Berklee Online instructor Erik Hawk shared this in-depth look at the Sequential TOM drum machine – a vintage design from 1985.
The Sequential TOM from 1985 has some advanced features – including several types of controlled randomization and multi-timbral MIDI control – that are hard to find, even in modern drum machines.
If you’re used the TOM drum machine, share your thoughts on it in the comments!
Topics covered:
02:59 – Improv function
04:51 – Human Factor feature
07:14 – Exfade cartridge
10:20 – MIDI Mode 1
11:03 – MIDI Mode 4
12:50 – Summary of process
17:06 – The Beat
Hawk mentions a collaboration in the video. The following video captures the result:
Nice drum machine for some crunchy 80’s beats!
That Exfade cartridge brings it to another level though. Personally I love the sound of the classic analog drum machines crammed into a tiny digital memory file and played back through some dusty D/A converters.
I owned a TOM once with some of the cartridges, including the popular ‘electronic’ one. It’s a very loud and gritty sounding machine, with some deep editing features unavailable on other boxes from that time (reversible sounds for those Prince sshhhhHHHAK slams!). The big drawback for me was the single stereo output, which made it a pain to mix. I sampled the shit out of it and sold it, no regrets to this day.
i had one. the hi-hats were relentless in the worst possible way.