The Roland TR-909 Rhythm Composer is a drum machine introduced by the Roland Corporation in 1983.^[1] It was the first Roland drum machine to use samples (for its cymbal and hi-hat sounds) alongside analog sounds.^[2] Designed by Tadao Kikumoto, who also designed the Roland TB-303 synthesizer,^[3] the 909 features a 16-step step sequencer and drum sounds that aimed for realism and cost-effectiveness. It is fully programmable, and like its predecessor, the TR-808, it can store entire songs with multiple sections, as opposed to simply storing patterns. It was the first MIDI-equipped drum machine. Around 10,000 units were produced.^[4]

History

Roland launched the 909 in 1983, three years after the launch of its predecessor, the TR-808.^[5] Whereas the 808 uses completely analog sounds, the 909 drum machine also uses samples (for its cymbal and hi-hat sounds).^[2]

As with the 808, the 909 did not sound as realistic as the Linn and Oberheim that dominated the upper end of the drum machine market. As with the TB-303, the realism of the TR-909 was limited by technical constraints, and this showed when the machines were released at relatively low prices before its rise in popularity, coinciding with the beginnings of techno and acid house. More expensive, sample-based drum computers were better at faithfully reproducing real drum sounds, while the TR-909 sounded synthetic.^[6]

One of the first Roland instruments to be equipped with MIDI connectivity, a system that enables computerized instruments to communicate with each other. It features a music sequencer with which users can chain 96 patterns into songs of up to 896 measures. It also had numerous controls, such as "shuffle" and "flam". It sounds more realistic than its predecessors, and was moderately successful; however, the advent of purely sample-based drum modules would soon cause its demise.

Like the 808 before it, the 909 came to be held in reverence by music producers, hip hop music DJs and beatmakers, and techno and other electronic dance music DJs. As the 808 became important in the development of hip-hop, the TR-909 influenced dance music, such as techno and house music.^[7][8] The

TR909 soundset is part of Roland's AIRA TR-8 drum machine. On September 9, 2016, more than 30 years after the TR909 was introduced, Roland declared the day "909 Day." The event is being celebrated by the unveiling of over 30 new instruments, one of which was an updated version of the TR909 called the TR-09. Unlike its purely analog ancestor, the TR-09 is powered by the same analog modeling technology that powers the AIRA TR-8. The TR-09 is part of Roland's Boutique product line.

Features

Sounds

The drum kit contains the following sounds:

• Bass drum
• Snare drum
• Low tom
• Mid tom
• High tom
• Rim shot
• Handclap
• Hi-hat (open or closed, but not at the same time)
• Ride cymbal
• Crash cymbal

All drums except for the hi-hats and cymbals are synthetically generated; there is an oscillator circuit with a dedicated filter and envelope curve. The hi-hats and cymbals are 6-bit samples, compressed and combined with a volume envelope curve (and tuning) to allow slight modification. Thanks to the analog circuitry, various aspects of the drum sound can be modified (pitch, attack, decay).

There is also a feature called "accent"—a primitive means of humanizing the drumbeat. In a simplified model of a drummer and a kit, the loudness of the sound created would basically depend on the velocity at which the drummer hits a given part of the kit. A human drummer can emphasize certain notes by playing them louder, and the accent parameter provides a means to boost a particular step.

The TR-909 also features a sequencer — the 16 buttons along the bottom of the interface correspond to the 16th notes of a single bar in 4/4 meter. For example, punching the buttons 1, 5, 9 and 13 on the bass drum part would create a simple "four to the floor" beat. Multiple patterns can be grouped or chained together which allows the user to create drum patterns that are longer than one bar in length or, alternatively, create drum patterns in compound meters outside of 3/4 or 4/4.

While the sequencer is running, a light runs from step 1 to step 16.

Editing

The TR-909 has several editing modes: pattern editing where one focuses solely on the 16 steps, and track editing, which allows for chaining various patterns in a row. Because it has MIDI, it's also possible to control other instruments with the sequencer.

This machine and its unique sequencer (both Roland and other manufacturers used either a grid-based sequencer, showing the dots on an LCD, or another method that did not display the pattern at all) were the basis for so-called grooveboxes — self-contained compact synthesizer workstations with rudimentary keyboards and pattern-based sequencers, aimed at creators of electronic music, using sample-based sound generation and a number of realtime controls.

Notable users and songs

1980s

• 808 State
• Fingers Inc.^[9]
• Mantronix
• Phil Collins - "Sussudio", "Take Me Home", "Both Sides of the Story"
• Bobby Orlando & Divine
• Blancmange
• The Glove
• Inner City
• Frankie Knuckles
• Skinny Puppy - "Remission (EP)"
• Technotronic^[10]

1990s

• ATB
• Aphex Twin
• Atari Teenage Riot
• Chemical Brothers
• Dennis Ferrer - has requested to one day be buried with his 909'
• DJ Rob
• Celvin Rotane
• Covenant
• Daft Punk - Revolution 909
• Fatboy Slim
• Frankie Bones
• Gus Gus
• Kerri Chandler
• Oliver Lieb
• Jeff Mills
• Moby
• Modeselektor
• Orbital
• Plastikman
• The Prodigy
• RZA
• Siouxsie and the Banshees - Kiss Them For Me

2000s/2010s

• Benny Benassi
• The Berzerker
• Boys Noize
• Gorillaz - Plastic Beach
• LCD Soundsystem
• MSTRKRFT
• Radiohead^[11]
• Skinny Puppy^[12]
• Underworld
• 7th Heaven
• Kanye West
• Zoot Woman
• Gorillaz - Humanz

Clones

Other manufacturers have made similar devices:

Hardware

(Grooveboxes are not included in this list as they contain more than just drums, though they may have copied the principle of the 16-step sequencer.)

• Novation DrumStation
• JoMoX Xbase 999
• Roland TR-8
• Roland TR-09
• e-licktronic Nava

Software

• AudioRealism ADM - software drum machine that emulates the TR-909 as well as the TR-808 and TR-606 drum machines.
• D16 Drumazon - software drum machine that emulates the TR-909.
• ReBirth RB-338 - software synthesizer that emulates the TB-303, TR-808, and TR-909.
• 909 - A software drum machine for the Android operating system that emulates the TR-909.^[13]

• TR-909 samples
• Vintage Synth Explorer: Roland TR-909
• Roland 909 emulator with source code
• DGenR8 Virtual Analog Drum Synthesizer - A TR-909 inspired drum synthesizer using analog modeling
• Audiotool - Flash music applet featuring simulations of the TR-808, TR-909, TB-303, and various stomp effects
• TR-909 samples in .wav format
• Rebirth Museum - Online museum and download page for the ReBirth RB-338
• TR-909 Samples with modern processing
• DIY 909 clone
• HTML5 909 web app
• Polynominal | TR909 information - schematics and audio demo