Roland Rhythm 33
Encyclopedia
The Roland
Rhythm 33 (sometimes known by its model number, the Roland TR-33), is a preset drum machine
(or "beatbox"), produced by Roland in 1972.
It was one of a trio of drum machines released by Roland that year, offering the least features out of its siblings the Rhythm 55
(TR-55) and Rhythm 77
(TR-77). It has an unusual "L" shape, being designed to be mounted on the underside of a keyboard
such as an electronic organ
.
"TR" stands for "transistor
rhythm
".
The Rhythm 33 had analogue
voice circuits to produce its drum sounds, and offered approximately 20 permutations of preset rhythms.
The following voices are generated by "tuned resonance
" type circuits:
The following voices are generated by shaped white noise
:
The only control on the front panel for adjusting the sounds is a balance control, which alters the relative levels of the bass drum and the cymbal/hi hat/maracas sounds.
, and a push-button which doubles the tempo.
However, it is possible to select more than one rhythm at once, and also to effectively "mute" drum sounds from a pattern using the balance knob (see above), thus providing more possibility for rhythmic variation than might initially seem feasible.
Main preset patterns:
Additional "variation" patterns:
The Rhythm 33 has a low impedance
mono
audio output, available on an unbalanced
jack socket.
Roland Corporation
is a Japanese manufacturer of electronic musical instruments, electronic equipment and software. It was founded by Ikutaro Kakehashi in Osaka on April 18, 1972, with ¥33 million in capital. In 2005 Roland's headquarters relocated to Hamamatsu in Shizuoka Prefecture. Today it has factories in Japan,...
Rhythm 33 (sometimes known by its model number, the Roland TR-33), is a preset drum machine
Drum machine
A drum machine is an electronic musical instrument designed to imitate the sound of drums or other percussion instruments. They are used in a variety of musical genres, not just purely electronic music...
(or "beatbox"), produced by Roland in 1972.
It was one of a trio of drum machines released by Roland that year, offering the least features out of its siblings the Rhythm 55
Roland Rhythm 55
The Roland Rhythm 55 , is a preset drum machine , produced by Roland in 1972....
(TR-55) and Rhythm 77
Roland Rhythm 77
The Roland Rhythm 77 drum machine was Roland's first product - released in 1972. It is actually an updated and relabelled Rhythm Ace FR-8L...
(TR-77). It has an unusual "L" shape, being designed to be mounted on the underside of a keyboard
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
such as an electronic organ
Electronic organ
An electronic organ is an electronic keyboard instrument which was derived from the harmonium, pipe organ and theatre organ. Originally, it was designed to imitate the sound of pipe organs, theatre organs, band sounds, or orchestral sounds....
.
"TR" stands for "transistor
Transistor
A transistor is a semiconductor device used to amplify and switch electronic signals and power. It is composed of a semiconductor material with at least three terminals for connection to an external circuit. A voltage or current applied to one pair of the transistor's terminals changes the current...
rhythm
Rhythm
Rhythm may be generally defined as a "movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions." This general meaning of regular recurrence or pattern in time may be applied to a wide variety of cyclical natural phenomena having a periodicity or...
".
The Rhythm 33 had analogue
Analog synthesizer
An analog or analogue synthesizer is a synthesizer that uses analog circuits and analog computer techniques to generate sound electronically. The earliest analog synthesizers in the 1920s and 1930s such as the Trautonium were built with a variety of vacuum-tube and electro-mechanical technologies...
voice circuits to produce its drum sounds, and offered approximately 20 permutations of preset rhythms.
Drum sounds
The Rhythm 33's drum voices are listed below. The sounds are generated by analogue synthesis techniques, and, as is typical with this technology, the sounds themselves, although possessing a certain musical charm, are not particularly realistic imitations of their acoustic namesakes.The following voices are generated by "tuned resonance
Resonance
In physics, resonance is the tendency of a system to oscillate at a greater amplitude at some frequencies than at others. These are known as the system's resonant frequencies...
" type circuits:
- bass drumBass drumBass drums are percussion instruments that can vary in size and are used in several musical genres. Three major types of bass drums can be distinguished. The type usually seen or heard in orchestral, ensemble or concert band music is the orchestral, or concert bass drum . It is the largest drum of...
- low congaCongaThe conga, or more properly the tumbadora, is a tall, narrow, single-headed Cuban drum with African antecedents. It is thought to be derived from the Makuta drums or similar drums associated with Afro-Cubans of Central African descent. A person who plays conga is called a conguero...
- high conga
- cow bell
- rim shot
- clavesClavesClaves are a percussion instrument , consisting of a pair of short Claves (Anglicized pronunciation: clah-vays, IPA:[ˈklαves]) are a percussion instrument (idiophone), consisting of a pair of short Claves (Anglicized pronunciation: clah-vays, IPA:[ˈklαves]) are a percussion instrument (idiophone),...
The following voices are generated by shaped white noise
White noise
White noise is a random signal with a flat power spectral density. In other words, the signal contains equal power within a fixed bandwidth at any center frequency...
:
- snare drumSnare drumThe snare drum or side drum is a melodic percussion instrument with strands of snares made of curled metal wire, metal cable, plastic cable, or gut cords stretched across the drumhead, typically the bottom. Pipe and tabor and some military snare drums often have a second set of snares on the bottom...
- hi hat
- maracas
- cymbalCymbalCymbals are a common percussion instrument. Cymbals consist of thin, normally round plates of various alloys; see cymbal making for a discussion of their manufacture. The greater majority of cymbals are of indefinite pitch, although small disc-shaped cymbals based on ancient designs sound a...
The only control on the front panel for adjusting the sounds is a balance control, which alters the relative levels of the bass drum and the cymbal/hi hat/maracas sounds.
Rhythm patterns
The Rhythm 33 offers the user around 20 preset rhythms. There is no way to adjust the preset patterns per se, or to program your own patterns. The only control available is a (uncalibrated) knob to adjust the tempoTempo
In musical terminology, tempo is the speed or pace of a given piece. Tempo is a crucial element of any musical composition, as it can affect the mood and difficulty of a piece.-Measuring tempo:...
, and a push-button which doubles the tempo.
However, it is possible to select more than one rhythm at once, and also to effectively "mute" drum sounds from a pattern using the balance knob (see above), thus providing more possibility for rhythmic variation than might initially seem feasible.
Main preset patterns:
- waltzWaltzThe waltz is a ballroom and folk dance in time, performed primarily in closed position.- History :There are several references to a sliding or gliding dance,- a waltz, from the 16th century including the representations of the printer H.S. Beheim...
- slow rockRock musicRock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
- rock and rollRock and rollRock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
- bossa novaBossa novaBossa nova is a style of Brazilian music. Bossa nova acquired a large following in the 1960s, initially consisting of young musicians and college students...
- mamboMambo (dance)Mambo .In the late 1940s, Perez Prado came up with the dance for the mambo music and became the first person to market his music as "mambo". After Havana, Prado moved his music to Mexico, where his music and the dance was adopted. The original mambo dance was characterized by freedom and...
- cha-chaCha-cha-cha (music)The Cha-cha-chá is a style of Cuban music. It is popular dance music which developed from the danzón in the early 1950s.- Origin :As a dance music genre, cha-cha-chá is unusual in that its creation can be attributed to a single composer, Enrique Jorrín, then violinist and songwriter with the...
- beguineBeguine (dance)The beguine is a dance and music form, similar to a slow rumba, that was popular in the 1930s, coming from the islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique, where in local Creole Beke or Begue means a White person, and Beguine is the female form...
- rumbaCuban RumbaIn Cuban music, Rumba is a generic term covering a variety of musical rhythms and associated dances. The rumba has its influences in the music brought to Cuba by Africans brought to Cuba as slaves as well as Spanish colonizers...
Additional "variation" patterns:
- "2 beat":
- bass drum
- bass & snare drum
- foxtrotFoxtrot (Dance)The foxtrot is a smooth progressive dance characterized by long, continuous flowing movements across the dance floor. It is danced to big band music, and the feeling is one of elegance and sophistication...
1 - swingSwing (dance)"Swing dance" is a group of dances that developed with the swing style of jazz music in the 1920s-1950s, although the earliest of these dances predate swing jazz music. The best known of these dances is the Lindy Hop, a popular partner dance that originated in Harlem and is still danced today...
1 - march
- parade
- "4 beat":
- bass drum
- bass & snare drum
- foxtrot 2
- swing 2
- swing 3
- tangoTango (dance)Tango dance originated in the area of the Rio de la Plata , and spread to the rest of the world soon after....
Interfacing
The Rhythm 33 can not interface with other instruments (e.g. to synchronize its tempo with another machine).The Rhythm 33 has a low impedance
Electrical impedance
Electrical impedance, or simply impedance, is the measure of the opposition that an electrical circuit presents to the passage of a current when a voltage is applied. In quantitative terms, it is the complex ratio of the voltage to the current in an alternating current circuit...
mono
Monaural
Monaural or monophonic sound reproduction is single-channel. Typically there is only one microphone, one loudspeaker, or channels are fed from a common signal path...
audio output, available on an unbalanced
Balanced audio
Balanced audio is a method of interconnecting audio equipment using impedance-balanced lines. This type of connection is very important in sound recording and production because it allows for the use of long cables while reducing susceptibility to external noise.Balanced connections use...
jack socket.