Gotcha. Got my timelines mixed up.
I had an 8 and an 8s but to my knowledge I never had the 606 add-on. I no longer have either but can say with reasonable certainty that, whatever theyâre doing, this has to be the best sounding ACB drum machine in the lineup. Itâs got character and grit that the 08/09 definitely do not possess. The 08 is a lovely box but for me the sound wasnât worth the PITA/performance-unfriendly workflow. It could definitely get ill but the 06 will eat it for lunch in pretty much any mix, Iâd wager. The 09 is a great box too, but not the sound Iâm after, and, like the 808, itâs justâŚtoooâŚplayed. The hats and the toms on the 6 sound phenomenal, and if you just let a beat using all the voices roll in the background for 20 minutes the advantages of ACB will become pretty apparrent. Setting aside how it does what it does, I just love the hell out of its basic sound and spec/feature set. You donât have to push the drive very far before your mix starts to disintegrate, but it does so very musically and without the bottom faling out. It may not be to everyoneâs taste but it definitely sounds like a proper drum machine (i.e. one thatâs got an engine with some character and isnât afraid to have an identity of its own, even if itâs not for everybody). If anyone is still on the fence about ACB vs Zen-Core, five minutes with the 06 will shut that debate down with extreme prejudice. I have an MC707 that I bought largely for the architecture, I/O and scatter editing capabilities. Going forward I see 70% of my non-sampled drums coming from the 06. The drum sounds om the 707/101 are unusable, especially once you start stacking drum tracks (kit per track). Iâm putting my Kaoss Pad on the 707âs S/R and the main outs through a Zen Delay. Pure bliss. Iâve had the 06/707 connected for two hours and already this basic combo is yielding more textural off-the-grid Han Bennink meets Aphex Twin magic than my Tempest (with its touch strips and synth voices and its own battery of pedals) ever did. For those on the fence I canât emphasize enough how much more like an instrument the 06 feels and sounds than the 6s, even though the 6 technically has the same engine. It may be improvements to the circuitry, better electrical components, fewer corners cut, but I defy anyone to spend time with both and tell me the 6s sounds better by any metric. Truly great stuffâŚ
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The 6s is Zen Core based, the 6 is ACB. Two different beasts.
No. Both are ACB. But the 8S and 6S use the first version of the TR-606 ACB model (the one that was developed for the TR-8). The TR-06 uses a modified version of that ACB model (modified, not saying itâs better) that was tuned to match a different original TR-606 unit (all the details are linked in this thread if you go back up and read it). Overall you might say that itâs a bit hotter/punchier/more raw, especially in the hats. Though the 6S and 8S obviously have lots of capability to add drive/grit built in.
The MC-101 and MC-707 are zen core.
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Oh, interesting! So the 08 and 09 are also 2nd generation ACB like the 06?
i thought 8s/6s is Zen Core, but i guess i mixed it up with the 101/707.
Roland werenât as forthcoming with the development process of the TR-08 and TR-09. So weâre not sure. But the consensus is that the TR-09 at least is noticeably different from the 909 model in the 8/8S/6S (one of the reasons it fetches the prices it does on the used market). The TR-08 is less clear.
One other thing to note is that there are a small number of different options for things like the 808 BD in the TR-8S. So I think there were some updates to certain sounds that are presented as options in the TR-8S (and I assume the TR-6S, I havenât owned one) that werenât in the TR-8.
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Roland just posted a new playlist on YouTube:
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From I what I was told, the TR8S does indeed have implementations both the TR8 and TR08 model variants.
On another note: I am now at the point (after fine tuning sounds, setting up fx, and channel processing) where I often prefer the TR8S sound over my actual 808.
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Not that I use 808 sounds frequently, but Iâd love to hear how a 808 user tunes his TR-8S.
Iâve been pairing a TR-06 and a Bassbot TT-303, and they gel so great with one another. The Tr-06 really feels like an instrument.
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Love the TR-06; had it for quite some time. My biggest gripe with it was the placement of the sync jacks. Wish they were on the back or not right next to the effect knobs. Makes using those a bit annoying.
Agree about the TR-8S; great drum machine; huge sound. I found the interface uninspiring after a while and sold mine and went back to the Digitakt but I miss a lot of things about the TR-8S.
Ever thought about using these?
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ah, these look perfect! Alas, I donât have the TR-06 anymore, as I donât tend to hang onto gear I donât use too frequently. But thanks for the recommendation regardless; hope it helps someone else!
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Any TR-06 owners able to advice on the voltage values output and expected from the trigger outs and in?
I may not keep this, but thereâs a good sample pack here:
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Bought my 06 used for $250 at a local pawn shop. I had to pawn my AN200 & DX200 to do it, but I had to do it. I needed to see what the 06 could do to my current CV gear. Itâs sounding great, but itâs like having a house you paint one color, then decide you want to color it another. So you have to menu dive to change the settings. It wonât instantly turn a different color. Which is good & bad. Good because youâre forced to decide how you want it to sound. But bad because it wonât instantly recall what you once had it set at. I suppose down the road I might want a 2nd, but thatâs a bit redundant and GAS.
Itâs not THE best drum machine on the market, but itâs not trying to be. It is fun though. And it can be the sounds you want it. Love the bit crusher too btw. The delays are descent. Reverb is ok as well.
An200 and dx200 are worth a lot these days. I hope you got 06 plus credit to spend later.
I can get them back, but I just wanted to get the 06 home. I would consider trading both for a Digitone or Digitakt, but I think Iâd miss them if I did.
Anyway, I enjoy the 06. I have a TB03 as well, but it too resides in a different pawn shop.
Check prices on the AN and DX. Iâm pretty sure I sold my DX200 in '13 for almost twice what you paid for the 06.
Also keep in mind that for a while people were pulling the PLG boards out of DX200s and selling the empty groove boxes and PLG boards separately. Possibly the same deal with the AN. So low priced ANs and DXes may be missing their key component. 
I found the Volca FM to be far superior to the DX200, but there are a lot of people out there in love with the DX200 and its flaws. 
Just bagged a brand new one for ÂŁ241.00 from Music Matter. Been eyeballing these for ages. Canât believe my luck, last one too 
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