Boss DR-660 Dr. Rhythm

I bought the DR660 when they were first out and the price was right.I wanted something to jam to with my guitar,then found out you needed to be a programming drum nerd and was bummed out.At the time,computers were not a dime a dozen,so the MIDI was useless to me and was only able to use preset beats at best.But then....dug it out of mothballs and bought a Yamaha midi interface,installed Guitar Pro 5,downloaded 1000`s of .GP3 files of some good tunes I like and setup Guitar Pro to play those .GP3 files which are very close to having the actual drummer in my room.At least better than any drummer I ever met that will play anytime I need a drummer.The great part is I can TURN IT OFF anytime I want and takes up much less space than an actual drum set.So this thing after all these years turned out to be quite a useful tool.Setting it up for Guitar Pro to play my drum tracks was almost too easy.So there you have it ! Matter of fact,made a few You Tube tracks for fun as a GUESS the drummer and song.Living proof of how useful the DR660 is -

The Roland DR-660 is an electronic drum machine that I believe was manufactured in the early 1990s.  In addition to being a standard type of drum machine, it also has the ability to record internally, although I've only used it for its typical drum machine features.  The drum machine has both 1/4 inch and MIDI connections and is powered by a 12 volt power supply.

UTILIZATION

I can't say I've ever had a problem using the Roland DR-660, although I haven't taken it that far in depth since I've only used the basic features of the unit.  However, that is to say that the basic features and options are easy to find and use.  There are too many different parameters to list, but upon playing around with the DR-660 for a little bit of time, I found I was able to have a pretty good grasp on how to use it for what I wanted to use it for, which was for making simple beats and rhythms.  I've never seen the manual for the Roland DR-660, but I don't believe that one is necessary since it is easy enough to figure out how to use it without one.


SOUNDS

While the sound of the Roland DR-660 might be a bit outdated, depending on the type of sound you're going for this can definitely work to your advantage.  For me, I was just looking for something to get some quick ideas down, and the 660 worked perfectly for this.  Since I was using it for this type of use, I can't really complain too much about the sound quality.  However, I probably wouldn't recommend using this for a final product or song as with modern technology it is quite easy to get more realistic sounding sampled drum sounds...


OVERALL OPINION

Overall, the Roland DR-660 is a cool little drum machine that has held up over time.  You can get these for a very reasonable price used if you are looking for one, but if you are looking to make some drum loops and beats and are new to the game, I would probably recommend going the computer route as it will give you a lot more options.  This being said, if you take the Roland DR-660 for what it is I think you'll be quite pleased with it.

2 pairs of Stereo outputs, including an assignable. The effects are not great, the internal sequencer is pretty good no more, and difficult to program mode no no.

UTILIZATION

The screen is a bit small, but the alpha rotary dial saves the day. The ergonomics are otherwise quite correct.

SOUNDS

The sounds are all ditables, there are 255, covering the needs of the average musician ways. I particulirement some kicks and sounds of the TR 909. After several years of use, I start gently get tired of certain sounds heard too, and not enough pchues for me.

OVERALL OPINION

Not bad, the DR 660, for its price. But it certainly will not mark the history of modern synthse ...