Roland unveils new flagship drum machine, TR-1000 Rhythm Creator

Roland has unveiled its new flagship drum machine, the TR-1000 Rhythm Creator, the latest instrument to land in the “famous TR lineage”.

The “groundbreaking” new drum machine is said to build on the legacy of the TR-808 and TR-909, and is Roland’s first instrument in 40 years with “true analogue voices”.

The TR-1000 features a range of drum sounds with analogue, digital, and sampling engines that come complete with “advanced tone-shaping and layered track architecture”.

The drum machine is also made for “rhythmic experimentation”, and features 16 circuits from both the original TR-808 and TR-909 machines, each recreated to offer a “vintage feel”.

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“The TR-1000 Rhythm Creator blends analog warmth, digital precision, and sampling freedom into a powerful, genre-spanning instrument,” reads a description of the new machine.

“Bridging classic workflows with modern sound design, the TR-1000 is the definitive platform for shaping what comes next. The future is back – and it’s in your hands.”

The TR-1000 also offers an extended range from its original counterparts, and includes 21 circuit-bent 8X and 9X models, FM, PCM, and virtual analogue engines to make basslines, synth tones, and more, and over 2,0000 onboard sounds.

The machine includes 46 GB of memory for user samples, and also features stereo sampling and resampling, BPM sync, time-stretching, non-destructive slice editing.

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Said to be Roland’s “deepest and most powerful drum machine ever created”, the TR-1000 will also come alongside an app made to edit and organise sounds.

“Powerful in-line processing makes it easy to sculpt distinctive and dynamic rhythms with the TR-1000,” Roland says. “Each track combines a model-specific sound generator, compressor, multimode filter/four-band EQ, and amp/envelope control.”

“Four of the available tracks allow for two independent sound generators to be stacked or programmed separately, complete with per-track FX, internal sidechaining, output routing, and a three-target LFO.”

Roland has now released a playlist of demos created using the TR-1000 from artists including Skee Mask, KiNK, Egyptian Lover, and more. Check it out here.

The TR-1000 is available now for $2,699.99 (£2,000). Find out more here.

Gemma Ross is Mixmag's Associate Digital Editor, follow her on Twitter