The Boss Dr. Rhythm DR-880 Rhythm Machine is an easy way to compose complex rhythms. Loaded with 440 drum and percussion sounds and 40 bass sounds from the Roland SRX library, the possibilities are endless. With the Dr. Rhythm, it is easy to automatically add ghost notes or chord progressions. The Groove Modify feature allows various groove and triplet effects to be added. Intricately compose note by note or use the 3 EZ Compose buttons to quickly create original rhythm patterns. This machine comes with a Guitar/Bass input jack so that these instruments can easily play along. The Boss Dr. Rhythm DR-880 Rhythm Machine is complete with 20 velocity sensitive pads that are ready to help you create new and exciting rhythms.
Innovative EZ Compose feature for quick, hassle-free programming 440 world-class drum and percussion sounds 40 bass sounds with COSM bass-amp models Guitar/bass input Multi-effects COSM amp models 3 independent insert effects (EQ and compression), TSC (Total Sound Control) featuring 3-band EQ and high-quality ambiance 1,000 patterns (500 preset, 500 user) Easily add fills, ghost notes, chord progressions, and more 20 velocity-sensitive pads 4 assignable footswitch and expression-pedal inputsCustom Guitar's Friend Gold Coverage
Gold Coverage goes above and beyond the manufacturer's warranty to protect your gear from unexpected breakdowns, accidental damage from handling and failures. This plan covers your product for one, two, three or up to five years from your date of purchase, costs just pennies per day and gives you a complete "no-worry" solution for protecting your investment.
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Unexpected and unintentional spills, drops and cracks Normal wear and tear Power surges Dust, internal heat and humidityOther plan features include:
For products over $200, No Lemon Policy applies. If it fails for the same defect 3 times, it is replaced on the 4th breakdown. (Does not apply to failures due to drops, spills, and cracks) For products under $200 experiencing the above failures, a Custom Guitar's Friend gift card will be issued for the full price of the product + tax. Shipping fees covered if required for repair or replacement Plans are transferable in the event merchandise is sold Plans are renewable on new gear*Limitations and exclusions apply. See terms and conditions for program details
Term for New Gear begins on date of purchase but does not replace the store return policy or manufacturer coverage.
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I own the DR 880 as well as the Alesis SA16 drum machines.I love the DR880 i love all the programming functions for programming my own patterns ,my only beef is the limited memory use.I had programmed 109 user patterns before the memory full message came up.Other than that its a great machine.Boss Dr. Rhythm DR-880 Rhythm Machine
.Great potential but disappointing as described above.
Great features.
While the DR-880 is basically a great machine, it does not perform as advertised. The literature claims to be able to store 500 user patterns and 100 user songs. After 21 user songs and 90 user patterns, I received a "Memory Full" error message. After doing some research on line, I found a number of other owners who received the "Memory Full" message with fewer songs and patterns than I have. This, so far, is my only major complaint, however, since I fully expected to use this machine as my full time back-up band, it is a great disappointment.
My goal was to use this machine for multiple sets. If it met this requirement, I would give it a ten, but since it falls short on memory, it is a lot of money with very little return on investment.
Boss Dr. Rhythm DR-880 Rhythm Machine
.It doesn't import or export general MIDI files. It can't be upgraded. They quickly jumped on board to get into the DJ/Looper/Rap market and totally mislead real musicians on the features.
I'd like to say I'll never buy another Roland/Boss product as long as I live, but the fact is they make great gear... That's why I'm so shocked that they would produce this horrible piece of equipment and be so misleading in their marketing.
While the unit has some pretty good sounds, both bass and drums....it lacks editing capabilities in a BIG way. The memory is non existent, unless you just want to jam along to a loop.
As far as using this unit in a live performance situation, this is simply a click track with good samples. The DR-880 doesn't have nearly enough memory to handle the data that is required to record more than a few (6-10 Depending) songs.
Editing is a long tedious process using the data wheel and the DR does not have any short cuts using the number pad.
If you are inexperienced with MIDI, especially sequencers, it will take you forever to utilize what little this machine has to offer.
Boss makes great gear but "quality" is too general a term. What they advertise this unit as verses what it does...quality is poor at best.
It seems like a reasonable price for all Boss "claims" this machine has to offer... but this unit falls well short of having any bang for the buck.
I'd rather spend a little less on an old Roland Mark II Micro composer and find an Alesis D4 Drum Module and a decent Bass Module. Realistically you could put that package together for a lot less than the DR costs and have WAY more flexibility, memory and power.
Boss Dr. Rhythm DR-880 Rhythm Machine
. First the good news, it does have good drum kits and bass sounds. Unfortunately it has severe limitations. First of all there's no drivers for Windows Vista 64bit. So if you have software on your computer and you want to play it throught you're DR-880 you will have to buy a separate midi interface. While you can import midi files into the machine, you can not export your drum patterns as midi files. You can only backup the DR-880 as a whole. It also has a very limited memory.On page 76 of the manual it say you can record up to 100 songs with up to 500 patterns per song. This may be true if your songs are not very complicated and have a lot of the same patterns that repeat over and over, but if your songs are more complicated you will run out of memory fast. I've loaded ten midi files into the machine and it's out of memory already. You really have to micro manage it if you want to save on memory.
Boss Dr. Rhythm DR-880 Rhythm Machine
.Overall great unit. There's a reason why it's still being produced after 7 years on the market.
One thing Boss/Roland is good at is features. The feature set on this device, like many Roland products, is so deep that you not only need a manual to get at them all, but a tutorial. At the same time, the machine can be used in the simplest, most intuitive way possible.
EZ Compose feature lets you create patterns by configuring four parameters. That's it. You can have a drum/bass pattern up and going in less than a minute. Afterward, you can do a deeper dive and edit the pattern in step recording or real time recording mode.
Somebody mentioned that you can't export your drum patterns as MIDI. If you have a MIDI interface, you can easily record the MIDI output from one of your patterns to your DAW or sequencer in real time, so that statement was a little misleading.
Great drum, percussion, and bass sounds are to be had with this unit. It might be going on 7 years old, but it still plays drums. The Alesis SR-16 is still being sold too, and it's about a decade older than the DR-880.
I would have liked a metal case for this. It's plastic, and I don't like plastic gear. If you're keeping it in the studio, then I guess that's okay. But any trips to the stage are going to require a decent case. The buttons seem to hold up well. No other quality concerns.
Excellent value. I've spent far more money on drum samples and sequencer software that I can't take with me without my computer. The interface and workflow are perfect for a non-drummer like me. The biggest value comes from the amount of time I save when creating drum and bass parts compared to the complicated programming I used to do with my software sequencer and samples. I can have a basic song structure up and running in minutes.
Boss Dr. Rhythm DR-880 Rhythm Machine
.I went into the store to buy the Alesis SR18 because of the features and the price was right for me. Got to the store and started playing with the Alesis thru speakers. Not great. THEN I started playing with the DR880 thru the same speakers!! The drum sounds are so much more authentic than the Alesis! Only had enough $ for the Alesis. Left a deposit on the DR880, returned the next day with the rest. Took it home, plugged in my guitar using the on-board FX and only stopped playing because I was getting a headphone headache. Became addicted. THIS is the drum unit to def have if you can handle the $ cost!
Boss Dr. Rhythm DR-880 Rhythm Machine
.I have had at least three different drum units and had to take them all back for what ever reasons. Finally bit the bullet and ordered this one. Spent two hours jamming with my guitar on it when it came. Now I'll have to read the manual to get the most out of it. I see some say the memory is short. Guess its time to learn to use tracks at my solo gig also. You will find yoursel playing along to beats you never thought you'd be playing to. I like the clean and jazzy guitar sounds the best that comes with it. Finally drum loops that are useable. To me at least. Man if they put piano chords on this it would be killer. Back to jamming.
Boss Dr. Rhythm DR-880 Rhythm Machine
.The DR-880 is best used in studio settings and not during live free form playing. There is limited provisions for adding fills on the fly and programming is somewhat daunting to say the least. I have owned this unit for over two years and still have difficulty getting what I need out of it; an easy to use drum machine for playing live.
Boss Dr. Rhythm DR-880 Rhythm Machine
.Realistic drum & bass sounds seem as if you are playing along in a real band. My first DR-880 practice session lasted four hours as it was difficult to stop having fun. My finger tips from guitar strings were sore for three days but that's a good thing! Haven't had this much fun since my garage-band days back in the '60's. Should have bought one years ago!
Boss Dr. Rhythm DR-880 Rhythm Machine
.The sound quality of drums and bass are first rate.
The guitar input [am using a Godin nylon solid body]
sounds amazing after tweaking a patch or two for it.
Play the unit through two medium PA systems with added subwoofers. People at the Christmas party --your music sounds just like a CD playing. Like many, would like to see more memory or an upgrade made available. Bought a 2nd unit. Am addicted to this unit. Its made me a better player. Love creating solos over top of drum bass combo. Add a Voicelive 2 for vocals and you can sound as if 4 or 5 are playing at once.
Boss Dr. Rhythm DR-880 Rhythm Machine
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