist.

Of course, I can depend on it. Once, it so happened that our drummer had not come and we had to manage the whole songs with DR-660. Wow, it was now we learnt that we do not need drums when we have DR-660, so dropped the use of drums.

So far no problem, so no dealing with the Company. But I believe I have chosen the best.

I would never bear anything happening to it. I love it. It's my real love coz it gives me real happiness.

easy to use machine. im pretty dumb when it comes to programming equipment, but after taking a look at the manual, i knew, basically, how to use this machine. Manual helps alot.Editing is relatively easy and straight foward. the presets are o.k. i guess. They show you what the thing can do, but thay are not something i would want to make a songs with.

The polyphony is good. i never needed more than they give. The effects are easy to use, but they suck though. i never ue them. i never really needed to either. it has so many good sounds in it. it has no expansion, wich isn't too bad, concidering how many different sounds that are in it. The pressure sensitive pads are nice.

like i said previously, its got ALOT of differnt sounds. It has so many, sometimes i forget what sound im looking for, get totaly confused, and wind up using a sound that was completely different than the sound i was thinking of. I'm not sure if this is a good or a bad thing. its has some pretty realistic sounds in it. not quite as realistic as the roland r-70, though. I didn't buy this machine for the realistic sound initially. now, those are the sounds im looking for, so i was thinking about investing in a r-70. My friends band uses one and the drums sounded so real, I didn't realize it was a drum-machine untill i actually saw it! But the dr-660 is great for the ministry/Pitchshifter sounding drums, as well as some of the 808 and 909 sounds.

I would definately depend on it. I spilt iced tea in it. Twice! it still works perfectaly, without a hitch. its plastic, so im not sure how it would stand up if you jump on it, or bang it with a hammer, and i am not about to find out.

I dealt with boss/roland, but not about this piece of equipment. it was about an sp-202 i have. they were very nice and curtious.

Well, if it was stolen, i would definitely concider buying it again. especially concidering the price. a new 770 goes for alot more and doesn't offer too much more than this one. But i still want a r-70. I'll never forget the first time i heard it. I couldn't believe that a drum-machine could sound so real! I'll never get rid of this one, unless i REALLY need money. I own quite a bit of boss equipment. I own a dr-550, which was my first drum-machine(very good for 808 and 909 sounds), a sp-202, the dr-660 of course, and im getting a mc-303 for christmas. i cant wait for that one. i also own the super chorus and metal zone pedals. It definitely helps me make music, but now, i wish the realisitic sounds sounded more genuine. But for the price paid, I really have no room to complain.

Doesn't get much easier than this. The sounds are good and varied. The manual is pretty easy to understand. The sounds can be edited quite easily - pitch, decay, velocity, ect.

I believe the polyphony is 9. I've never needed more than that - it is, after all, just a drum machine. It has MIDI in, out and thru, and the standard MIDI messages (velocity, program change, etc.) The sequencer is easy although I wish it displayed bars/beats rather than just beats. I REALLY wish it didn't have a hundred preset patterns and eight preset kits that can't be overwritten. Don't get me wrong, there's plenty of room for user patterns and kits, but why the hell do I need a HUNDRED presets?

All the sounds are pretty realistic, especially the regular rock drum sounds. There could have been a few more good techno/dance type drums. Even the wimpiest snare sound can be useful if it's tuned way down. If you tune the crashes all the way down, they sound like gongs. Pretty cool.

I've had mine about two years, and have had no troubles whatsoever.

Haven't needed any.

If it were stolen or destroyed, I would probably upgrade to something else, or just use a sampler w/ some good drum samples. It's a good machine, though. If you can get it for around $200 - go for it!

Software version: There is only one, but it suffices. Presets: The standard realm of electro and rock drums. Especially nice are the dozens of kicks and snares. Expressive brushes as well. Plus, there are several reverse-type and spacey effects just ripe for manipulation, which is this baby's real strength. More on that below. Editing: Features step and real-time beat and song creation. Pick your favorite; either gets the job done. If you can read a manual, you will be doing whatever you need to within an hour. If you're really creative or in need of more expressiveness, then it might take you two. But after you've done something once, you never have to refer to the book again. The manual has straightforward answers to all questions. I've heard of some people figuring this machine out sans- manual, but since Roland still makes them available, save yourself the headaches and get the thing. (Hey, it's not a TX-16W, at least!)

I don't know the specific polyphony, but since my forte involves multi-layered sounds and patterns (for example, 8 or 9 differently tuned/effected snares in one pattern, along with as many kicks/toms) for industrial/techno/rock, I've noticed the occasional sound dropping out after layering about 8 or 9 sounds deep. So, this doesn't mean you can't work around it and still get your ideas across. The effects (reverb, chorus, delay - that's it) meet your basic needs. They are best used when approached for sound manipulation in a non- traditional way. I like to have a very dry electronic kit playing a standard rhythm, with a heavy-reverbed and detuned brush snare, for instance. When applied creatively, the reverb and delay can be nice accents. The chorus is there if you want it, but I've yet to discover a non-cheesy application for it. All effects are easy to use. If you're looking to expand the sounds, skip this and go for an AKAI MPC-2000 that allows for sampling. Otherwise, it's presets only Unfortunately, there is no room for expansion with the DR-660, HOWEVER - all you need to keep working with it endlessly is some type of sysex bulk-receiving device. I'm very new to MIDI, but I've used this box along with a Yamaha MDF-1 data filer (saves data to floppies) in an industrial ensemble for around 3 years very comfortably. I just save the drums for a new song as it's own file on a floppy, which will hold around 15 or so songs. Basic, yes, but it works. MIDI out, in/thru. Buttons are extremely sensitive, but the results are very editable in step mode. Do your sloppy beat tapping in real-time; the quantization cleans it up, and then you can edit the levels in step mode to perfection. It's all in the manual. For recording, there are four outputs that function as mono, stero, and two individual outs. I do wish there were more individual outs. Overall, the features are as complete as you could expect for a box this size and cost.

You can effectively and easily imitate a real drummer with the 660. Even Jazz. You can turn the quantization off, and the touch-sensitive keys are like butter. OR, you can be a technoholic and go nuts with the 909 and 808 kits. OR better yet, invent your own sounds and do something completely unheard of. THIS is the real strength of the 660. I don't know why more artists haven't caught on to this. It could eventually turn into the TB-303 of drum machines for this very reason. The detuning and decay options available allow for very useful manipulation of otherwise played-out sounds. It's very easy to morph a snare into a kick sound, a tom into a snare sound, and a cymbal into a sonic wash of eerie wind. Not to mention the fact that you can layer multiple versions of whatever sounds you like within a beat. Six different snares working as one? No problem. In these days of very recognizable instruments and sounds, then this option should make the 660 an attractive buy for the electronica set. The quality is crystal clear, and translates well in the studio. Add some compression in the mixdown, and you're all set.

Totally dependable. No problems whatsoever in 3 years. Solidly built.

N/A

If something happened to my 660, I would buy Roland's latest version, the 770. But I've seen 660s for around $200US in several online auctions. The 770 offers improved effects and more memory, but that's about it. The 660 makes the 550 look like a 80's toy, but it is no MPC-2000. More individual outs would be greatly appreciated. Overall, it does quite well as an affordable digital drummer and alternative sound source. I'd be curious to hear from others who have had experience with the 660 as well.

Im using the latest software...as a matter of fact, i dont even know of any software changes since the release..Presets..The average drum machine stuff, you know..not alot of my fave kit (Tr909) but theyve got tons on the 808 which is quite alright. You can edit the sounds. i never saw much in this, except i like to edit the blip noises and other EFX. I seriously dont use the drum machine much, ever since i learned how to use my Jv-1080s Techno card drum sounds on my sequencer. I DO very much so like syncin up to my Jp8000..such acidic fun..manual is a Roland..im almost to the needed 200 IQ level...

full polyphony? ive never had problems with sounds dropping. the drum pads are soft and squishy..and VERY sensitive. chorus, Delay, blah blah...all suck except the delay..which i dig. Has all midi features basically, which is very cool. On board seq. is the usually 250 patterns or something of the sort..i dont like the sequencer on this..its not simple enough for me..i like placing dots on squares, or pressing buttons to light them up...otherwise i guess its flexible..

the acoustic drums are decent, but why would you buy a drum machine for those? the electronic sets are ok i guess, not enough options, i VERY often find myself using my Techno card on my 1080 for drums, lotsa options, lotsa variations, and a full 909 set and MORE! EFX are crappy, cept for the delay..I guess a drum machine is a drum machine, so it does react to my playing..the velocity and Aftertouch are very good...too good, it picks up the slightest presses..

Yeah, i guess i would take it on a gig...it looks so cute perched upon the lil nook of my Jp8000...id gig without backup..i never heard of a digital drum machine gone bad at a gig..

Roland i hear is BAAAAD when it comes to customer support...upgrade? sure..not much to be added to this beatbox...

To tell the truth, i wouldnt buy this again. i traded my Mc303 off for this plus cash. I think most Roland drum stuff sounds the same. Ive been playin and prgrammin since i was 13 (im 16 now) so..not TOO long. I also own..all Roland...Jp-8000..Jv-1080 with Techno card (which might i add is AWESOME, i use it for all my stuff, the drums are SPECTACULAR!!) i also have this 660, plus i have a Dr550mk2..i think ive got a nice arsenal for a 16 year old dont you? i never really compared..i just REALLY wanted to get rif of my Mc303..i remembered how i wanted a 660 when it came out, so i thought id go for it. Its a OK drum machine, but im not big on drums, so its all good. Its a fun toy nonetheless..i like to make simple patterns before a show, and then sync up to my Jp-8000...its pretty cool..i have big fun with this machine!

I bought this drum machine a while ago and from the start I pretty much understood the ins and outs of it. The manual, though not very detailed, is extremely straightforward and has had an answer for every question I've had to go to it for. The presets are great as far as I'm concerned. I really like the "power" drum kits myself as I do electro- industrial stuff and that sound is rather fitting. It's also got all the old TR-808 and TR-909 sounds, the only real drawback is that BOSS's idea of a synth bass got kicked in the head by a mule.

The pads are velocity sensitive which makes it really easy to sequence stuff unless you really enjoy poking around and trying to edit sound levels...actually, I donno if you can even do that on the 660. The built in effects are complete crap. The reverb sounds cheesy and the chorus just sounds plain awful. It has a MIDI in and out (no thru) and so far I've had no problem syncing it with my JX-305's sequencer.

I suppose some of the sounds are realistic. But I can't see as to why one would buy a drum machine to produce natural sounds. Other than that it has good bass drums and some good snares. An interesting thing that I was not expecting is that it has a buncha reverse sounds on board.....And, as I said earlier, the synth bass really sux.

Haven't had a problem with it thus far.

If for some reason I lost it then I would almost definitely buy another one. The first piece of equipment I bought was the JX-305 synth, and I had a real helluva time trying to program good drum loops on it. I bought this and all of a sudden my problem was solved. It'd be nice if it had worthwhile effects but I suppose nothing's perfect.

This is a very easy box to use. I'm a 13 year old and i figured it out (not including midi) in about 2 weeks with no manual. However, I've heard trash about the manual from people on mailing lists. Very straight forward way of editing sounds (select parameter-spin/type number). Once you get the hang of the way it works, you'll pick it up. All the functions use the same kind of editing. Editing is mostly what I do with this box. It's very VERY good for small electronic drum sounds (if you're creative and have lots of time). However, it is kind of hard to get those sounds, even though they're there. There really is no way to get fat sounds out of it besides the presets. Speaking of the presets, they are basically pretty bad, for my taste. There are much real sounding drums, as well as tr808 and 909 (only the snares and bass drum from the 909, but LOTS of the 808 stuff). You can use this thing for making *basic* tone sequences as well, and that's not hard to do either. Overall, piece of cake.

This thing has like 16voice polyphony and 2 multitimbrality (not easy to set up multitimbrality though). It's got chorus/flange (can't tell the difference) and reverb/delay (reverb sounds bad, delay is nice). No expansion capabilities, but you can EDIT THE SOUNDS LIKE MESS??? ever heard a 909 snare? of course you have. with this beatbox, i turned the snare into a BASS DRUM. that should give you a nice idea of how POWERFUL this box is! It's got MIDI stuff, but you'd probably need a manual for that (unless you're a midi genious, i myself am a midiot, i love that word). i tried to do a SySex (ha, just kidding) SysEx dump to my computer but couldn't figure out how to get the 660 to accept it back. The sequencer is nice, you can sequence pattterns in realtime or step record (which i am not familiar with) and you can record songs in realtime (turning the wheel as the patterns play, not very useful) or step record (that's how i do it). Basically, if you've got any rhythm, you use realtime for patterns and step for songs. It's got velocity and aftertouch (editable) sensitve rubber pads. very easy on your hands.

This is THE beatbox for small drum sounds. you can use it for jungle/d+b but if you make too many patterns, you run out of memory. There are some realistic instruments, actually, most of them are realistic. editing is the way to go with this box. you can practically create sounds with it. Onboard chorus/reverbs aren't GREAT, but if you're using tones, the chorus warms them right up.

don't do much giggin' as i'm 13. but i do depend on it to satsify my rhythmic needs after school!

not much experience here either, only thing i know is there's lots of stuff on the net and roland will hook u up with a manual.

I'd buy it again!!!! like 5 times. i've only been screwing with it for a month or so. don't have any other gear, as my cash flow is like a drippy faucet.....but i am getting a dw-8000 for free (opinions?) I love the live quality of it, how you can play sounds (mostly i play tones) on top of a beat. i don't like the reverbs very much, it's got room, hall, and plate, but there's no difference between them. chorus is useful and if you screw with the settings on the chorus (!!!!) man it sounds wacked out. basically i had to decide between the sr-16 and this. well, my cousin had one and he gave it MAD props, and it's a good thing too, because i hear you can't edit sounds on the sr (which is my lifeline don-cha-no?) this thing kinda takes over when i play it. i mean when i get a synth, it'll probably be just my beatmaker, but it's a fantastic tool! I love it and if you want small (i emphasize that b/c if you turn the decay down it shortens the sounds very nicely) i didn't give many specs but head on over to www.sonicstate.com/synth/roland_.html (just copy that and paste it, sonicstate actually moved so it's messy if you go to sonicstate.com. from that web site scroll down to dr-660 and you can get all the specs as well as user reviews (i'm in there!) great website (sonicstate) for exploring musical eqpt. 660 rocks the higgty hzouse. btw, i'd love to get an email from someone that this helped.