I bought one to use as a metronome for playing the piano. Total overkill, but it's actually pretty decent. Had a few upgrades along the way, I think (mostly bit depth of samples), but it's basically identical to the version that came out in 1989 or 1990 (or whenever it was).
I used one of these until the mid-to-late 90s. I had to warm it up under a lamp for about 20 minutes before the buttons would work! I also used to put the clap sound on all the pads, detune and pan and play it through gated reverb. Huge!
I was in keyboard retail then (85-2001). They (and the MMT8) sold like hot cakes. Can’t finish the video now; looking forward to it later. Both units felt cheap, but actually held up well. What a great time in keyboard retail!
Can i compliment you on how u approach these musical machines. The honest opinion and professional approach always want me to want more reviews. Keep em commin mr Starsky!
The HR16 is the poor mans linn drum, it was by far the best drum affordable drum machine of its time. I dreamed of owning one of these or even more the HR16 B with the electronic drums and was black, I later owned an SR16, D4, D5 and I still have my QS4 which has both a D4 and Quadraverb built in. They don't sound as good as the HR16 though, it cuts through mixes better.
@@urrrccckostan Yep, definitely a SR-16. About a month earlier, I had just bought a used HR-16 from a shady pawnshop. I really wanted the SR-16, but it was too expensive at the time. I distinctly remember Justin from Godflesh using the SR-16 because he kept bending down and fiddling with the settings in between songs! I actually found the old ticket stub the other day; it was £5/$6.50!
You can get an SR-16 right now for $160 US, which is super inexpensive for a drum machine. Alesis is still doing it. I really appreciate that there are companies making inexpensive gear. Alesis also makes a bunch of e-drum kits. Great video Starsky.
Yeah, I saw that. It's amazing the SR-16 is still in production today and has been for over 30 years (since 1990)!!!! You can still buy it new!!! That's gota be the longest production run of any drum machine in history!!! I admit, it does sound very good.
@@ktreier I took a closer look at all their different e drums and pads, now I kind of want one. I think that would be a fun and handy bit of kit. Something with a looper built in would be key.
I think the secret of 808/909 is the step sequencer, it's just so easy and straightforward to program drums, and also play live using volume, tune/pitch and decay. Imho sequencer is as most important as sound engine.
My uncle had one of these back in '88. I remember recording all of the sounds to a crappy cassette deck, hoping one day to own a sampler (other than SK-1😄). That day finally arrived when I bought a Kurzweil K2000 years later, while in college. I think the cassette distortion plus Kurzweil's lovely DACs did those sounds some good! Thanks for the flash-back; looking forward to the Linn ROM swap!
Honestly '80s/early '90s digital drum machines sound great. Samples in those have their special character due to how unrealistic they sound despite trying to be realistic and failing.
I sampled it into my S950, for the 8 separate outs. They sounds are great. Then the HR-16B was even better in some ways - Now they live in my S3000xl. Just like you, Starsky. PS. also really enjoyed your Synclav REgen video too. Thanks!
This was my first drum machine ever. Gifted by Mtume’s bassist Raymond in the 90’s, this was the only thing I had besides chopping drums sampled from records on the Roland MS-1. I forgot how those drums sound until now… ahhh!! Memories
I was never a fan of the HR-16 and it was all to do with the sounds. They didn't inspire me then and (truth be told) they don't inspire me now. The thing I loved about the TR-707 and the RX-11 was that, although they used samples they didn't sound "real", they always sounded like machines and I've always believed that electronic music should sound mechanical and robotic. I've got my 707 samples on my TR-8 and I've still got the trusty old RX-11 and I'm very happy with them. Having said that, despite the ball-ache of deep editing on the HR-16 it does look like an interesting machine to program. Looking forward to hear what it can do with LinnDrum sounds.
I had one of these and really liked it but also recognised it's a bit of an oddball. I also had an Akai XR-10 from the time and it also had unique features and odd compromises. They made a fascinating pairing
I put an HR-16B on layaway in 1990 and paid it off that summer between my junior and senior year of High school. A few months later we midi'd it up with Music X on a friend's Amiga 500 and started making hiphop beats. At the time I chose the B model simply because of the sustained kick drum which was closer to the 808 sound we were looking for. Later I'd also work with the MMT-8 sequencer quite a lot. Was close to buying an SR-16 at one point but then decided on an Ensoniq ASR-10 which I used for most of the 90s.
@@timweinheimer1 yeah possibly. The sequencer aspect of the HR series is an incremental-entry edit nightmare. Was a lot easier using the XOX 16step sequencing to trigger external midi sounds
I didn't pay the HR-16 much attention when it came because Alesis made the ADAT, and I saw them needing repair in droves! This was true of the HR-16 too! I recall seeing a cart with a stack of about 20 HR-16's, waiting to be repaired/returned. Seeing those two products coming in for repair in such numbers... Well, I just steered clear of the Alesis brand. I admit, they did sound good when they worked. 😉👍
Had them both but kept the HR:16 because of the snares (pitched up) and hihats/crash. Swapped cases though and sold the B in a gray housing back then. The biggest problem for me was using it with an external sequencer: if you arm it in RECORD mode it doesn’t wait for the external MIDI clock start signal and starts recording/playing immidiately. This means in practice you can’t use it to record in realtime along side your other midi sequences. There was an eprom called “HR 16B & HR 16” incuded with the HR:16B to setup both machines together and the card that comes with it says: “1. Press and hold the RECORD button on the Sending HR-16. and 2. Press PLAY on the Sending HR-16. Both HR-16s will now enter the record mode.” UPDATE: I opened mine and already had this eprom installed. Tried the original v1.06 eprom but it still doesn’t wait for the clock when in RECORD mode. Bummer.
Great video....I had an H16 back in the late 80s early 90s which I used to demo my songs for the band, use live in a midi set up and occasionally recorded with it for masters because as you say it sounds like a miked up kit. I also used it for solo gigs and putting through mid and bass bins it really shone....a funny thing is I once played a demo to a top producer (no names here😂) and as i hadn't recorded the "band" version yet I took my original demo (including the hr16).....his first comment was " the band is tight and I love the drum sound" which I never corrected him on. .....😂😂
I got the HR-16B exactly for the reason mentioned. It sounded like a drum machine with much more punchy processed and more electronically sounding kicks and snares. And, yeah, all the drum programming was done in Cubase. Had Cubase on the Atari from the 1.0 already in late 89. Got the HR-16B maybe in 90 or 91. At the time I was into EBM (Front 242 mainly) and beginning to get into techno/house. For EBM it was great! Before that I only used the (crap) built in drums of the Roland D-10 and triggered them via midi too, of course. I have actually never used the drum editing on any drum machine. Always done it via midi. Since I had Cubase from the get go, I saw no reason at all to do it on the small display on a drum machine (often a lcd strip) when I could see everything on the computer screen at once. In addition to that "patterns" where visible parts on the sequencer.
I’ve still got my D20 in the loft… I’m sure it was the floppy drive that sold me! Interesting that you programmed via Cubase. I had a TR505 and couldn’t believe what a pita it was doing it in the computer compared to the hardware. But then I’d hammered it for years so knew it inside out.
This was our band's drummer for years. Just the right amount of unrealistic but with good punch for playing live. If you turn the tempo up to max, fill the pattern with 16ths (might have been 32nds, I can't remember) it makes a cool buzzing noise. Different drums change the tone of the buzz.
Two hit songs featuring the HR-16 that I know of: Bruce Springsteen - "Streets of Philadelphia" and of course Arrested Development "Mr. Wendal". Also used by They Might Be Giants on their second album Lincoln and East River Pipe on his early work.
Japanese musician Ikue Mori was a big fan of the HRs in the '90s. Dhe used a setup with an HR16A, an HR16B, and an SR16. Like a lot of people she eventually moved on to using a laptop.
It was fine when it came out - the sounds were great and clean - which is what you need for recording or playing live. It had the basic requirements of a stereo pair and a separate outputs for the snare to put through a BBD slapback an another for the kick that you can eq to 'f' and mix back into the kit. A common school boy error is to over use built in effects which then sound like mush if you put it through a PA.
Lol !! Used to do live p a's back in the late 80's with that the mmt8 a juno 106 and a korg m1 ..miss the crazy days of house music and acid house lol ! Warehousescand clubs around london
I still have one.. it's the most underrated drum machine in my opinion.. sounds great with the contrast of analog kick drums.. but don't forget the effects
Love this drum machine (the A). I don't find it hard to programme when you compare it to the Yamaha RX's or the Roland R's. I love using it because you can play it and come out with natural rhythms. I like making beats visually too, because that can also yield some unexpected results. The swing on this machine is superb, as an MPC owner since the 2k XL, which people seem to think is magical. I have the SP1200 and Linndrum EPROMs and it fills a lofi gap in my setup. Has clock too :)
There are 3 major main PC Board revisions of HR16/B. The machine have 13 different firmware versions/upgrades. Rev 2.03 1992 was the last. • A-This was the initial release. This board revision will require the most extensive updating of the three. • CA-This version of the board was a 4 layer design. While offering several advantages over the older version (improved R.F.characteristics, smaller size, etc.) it was found to be extremely difficult to service (internal shorts can only be repaired using lifted pins and jumpers). • AQ-This was the final revision. This revision will of course need the fewest updates, and should be relatively easy to troubleshoot.
The EMU SP1200 was released about the same time - I remember one music mag (who should have known better) said "Oooh, EMU need to wake their ideas up when Alesis are bringing out 16-bit drum sounds for less money". Heh heh.....
That was my first drum machine when I was 16. I wouldn't call the sound crappy, more like "special" or "recognizable". And it was quite easy to use, no complaints except for the bad contacts.
I still use mine, I’ve noticed a lot of the drums have been sampled onto other drum kits, I noticed a few when I bought a Roland FA06 and Yamaha Modx 13:10 it’s the 16” piccolo snare that is layered with the snare to give it that sound
The '16' part of the HR-16 is a bit disingenuous, it uses 8-bit samples going through a 16-bit DAC. I recently refurbished my old HR-16 installing a new battery in a holder instead of soldered onto the main board, slide pots and a new, blue LCD. You can also use conductive paint (£10 off eBay, used to repair tv remotes) to fix any dodgy pads as well as the piezo contacts. If you find the samples a bit weak on the HR-16 the best thing to do is assign two similar samples to two different pads and double the parts, then pitch the sounds and blend with the volume. Also if you assign the same sample like hats over two different pads and do this, you can get a cool pseudo-phasing effect. Although the samples used in the HR-16 kinda suck, the sequencer is pretty useful.
I've had one of these for more than 30 years and never even realised it had a step sequencer in it! Please tell me no one ever actually programmed it like this?! (The fill button and quantize on live play in was really all that was ever needed IMO)
1:36 - interesting.. many folks claim that 909 hats (apparently 6 bit samples) are the kings in area of cutting through the mix, and that would make sense, as 12 or 8 bit samples have some more grit than 'clean' 16 bit sample...it's just my opinion anyway:)
I don't think it sounds like crap necessarily. I think it has the same "issue" that the Roland R-8 does: It's too realistic sounding. It doesn't sound like a drum machine that most people would be accustomed to hearing. My dad had one back in the day and it was the first drum machine I used. Ironically I used it even before I knew what it was. Playing with my Godzilla action figures I used it as a control for MechaGodzilla, always pressing "KICK" or "CRASH" when he was fighting. LOL I used a sample pack of it for my score for The Hoodoo Ship (played on an S2400) but the only other time I've heard/seen it used was by Paul Hertzog for his score for Kickboxer (he got rid of his Oberheim DMX that he used on Bloodsport for it).
I think the HR16, SR16 and SR18 are the best sounding drum machines in the world. The useablity is not the best, but the sound is alway great. These are the right machines for the lonely island.
I was playing in a country band in the late eighties. And when the drummer left, we used one of these till we got another drumist . Then 10 years later swapped a few guitar parts for one which I fully circuit bent and sold for 300 quid. No just got the black b version .
I bought one when it came out. Out of the box, the panning didn't work on the second pair of outs. The shop sent it back to Alesis for repair. 2 months later it came back the same, but fixed according to Alesis. The buttons were crap. I thought it was horrible. Then for some absurd reason, I got the SR16. Really not my favourite company for drum machines 😂
I really hoped that there’d be something like a beautiful fembot cyber drummer appear from out of my dreams. She’d be better at playing guitar than drumming, so I could have a place in the band. We’d play L7 - Shove at the high school talent show and I could finally be cool, sort of like Weird Science. Even though it was a far cry from reality, Alesis had a part in that. And then there’s the feeling of satisfaction that I never thought that I could realize, just last year, when I finally had all 16 ADAT machines synched and linked through that Big Remote Controller. If even just to press the eject button once to see all the machines spit up in unison. Yes, Alesis did something for me.
Haha, I had that few years in 1990 to 1992... My first songs I wrote had this little machine.. But finallly I was gone on the Roland MV 30 came then out gave more flexibility in programming drums in a full sequencer.... The pattern song thing was me bit to limit for my need.. But for the first years it was quite cool to explore the music making world...
It certainly was an impressive game changer however at the time of release we were starting to use samplers for drums. I always thought the clap was a bit rubbish. The GB News channel tune has a clap that sounds very like the HR16's
it sounds good, sometimes great.. sadly it looks like shit - like it should be printing shipping labels or something. therefore it hasn't found a place in my studio
I used to have an SR16 (got stolen in 2005) and just bought a brand new one 3 weeks ago after selling my Yamaha DD10 (Crunchy!). The interface on the HR-16 looks a bit like a cross between Yamaha's RX11 and Alesis' SR16, but at the same time slightly better and worse than both!😂 For SR16 users, the HR-16 looks very familiar (and easy) to program, opposed to the RX11 which is a PITA to program.
As of 2024, the HR-16 is the only 80s drum machine I’ve actively used. It belonged to a friend who I met in 1997. Back then, his HR-16 was his rhythm go-to; most of the home demos he made from across the 90s to when he got his Motif 8 and MPC-1000 (neither of which he has anymore, sadly) featured this machine. Almost at the same time, the spring of 2003, I was hired for a session where I tapped out individual (non-quantized) percussion parts on this machine (along with bass guitar & background vocals) for one of this guy’s tracks. That was fun. I think that I’ve made a mistake regarding the physical architecture of this drum machine. In recent years, I led myself to believe that it was assembled with a hard drive instead of EPROM chips. How close to the mark is that?
Wonderful machines - I have 2 with different ROMs. Huge improvement if you replace the LCD displays - the old orange ones are usually pretty much faded by now. Planning to circuit bend one of mine soon.
Really interesting - I have an SR-16 and can relate to your comments about the ‘live drums’ sound and step mode challenge - I’ve resorted before to drawing the beats out in a spreadsheet to remember which pads are where! How do you think the two compare? I’ve got mine with the four outputs through a vintage Realistic/Tandy mixer into my audio interface, for the grand total of £84 including cables. Great to be able to sequence it externally, or use the internal patterns to fire external samples via MIDI. Or just sample the patterns and fills off it.
Tell yah what, stick that in a 3U panel, give it some cv and trigger inputs, change the display to either oled or obscure 4 bit led and you could still charge 500 quid easy.
It had funny implementation of dynamics. There was ONE piezo electric sensor attached to the panel serving ALL pads at once. You get the idea of what happens if you hit more than one pad at the same time. Cheating.
The poor man's Linn Drum haha. I used this thing for live shows for a few years. I kept a notebook to write my programs before entering them into the machine because the interface is so tedious. I love the sounds but eventually sold it. Now I regret it though.
I think we need a video on why Alesis still makes the SR-16 34 years later! 😁
That’s not a bad idea!
still have the SR-18🙃
I bought one to use as a metronome for playing the piano. Total overkill, but it's actually pretty decent. Had a few upgrades along the way, I think (mostly bit depth of samples), but it's basically identical to the version that came out in 1989 or 1990 (or whenever it was).
Used to use a SR-16 as a shared master clock between 3 people, for a live setup
@@StarskyCarr Yes, please do!
I used it for 20 years as a midi master, thanks to it sloppy clock that gave so much groove to my live set :)
wow
Sloppy Clock, now there's a band name waiting to happen
I used one of these for years and I loved it. My most "successful" track, released in 2004, used the Simmons samples from the HR 16. Great video.
I used one of these until the mid-to-late 90s. I had to warm it up under a lamp for about 20 minutes before the buttons would work! I also used to put the clap sound on all the pads, detune and pan and play it through gated reverb. Huge!
wow
Oh wow. Manual printed on the actual hardware is a surprise huge value for retro used markets.
I was in keyboard retail then (85-2001). They (and the MMT8) sold like hot cakes. Can’t finish the video now; looking forward to it later. Both units felt cheap, but actually held up well. What a great time in keyboard retail!
I bought one back in 88 and still have it and use it. Upgraded the LED. Love it. So simple to use. I have a TR-8S too, but use this so much more.
Can i compliment you on how u approach these musical machines. The honest opinion and professional approach always want me to want more reviews. Keep em commin mr Starsky!
The HR16 is the poor mans linn drum, it was by far the best drum affordable drum machine of its time. I dreamed of owning one of these or even more the HR16 B with the electronic drums and was black, I later owned an SR16, D4, D5 and I still have my QS4 which has both a D4 and Quadraverb built in. They don't sound as good as the HR16 though, it cuts through mixes better.
Secret weapon of Godflesh
Godflesh and They Might Be Giants 😂
I saw Godflesh on the Pure tour in a dodgy venue in Glasgow. By then they had moved onto using the SR-16.
Godflesh and They Might Be Giants and WEEN!
@@Rr0gu3_5uture I saw them open for Skinny Puppy on that tour. Was that an SR-16, oh wow!
@@urrrccckostan Yep, definitely a SR-16. About a month earlier, I had just bought a used HR-16 from a shady pawnshop. I really wanted the SR-16, but it was too expensive at the time. I distinctly remember Justin from Godflesh using the SR-16 because he kept bending down and fiddling with the settings in between songs! I actually found the old ticket stub the other day; it was £5/$6.50!
Had one in the early 90’s until we finally found a real drummer who fit our style.
Even then there were times I wished we hadn’t sold it!
You can get an SR-16 right now for $160 US, which is super inexpensive for a drum machine. Alesis is still doing it. I really appreciate that there are companies making inexpensive gear. Alesis also makes a bunch of e-drum kits. Great video Starsky.
I love Alesis, and been using them for decades. The Quadraverb and MIDIverb were a must have.
Yeah, I saw that. It's amazing the SR-16 is still in production today and has been for over 30 years (since 1990)!!!! You can still buy it new!!! That's gota be the longest production run of any drum machine in history!!! I admit, it does sound very good.
Their Strike Multipad is a worthy competitor to the Roland equivalent.
@@StarskyCarr Will you do a video on the Quadraverb and MIDIverb? Would like to see them.
@@ktreier I took a closer look at all their different e drums and pads, now I kind of want one. I think that would be a fun and handy bit of kit. Something with a looper built in would be key.
The HR16 is awesome, nothing cr*p about it!
😂😂👍
Starsky's lost in (dance) music
Still one of my go-to‘s whenever I’m in the mood for industrial and dark wave.
I think the secret of 808/909 is the step sequencer, it's just so easy and straightforward to program drums, and also play live using volume, tune/pitch and decay. Imho sequencer is as most important as sound engine.
My uncle had one of these back in '88. I remember recording all of the sounds to a crappy cassette deck, hoping one day to own a sampler (other than SK-1😄). That day finally arrived when I bought a Kurzweil K2000 years later, while in college. I think the cassette distortion plus Kurzweil's lovely DACs did those sounds some good! Thanks for the flash-back; looking forward to the Linn ROM swap!
Love it. I’d borrowed a synth and dropped multisample notes (3 notes per octave) to the audio track of S-VHS. Sounded pretty nice actually!
Borrowed one for a recording project back in 1990. Sounded great for its time and was a blast to play around with
Don't forget its the perfect old school drum machine that also doubles as a desktop synth stand
Honestly '80s/early '90s digital drum machines sound great. Samples in those have their special character due to how unrealistic they sound despite trying to be realistic and failing.
The classic duo back in the day
Just add the MMT 8 😂❤
MMT8 was so good for playing live due to the mutes and such. Just ask Front 242 etc. used to use it with my hardware set in the 90s.
Never found one that worked but that was the first batch maybe
@@sub-jec-tiv yeah, a favourite of Orbital too
Spent so much time with this gear.....(and the Linndrum)....really takes me back...........................thanks for this bit of history
Used a lot in New Jack Swing. Love the sound of it!
Bobby Brown's "My Prerogative"! - Though the kick and snare were heavily processed.
@@elsongsand the timbale too, first thing I noticed when I heard it
Godflesh too
I sampled it into my S950, for the 8 separate outs. They sounds are great. Then the HR-16B was even better in some ways - Now they live in my S3000xl. Just like you, Starsky. PS. also really enjoyed your Synclav REgen video too. Thanks!
Loving your conent mate, good to see a scouser getting into the synth demo videos.
This was my first drum machine ever. Gifted by Mtume’s bassist Raymond in the 90’s, this was the only thing I had besides chopping drums sampled from records on the Roland MS-1. I forgot how those drums sound until now… ahhh!! Memories
Juicy!
I was never a fan of the HR-16 and it was all to do with the sounds. They didn't inspire me then and (truth be told) they don't inspire me now. The thing I loved about the TR-707 and the RX-11 was that, although they used samples they didn't sound "real", they always sounded like machines and I've always believed that electronic music should sound mechanical and robotic. I've got my 707 samples on my TR-8 and I've still got the trusty old RX-11 and I'm very happy with them. Having said that, despite the ball-ache of deep editing on the HR-16 it does look like an interesting machine to program. Looking forward to hear what it can do with LinnDrum sounds.
I had one of these and really liked it but also recognised it's a bit of an oddball. I also had an Akai XR-10 from the time and it also had unique features and odd compromises. They made a fascinating pairing
I put an HR-16B on layaway in 1990 and paid it off that summer between my junior and senior year of High school. A few months later we midi'd it up with Music X on a friend's Amiga 500 and started making hiphop beats. At the time I chose the B model simply because of the sustained kick drum which was closer to the 808 sound we were looking for. Later I'd also work with the MMT-8 sequencer quite a lot. Was close to buying an SR-16 at one point but then decided on an Ensoniq ASR-10 which I used for most of the 90s.
My friends in the 90's used it for the Drum Sequencer to fire TR-909 TR-707 and TR-727
thats weird, cuz in 1990, i used the TR-909 external instrument sequencer feature to fire my HR-16B
@@deegee8645 maybe I am wrong maybe I am thinking of the SR 16 which is a hardware sequencer
@@timweinheimer1 yeah possibly.
The sequencer aspect of the HR series is an incremental-entry edit nightmare.
Was a lot easier using the XOX 16step sequencing to trigger external midi sounds
I’m can’t wait for the linn EPROM video, i order other EPROMs by the same Italian company (Kawai-R100)
I didn't pay the HR-16 much attention when it came because Alesis made the ADAT, and I saw them needing repair in droves! This was true of the HR-16 too! I recall seeing a cart with a stack of about 20 HR-16's, waiting to be repaired/returned. Seeing those two products coming in for repair in such numbers... Well, I just steered clear of the Alesis brand. I admit, they did sound good when they worked. 😉👍
Had them both but kept the HR:16 because of the snares (pitched up) and hihats/crash. Swapped cases though and sold the B in a gray housing back then. The biggest problem for me was using it with an external sequencer: if you arm it in RECORD mode it doesn’t wait for the external MIDI clock start signal and starts recording/playing immidiately. This means in practice you can’t use it to record in realtime along side your other midi sequences. There was an eprom called “HR 16B & HR 16” incuded with the HR:16B to setup both machines together and the card that comes with it says: “1. Press and hold the RECORD button on the Sending HR-16. and 2. Press PLAY on the Sending HR-16. Both HR-16s will now enter the record mode.” UPDATE: I opened mine and already had this eprom installed. Tried the original v1.06 eprom but it still doesn’t wait for the clock when in RECORD mode. Bummer.
"Anything that's flexible with a simple interface can be a bit difficult to navigate" sadly a lesson still not learned in 2024
We had the grey one first and when the black one came out we got that one too. Used them both for quite a while.
Great video....I had an H16 back in the late 80s early 90s which I used to demo my songs for the band, use live in a midi set up and occasionally recorded with it for masters because as you say it sounds like a miked up kit. I also used it for solo gigs and putting through mid and bass bins it really shone....a funny thing is I once played a demo to a top producer (no names here😂) and as i hadn't recorded the "band" version yet I took my original demo (including the hr16).....his first comment was " the band is tight and I love the drum sound" which I never corrected him on. .....😂😂
I got the HR-16B exactly for the reason mentioned. It sounded like a drum machine with much more punchy processed and more electronically sounding kicks and snares.
And, yeah, all the drum programming was done in Cubase. Had Cubase on the Atari from the 1.0 already in late 89. Got the HR-16B maybe in 90 or 91.
At the time I was into EBM (Front 242 mainly) and beginning to get into techno/house. For EBM it was great!
Before that I only used the (crap) built in drums of the Roland D-10 and triggered them via midi too, of course.
I have actually never used the drum editing on any drum machine. Always done it via midi. Since I had Cubase from the get go, I saw no reason at all to do it on the small display on a drum machine (often a lcd strip) when I could see everything on the computer screen at once. In addition to that "patterns" where visible parts on the sequencer.
I’ve still got my D20 in the loft… I’m sure it was the floppy drive that sold me! Interesting that you programmed via Cubase. I had a TR505 and couldn’t believe what a pita it was doing it in the computer compared to the hardware. But then I’d hammered it for years so knew it inside out.
I've spent a fair amount on that Italian website getting replacement parts to refurb my synths. Great resource.
good retro-review, my first MIDI sequencer was the Alesis MMT-8 which looks similar to the HR-16 form factor, nice gear!
This was our band's drummer for years. Just the right amount of unrealistic but with good punch for playing live.
If you turn the tempo up to max, fill the pattern with 16ths (might have been 32nds, I can't remember) it makes a cool buzzing noise. Different drums change the tone of the buzz.
The Alesis MMT-8 companion sequencer had me pulling out plugs of my hair trying to get it to sync to my HR 16 and Akai s01. 🤯😂
Two hit songs featuring the HR-16 that I know of: Bruce Springsteen - "Streets of Philadelphia" and of course Arrested Development "Mr. Wendal". Also used by They Might Be Giants on their second album Lincoln and East River Pipe on his early work.
I’d have had a go of Streets of Philly.. it’s so simple and synth based. I missed a trick there!
I loved my HR16, my second ever drum machine. The CMOS battery has died in mine, which I bought in 1988, so I'll have to resurrect it, and soon!
Japanese musician Ikue Mori was a big fan of the HRs in the '90s. Dhe used a setup with an HR16A, an HR16B, and an SR16. Like a lot of people she eventually moved on to using a laptop.
It was fine when it came out - the sounds were great and clean - which is what you need for recording or playing live. It had the basic requirements of a stereo pair and a separate outputs for the snare to put through a BBD slapback an another for the kick that you can eq to 'f' and mix back into the kit.
A common school boy error is to over use built in effects which then sound like mush if you put it through a PA.
Get it curcuit-bent: amazing.
Had this plus the sequencer back the 90’s. I wore the poor things pad contacts out till it was no more.
Lol !! Used to do live p a's back in the late 80's with that the mmt8 a juno 106 and a korg m1 ..miss the crazy days of house music and acid house lol ! Warehousescand clubs around london
Beautiful machine. Will be great an VST emulation Thank you!
I still have one.. it's the most underrated drum machine in my opinion.. sounds great with the contrast of analog kick drums.. but don't forget the effects
Love this drum machine (the A). I don't find it hard to programme when you compare it to the Yamaha RX's or the Roland R's. I love using it because you can play it and come out with natural rhythms. I like making beats visually too, because that can also yield some unexpected results. The swing on this machine is superb, as an MPC owner since the 2k XL, which people seem to think is magical. I have the SP1200 and Linndrum EPROMs and it fills a lofi gap in my setup. Has clock too :)
i used to own its less featured brother, the MMT-8. Loved it. very reliable.
There are 3 major main PC Board revisions of HR16/B. The machine have 13 different firmware versions/upgrades. Rev 2.03 1992 was the last.
• A-This was the initial release. This board revision will require the most extensive updating of the three.
• CA-This version of the board was a 4 layer design. While offering several advantages over the older version (improved R.F.characteristics, smaller size, etc.) it was found to be extremely difficult to service (internal shorts can only be repaired using lifted pins and jumpers).
• AQ-This was the final revision. This revision will of course need the fewest updates, and should be relatively easy to troubleshoot.
I was going to buy one in 1990 maybe the mk2 but I ended up getting a Roland r8m with the electronic card
The EMU SP1200 was released about the same time - I remember one music mag (who should have known better) said "Oooh, EMU need to wake their ideas up when Alesis are bringing out 16-bit drum sounds for less money". Heh heh.....
That was my first drum machine when I was 16. I wouldn't call the sound crappy, more like "special" or "recognizable". And it was quite easy to use, no complaints except for the bad contacts.
I still use mine, I’ve noticed a lot of the drums have been sampled onto other drum kits, I noticed a few when I bought a Roland FA06 and Yamaha Modx
13:10 it’s the 16” piccolo snare that is layered with the snare to give it that sound
I just made a video about drum machines i would like to own and HR-16 has a place in that list. :)
Love it!
Perfect to cover 'addicted to love' with though!
Still have mine! Please shoot video of you performing the chip surgery. I might like to do it myself too.
The '16' part of the HR-16 is a bit disingenuous, it uses 8-bit samples going through a 16-bit DAC. I recently refurbished my old HR-16 installing a new battery in a holder instead of soldered onto the main board, slide pots and a new, blue LCD. You can also use conductive paint (£10 off eBay, used to repair tv remotes) to fix any dodgy pads as well as the piezo contacts. If you find the samples a bit weak on the HR-16 the best thing to do is assign two similar samples to two different pads and double the parts, then pitch the sounds and blend with the volume. Also if you assign the same sample like hats over two different pads and do this, you can get a cool pseudo-phasing effect. Although the samples used in the HR-16 kinda suck, the sequencer is pretty useful.
Now that’s an interesting factoid! Cheeky.
I've had one of these for more than 30 years and never even realised it had a step sequencer in it!
Please tell me no one ever actually programmed it like this?! (The fill button and quantize on live play in was really all that was ever needed IMO)
I remember hearing one at a music store when they came out, these 16 bit cymbals where jew dropping!
1:36 - interesting.. many folks claim that 909 hats (apparently 6 bit samples) are the kings in area of cutting through the mix, and that would make sense, as 12 or 8 bit samples have some more grit than 'clean' 16 bit sample...it's just my opinion anyway:)
I don't think it sounds like crap necessarily. I think it has the same "issue" that the Roland R-8 does: It's too realistic sounding. It doesn't sound like a drum machine that most people would be accustomed to hearing. My dad had one back in the day and it was the first drum machine I used. Ironically I used it even before I knew what it was. Playing with my Godzilla action figures I used it as a control for MechaGodzilla, always pressing "KICK" or "CRASH" when he was fighting. LOL
I used a sample pack of it for my score for The Hoodoo Ship (played on an S2400) but the only other time I've heard/seen it used was by Paul Hertzog for his score for Kickboxer (he got rid of his Oberheim DMX that he used on Bloodsport for it).
I bet you any money this review will inflate second hand prices! I think it's cool and I want one.
I think the HR16, SR16 and SR18 are the best sounding drum machines in the world. The useablity is not the best, but the sound is alway great. These are the right machines for the lonely island.
I was playing in a country band in the late eighties. And when the drummer left, we used one of these till we got another drumist . Then 10 years later swapped a few guitar parts for one which I fully circuit bent and sold for 300 quid. No just got the black b version .
I bought one when it came out. Out of the box, the panning didn't work on the second pair of outs. The shop sent it back to Alesis for repair. 2 months later it came back the same, but fixed according to Alesis. The buttons were crap. I thought it was horrible. Then for some absurd reason, I got the SR16. Really not my favourite company for drum machines 😂
great vid,as always🙂
An HR-16 feeding fuzz can be a delight.
Where did you get your glasses from Starsky ? They look cool.
He borrowed them from Chris Evans
I really hoped that there’d be something like a beautiful fembot cyber drummer appear from out of my dreams. She’d be better at playing guitar than drumming, so I could have a place in the band. We’d play L7 - Shove at the high school talent show and I could finally be cool, sort of like Weird Science. Even though it was a far cry from reality, Alesis had a part in that. And then there’s the feeling of satisfaction that I never thought that I could realize, just last year, when I finally had all 16 ADAT machines synched and linked through that Big Remote Controller. If even just to press the eject button once to see all the machines spit up in unison. Yes, Alesis did something for me.
Haha, I had that few years in 1990 to 1992... My first songs I wrote had this little machine.. But finallly I was gone on the Roland MV 30 came then out gave more flexibility in programming drums in a full sequencer....
The pattern song thing was me bit to limit for my need.. But for the first years it was quite cool to explore the music making world...
I kept mine from the 80s and a few years ago put in an LM-1 prom - it's not perfect but it's great for an LM-1 feel for cheap!
My favorites are the ride and ride-bell samples. Layer them and change the relative volumes for some unexpected realistic feel.
Yeah it was unusual to have the bell as well. Lots of textures in there.
Ah, the gool old HR-16. The John Bonham of Drum Machines.
It certainly was an impressive game changer however at the time of release we were starting to use samplers for drums. I always thought the clap was a bit rubbish. The GB News channel tune has a clap that sounds very like the HR16's
it sounds good, sometimes great.. sadly it looks like shit - like it should be printing shipping labels or something. therefore it hasn't found a place in my studio
the snare on Mr Wendal has a low-pass filter on it. The first one is set lower than the second.
amazing sounds, punchy, cuts right through a mix. Sad I sold mine but made some of my best tracks on the 16b.
The part length has to do with the 16bits reserved for note timestamp encoding (you can ask me how I know but I’m not allowed to answer here 😅)
I used to have an SR16 (got stolen in 2005) and just bought a brand new one 3 weeks ago after selling my Yamaha DD10 (Crunchy!).
The interface on the HR-16 looks a bit like a cross between Yamaha's RX11 and Alesis' SR16, but at the same time slightly better and worse than both!😂
For SR16 users, the HR-16 looks very familiar (and easy) to program, opposed to the RX11 which is a PITA to program.
…and for anyone interested; My (Frankenstein) Yamaha RX11 is for sale.
As of 2024, the HR-16 is the only 80s drum machine I’ve actively used. It belonged to a friend who I met in 1997. Back then, his HR-16 was his rhythm go-to; most of the home demos he made from across the 90s to when he got his Motif 8 and MPC-1000 (neither of which he has anymore, sadly) featured this machine. Almost at the same time, the spring of 2003, I was hired for a session where I tapped out individual (non-quantized) percussion parts on this machine (along with bass guitar & background vocals) for one of this guy’s tracks. That was fun.
I think that I’ve made a mistake regarding the physical architecture of this drum machine. In recent years, I led myself to believe that it was assembled with a hard drive instead of EPROM chips. How close to the mark is that?
I liked that machine actually ❤
Wonderful machines - I have 2 with different ROMs. Huge improvement if you replace the LCD displays - the old orange ones are usually pretty much faded by now.
Planning to circuit bend one of mine soon.
Circuitbenders sell replacement Alesis LED displays on Etsy for £13 (£2 UK postage.)
That was fun.
Im sure Joe satriani and ozric tentacles used this machine, I had one myself back in the early 90s and the hr16b. cool machines for the period !!
Ozrics now they know how to play..silas Neptune is a genius
The Church used one of these on 1990's Gold Afternoon Fix after Richard Ploog left the band. Marty Willson-Piper hated it!
Really interesting - I have an SR-16 and can relate to your comments about the ‘live drums’ sound and step mode challenge - I’ve resorted before to drawing the beats out in a spreadsheet to remember which pads are where!
How do you think the two compare?
I’ve got mine with the four outputs through a vintage Realistic/Tandy mixer into my audio interface, for the grand total of £84 including cables.
Great to be able to sequence it externally, or use the internal patterns to fire external samples via MIDI. Or just sample the patterns and fills off it.
These seem like they'd be great for black metal
@@GeorgeL909 like Living Colour?
@@MrRob33 hah. No, not at all what I meant. But, well played.
I grant you 1 puffer fish
✨ 🐡 ✨
honestly, I clicked on this video expecting another bad gear episode 🙂
😮😂
Yeah man
It's got the Eastenders snare 😮
Tell yah what, stick that in a 3U panel, give it some cv and trigger inputs, change the display to either oled or obscure 4 bit led and you could still charge 500 quid easy.
😂🤩 now there’s an idea
It had funny implementation of dynamics. There was ONE piezo electric sensor attached to the panel serving ALL pads at once. You get the idea of what happens if you hit more than one pad at the same time. Cheating.
The poor man's Linn Drum haha. I used this thing for live shows for a few years. I kept a notebook to write my programs before entering them into the machine because the interface is so tedious. I love the sounds but eventually sold it. Now I regret it though.
Mine's full of shonky hot glue and gaffer tape repairs
Mine got filled with sand....can't think how that happened now.
if you have an SR18
I wonder if they included these samples as part of it
I sampled it with my Prophet 3000 and then dumped them (SDS) into my Studio 440. Prefer the "sound" of the 440.. :)
(un)Reliability in early models?