Richie Hawtin and Erica Synths’ Long-Awaited Bullfrog Drums Machine Is Finally Here
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Two years after teasing a drum machine that would teach people how to program and sample them, producer Richie Hawtin and Erica Synths have finally released the long-awaited Bullfrog Drums.
Built in collaboration with the Latvian synth company, Bullfrog Drums is a seven-voice drum machine that blends classic 909-style sequencing with modern sampling features. It’s designed as both an instrument and a learning tool, optimised for teaching users how to program and sample drums.
Like the earlier Bullfrog Synth, which aimed at educating users about subtractive synthesis, Bullfrog Drums comes with seven banks of factory sounds and room for 16 additional user sample banks. Users can load samples via USB, rear audio input, or microphone.
Each sound can be manipulated through controls such as pitch, decay, pan, cutoff, resonance, drive, and loop points. Users can also program parameter locks and automations per track. The sequencer offers up to 64 steps with ratchets, probabilities, and micro-timing controls for creating human (or glitchy) rhythms.
The unit ships with a built-in speaker for portable jams and CV/Gate outputs for controlling modular rigs and analogue gear. Physically, Bullfrog Drums remains within Erica Synths’ familiar industrial aesthetic, housed in an aluminium enclosure measuring 40.5 x 18.5 x 6 cm and weighing 2.7 kg.
Bullfrog Drums is now available for €600 excluding VAT.
Learn more at Erica Synths.
Key Takeaways
- Bullfrog Drums is a seven-voice drum machine from Erica Synths, designed for both making beats and teaching users how to program and sample drums.
- The unit offers modern sampling features alongside classic 909-style sequencing controls and comes with a user-friendly interface optimized for learning.
- Users can load samples via USB, rear audio input, or microphone, and manipulate sounds through various parameters like pitch, decay, pan, cutoff, resonance, drive, and loop points.
- Bullfrog Drums is now available for €600 excluding VAT and includes a built-in speaker for portable use and CV/Gate outputs for controlling modular rigs and analogue gear.
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