Simmons SDS-800

This thing is very easy to use if you have any any audio or calibrated drum triggers to feed it. I tried a cheap piezo trigger usually found in drummers stores and it worked fine.
The four voices have these analog controls with dedicated pots that don't require a "substractive synthesis degree"

4 voices So: 4 INS for triggering and 4 OUTS (plus MIX output)
Osc ptch cntrl, ramp(up)+ down to VCO Pitch,2nd Osc with some sort of
control over the first (beat effect, sync? ),called "2nd skin" there also are nice filtering sections
one pot acts as a crossfader between noise generator and oscillators
There is a very useful modulation generator...errr .. arpegiator that act on the toms oscs (Random is even available) speed, waveshape cntrls, very nice
I have been told that very few (about a hundred or two) sequencers that were
intended for that module (and another one) were ever built.Shame. A mod could work i guess...

Someone in a vintage equipment store told me: if you're looking for dumb 80's drumsounds, you 'll be happy, that's all it does!
Of course it easily peeoows in a disco manner (and that's more 70's)
and be sure, don't buy it if you want "realistic" drumsounds; but if you're
into analog timbres for perc, it is great and versatile enough .
As you usually will feed it some other drumsound for trig, it won't be alone in the range. I find the trigger sensing very ....sensitive to amplitude when i plug in audio.
I do not think these are EPROM based sounds, but real VCOS, although i never opened it to check.
Good for any electronic type of music .
I used it a lot for doubling sampled sounds with panning modulation

I got it with one dead voice (the snare)
But the baby must be around 20 yrs old...

TO gig with will remind of the 70's: lots of cables, a scrapbook for cntrl rates
Good times, said they...

never tried to repair it.

It is hard to find but some are GIVEN AWAY !!!
Owned it 3 years. I love it.
It compares to the CORON DRUMSYNTHE RDS. which were
,like Tama, inspired by the simmons modules in the first place.
Sometimes i sample it, sometimes use it directly in mixes for that analog PRESENCE it adds...

this machine is easy to use if you know some basic functions of analog synths. if not, it's easy to experiment. it's a metal box with knobs on it. the presets are little lines next to each knob. to hear the preset, turn the knob to the line! the presets aren't as good as what you can do yourself. maybe they just sound dated.

polyphony is 4, there are four rows of knobs, each row controlling a different sound. there is no midi, it can be triggered by individual outs on a drum machine, or a midi-trigger converter. the yamaha rx5 does a superb job, with 12 outs and editing so extensive you can make the sounds into short bursts for clean triggering.

there is nothing "realistic" about the sounds. they are basically independent analog synthesizers with vco, lowpass vcf, pitch bend up and down, pitch tune, tone/noise mix, decay, percussive click level, and a demonic thing called "2nd skin" which adds a second detuned vco and warps the first. it creates kind of distorted bell tones. the snare has a resonant filter that self-oscillates. one of the most exciting functions is the run generator, which controls the pitch of tom 1, at knob controlled settings, it ascends, descends, goes random, and everything in between these at a knob controlled repeat rate. this and the snare resonance make it worthwhile. it is not very good at drum sounds, but percussive and rhythmic synth sounds are really fun. it's oddness lends an air of experimentation not quite like conventional synths. great for esoteric techno.

i got mine in pretty bad shape. it was rusted and some internal connections were loose. it looks as though it's had exceptionally harsh treatment though. i'm sure most are rock solid. i can't afford backup equipment!

never tried.

(how 'bout some support from fellow users and everyone else interested in drum modules-post on the simmons and tama forums at drummachine.com)

i would want to buy it again for sure. i also have a sds-8 and a tama ts306, all triggered with the yamaha. these are all i use for drums and i make pounding techno. you can get serious punch and ringing bass by combining a couple of sounds. i love to make drum sounds and manipulate them with knobs, this was my affordable alternative to roland and jomox. the only downside is that one ancient yamaha drum machine and three ancient analog modules in a sea of patch cords is not exactly portable.

4 chips with sampled bass, snare and two toms. all run through attck, decay, second skin?, resonance,tone,noize etc.

has a 7-pin sequencer trig in on back, more likeley to be synced up to the simmons sequencer, havent tried sync 24 or midi yet...give it a go if you have one . 4 trigger ins, ind. outs- can be triggered with the standard roland 1v\oct- sounds good with drumatix. Also has a run generator that you can run the toms through- so you can create wierd appregio type effects. Random, up and down etc.

classic, every thing from disco era pings to modern house'y clicks and noise\stacatto percussion sounds. Nasty and cheesy.

good sturdy metal body. Since no sequencer, and being used as a brain only- dependability is fine.

i here simmons still lurk somewhere.... all there connections faulter on the net each time i try to contact them??

generally fantastic- better than the tamas.