Recording - January 2018 - 41

The last effect, the 4-step ribbon slider, is both a performance and programming tool. When you press the slider as
a groove plays back, it becomes a stutter-style pattern looper
in 1/4 note down to 1/32 note loop steps that affect the whole
sequence. You can also use this control on individual sounds
when realtime pattern recording, sliding from one division to
another for recorded rhythmic variation.

PRICE: $499 ($449 MAP/street)
MORE FROM: Arturia, www.arturia.com
In use

Arturia has built up quite a reputation for devices and
controllers that seamlessly combine analog CV controls,
standard 5-Pin MIDI I/O, and MIDI over USB. The DrumBrute
contains all of the above, with trigger ins and outs used for
clock pulses.
Lastly on the rear of the unit are an input for the external
wall wart power supply, an on/off switch, and a full-featured
headphone section with both 1/4" and minijack outs as well
as a headphone volume control knob.

As a drum machine the DrumBrute succeeds at everything
it sets out to do. It plays pattern-based, realtime-tweakable
analog grooves, up to 32 steps in length. As you learn its
button presses, you can do live performance-based mutes,
solos, sweeps, stutters, and more.
Soundwise it is very much in the dry stark analog realm,
but much clearer and less noisy than many vintage machines.
Its sonic signature is hard to pigeonhole into any one genre
or school. At times I hear shades of the venerable Roland
TR-808, while at other times I hear the even more venerable
Roland CompuRhythm CR-78, and at other times it sounds
new and unique. I love the deep room-rattling boom of Kick 2,
and the Snare can be crisp and cutting or thick and slushy on
its own. I think the toms and congas are the stars of the show;
they sound killer at any and all tunings. Interestingly, I also
found myself using the Clave a lot, even on mixes that had no
other drum machine on them.
Other sounds took me a bit of time to chisel into my mixes,
and overall that word "mix" is the key. As mentioned, I love
Kick 2 on its own, but often in a busy mix Kick 1 seats better.
Similarly, while I was not sure about the sound of the Hats and
Shaker on their own, in a mix they fit well when tuned to the
rest of the instruments and had their Decay set to mesh well
with the song tempo. I will say that I haven't found a use for
Zap and would have preferred an old-school "rap cowbell,"
but that's just a personal taste thing.

In the box

Conclusions

Mono glorious mono

The DrumBrute is essentially monophonic; on the rear of the
unit, all sounds are mixed to a single 1/4" output. For more
recording flexibility, there are 12 minijack outputs on the back
that can be used to send individual sounds out to a mixer or
interface. As you plug into one of these minijacks, the selected
sound is removed from the main mix output.
The metronome gets its own output as well, which is handy
if you want to listen to the click on a cue mix in a live situation.
Also note that the above shared channel combos also share
an output, as do the open and closed hi-hat.

MIDI, CV, or USB? Yes!

Thanks to its onboard USB port, the DrumBrute can be
connected to your computer as a class-compliant MIDI device.
You can use the pads to trigger soft synths in the box and
you can also track and trigger the DrumBrute in your DAW
sequencer, including MIDI Start/Stop and tempo sync. What
you cannot do with the DrumBrute is track and automate knob
movements and sonic tweaks; the DrumBrute doesn't offer
digital control of its parameters.
The DrumBrute comes with its own software, but it is more
of a control center and patch librarian than an editor. You
can store pattern data and change note values of the pads,
but you cannot store sounds or patches. The DrumBrute will
always play sounds based on where controls are actually set.
It is that old school and that all-analog.

In a world where we are used to the endless variety offered
by virtual instruments, analog modeled and sample-based drum
machines, the 17 voices on the DrumBrute might feel a tad
limiting. To me, though, that's actually its immediate charm-it's
true analog and simple to get up and grooving fast.
Saving the best for last, the list price of the DrumBrute is $499
and it streets for even less. Consider that most vintage and
boutique analog drum machines are double to quadruple that!
So let's review: 17 powerful true analog sounds, 32 x 32
pattern sequencing with polyrhythms, a Steiner-Parker filter,
and a sub-$500 price. Put it all together and the Drumbute is
a no-brainer if you are in the market for an analog beat maker
of your own, which I am... or rather, which I was, before the
DrumBrute came along!
RECORDING January 2018

41


http://www.arturia.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording - January 2018

Contents
Recording - January 2018 - Intro
Recording - January 2018 - Cover1
Recording - January 2018 - Cover2
Recording - January 2018 - 1
Recording - January 2018 - 2
Recording - January 2018 - 3
Recording - January 2018 - 4
Recording - January 2018 - 5
Recording - January 2018 - 6
Recording - January 2018 - 7
Recording - January 2018 - Contents
Recording - January 2018 - 9
Recording - January 2018 - 10
Recording - January 2018 - 11
Recording - January 2018 - 12
Recording - January 2018 - 13
Recording - January 2018 - 14
Recording - January 2018 - 15
Recording - January 2018 - 16
Recording - January 2018 - 17
Recording - January 2018 - 18
Recording - January 2018 - 19
Recording - January 2018 - 20
Recording - January 2018 - 21
Recording - January 2018 - 22
Recording - January 2018 - 23
Recording - January 2018 - 24
Recording - January 2018 - 25
Recording - January 2018 - 26
Recording - January 2018 - 27
Recording - January 2018 - 28
Recording - January 2018 - 29
Recording - January 2018 - 30
Recording - January 2018 - 31
Recording - January 2018 - 32
Recording - January 2018 - 33
Recording - January 2018 - 34
Recording - January 2018 - 35
Recording - January 2018 - 36
Recording - January 2018 - 37
Recording - January 2018 - 38
Recording - January 2018 - 39
Recording - January 2018 - 40
Recording - January 2018 - 41
Recording - January 2018 - 42
Recording - January 2018 - 43
Recording - January 2018 - 44
Recording - January 2018 - 45
Recording - January 2018 - 46
Recording - January 2018 - 47
Recording - January 2018 - 48
Recording - January 2018 - 49
Recording - January 2018 - 50
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Recording - January 2018 - 53
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Recording - January 2018 - 57
Recording - January 2018 - 58
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Recording - January 2018 - 71
Recording - January 2018 - 72
Recording - January 2018 - Cover3
Recording - January 2018 - Cover4
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