Circuit Bending

Yamaha MR-10

The analog Yamaha MR-10 drum machine is rather unknown and could perhaps be described as a cheap preset version of the classical Roland TR-606, as they sound very similar.

This little drum machine's sound is very phat and analog, just like a Roland TR-606/808, just no programming functions are available (only pads to play along). On the other hand, the 12 preset beats are well programmed and sound really groovy. Separate volume controls for bass drum, snare and hihats, plus a tune controller for all sounds (except the bass drum) offer enough possibilities for changing the output.

Technically seen, just like with the Boss DR-110, these analog drum circuits are state-of-the-art and probably haven't been built better since as digital drum machines were gaining ground at the time. The sturdy analog technology allows very interesting modifications which I haven't fully explored yet. Up to now, I've only built in mute switches for the drum sounds to make playing this machine more interesting.

Sound example