SR-88

Name: SR-88
Price: 27.28 USD
Author: AudioThing

by AudioThing · Drum Instrument · 80s analog drum machine

Not rated yet

SR-88 is a sample-based emulation of the Sound Master Memory Rhythm SR-88, a rare 1980s analog drum machine with kick, snare, two hi-hats and cymbal.

It adds a filter, overdrive, compressor, reverb and a sequencer with drag-to-DAW, for $29.

Best for: Drums. Genres: Electronic & EDM, Lo-Fi, Hip-Hop & Trap.

Keywords: 80s, drum machine, sequencer, randomize, sample-based, lo-fi, thin, hardware emulation, simple, thick, vintage, AUv3/iOS, beginner-friendly, bright, retro, tempo-synced, textures.

What it does

SR-88 is AudioThing's "Analog Drum Machine from the 80s", a sample-based recreation of the Sound Master Memory Rhythm SR-88, a cheap home drum box. It keeps the original's five sounds and adds a step sequencer, a small effects chain and MIDI export.

Five sounds: kick, snare, hi-hat 1, hi-hat 2 and cymbal, sampled from the original rather than modeled.
Per-sound controls: pitch, pan and level for each sound, plus decay according to Computer Music's review.
Processing: a zero-delay-feedback low-pass filter, overdrive, compressor and reverb to thicken or roughen the kit.
Sequencer: a built-in step sequencer (up to 32 steps in the review) with host sync and per-lane randomizing.
MIDI export: drag patterns straight into your DAW as MIDI to edit or replace sounds there.
Presets: 15 factory presets and 15 factory patterns, plus a randomizer, with brightness and contrast settings for the interface.

Version 1.6.2 (February 2024). The demo goes silent for 3 seconds every 45 seconds and can't save.

Source: AudioThing product page

When to use it

SR-88 is the opposite of Battery 4, XO and Nerve, which are flexible sample drum instruments with large libraries, deep editing and many kits: it is one small, cheap-sounding vintage box with five sounds and a simple sequencer. Its value is authenticity and character, not range, and even the reviews agree the raw sound is thin and small by modern standards. That makes it a good fit where a toy-like 80s machine suits the track, or as a pattern generator you drag into your DAW as MIDI and play with other sounds. XO is the better pick for building and auditioning beats from your own samples, and Battery 4 for detailed kit editing.

Best for: lo-fi drum loops, retro and home-made 80s beats, quick pattern sketching and layering vintage texture under a main kit.
Genres: lo-fi, synth-pop, electronic, hip-hop and experimental.
Look elsewhere if: you need many kits, sample loading or per-step sound changes; XO or Battery 4 cover far more.
Tip: use the overdrive, compressor and reverb, or extra effects in your DAW, to thicken the thin original sound.

What producers say

Reviewers agree it is an authentic, easy and fairly priced copy of a machine that sounds small and thin.

Computer Music (via MusicRadar, 2016) said the emulation "does the business" at a fair price and is fun and easy to use, praising per-lane randomizing and MIDI drag; but it found the original "just doesn't sound very nice these days".
Loopy Pro forum iOS users liked the nostalgia and the drag-and-drop pattern export, but found it "a bit too thin" without extra effects, asked for sample loading and per-step decay or pitch, and noted no MIDI drag in AUv3 mode.

Where to buy

Tutorials and reviews

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