The TR-06’s audio input with its ability to apply FX to the audio going through it is a huge factor for me.
Since I already have a TR-8S, the TR-6S’s lack of an audio input to mix and process external sounds seems like a major loss. One of the most appealing aspects of the TR-8S is its ability to sidechain the audio coming through the audio input whenever the kick is triggered; it’s such a compact/efficient way of incorporating sidechaining into a hardware rig.
Yeah, the implementation seems quite clever.
I’ll have to try one in a store, but already quite impressed with how much they squeezed in there, though workflow doesn’t seem to be convoluted or complicated at all.
Edit; Look at the midi implementation!
Tuning, individual delay level for all instruments, master propability etc.
I haven’t really looked into the TR-6S, yet (gear list is long enough already), but to me it seems they’re marketing it as an affordable, smaller TR-8S.
MC-707 -> MC-101
TR-8S -> TR6s
Btw, nice song you did there with the TR-06, just lyrics and drum machine perfectly fitted that vibe.
Like this if you would also buy an EP of funky @cuckoomusic songs using only the TR-06 and his voice.
This works really well. And what’s more is it’s not a simple volume change, I think they’re recreating how the circuits would play back differently amped sounds, so the characteristics change with the volume.
Been considering how I’ll implement the TR-06 into my setup to take advantage of the USB multi-track capability, but avoid the pitfalls of aggregate devices (latency, stability), and I wanted to share what I’ve settled on, in case it inspires others to think a little differently.
My hybrid hardware+DAW system features a MOTU Ultralite MK4 + Traveler MK1 over ADAT. It’s rock solid for recording 16 inputs at 64 samples, 48khz, and I have OT, Pro 2, MS, and Typhon going into it.
3.67ms round trip latency in Ableton Live 10, and I don’t want to lose that.
So I’m basically going to run two DAWs at the same time. One (Live 10) as usual, which will also monitor the TR-06’s analog output. And the 2nd DAW will record the multi-track over Roland’s USB driver.
The stereo output of the TR-06 will go into my MOTU system with the rest of my gear, but I’m only going to monitor the TR-06 (not record) there, at low latency in Live 10, while the rest of the inputs actually do get recorded in Live 10.
I keep a copy of Live 9 installed for sample pack development purposes and can run it concurrently with Live 10. They’re only connected via Ableton “Link”, which is handy for quantized record triggering.
So Live 9 is DAW No. 2
I’ll set up Live 9’s audio input with the USB Audio driver of the TR-06 (used the Model Samples core audio to test this). The records the multi-track, and the audio just lives in that Live 9 project folder. I can drag the .wav files from Finder over into the Live 10 project after recording. I can also increase the buffer a bit in DAW No. 2 for added stability and recording reliability, since I am not monitoring it.
This gives me the best of both worlds.
It allows me to monitor the TR-06 at lower latency through the MOTU and Live 10, avoid using an aggregate device, avoid the added latency of the Roland USB driver, and still get the multi-track recorded from a performance.
Since I do a lot of arrangements in realtime, I’m accustomed to working with 6-7 minute long multi-track files. This just gets around Live’s inability to use two separate audio interfaces at the same time and not aggregated (I believe Logic has this capability?)
Another option for people interested, is just use any other 2nd DAW. Bitwig (8 track should work? and you can get a license for free with most gear or $5 on KVR), or Garageband, etc.
I don’t doubt it. This is how it is on a TR-606 or 808 for that matter, the bd, sd body, toms body are all made from so called “twin T” filter circuits, the trigger from the sequencer pings them into oscillation, a higher amplitude trigger (accent) will cause a little more excitation resulting in the variation in sound. The bandpass filters for the hat and cymbals are also influenced by accents too. Also the type of VCA used in the originals is a very simple “swing” type VCA - little more than a transistor and a few components it also changes behaviour depending on if hit with a trigger or accent, almost going into saturation giving a quite distinctive crunch.
Really they are very natural sounding yet ingeniously simple circuits, the ACB modelling is supposed to replicate these idiosyncratic behaviours.
The whole result is quite amazing given that in essence it is just 6 square waves, a noise source and a handful of damped sine waves to produce a whole “drum kit”, physical modelling using analog circuits, then recreated again with digital technology, quite ironic really.
Apparently they made the TR-06 a *somewhat integrated hardware controller for their $150 TR-606 plugin.
Perhaps I’ll go that route for DAW work, instead.
We’ll see how it goes:
The TR-606 plug-in integrates seamlessly with our TR-8S Rhythm Performer and Roland Boutique TR-06 hardware instruments. Transfer patterns from the TR-8S to the TR-606 plug-in, or create beats in your DAW and send them back to the hardware for live performance. And with its pre-mapped controls, you can use the TR-06 for hands-on operation of the plug-in.
This may not be as full featured as I’d like. So we’ll see.
edit: Well the hardware sends sequencer notes and CC# from the knobs.
The software plug-in does not have the compression or FX facilities (easily done in DAW anyway).
The software plug-in can do polyrhythms (last step per instrument), something the hardware cannot.
The plug-in has “kits”. The hardware does not.
The plug-in has pattern variations in the TR-8S style, the hardware does not.
The hardware has the bonus sound variations (rim, clap, 808 kick and snare, etc), the plug-in does not.
Interesting idea, thanks for sharing this workflow @AdamJay. Hopefully it wont be too much of a challenge to line things up later on.
As long as you utilize Ableton Link, at most you may have to shave a few MS off the beginning of all the files, which is a quick job once you’ve zoomed in.
I’ll make a video once my TR-06 arrives. 
Oh, and the 606 plug-in is on “free test drive” through Oct 15th, if anyone wants to check it out without having to pay for a cloud membership that gets you a 30 day trial of “Ultimate” (really these schemes are so annoying).
The per instrument swing is quite groovy.
yeah that demo’s rad. the original Roland ones touched on the trigger I/O, but this shows it in more detail. love the one with the TR-08 and the “busy” TR-06 pattern only being triggered every so often/semi-randomly. this feature alone is making me consider getting the TR-06, even though I have an Acidlab Drumatix… 
side note: cool to see the CMS euro modules in someone’s setup 
Showing off the Roland Cloud ACB plug-in version’s fun polyrhythmic capability.
We should all request the TR-06 hardware gets this. Makes some great grooves, especially when you set CH and OH to different lengths.
This can be done on the 8S, so it shouldnt be too much of a problem to add to the 06.
Yea, the plugin has “import to 8S, and export to 8S” functions in the menu.
Would love to see that for 06, and per instrument pattern length. I’ll look into the most effective way to request this, and get back to you, comrades.
Sir, I recommend multiple attack vectors, hit them on all their socials, facebook, youtube, instagram, twitter, a highly focussed co-ordinated strike with simultaneous impact sites 
This is a valid suggestion.
When dealing with the needs of electro producers, attack vectors are of utmost consideration.
an eBay seller in Canada supposedly has 4 in stock, and is shipping worldwide:
And with Moog also having some in stock, seems like Canada got a batch before the States.
I just hope it means my zzounds preorder will ship soonish.
Roland published this article about the TR-06.
From a couple weeks ago, but a very good read.
It looks like the ACB model in both the TR-06 and Roland Cloud TR-606 is an evolution of what was found in the TR-8. Modified by the two engineers who worked on this new TR-06:
HN: That’s the new AIRA flavor.
AN : They are both based on the same ACB model designed by a key engineer of ours. The 606 was originally created by him during TR-8 development. We modified it.
HN : What we wanted to do, of course, is keep the authenticity of the 606. We changed the hi-hat algorithm and added more of a “clipping” sound. This made the hi-hat more “real” and more “606.” We also added a feature where the hi-hat changes decay with the tempo. This means the hi-hat sound gets “crispier” as the tempo increases.
From the bottom up, we tried to make the 606 very musical. I love the TR-8. I wanted to combine the TR-8’s functionality with the portability and authenticity of the 606. That was the sound-shaping concept.
How similar does it sound to a vintage TR-606? Is everything set at default or is a little bit more pumped up?
HN: We created the sounds based on a coworker’s actual TR-606. It was our model. I listened to the sound of his 606 all day for a month to develop the new hi-hat.
Good stuff.
This was my favorite part. I use the clipper from the filter effect all the time on my TR8S.
