Javascript drum machine

Eliot — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 22:44:58 +0000

[Cameron Adams] recently appeared on a panel about JavaScript libraries. He represented the hard working coder that still wrote everything from scratch. He wanted to make something mindblowing for the audience. He ended up creating the JS-909 drum machine entirely in javascript without relying on libraries or flash. While he makes no claims of compatibility, it certainly is a nice bit of kit.

[via Waxy]

Posted in digital audio hacks, downloads hacks

TR-909 Teardown

Juan Aguilar — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 01:30:00 +0000

Flickr user [firegroove] recently had to take apart his Roland TR-909 drum machine in order to fix it, and he photographed the entire teardown, offering detailed pictures of the TR-909′s internal parts. The TR-909 is legendary as one of the first fully programmable drum machines that could store entire songs, and its legend is only boosted by its scarcity: only 10,000 were ever made. If you can’t afford or simply refuse to tear yours apart, look after the break for a few more photos from inside.

This is a shot of the largest PCB in the TR-909, which contains all of the console knobs.

In this closeup of the board that hold the 16 step buttons, you can clearly see the TC5565P-15 chip in the center, which is a generic memory chip. It is probably one of the most replaceable parts in the whole machine. A few other chips specific to the TR-909 can also be seen.

We would have liked to see a little more description of what each part does. That said, it’s great to see the inside of this machine, which would have been a tall order given the rarity of it and the value a typical owner attaches to it. If you’re interested in getting a feel of how a TR-909 sounds, check out ReBirth RB-338: it’s a retired program that modeled the analog hardware to emulate the functions and sounds of a TR-909, as well its sister drum machine, the TR-808, and the eminent TB-303.

[via Matrixsynth]

Hack a Day » 909

Javascript drum machine

TR-909 Teardown