Product: Pearl SC-40
Price Paid: N/A
Submitted
04/24/2006
at
07:31am
by
Anonymous
Ease of Use
:
7
There are no knobs, just buttons for programming, so real time tweaking isn't what it's made for. Once you get your head around the way it works, programming the sounds you want gets realy easy. However, as there are only buttons, it remains tedious.
The upside: once you programmed a good sound, it can be recalled in a second when you need it again. BTW, the manual is available here: http://www.block4.com/research/machines/sc40.htm. There's a picture there too.
Features
:
8
A 2HE 19 inch unit. It can play 4 voices at once - was made for drummers who have 2 arms and 2 legs (= 4). No inbuilt effects. There is midi in and out and there are 8 pad trigger inputs. Te SC-40 can translate trigger signals to midi, that's what the midi out is for.
The memory holds 16 kits of 8 sounds. The machine has 8 seperate outputs, as well as a stereo output.
No analogue oscilator, but digital waveforms (samples) in ROM + a noise source that can be mixed in or modulate the waveforms. There are 32 different waveforms available, form a plain sinus wave to chimes. 2 truly analogue bandpass filters work paralel and can be mixed together. Each filter has it's own EG, and there is an EG (ADSR) which controls the pitch of the waveform.
Is is velocity sensitive (if you program it that way), also the EG's can react to velocity (more filter, or pitch bend if you hit harder).
Expressiveness/Sounds
:
8
I like the sound. It's analgue filters can make it sound very analogue - deep bassdrums (it goes lower than my monitors do), punchy snares - but metallic sounds can also be made. It's very easy to mimic an old drum machine with it, for which I use it mainly. But more complex sounds can also be made.
Reliability
:
10
It still works.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
Never needed it. As I said above, the manual is available online and comes in handy, because programming is unorthodox and seems difficult at first.
Overall Rating
:
No Opinion
It's an interesting digital-analogue hyrbid. And it's fun to make your own sounds instead of browsing through sample libraries.
I also own a Tama Techstar full analogue 206 tom module. Compared to this unit the SC-40 can do gutsier, tighter sounds, especialy nice with basedrums. The Tama sounds rougher and less controlled, which can also be desirable. Each has it's own use.
