Also, I’m pretty sure all the fm sounds have alternate sounds.
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Picked one of these up today, after a lengthy GAS episode that sent me on a path of RD9 -> TR09 -> TR8 -> TR8S and finally TR6S, all because I wanted something that could do 909 toms and hats.
First impressions:
- The sound is incredible. So many per track options, though I wish it had the option of a flanger or phaser effect per track.
- Sound design is quite fiddly, but once the kit is set up it’s quite performable. I love having the faders even though muting is easy. And the MIDI implementation looks pretty good, so I might configure an external controller for it.
- Distortion with a mix amount!! I’m so excited by this. It’s a major drawback to the TR-06 imo, where running the kick through the distortion destroys the bass.
- Variations are a cool concept. Again a bit fiddly, but it’s great to be able to edit a variation that isn’t playing, or loop a single variation that forms a page in a larger chain.
- I couldn’t figure out if there is a way to shift patterns left/right.. guess I’m consulting the manual tomorrow.
- The buttons are squishy but I actually prefer them to the hard plastic TR8S buttons and the horrible RD9 ones. It would have been nice to have the ones from the boutiques though.
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I’m finding uses for the intermediate positions on the faders.
I’m having enough fun with the TR-6S that I’m reconsidering the MC-101, even though I have more issues with that.
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After a few months of using the TR, I think the kicks and snares are way better on the Digitone than on the TR6, but both make a nice combo. I see more the TR as a complement than a replacement of the rhythm section of the DN. The treble sounds are nice in the Roland, but it lacks of umpf in the bass. And the clock of the Elektron has definitely something of its own…
That was quick! What makes you reconsider it, particularly?
Having direct hands-on experience with the TR-6S tells me something about the general build. I know the faders, knobs, buttons, and screen will be similar. After watching some MC-101 demos, I think I can find enough presets that won’t annoy me (though some definitely will). Curiously, there’s a psychological lightness to the TR-6S. It’s sitting close to where I hang out and work, and I’ve been firing it up and playing with it for five or ten minutes from time to time, with no real intent. I don’t do that with my other devices (though probably I should). In the Q&A part of BoBeats review of the MC-101, someone asked if it was a “lunch break device”, and he agreed. That’s a good description. I would use one or both of them while travelling or commuting, which I may have to do more of this fall.
Your criteria for your sketching device are a little more ambitious, so I don’t know if any of this helps you at all. I still don’t want to pay list price for the MC-101, but I’ll probably go for it if I find one in the $300-350 range.
Wow really? My initial pattern yesterday was so bass heavy that it sounded satisfying even in my etymotic canalphones (which I usually have to EQ in order to get good bass from).
I bought it for heavy bassy kicks and it definitely delivers imo!
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Physical closeness is a huge part of habit formation. I find that when my MPC One is at my desk at work, I fire it up in similar ways to make a quick jam between two meetings. So yes, I totally understand what you mean and you probably should do it with more of your gear. 
Edit: that’s actually one of the things I loved the most about the a Digitone: merely 7 seconds after switching it on, I was back at the exact place of the jam as I left it. It was so quick to use, both psychologically and actually. If only it had a built-in battery.
It’s why I’m interested in small devices in general: I have limited desk space, especially when squeezing it into my work desktop, so if the thing is too big (like the Korg Minilogue XD), I end up not using it except for dedicated studio sessions. But if it’s small enough like a TR-6s, or the MC-101, or the JX-08, I can keep it next to me at all times.
For me, it’d be more about the bedroom to couch commute, and the lunch breaks at home. The kind of use cases when lugging along with an MPC and a power brick is too much of a hassle.
Same here actually, would be looking for a used one. Not sure if my criteria is that ambitious, I could even settle with a JX-08. I like that both the MC-101 and the JX-08 can double as a high quality sound module aside from the actual sketching (sequencer, arp, effects) part.
To bring this back on topic, the TR-6S feels more like squarely a drum machine though. It’s a much more focused kind of sketch device, solely for drums and maybe a sample or two if you push it. But I’m convinced that that would be too limiting for my needs anyway.
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I think this is accurate, except there’s also the FM synth engine (which won’t go very far, I suspect, though I haven’t explored it yet). The ACB drums are really good, though. It’s a shame they didn’t build in a way for these two machines to be used together without a mixer or computer involved.
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I have to agree with you. More than enough stuff under the hood to get the sound you want in the low end. Saturation, eq, dynamics, and often various flavors of each.
I didn’t have many gripes with the sound, but rather the interface. Wish I owned it after the editor had been released.
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Yeah the editor looks great and is pretty responsive.
Another thing I noticed: it’d be nice if the CTRL knob changed to a useful parameter when the engine changes. At the moment, if it’s assigned to attack on an ACB kick, and the sound is switched to an FM kick, the CTRL knob becomes unassigned; it’d make logical sense for it to reassign to morph.
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my main problem with the TR6S is that it makes me want to spend money on a TR8S to get two more channels. it really does sound great, i’m generally very skeptical about modern Roland gear, but the 6S is a fantastic drum machine and performance instrument and you get a lot for your money. one little box gives you all for x0x machines, plus samples, plus some FM stuff that while not comparable to Elektron’s FM offerings, are very interesting and musical. (that Simple Kick drum is one of the best kick drums ever). then you’ve got overdrive, resonant filters, compression, multichannel audio over USB…a gem of a box imo
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Five more?
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Have you ever had a go with the 8s? For me, all the extra knobs are what make it my favourite instrument. It’s so playable.
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oh god, you’re right, it is five more channels. that seals it then, i’m buying one
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i didn’t gel with the interface at first, but it’s actually really shallow tbh, once you’ve got it sussed it’s a really playable drum machine (imho)
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Oops, your wallet now hates me.
Someone can correct me if I am wrong, but I don’t think the TR-8S offers as many advantages over the TR-6S as the MC-707 does over the MC-101.
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It doesn’t, but man is it good (I own the 6s 8s 707 and 101)
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The trigger out and the ability to use the assignable outs as triggers (or even as separate audio outs). Also, with the assignable outs set to BOOST, you can get audio up to euro rack levels. Run a group of instruments out a stereo pair through an effects loop then back in through EXT IN where the signal can be side chained against any of the other instruments.
Not sure that covers a feature gap the same size as the 101 to 707 but all features that I really enjoy on the TR8S. I briefly paired it with a TR6S but returned it and put the money towards a Digitakt.
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Pretty sure you can get all the same sounds out of the 6s, but the extra knobs and buttons make the 8s feel so direct. Glad they have both.
(I’m guessing they will soon bring out an updated MX-1 mixer along with a battery powered mini version to accompany the 6s/101.)