I've been wanting a Roland TR-909 for many years ever since I first heard it across Skinny Puppy's discography and I've owned an original TR-808 for a few years and love it to death. It would be a dream to pair the two together, but lately I have been listening to demos of the Elektron Analog Rytm which to my ears has a lot of the same flavor of the TR-909 and far less expensive. I know current prices on the TR-909 are around $5K, and I'm not sure if it would be realistic to haggle down to around $3-3.5K which would be a little more comfortable for me. The Rytm seems to offer more flexibility in sounds, but I am a quality over quantity type of guy so I'm on the fence on if I would rather have the limited sounds of the TR-909 or expanded range of the Rytm.

I'm more into the analog engine of the Rytm and some would say to look for a MK1 unit if you're not into sampling, but does the newest O.S. with the new features apply to the MK1 units as well or only MK2? Does anyone own both units for comparison?

Also, I have zero interest in any Behringer knock offs.

New features are on the mk1 except the sampling - but it still plays back samples.
There are some convincing 909 sound packs too
There is also the re-909 .. diy but you can probably find someone to build it and it’ll be cheaper than the og

Or try perkons ( used a lot in modern live sets ) or that pulsar 23 maybe not 909 though.. just modern fun techno machines.
Much of the sound might also be how they processed it.

Why on earth would you pay $5,000 for an "original" 909 when you could get the Behringer for a few hundred? It's ok, we promise we won't tell anyone if you do... And it sounds just the same and is NEW, not some old POS that costs half a jet ski.

I own the Rytm MK1 and the RD-8... I don't discriminate. They're tools, don't get too emotionally attached.

How many 909-type sounds do you already have? Samples and emulations are easy to come by and some clones are around. Since you seem to like those sounds so much I assume you've already accumulated a bunch of those before concluding that only an OG would cut it.

btw, which 909 revision do you prefer?

My bet is someone who likes 909 sound never regret getting the original. Rytm I don't know, but if 909 sound is the goal then a "knock off" wins.

If you have a load of other stuff already. Needing a lot of sounds/bazillion patches isn't a necessity.

I wouldn't get rid of the 909 for 10k.. Really.

Get the 909 if it’s your dream and you have the money. Analog Rytm doesn’t sound that great, and Behringer is not the same

I can already see where this thread is going. People will argue for 9 pages, feelings will be hurt and the OP makes no further comments other then the first post.

909 pages

Rytm is a different thing. It's more versatile for sure, even just in the drum department, not considering the sample playback and synth engine stuff you can do.

You can approximate a 909 kick on a Rytm, and get a satisfying sound, it's not exactly a 909 kick tho. Snare is a little harder to approximate a 909 sound. There are good snare sounds on Rytm but not really 909 replica sounds.

Hats are totally different, since 909 hats are digital you can load samples in the Rytm. Rytm is not my favorite sample playback machine and kind of cramps things in the HF range.

If you're the kind of person who would be happy to put a 909 on every track, and there's nothing wrong with that if you are, then get a 909. The sweet spots are wider and more immediate. If 909 is just one flavor of drum sound to you and you want more of a variety, get a Rytm. I have a Rytm sitting next to a TR-8s because I covet 808 and 909 sounds, and the Aira version is close enough for me. I use both a decent amount. Though the Rytm is much more enjoyable to actually use as it does more and everything is more logically laid out.

Cheers.

Why choose if you can buy both?
TR-909 will be used and a used rytm should be easy to find.
Sell the one you don't like and move on.

I didn’t like the sound of the Rytm at all and sold it. It sounded very muddy. It was mk1.
I go with Jomox. But why not try the behringer clone and see if it scratches your itch. I wpuldnt go for a real used 909 unless i had money to burn. Too risky.

Skip both and get an Erica Techno System. Best drum machine I’ve ever owned.

To help guide you on this -- are you looking for the 909 "sound" or the 909 "experience"? A 909 sound can be had far more easily and cheaply using something like a Boutique TR-09, sampler, TR-8S, TR-6S, etc.

The Rytm 2 is a great machine, but it feels and sounds nothing like a 909 to me. It's far more capable but also a lot more complex. If you want to really get neck deep in sound design, p-locks, etc. then nothing beats the Rytm 2 IMO (although I sold mine in preference for a TR-8S and Alpha Base).

But if you want the feeling and sounds of a 909, then I would look for a clone (if you want the experience + sound) or get a TR6/8S.

If you can afford a TR909 today, you can certainly afford a AR on top of that (or at least to order one try and return it if not satisfied).

So you don't have to choose one or the other. This is a senseless choice anyway.

We're on Gearspace, I wouldn't expect it to go any different. Although it's been a long time we did get some stupid a$$ thread such as "Do I need to buy a Minimoog to be a super star DJ?" ...

Alpha base is one of the best sounding drum machines there is. you will be hard pressed to get the 909 snare from it though. i would go behringer and AB and you have a great combination of drum machines. The alpha is very clean and round. AR mk2 sounds flat and dull in comparison. i can’t believe elektron never updated the sound engine. anyways, yea, if you got the money, go original 909…otherwise there are many options. we are fortunate to live in one of the zenith moments of analog drum machines.

I’ve got the Rytm MK2 and TR-09. For me, that’s perfect. The 09 is close enough and gives me the classic Roland workflow. The Rytm is modern, can load the 909 and other samples I want, and has the benefits of modern workflow. I was previously a bit on the fence with the Rytm as an old MDUW user, but I think the most recent update really makes it a strong contender for the best drum machine on the market. The flexibility of the internal machines and ability to add samples really makes it a top machine.

Wonderful. Thanks for sharing what your favorite is. But an industrial leaning modular synth has basically nothing in common with the sound or workflow of a 909.

Is the Jomox mainly a sample player with analog filters/amps in it?

Some of the demos sound nice and punchy, but I've had a hard time figuring out what it actually is.

Conceptually it is similar to Rytm. Some sounds are full analog, some are samples through analog paths including vca. U can use ur own samples too. Its basically a much better sounding version of Rytm. Can do some parameter locking too.
Mk2 of the Alphabase has been announced. You can get that or get a used mk1 for some savings.

How many of its tracks/instruments are actually analog VCO drum synth circuits?

I actually think the Rytm sounds great. It’s definitely easier to make it sound like crap than it is to make it sound amazing. But when you spend time with it and find its tricks and sweet spots it’s a great sounding instrument.

Mk1
ALPHA BASE FEATURES

11 Instruments: Kick, MBrane, Hat, Clap, Rim Shot, Crash, Ride, XSample1 XSample2, FM synth
Real analog Jomox kick drum
Real analog Jomox MBrane voice
2 coupleable F-OSC for complex analog snare, percussion, bass and tom sounds ranging from 16Hz to 20kHz
2 sample based instruments with analog VCA ADSR envelope and/or HH filter
4 sample based instruments with analog VCA ADSR envelope and/or resonating multimode filter
2 sample based instruments with external sampling input and pure digital playback.
1 FM synth with 4 operators and max. 6 voices for percussive sounds.
Effects delay, reverb with send per instrument
LFOs: per instrument one LFO (MBrane 2 LFOs) with 64 wave forms
250 samples 16 Bit/48kHz in internal flash memory.
SD card slot for loading of samples.

I prefer to think Rytm is the problem, not me.
Don’t get me wrong, I have multiple elektron machines, but Rytm was a big miss for me. I think in general their synths work better with the audio components they use. For a drum machine, Jomox is clearly using superior components.

So is that two analog voices or three? And then a bunch of sample channels?

I suggest you find a builder and get yourself a Dinsync RE-909 made to your exact specifications. It's like getting a time capsule TR-909 but with the exact mods you want. It's the best no compromise option for a TR-909 in 2024 IMHO

Dont buy a Rytm looking for a 909, Rytm is its own thing. People mistake it for a drum machine when its actually more like a groovebox (especially now since the 1.70 update)

Because some people have self respect.

Just get a TR-8S if you say you want a 909 but even vaguely consider a Rytm. The TR-8S is about a million times closer to the OG than a Rytm ever will be.

Don't make me torrent something and tell you about it...

You clearly have no idea what the techno system is. The analog circuits are all based on the 909. Programming is very similar to the 909. Its much closer to an actual 909 than a rytm is. Forget it has the word ‘techno’ in the name. Of course if only a 909 will do, I get it, save the headache and just buy the real thing.

I dont know how can you even compare these two drum macahines but if you have the money and dont want to go with the clones I say buy the original thing, you only live once and anyway you can always sell it later even with a small loss if that is fine with you.