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Roland CR-78 CompuRhythm: The Wood-Panelled Grandfather of the 808

Roland CR-78 CompuRhythm: The Wood-Panelled Grandfather of the 808

R 38,500.00
R 38,500.00
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Long before the 808 shook subwoofers, the CR-78 was keeping time in a handsome wood-veneer box built to back a home-organ player. Then everyone else got hold of it. That's...

Availability: Low stock: 1 left
Category: Drum Machine
Tags: 1970s Drum Machine R15k+ Roland Vintage
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Long before the 808 shook subwoofers, the CR-78 was keeping time in a handsome wood-veneer box built to back a home-organ player. Then everyone else got hold of it. That's the CR-78 ticking under Blondie's "Heart of Glass" and Phil Collins' "In the Air Tonight," its polite, almost delicate analog drums quietly rewriting pop. It was Roland's first programmable rhythm machine, the great-grandparent of every TR that followed, and you can already hear the ghost of the 808 in its kick and hats. Thirty-four presets, fourteen tones, fill-ins, and that unmistakable lacquered-cabinet charm. This one is working and powered on.

FEATURES & PROS:

  • All-Analog Drum Voices: 14 warm, characterful tones, from popping kick to sizzling hat. The blueprint for the 808.
  • First Programmable Roland: Store your own patterns, not just presets. The machine that started the entire TR dynasty.
  • 34 Preset Rhythms: From disco and rock to gloriously cheesy tango, all tweakable with variations and fills.
  • Heard on the Classics: "Heart of Glass," "In the Air Tonight," and a thousand records since.
  • Fill-In + Variation: Eleven variation effects, accents, and fade in/out for arrangements that actually move.
  • Wood-Veneer Charm: A genuinely beautiful object that happens to be a piece of music history.

AS USED BY

  • Phil Collins, "In the Air Tonight"
  • Blondie, "Heart of Glass"
  • Hall & Oates, "I Can't Go for That (No Can Do)"
  • Ultravox, "Vienna"
  • OMD, "Enola Gay"
  • Tears for Fears, "Mad World"
  • Chris de Burgh, "Lady in Red"

THE WORD: MusicRadar describes the CR-78's 14 sounds as quickly woven into the pop music of its era, and notes it is increasingly sought-after as a clear ancestor of the 808. Read the feature.

SPECIFICATIONS

  • Year: 1978
  • Type: Analog preset rhythm machine (CompuRhythm)
  • Sounds: 14 analog drum and percussion voices
  • Patterns: 34 presets plus user-programmable
  • Features: Fill-In, Voice Cancel, 11 variations, accent, fade in/out, tempo
  • Outputs: line out, accent/individual out
  • Power: mains
  • Manual: Roland CR-78 owner's manual (PDF)