Boss DR-770

If you read the manual (which you should) it's very easy to use. The presets sound excellent, best sounding drum machine I've ever owned. If you like to edit and design your drum tracks to your taste, the 770 will make you happy. It's too bad that people are too lazy to read the manual and give up on such an awesome machine!

The only thing that may limit some is the single individual out. Which is explained in the manual and I have referred back to this on occasion when I had not used the unit for a little while. For those that could not get it to "work". Your gifted. I'm sure the MIDI outs make up for this but most of my rig is analog so I have not ventured into that part of the unit at this time. You really don't "need" it anyway with all of the available editing features the unit has. You edit your complete percussion track with the unit from panning to attenuation and just lay it to tape. If you want to add more just refer to your tempo settings and you're good to go. Unless of course you are going the MIDI route then you have it made anyway :)

Every single time I play a piece I've recorded with the DR-770 for someone they always ask me "who's your drummer"? They usually do not believe me when I tell them it's a drum machine. It's great. You can edit each idividual instrument down to the point of no return. Do you want the cymbal sound towards the bell (center) of the cymbal or do you want to hear what it sounds like playing on the rim (outside) of the cymbal? You can do it with this machine and hear the difference in sound from one spectrum to the other. You can adjust pitch,attenuation,panning,ambience,velocity,ect...ect. I have had my DR-770 for almost 4 years now and I am still coming up with different sounds and uses for it.

I have had it for almost 4 years now and have not had a single issue with it besides running out of space on the unit because I like to write so much of my own stuff. Other than that I love it! I have used it live and in the studio and it's never let me down. The bottom line is take care of your equipment and it will take care of you!

Never had to use support since I've owned it!

If it were lost or stolen I would be upset, then I would go get another one or try a newer model. It is worth what I paid hands down. I have been recording and playing music since I was 16 yrs old (about 12 years now) and I'm glad I purchased this machine for sure. I have written a variety of songs by just turning it on and spinning the dial! Other goodies I own are:

1975 Fender Super Twin
Fender Half Stack
Jackson Dinky Reverse electric guitar
HAMER electric (beautiful guitar)
HOHNER Acoustic (six string)
Seagull Acoustic (twelve string)
Yamaha Bass guitar (not sure which model)
Peavey Bandit with Scorpion Speaker 12inch (my first amp ever, I traded a tape deck for it!)
Tascam 4-Track MKII
Behringer 16 channel mixer (has not let me down yet)
Shure SM-58's and 57's
A variety of condensor mics
Yamaha Keys
MAPEX acoustic drum kit
A variety of outboard rack goodies
And of course the DR-770
9

Preface to all comments below: I'm a total hack and techno-idiot but I take great pride in my analog-produced efforts - even if no one else does...

The DR-770...I've had this machine for two years and I'm finally getting the gist of what the Boss/Roland folk were thinking (or not) when they launched it. I can now "quickly" piece four or five patterns together to make a song in the step mode.

I probably use half of this unit's features and overall capabilities. Little by little, as I fool with its sounds, patterns and nuances, I re-consult the manual (as I've been doing religiously for two years) and find something new I should have been doing all along. Each new song I add to the memory sounds better than my previous effort. It's like a statistics class: very non-intuitive but rewarding once the little light goes on. Speaking of light, I sure wish the screen was back-lit. Eyes...hurting...from...strain...

Creating your own drum kit is rewarding but time consuming. That said, my personal drum kits are merely copies of the factory kits with a few tweeks here and there.

I've used this on stage twice and never had any problem. People always come up after the show and ask how the hell I got the kit to do all of those things. I use it every night I can and enjoy running it lound through a PA or soft through headphones. P.S. My unit has never heated up more than a degree or two - even when I've left it on overnight.

The previous entries have scared me away from even attempting to contact customer support.

Because I'm comfortable with it now, I'd buy another one so I wouldn't have to repeat my same, flat learning curve (Change bad. Change BAD!).

I love to flip on a pattern and jam with my other no-talent buddies. I've also come to enjoy the effort to combine sounds and patterns into songs. It has helped me move from one playing plateau to another. One note: The few times I've played with other drummers, I've really appreciated the DR-770's ability to keep perfect time and shut the hell up when we're discussing the music. Ha! Ha!

So far, for what I tried to do(creating kits & tweaking sounds), the machine is easy to use. I haven't tried to program patterns on the 770 because of the limited number of outs. If I can assign pads to separate midi channels, which I will be attempting tonight, this will change.

The presets are nice. Many of the sounds are usable. Many of the preset patterns are interesting as well.

The manual is solid for the functions I'va taken advantage of so far, but again I haven't programmed patterns on the machine to this point. We'll see.

Not sure what the polyphony is, but I'm sure it's satisfactory for my needs. I would only need 10 or so for a kit, precussion, and a sound effect or 2.

There are built in effects such as reverb, panning, EQ, Flanger, Lo/Hi Fi, ect but I prefer using the sounds dry. I actually remove all effects to avoid them being recorded to disk. I rely on Pro Tools to handle the effects so I can control them. But playing around with the effects proved to be simple.

There are no expansion capabilities, but there is plenty of on board space... at least for my needs. 64 user kits...

Again, I haven't used the midi functions yet. As with all midi units, there are 16 channels at my disposal. If I can assign a pad to each channel I will be satisfied.
The pads are pressure sensitive.

There is an on board sequencer that I've played around with. I seemed simple enough to create a 4 bar pattern. I've noticed complaints about the limited length of patterns and having to paste patterns back to back to lengthen them. If that's the case, that will be a pain.

My biggest disappointment with the unit is the limited number of outs. It's imperative that I get each drum sound on a separate track. I assume I can record midi data to separate tracks and then record the audio on sound at a time. This will be a pain, but will have to suffice for now. Honestly, if I had known better at the time of purchase, I would have searched for something with at least 4-8 outs.

There are many useful sounds built in. Too many for all of them to be usable by everyone, but I'm sure each sound will be used by someone, somewhere. Each sound is easily edited, which increase the number of usable hits.

I record hip hop, r&b, blues, and funk. I have found sounds to suit my needs. For those recording/practicing rock, you will be more satisfied than me.

The effects are adequate, but not great. But again, I try to get the sounds as naked as possible. One thing I did notice is that some sounds don't allow you to strip all of the reverb.

Playing around, I did program a simple pattern, and adding some swing to it definitely enhanced the beat. Once I take advantage of the programming features, I'm sure the 770 will suite my style.

The velociy settings are adequate. My drum programming is definitely below the intermediate level, so we'll see if this holds true.

My other significant disappointment is the limited of claps, rim shots, and snaps. There are only a couple of claps and rim shots, and there are no snaps. Not good for hip hop & r&b songs.

It's been holding up fine so far.

I don't gig, but if I did, I'd rely on a real drummer.

N/A

If it were lost/stolen I would upgrade to something with more outs.
It's definitely worth what I paid. The preset sounds are great, which is what I was looking for at the time.
While shopping for a drum machine I looked at the DR660, MPC 2000XL, and a few other units with pads meant for drum stick use. I went with the 770 because of the preset sounds.
I definitely helps me make music. Again, being able to sequence patterns in the machine and then send them to Pro Tools via analog outs would make things easier, but...

For the poor sap below who returned his unit because he couldn't link 4 or 8 beat measures together.
first you have to make a 4 beat (wich is on by default) measure, name it etc. then you make an 8 beat measure by moving the right arrow to the beat length..then turning your dial till it reaches 8. Then you program your beat.
Then you press your song/pattern button till it reads "SONG" mode. input your (For example) 4 measure beat first then after that your 8 measure beat. You now have them linked.
You can also mix 8th, 16, 32nd, 16th triplets in "ONE" measure etc. by first inputing your 8th notes, then requatizing to 16th's and adding your 16th notes, etc., etc., all in just ONE measure. This can be done in real or step writing.

For those others whining about the unit getting hot makes me wonder if this is their first piece of real equipment. Of course it's gonna warm up to a degree ...(As does "ALL" equipment) but not so hot your units gonna fry or the plastics gonna melt. Quit worrying about stupid stuff like that and RTFM (Read The F*cking Manual).
I don't mean to sound so harsh..but I have to stick up for the unit because I'm sure readers have been turned away from buyng the unit just because some shmuck didnt know how to work the unit and didn't "RTFM" and gave the unit a poor rating...or tried comparing it to a (keyword:)"Different" unit such as the SR-16 (wich I do own) and then get all flustered because it does not program the same.

I don't gig with it..I use it for jamming or recording. Would I gig with it? YES!!!!!!
I've left it on for days before..and it still works great.

If it were lost or stolen..I would definately buy it again.

I've been playing guitar since I was 13 and am now 31! I play old school heavy metal and Shred Guitar.

Other gear I own:
Mesa Boogie Triaxis
Rocktron Intellifex
stereo 32 band EQ
BBE sonic Maximizer
Mesa Boogie Stereo Simul class 2:ninety power amp
2 boogie rectifier (Diamond plated) bottom cabs.
Lots and lots of other stuff but am too lazy to write everything down.

Why did I choos the DR-770? Because I own the DR-660.

This unit has loads and loads of possibilities..EXPERIMENT! Press buttons to see what they do! Make mistakes and make discoveries.. You won't break the unit! Besides you can always do a factory restore

This is with regards to the trigger pedals. The manual stops short of completing the entire process of explaining how the pedals(s) are 'programmed'-
The manual indicates that the utility mode is to be accessed then scroll down to 'foot 2 chase'. At this point the display keeps flashing so one doesnt know whether the option is accepted by the unit or not. Ok so I press the 'pattern' button and then the pedal, but the option doesnt seem to work. Otherwise no problems.

This "review" is only to point out that a feature that might be useful is missing in the owner's manual. In UTILITY one can use just one pedal switch to start and stop and the pattern will automatically return to the beginning. The manual implies one must have two pedals and a stereo cable. There is a feature that is missing. If you scroll past the pedal number two being used as a tirgger for the pads you will find a hidden assignment- This means one can use one pedal but use a stereo cable and then connect the sleeve plug to the pecal switch and the pedal will work like a regular start-stop and reset. deliniatee

I am a guitar player and was looking for a very realistic sounding drum machine for digital recording. After researching the most popular machines out there, I settled on the DR-770. What an awesome drum machine! I have no experience with playing the drums but it didn't matter. Within minutes, I was programming very decent drum patterns. I play mostly rock and metal and find this machine very easy to use. The one thing I need to spend some time on is learning how to program some realistic fills. So far every question that I've had has been in the manual.

I love the fact that there are 64 different drum kits, the ability to create your own kits, and the different ambience settings. I also like the swing feature because it makes my patterns sound more realistic. This machine has all of the features that I'll need for years to come.

In my opinion, the sound is phenomenal. I've been playing guitar, recording and in many bands for about 15 years and I am blown away by how great this machine sounds. Recording stereo drums is so easy and sounds great. The pads are very expressive.

So far, so good. I've had the machine for about two weeks now and I haven't had any problems whatsoever. I was very gunshy after reading about how hot this particular unit can get. I have had the unit on for hours at a time and, while it gets somewhat warm, it is certainly not any different than any other piece of gear that I have. When not in use, I keep the unit stored away in my Rubbermade gear box so I expect it to stay in good shape.

Boss support is not known for being great. However, I did have to ship a distortion pedal in about 8 years ago and it came back fixed. So I can't rip on Boss yet. Hopefully I don't have to use their customer support. Their stuff usually just works.

I considered buying a used one but decided not to risk it. I would buy another one if this one was stolen. For live performance, I probably would have given the nod to the SR-16. However, I'm only interested in using the DR-770 for recording. For all intents and purposes, it meets my needs. I wish some kind, considerate DR-770 owner who has programming experience would write some kind of MIDI dump program so that I could back up my songs and patterns via the MIDI interface. If anyone knows of a freeware kind of program that works for this, please let me know. Cheers!

My review here is in compare to the Alesis SR-16 that I have for 8 years now.
I always play with the presets, never try to program the units.
I am a guitar player so I need a good footswich control.
I am using the Dr-770 and the SR-16 at the same time (both are connect to my mixer in a stereo setup) - so I can compare them side by side.
For my ears tast the SR-16 sounds are much more realistic then the DR-770, they are much fuller and real.
The DR-770 has an independent 400 presets (200 in the SR-16).
So you can fit the right pattern to your song more easaly.
The mauual is good and answer all the questions that I had.
As I mention before I'm a guitarist so I need the foot controller to go from the Original to the chorus by my foot.
On this point the DR-770 is beaten by the SR-16.
It has start/stop button and a programmable second button to Forword OR Revers, which means that you can go from the verse to the chorus (if you choose the forward option) and stuck on the chorus for life.
The SR-16 in compare has the ultimate footswich oparation functionality, and I wish Roland will learn and copy from them.
(I am considering to place my own connector that will connect in parallel to the FRW/REW keys).

The effects are nice.
I wish that unit could remember the last pattern that I played with when I turned off the unit, so when I turn it on again it will be there.
The LCD screen is a disaster, The tempo indication is un readable (especially in dark performance clubs).
It is pity that it has no expansion card (CFC) so I can place a WAV drum samples.

My unit doesn't get hot.
I opened it and it has a linear regulator inside, so it is OK to warm a little bit.
UP to now it is plaing OK.

Roland has the worse customer support that I have ever seen.
No Manual on line, No tech support nothing.

For the one who perform with the song option, with a steady song structure (no extended the chorus longer solo riff), this unit might be OK.
But for guitarists, I think the SR-16 has much better sound, functionality, and othere features.

I returned my unit, so I'm doing this from memory, having read
a couple of earlier reviews by others.

I liked the sounds -- they beat the SR16 sounds hands down.
The preset patterns were more useful and less over-the-top
than the SR16's, too. But there weren't really 400 of them,
as advertised. Depends on what your definition of "is" is, I
guess, but counting A patterns, B patterns, A and B fills as
separate entities is more than a little misleading.

I didn't do any patch editing.

The ability to just turn off the ambience (reverb, etc) with a
single button push is brilliant. Why they left that option off
of the dripping-wet-with-reverb JV1010 synth module is God's
own mystery. A very nice touch on the 770.

The maunual was better than some Roland documentation, but still
a wee bit roundabout.

Now for the bad news:

The thing I spent the most time searching for in the manual was
how to link different "songs" together in the step edit mode.
In other words, making an 8-measure section, a 4 measure section,
etc, then linking them together to form a whole piece. The reason
it wasn't in the maunual is that the machine won't do it -- you need
to input each individual pattern one at a time. As Hannibal Lecter
would say: "Tedious... VERY tedious." So tedious, in fact, that
it was the main reason I returned mine.

I didn't like the step editing features in general. It was not
very intuitive.

As one who likes to program his own patterns, rather than using
busy-sounding presets, I really disliked the Boss version of
step edit -- particularly when I had to enter each measure
individually after wrestling with the edit mode beforehand.

And for some reason, some of the preset patterns have bass lines, which means you need to remove the bass line before you can use
the preset. No wonder Japanese people fall on their swords...

The features are pretty much covered above. After initially really
liking the preset sounds and patterns, I rapidly grew disenchanted
with the rest of the design philosophy, so I didn't get into any
of the deeper functions. I'd say it had a lot of good features,
but that the dumb features ended up outweighing the smart ones.

The (was it 31?) degrees of velocity sensitivity made it more
expressive than most other all-in-one drum machines. Too bad
that editing was such a drag. And again, the sounds weren't
bad, tho maybe skewed towards the "arena" sound.

Wouldn't know. It felt at least as solid as any other small
drum machine.

Never got that far.

I have a bunch of guitars, basses, keyboards, and amps. I have a
prehistoric TR707 drum machine, and a slightly less prehistoric
Alesis SR16 (which the Boss was to have replaced.) I have to say
that, though I liked the sounds, the Boss 770 fell down in enough
other important areas to make it very clear to me that it was in
no way worth twice as much as the SR16. On paper, yes, but in the
field, no. It doesn't suck, but the designers made some really
stupid decisions which rendered what could have been a great drum
machine a frustratingly pretty good one instead. Mine went back.
(All hail mail order...)

This is my first drum-machine, so I expected to have some trouble operating it, and I give it a 3 cuz I know I don't know my a** from my elbow when it comes to working them, but this thing seems really unintuitive. I've had it for a year and a half, and it was so hard that it hardly ever got used for the first year. Since I couldn't afford another one then, though, I finally read the whole manual and tried to force myself to use it. If you are great at drum machines, it probably would be good, but I sure would like more knobs to turn, and more displays than just the tiny window!

The polyphony and keyboard action are all great. No complaints at all about those. The built in effects are okay, but not easy to use at all. You have to scroll through them in the little window and manipulate them all separately with the same value knob. You can use more than one effect at a time, sort of, by doing one and copying the kit so that it saves the tweak you did, then doing another, but that is kind of a pain for somebody who sucks at drum machines like me. It can't accept more memory via disks or what-not, but there is a whole lot of room on it, so I'm happy with that.

The instruments sound very realistic. From that aspect, it's a 10 out of 10. The tabla sounds great, the bongos and congas sound good, and all that makes me pretty happy. However, the most important things I figure with drum machines are the kick drums and snare drums. I don't like the ones they have on it. They have a ton, but they all sound to me like they'd be from John Cougar Mellancamp or Warrant songs. I just find them all incredibly cheesy sounding(not to say that Mellancamp or Warrant are cheesy to those fans of them out there, just not the particular sound I was looking for, and I thought the machine would be more versatile). I've read in other reviews that if you tweak the more rockabilly sounding snares you can make them sound cool, but I've tried a bit and can't do it. I'll keep trying, though, and admittedly, I suck at that sort of thing. It's just tough because all tweaking is done through the one little digital window, and so you can only tweak one thing at a time. I'd like to be able to tweak two or three, or more, knobs at once to see how, say, adding flange and adjusting EQ sound in tandem, rather than having to adjust one at a time only.

I read reviews where people said that their's malfunctioned due to heat. Well, mine gets hot, but not crazy hot, and thankfully I haven't had any problems with it yet. I even forgot and accidently left it on the other night and it was fine. So, I guess I am one of the lucky ones who got a heartier one. No complaints from me, but be warned that others did express trouble.

I would definitely not buy it again if I lost it, because I haven't found enough snares and kick sounds that I like, and it seems so hard to use to a lunkhead like me. However, I plan on buying a sampler next and using it in conjunction with another drum machine that has snares and kicks I like. Then, I'll sample in this drum machine's hand-drums, cymbals, and the few snares and kicks I think are decent, and I think I'll get some pretty good use out of it, because the sounds are fantastic in their realism. If you are not an idiot like me when it comes to operating these things, you might like it a lot. However, be sure to play with it a bit beforehand and make sure that you are able to get snare and kick sounds out of it that fit the style you want. Having an external filter with a more-user friendly effects lay-out would make it much more useful to me, so I'm hoping to find a sampler with those features to make it easier for a jacka** like me to get the most out of it.