For all musicians out there

[Hank_Peters]

What is the best drum machine on the market right now?

[Don W]

In my opinion, probably the best bang for your buck would be the Alesis SR-16. It has really good samples so the drums don't sound too fake and it's pretty easy to use.

Other than that I used a Zoom drum machine like this one for years, only it was an older model. I thought it was easier to program and learn than the Alesis but the drums didn't sound as good.

If you're looking for software based drum machines, Hydrogen is pretty good (and free). Fruity Loops is pretty nice as well but it's made more for electronic music than say, rock or anything like that.

Personally I prefer drum machines to software but I recently made the move to one of these guys, Alesis USB Control Pad.  Which I like because it gives drums parts a more realistic feel, not as mechanical as a drum machine normally sounds.   

[Hank_Peters]

To respond to this, I would like something that can pull off Electronic music and Rock music very well. No software please.

[bratpop]

I don't know if there's any such thing as "the best" drum machine. They tend not to make crappy ones that sound like tin cans anymore, although some people like that. If I had a jillion dollars, I would get several, because they all have different samples.

I have the Alesis SR-16 and it does sound pretty realistic. Good for rock or funk. But for dance music it's no 909. It has a very scant number of cymbals and hi-hats, none of which really cut it for electronic music. That's the one big drawback, other than not being able to copy one drumset to another. It does have electronic/rap sounding bass drum and snare sounds, and very high tinny closed hi-hats. So you CAN do beats for electronic music, but not with much variety. It's mostly useful for wanting to sound like you actually have a drummer. It's not so much a drum machine as a "fake drummer."

[CireDark]

Boss makes some decent drum machines. They're not to be overlooked. Simple to operate, highly versatile, and professional sounding.

I had a Dr Groove from many years, loved playing with that thing until it disappeared in one of my many moves. I miss it.

/End Sales Pitch

[Fig Neutron]

Boss makes some decent drum machines. They're not to be overlooked. Simple to operate, highly versatile, and professional sounding.

I had a Dr Groove from many years, loved playing with that thing until it disappeared in one of my many moves. I miss it.

/End Sales Pitch

Boss is what my genius friend has used since 1988.  So, while I have no expertise, he sure does.

[Hank_Peters]

I actually have no use for this topic anymore. I've been using software drum machines for recording, but now I can finally use them live, thanks to the DigiTech JamMan. Someone can now lock this.