Roland CR-78
Drum machine
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The Roland CompuRhythm CR-78 is a drum machine released by Roland Corporation in 1978. It was adopted by new wave musicians and by acts including Phil Collins, Hall & Oates, OMD, Tears for Fears, Blondie and Radiohead.
Development
In the 1960s, drum machines were most often used to accompany home organs. They did not allow users to program rhythms,[1] but instead offered preset patterns such as bossa nova.[2][3] By the late 1970s, microprocessors were appearing in instruments such as the Roland MC-8 Microcomposer.[4] The Roland founder, Ikutaro Kakehashi, realized they could be used to program drum machines.[5]
Features
The CR-78 was the first drum machine to use a microprocessor.[4] It was also the first drum machine with which users could write, save and replay their own patterns.[4][5] It came with 17 preset patterns, including bossa nova, samba, mambo, beguine, rhumba and waltz, each with two variations.[4][6] Pressing two buttons simultaneously plays a combination of the two patterns.[6] Fills and breaks can also be added.[6]
The CR-78 offers 14 sounds, with four-note polyphony (meaning it can produce up to four sounds at the same time).[4] The sounds are generated with analog synthesis, meaning they do not use samples (prerecorded sounds). They include a kick, snare, rimshot, hi-hat, cymbal, and high and low congas and bongos.[6] Roland also released a smaller unit, the CR-68, which could not be programmed.[4]
Legacy
The CR-78 was released in 1978 and initially received little attention.[4] According to Gordon Reid of Sound on Sound, it initially seemed similar to other drum machines and its presets made it resemble those built into home organs.[4]
The CR-78 has been used in songs including "In the Air Tonight" by Phil Collins,[7] "I Can't Go for That (No Can Do)" by Hall & Oates,[8] "Enola Gay" by OMD,[9] "Mad World" by Tears for Fears,[10] "Heart of Glass" by Blondie,[11] and in live performances by Radiohead.[12] It became popular with new wave musicians in the late 1970s and early 1980s.[6] MusicRadar wrote in 2021 that while the CR-78 did not offer the "floor-shaking rumble" of Roland's later machine, the TR-808, it "pumps and percolates, ticks and snaps in its own special way. The raw analogue drum tones are bursting with character and it can add instant atmosphere to a mix."[6]