Roland TR-6S - a very honest review | Best Shortcuts + Everything you need to know
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- Опубліковано 20 тра 2024
- ► Support us: / A huge part of Roland's drum machine history is inside of the TR-6S. So, is this the ultimate desert island drum machine or just an overpriced piece of plastic? Let's find out.
Featured drum patterns - transcriptions available on Patreon:
Deltron 3030 - Mastermind
Childish Gambino - Sweatpants
Phil Collins - Take Me Home
Marvin Gaye - Sexual Healing
Joe Smooth - Promised Land (Congas)
Skinny Puppy - Dig It
LL Cool J - Going Back to Cali
Aphex Twin - Heliosphan
INXS - Need You Tonight
Jimi Hendrix - Voodoo Child
Led Zeppelin - When The Levee Breaks
Beastie Boys - Paul Revere
Daft Punk - Revolution 909
Marshall Jefferson - Move Your Body
New Order - Blue Monday
Madonna - Vogue
Gear used:
Roland TR-6S
The Void
Dübreq Stylophone
► Instagram / captainpikant
#drummachine #tr6s #roland #beatmaker #electronicmusic #dawless #synthesizer
Table of contents:
0:00 Introduction
0:34 Build Quality
0:59 Connectivity
2:46 Torture Test
3:30 Sounds & Example Patterns
13:18 Making Patterns
18:15 Useful Shortcuts
19:18 Performance
23:37 Room for Improvement
26:08 Bugs
26:15 Blinkiness
26:26 Price & Verdict
28:50 End Jam
Produced by Jean-Claude Dirckx and Sophie Hoppstädter
Good news for all TR-6S and TR-8S users: Roland surprisingly released a new firmware update for both machines in which they added 14 ACB instruments of the CR-78! We wonder if they saw this video... I always felt it was a big omission to not include the CR-78. And yes, the "metal beat" component of the Hats and Cymbals is adjustable :)
The second addition - an 808 chromatic bass - is a bit of a mixed bag. It has an "ACB Coarse" parameter, which means you can automate its tuning in semitones and play 808 basslines with it if you sacrifice the assignable automation lane. But in my opinion it doesn't sound as good as the regular 808 Kicks, which still pack more punch.
Crazy it still is getting firmware updates
@@eightcoins4401the machine is 3 years old? How is it a surprise?
Bought it after watching this.
Am now referring back frequently, as a tutorial.
The quality on this channel is absolutely astounding.
Same! Back for review! Captain Pikant’s channel is a lecture series on music production.
Do you know why I love the videos on this channel, besides the content? The fact that I don't have to constantly adjust the volume between the talking and the sound from the instrument, unlike other channels… Little attention to detail like that, lets me know you're not just throwing videos together and you actually care about sound
Thank you so much for noticing! :)
@@CaptainPikant I know someone already told you this, but creating an aggregate device will solve your interface issues, but I have no idea how to do it on Windows, I do think it is dependent on your DAW though
@@oddcircuit I was under the impression that aggregate devices are a MacOS only thing. If you know if another solution (apart from the pinned ASIO4ALL), would love to know!
@@GuidoGautsch sorry I have no idea about anything windows, but PT has limited functionality with aggregate stuff, I think it depends on what DAW you use... I am sure someone has figured out some way to make it work with windows, but sorry, I do not know if so
I agree. I expect presenters to at least know basic do's and dont's of presenting. A few thing that turn me of are
1. Distracting background music.
2. Speaking too fast or shouting.
3. Overuse of "f" words
4. Not taking care of plosives.
5. Putting captions that overlap with the titles or are too wordy, which is very distracting because you can't read them anyway.
Thanks to everyone who recommended the ASIO4ALL driver!! Using that you can use both your audio interface and the USB audio of the TR-6S at the same time under Windows. Just activate all inputs and outputs you want to use and ASIO4ALL will make them available to your DAW. Do note that the latency and sample rate is determined by the "worst" device of the aggregation.
I use ASIO all from maybe 2002 lol and it was a magic in those times for VST plugins, but it's cool that this old technology same can do a magic for newest hardware things)
Mac aggregate device works well also. On Macs of course.
ASIO4ALL = fun for all
@@mirojaroszak6239 lol, buy one more mac, noob)
2:17 - on MAC you can create so called "aggregated sound device" - you easily connect multiple physical soundcards which they behave like one big soundcard with all inputs and outputs together .. so on MAC this is much more useable in daw enviroment ..
This works great. It does mean that you’ll have had to install the Roland drivers however, which are far from great.
Using Voodoo child and When the levee breaks as examples for a drum machine is genius!
Your staging and backdrops are some of the cleanest on the platform. Always a joy to watch your videos
04:33 -> and there goes my coffee all over my laptop screen again...
While listening to the example patterns on our smartphones we noticed that the stereo spreader effect of the TR-6S is NOT mono compatible. When the left and right channels are summed to mono this almost kills the snare (really noticeable on "When the Levee Breaks").
Seems to be Roland issue because the new Aira Compact T8 has an issue with the snare when adding snap. Sucks because snares are super important.
@@danteben most stereo enhancers or wideners we use are mono compatible and don't collapse when summed to mono, that's why I was surprised :)
Your dialogue is the absolute pinnacle of clarity and the smoothness of the video's volume profile is liquid velvet.
Super easy on the ears!!!👂❤
Thank you so much :)
Love the channel, great presentation. May it grow and prosper!
Great demonstration video. Excellent detail and clear explanations.
Fantastic review / Thank you for the comprehensive breakdown!
Fluent explanations and mesmerising videos as always. Love ur channel
Amazing review! Thank you
Damn you're doing a GREAT job, this is so clear, and deep as well.
I love this channel. I love the focus on drum machines.
great review!!
love your cover of classic rock songs! would love to see a full length cover of these songs!
I like your tone and humorous yet professional way to present!
Excellent video sooo helpful thx dude
very nice walk through....thanks for all the details. it sure is pretty
Love the Skinny Puppy beat! Thanks for posting, very insightful...
I love your jokes combined with a very good knowledge about the product!
Just bought one of these on sale mostly inspired by your channel and the drum machine 101 videos. Thanks for your terrific content! And the Patreon content has helped us learn how to use our new drum machine 😊
Thank you so much :)
Very helpful video - thanks
Love the video ❤
Great video entirely. Even with all the flaws I see myself getting one and watching this multiple times. Thank you
The tune at the end is really dope!
This is easily one of the best TR6S videos on youtube! Most videos on it are great sound demos or chances to show off the fun, positive parts of its workflow, but so few really go in-depth on its pros and cons like this. Bravo!
I bought one back when they first came out as my first hardware drum machine. I've learned a lot since then and started hitting against its limitations, but it's a fun little box that I still keep around and mess with for fun, and if you can tolerate the stereo mixdown instead of individual outs it does a great job recreating those old-school Roland sounds.
This is hands down the best Roland TR-6S video review/tutorial. I learned so much.
Thanks! We're happy it was useful to you :)
another great vid.
This channel has some of the highest quality content I've seen on the music tech side of UA-cam. Keep it up!
i love your videos so much
at 12:17 this is the most amazing version of 'When the Levee Breaks' drum loop I ever heard in my life! Thumbs Up!
Groovebox review as comedy sketch. Love it! Genuine chuckles. 😆
looks like someone had a lot of fun on this one hehe great job!
Ayo big respect for you to film over 7 hours of footage just to catch it dying, Cap'n.
Once again visiting here and wanted to thank you for the high value content. Helped a lot. Especially the Velocity trickery.
If it only had micro timing it would become amazing!
Glad the review was useful to you :)
@@CaptainPikant of course! Also you give me ideas. Like , I tried the probability feature. I would like it even more if I could choose a predetermined probability. Like adding an extra step that will be triggered "every 2" or "every 4" beats etc. The way it is now if I don't get it wrong, the probability is a bit random. The option I wish for would let you have a "fixed" variation every 4 bars always in the same order, which would be equal to using 4 Variation steps as it is now. Unless I have a "thinking error " like they say in German
@@saardean4481Yes iteration dependence would be really great. The Elektron devices have it and many of the pad matrix sequencers.
This sure is by far the most comprehensive and masterfully directed walkthrough/review for the TR-6S on UA-cam yet! Thank you!!
I have only one wish for this machine though, to add the ability to trigger (2 or more) "alternate" samples (like on the 707 and 727 instruments) in a pattern/variation per channel/track. I think such an ability can bring a lot of creative possibilities to the device.
Comprehensive and Informative
…loved the Oliver joke 😆
Nice work.
Thanks, glad you liked it 😄
Great review Captain! I love your ACB acronym. It's a mystery why Roland took what were once sample drum sounds and made them ACB, but I like it, A LOT! I got the TR-8S a year ago and the 707 and 727 sounds are my favorite. Please ACB the CR-78 with a future update.
Hey jeff, thank you so much :) I can only speculate that with the samples of the 909, 707 and 727, the ACB performs some mojo like a simulation of the specific D/A-converters.
Bizarre Roland has never done ACB on the 78. But that’s why i bought the TT-78, which is analog and just sounds wonderful. (In fact the earlier video on the TT-78 is what convinced me to get one.)
12:07 I like your version. Very interesting 12:53 Another great rendition. Great Review as always.
I wish all product reviews were this entertaining. It's nice to LOL for a change!
the TR6s (and TR8s for that matter) are excellent inspiration machines. They are great for when I don't want to get too far up my own ass doing sound design and I just need one of those simple, classic Roland drum machine sounds. I've got the Elektron boxes for I want to get in and craft my own, but I find they take more up front investement to get to a result. I keep the TR8s in the jam rig.
Auuugh….my mental debate about TR-6S v. TR-8S resumes!!! (love the vides ;)
Would love to see a TR-8S review from you guys
Sadly we currently don't have access to one. But it's almost the same as the TR-6S with a few differences (as mentioned in the video) so I don't think the verdict would be much different :)
made a deal for 225 euro second hand. very happy!
Paul Revere… loved it. Subbed
Very, very good video! I still wonder if I should exchange my 707 and 727 with either this or maybe TR-8S. This would give me loads of new features, but I like the original machines so much... Bizarre inner question marks 😅
I always liked the tr6s don’t own one have a mpc but it looks like a great mobile option
Hope Roland is paying attention to this!
Been eyeing the tr-8s for awhile, but just found one of these used and mint for $250 at the music store, so picked it up. Figure I can play around with this and it'll give me a head start on tr-8s
Amazing tutorial. I just ca from lmms (a free daw software) and i decided to switch since it didn’t offer enough convenience. It was
Great tr6s aside can we have more of your impressions please:) Thank you for doing that and being an amazing meme free audio channel. it is great to be able to watch the video without having to pause and check the meme....
When I've started producing I personally have downloaded most of the plugins from there, never had problems with virus, malwares and
Hey captain, I found your channel when I searched for a good drum Review of an RD 9 and your channel is genuinely the best Synth channel I know. You can really feel the effort you put in your Videos and I loved your drum maschine basics series. I hope you get a lot more recognition in the Synth tech scene and just wanted to let you know how much i appreciate your videos.
I wish you the best!
Thank you so much :)
Check out his videos on Thomann. Amazing lessons on music production.
🤣 just found you lol, subbed!🙌
Thanks for this very comprehensive video! I also have one, but still in the money back time i'm not sure if i should keep it or send it back and get something bigger like e.g. the digitakt...
The sound quality and its portability is amazing, but the menu diving as well as the limited fx possibilities are a drawback
Świetny automat, dużo można stworzyć super sekwencji.
Looking forward to your Korg Drumlogue review in November 2023!
😂😂😂 Don't hold your breath though, we're not planning to review this one.
you wont do a review on this one, you were my last ressort to get a quality and honest review 😢
I really hope they make a JD-Xi 2.0 either with analog part + zen core or just all ACB would be very awesome!
I know that the Digitakt is an alrady well reveiwed instrument, but I would love to see how you approach that instrument. Your perspective and performance over the instruments really helps me to feel familiar with the drums production. Now I own a Digitakt and I feel like your approach on how to work with the different sound design options and tools the Difgitakt has (and also how you recognize the equipment's limitations) could elevate my performance. To sum it up I would love to see you working with the Digitakt as I saw you working with the Syntakt.
Thank you so much! We'll probably not do a whole review so soon after the Syntakt review since they're very similar, but the Digitakt is one of my favourite machines so it will certainly make more appearances on the channel. It already served us well in the "Drum Patterns Explained" episode on "Axel F" for example :)
@@CaptainPikant Yes, I really love that video! It was quite useful. I could get an idea on how to scape the 4 on the floor and start playing with some groove Thank yo for answering me!
I own a TD30 V Drums module which is quite extensive (and expensive) piece of gear. But I’m currently using it mainly for producing House music so basically a lot of 909 and 808 drums, as well some very nice percussions on board. Am I missing something from not having the TR8s/TR6s? I know I have a quite professional drum module in my hands but have some doubts lately.
Fantastic review/tutorial as always. I have two further questions,1:
how noisy are the audio output? (since I plan to use my Boss bx mixer as a saturator/overdrive)
2: How stable is the clock received from the outside via midi (as a master I would use a rd6 that also gives the analog clock to the synthesizer)? Thanks in advance, I love your videos
Thanks! I find the outputs less noisy than on most of my other drum machines. On the audio outputs I only get ground noise if there's a USB connection to a computer (but it's fine when powered through a USB wall charger for example). We didn't have any problems with external clock signals.
Wow, what a quality video, not just content-wise, but the color grading and editing are spot on, congrats. Also, you can use the audio interface in conjunction with other interfaces by creating an aggregated interface in your computer which basically creates a virtual interface combining all the interfaces you want.
I have the TR8s, but the TR6s is pretty impressive. Even with the TR8s I have all the same gripes you have. While the new firmware upgrade is cool and probability is a huge add (although it should have been there already) For me the things that still really need to be addressed are
1. Sample management, disk streaming would be best, but if that isn't possible, then kits with loaded samples should be able to be created in the companion app and transferred easily. Can't believe they didn't do this with the new version of the companion app.
2. Swing should be on a per instrument basis and not global.
3. Microtiming would be a nice addition.
4. A "follow" mode while playing through the variations instead of always only showing one selected variation even while it plays through the others.
At least on the TR6s you get to use that nice knob as the value knob, you have to use the value knob a lot on these machines and on the T8Rs you only have a small value knob which needs to be turned a lot, and yet they have this big nice knob which for some reason is only dedicated to tempo, and if the TR8s is in receive midi clock than the knob serves no function at all. They need to allow a setting to use the tempo knob as the value knob,
Overall, the Tr8s and TR6s are really high quality drum machines.
Thank you so much! Do you have any tips on how to create an aggregate device under Windows? I absolutely agree on your points, the follow mode would be especially helpful!
@@CaptainPikant I have not used Windows for so long I can't speak much on it, I know it isn't as seamless as it is on a Mac since it is native in a Mac, but I think you can do it through 3rd party apps. It is super helpful in the studio.
I actually run my Focusrite 18i8, Octopre, TR8s, MODx, SE-02, and iPad all at the same time as interfaces over USB. I just have different types of templates setup for what I want to do and can switch with a single click. I don't mind if something is difficult to setup once, but if it is difficult to use I just won't ever use it, so if I couldn't use the TR8s with my audio interface I just never would, but since it is easy now it is basically just always ready to go and makes processing the drums so much easier.
With regards to the follow mode, the reason I know it would be helpful is because I also use a KeyStep Pro which has it and I use it all the time. Not sure why the TR8s doesn't have it.
@@CaptainPikant Please try ASIO4ALL and let us know if it is possible to aggregate the TRS and your audio interface at the same time
@@lucianodaloisio It worked! I just activated all inputs and outputs I wanted to use in ASIO4ALL and it made them available to the DAW. Do note that the latency and sample rate is determined by the "worst" device of the aggregation.
@@CaptainPikant Nice, glad you got it working. Can be a bit of a game changer in your workflow, at least it was for me.
just updated it from V1.0 to v2.0, now i can use Randomized, thats kinda cool :)
You are fkn awesome
Great video as always, thanks! Do you considering of making a review for Digitakt?
Maybe not a whole review since we recently did one on the Syntakt and they share many features, but the Digitakt certainly will make more appearances in our videos :) Maybe even some deep dives. Any particular topics that interest you?
@@CaptainPikant For me it would be very interesting to see your flow of using Digitakt, as I actually own it but sometimes struggle to use a sample-based drum machine comparing to synth. Thanks!
this is pure genius 18:57 🤣 - ha dou... ken
your vids are amazing! I am thinking about getting one soon!!! any noticeable usb ground noise?
Thank you :) I only get ground noise on the audio outputs if I have the TR-6S connected to a computer via USB at the same time. If I power it through something like a USB wall charger it's fine.
@@CaptainPikant hmmm so practically this makes the software editor useless...am i right? also i would like to know if you can use a midi keyboard like keystep pro to use a sequencer instead the tr-6s sequencing engine! thank you for your time!
@@julioagnosia Not necessarily, the editor is still very useful. The USB audio feed is always ultra clean by the way - it's not affected by the ground noise. Sure, you can send MIDI notes to the TR-6S via any sequencer, just like we did at 1:34.
Can you recommend a good drum machine for trance and breakbeats. I don't really like working on the xonouter much, so something with a good sequencer to make full tracks would rock, if that is possible.
have this one sounds from linndrum? also you can use it as sampler? like to upload wav files like files from linndrum and play them to it?
Come on! Please put that Dig It kit to use 🙌
I think these kind of reviews are really important, rather than just trying to get out the first ones for the algo.
What kind of amp would you recommend in a live setting in a small room for a dozend or so people?
I think I need your help: I’m a guitar player and I want a DM to play along that is really focused on randomness of both pattern and kit, something like the feature you showed where you quickly select random instruments or random kits. I just wanna select bpm and meter, press play and have a drum sound that changes as much as possible to make every performance almost unique! In your experience, what’s the best DM to do what I’m looking for? I’ve heard some cool things from the Elektron Model serie, but this little Roland seems great too on that regard. I hope I was clear…
Thank you very much!
Great review! What is the pattern Mephisto “Mystery of love”?
Thanks! From the looks of it you'll find most of the pattern here ua-cam.com/video/cXFwfJdbggc/v-deo.html ;)
@@CaptainPikant thanks mate! 🙂
I haven't laughed so hard in a while. The Phil Collins torture test was wonderful. Aaaaaand I had to pause to go listen to the real song, a few times. 🤣 I now give that song so much more credit. No idea why it never occurred to me that those sounds were from old Roland machines. 🤦♂️😱🤷♂️😄 Go the moo cow bells and that smooth sexual healing.
Hello! Have you done a review of the Roland TR-8S Aira, preferably with the latest (CR78) firmware released at the end of last year? If so, I can't find it!
Hi Stephen, no we haven't had that machine in our studio yet :)
Hello, there, Captain. Great videos !!!! I'd like to know if the TR-6s can be controlled with a external Control Midi Keyboard. I mean, with the Keystep Pro, for example. Does the TR-6s need that each instrument of the six parts be assigned with a different Midi Channel each one or they can be controlled with just one Midi Channel and can be played with 6 different keys of the keyboard or more. ;) Thank you very much in advance.
Hi there, I was able to sequence the TR-6S via MIDI on a single channel. Different notes then correspond to different instruments :)
@@CaptainPikant Thank you so much for the answer. 😉😉👍👍
Can you control all channels on the 6s from one midi channel?
Love the nod to INXS!
Can you do a review of the TR-8s please 🙏
Will this machine replace my the drum machine boutiques? Will I miss them?
Great video! I love my TR-6S, but can't update the firmware or use the USB audio functions on my old Win 7 computer. Bummer. Still a great sounding and expressive drum machine though...only the TR-8S has it beat!
Hi Mike, you can just load the firmware update onto an SD card and do the update from there without a computer :)
@@CaptainPikant Say what? That never even occurred to me! Thanks!
@@CaptainPikant All backed up and updated...thank you SO much!
24:30 yes! Better Roll is needed!
Perfect exposure (video)! Bravo! Rarety on UA-cam...
I wish you covered groove boxes like the 101 / 707 😂
The lack of CR-78 sounds baffles me. The only option would be MC-101 which has it or TT-78. I‘d instabuy a boutique CR-78 or consider the one Behringer is teasing since a few years.
There is a way to group together the 8s (& therefore Im assuming the 6s!) & an audio interface so that the computer & also the DAW recognises them both together, rather than making them an either/or option. I cant remember how I did it exactly, but I know it was via a youtube video! If I can find it again Ill let you know as it might be the kind of thing you need to do as well so that the 6s doesn't interfere with your other settings 👍🏾 (Assuming Ive understood your issue correctly of course, otherwise itll be no help at all 😂)
Thank you for your comment! Are you by chance using a Mac? I heard that on OSX you can create an aggregate device, but sadly that's no option for the Windows users as far as I know :(
@@CaptainPikant on a mac you have separate in / out, so you can set external device as IN but still have speakers through the interface as usual.
@@CaptainPikant Ah yes Im on a mac, & yeah that's it, an aggregate device, thats what I was thinking of! Oh hopefully somehow there's a way to do it on windows, 🤞🏾🤞🏾 you can find it!
I love your videos, always so helpful & informative. Ive only gotten in to sequencing since early this year, with an 8s, but all your videos have been so useful. And I just love the team's creativity! 😆👍🏾
I have and love the tr6s… but always wonder if the tr8s would be worthwhile… any opinion?
If you don't miss any of the TR-8S features that we mentioned at the end of the video then I'd say there's no need to upgrade :)
Hey, my per-step tuning is always global for some reason. Have you encountered this? When I look at the tuning for each step, each step has a different value (that I've dialled in) but when it plays back, it seems to ignore it. I read somewhere that this is a motion sequencing thing. Can you shed some light on that?
The problem might be that automation is disabled. At 17:21 you can see how to turn it on :)
@@CaptainPikant ok, that is totally not how I expected it to work! Thanks, super helpful 👌
Man I so much wish for microtiming support and what would be ultra awesome would be warping of samples. This way you could use a drum loop and use it in different Tempo projects cause it would be grid locked. Don’t know if it’s technically possible though
Yes, microtiming would be really awesome :) They could even use the "Nudge +/-" buttons for that...
That bit about having to change drivers in the DAW, does that also apply to tr-8s?
It’s a Windows limitation not a hardware limitation. Macs don’t have that problem as audio is incorporated into the OS better. You can set one audio device for input and one for output in most Mac DAWs or combine multiple audio interfaces as an aggregate device that functions a one big audio interface.
Hey Django, some viewers made me aware that there's a solution for Windows users. Check the pinned comment :)
Loved the sound, hated the workflow and all the weird little things like delay and reveb sends on by default.... Ended up getting rid of mine. Miss it, but I know I won't gel with it
Amazing vidéo !
Thanks !
Question :
Is it possible to remove just the position of one step (lait back style) ???
I Saw à nudge fonction but it looks that it’s for all the pattern and not for one step only !!
If someone has a tips or à secret to do this !!
Peace , and thanks for this amazing work !!
Nudging individual steps (microtiming) is not possible unfortunately. I had my hopes up as well when I saw those "nudge" buttons - but they only nudge the BPM while you press them so you can better manually sync the tempo.
@@CaptainPikant do you think it's gonna be possible when they gonna update the beast ?
@@mistergrooveman1018 No, I'd say there's zero chance of that happening :(
@@CaptainPikant arrffff.....
You can use the USB audio streaming with your existing interface. Just create an aggregate audio device. That's what they are for.
Thanks! Do you have any tips on how to achieve this under Windows?
@@CaptainPikant asio4all can do it apparently
Would recommend the bigger brother 8 over this?
can u adjust parameters of ur own samples?