The people behind the beat
Photographs that put the rhythm machine back into the hands, rooms and stages where it mattered.
Each photograph is kept with the machine story it illuminates. Captions say plainly whether the image shows the instrument itself or provides the surrounding artist and studio context.
No images match. Try another maker or clear the filters.
Akai · Artist / studio photograph
The Akai MPC2500 from Reverb’s 2016 AraabMuzik interview. It is a product photograph rather than AraabMuzik’s own unit; the interview identifies the MPC2500 as his mid-range studio choice and follows the making of Dream World.
6 July 2016
Reverb · Source & credit ↗
Akai · Instrument photograph
Akai’s XE8 in Sound On Sound review photography. AtomicBeats’ later sample-library use is a separate afterlife for the machine’s sounds.
December 1988
Sound On Sound · Source & credit ↗
Akai · Instrument photograph
Akai’s XR10 in period review photography. D Fast identifies the XR10 in the making of “Do You Wanna Dance With Me?”; this image shows the machine rather than the artist’s specific studio.
June 1990
James Cumpsty / Music Technology · Source & credit ↗
Oberheim / Roland / Linn · Artist / studio photograph
A studio portrait paired with Ariel Rechtshaid’s own account of working with DMX, TR-808, TR-707 and LM-1 patterns.
2017-08
Ashley Beliveau / Sound On Sound · Source & credit ↗
Roland / Yamaha · Artist / studio photograph
Autechre in a credited performance photograph, paired with Sean Booth’s account of early TR-606 sample triggering. The machine is not in frame.
2020
Bafic / Roland Articles · Source & credit ↗
Casio · Instrument photograph
Casio’s RZ-1 in period review context. Nathan Fake names the 1986 sampling rhythm composer among the machines behind Providence; this document returns to the instrument’s original public moment.
Apr 1986; May 1986
Electronics & Music Maker · Source & credit ↗
Allen & Heath · Instrument photograph
Bill Nelson in his 1986 studio with the distinctive eight-pad AHB Inpulse One in the foreground. The accompanying interview identifies it as the machine behind every drum part on Getting the Holy Ghost Across.
Jul 1986
Sound On Sound · Source & credit ↗
BME · Instrument photograph
The BME RattleSnake Parametric Percussion System in a retained reference photograph. Hainbach’s RattleSnake project gives the unusual instrument an artist story without claiming the image is his unit.
Photograph dated 30 July 2011 in Commons metadata
Franz Schuier (Flickr), via Wikimedia Commons · Source & credit ↗
BOSS · Artist / studio photograph
Bon Harris in performance, paired with his recollection of the DR-55 at the start of Nitzer Ebb.
2020-07-28
Roland Articles · Source & credit ↗
BOSS · Instrument photograph
The DR-550 MkII in a contemporary review photograph, preserved as product context for the machine’s later musical stories.
August 1992
Sound On Sound · Source & credit ↗
BOSS · Instrument photograph
The BOSS DR-550 in period product photography. The gallery links to its source-led artist and sample history while keeping the image’s scope clear.
May 1990
Music Technology · Source & credit ↗
BOSS · Instrument photograph
BOSS DR-770 review photography from Sound On Sound. Caro C identifies the machine on “V To The Dub”; the scan documents the production model, not the exact recording unit.
July 1999 article; photograph date unestablished
Sound On Sound · Source & credit ↗
Yamaha · Instrument photograph
The rear of Yamaha’s RY20 in period coverage. LWSAMY recalls using one through home-recording years; this is a launch-era product view rather than a personal studio photograph.
Oct 1994
The Mix · Source & credit ↗
Cheetah · Instrument photograph
Cheetah’s MD16 in a period cartridge feature. The image records the machine and its expansion format beside the dossier’s artist story.
Nov 1992
Music Technology · Source & credit ↗
Cheetah · Instrument photograph
The Cheetah MD16RP in a retained period image. Its artist-use account remains in the linked dossier.
May 1992
Music Technology · Source & credit ↗
Simmons · Instrument photograph
A Simmons SDS7 system in multi-machine period context. The caption identifies the visible hardware; record claims stay in the dossier.
Jun 1985
One Two Testing · Source & credit ↗
Simmons · Instrument photograph
The Simmons SDS3 in a period company report. This is a machine image linked to its separately sourced artist history.
Jun 1985
One Two Testing · Source & credit ↗
Yamaha · Instrument photograph
The Yamaha RX21 in a period review. Stephin Merritt includes it in the deliberately limited palette of Distant Plastic Trees; this scan shows the machine rather than the Magnetic Fields’ studio.
Feb 1986
Home & Studio Recording · Source & credit ↗
Eko · Instrument photograph
The Eko Ritmo 12 front panel, retained as an object photograph. Ricky Zeta’s “2019027988” association lets this modest preset machine enter a later recording story without making the photo a session claim.
Undated photograph; hosting page last modified 2003-04-21
Beatboxer / devo · Source & credit ↗
Eko · Instrument photograph
The rear panel of an Eko Ritmo 12. Ricky Zeta’s album credit is a separate musical association; this owner photograph documents the little Italian machine as an object.
Undated photograph; hosting page last modified 2003-04-21
Beatboxer / devo · Source & credit ↗
Eko · Instrument photograph
An internal view of the Eko Ritmo 20 in period coverage. Its linked dossier retains the relevant artist association; this image is technical object context.
Nov 1982
Electronics & Music Maker · Source & credit ↗
Allen & Heath · Instrument photograph
The AHB Inpulse One in its 1984 Electronics & Music Maker review. Bill Nelson says it supplied every drum part on Getting the Holy Ghost Across; the scan shows the unusual British machine before it became his rhythmic engine.
March 1984
Dan Goldstein / Electronics & Music Maker · Source & credit ↗
BOSS · Instrument photograph
BOSS’s DR-110 in a 1984 review. King Britt paired one with a Moog Sonic Six on the Fiction Science EP; the scan shows the small rhythm box that sat within that economical setup.
March 1984
Paul White / Electronics & Music Maker · Source & credit ↗
RSF · Instrument photograph
RSF’s DD-30 in a period Electronics & Music Maker review. Lil Crucified identifies “Sellin Kush in Style” as an RSF DD-30 beat; this document supplies the machine’s original public context.
February 1986
Jean-Paul Verpeaux / Electronics & Music Maker · Source & credit ↗
Instrument-family records / Hammond · Instrument photograph
The DPM-48 front panel, marked Nihon Hammond, in the March 1984 review. The photograph shows the instrument’s controls; the separately reported Prince association does not establish ownership or a recording session.
March 1984
David Ellis / Electronics & Music Maker · Source & credit ↗
Simmons · Instrument photograph
The Simmons SDS6 sequencer in its original review. Simmons later named Howard Jones among its users; the photograph shows the dedicated brain behind the performance system.
1983
Electronics & Music Maker · Source & credit ↗
Technics · Instrument photograph
The Technics DP50 in its original Electronics & Music Maker review. Peter Semiletov’s later Drum Sklad work keeps its PCM kit playable as software; the printed image returns us to the hardware source.
May 1985
Dan Goldstein / Electronics & Music Maker · Source & credit ↗
Yamaha · Instrument photograph
Yamaha’s RX digital rhythm machines in an early Electronics & Music Maker preview. Jack Dangers places an RX-5 in the Storm the Studio equipment around Meat Beat Manifesto; the spread belongs to the machine’s launch moment.
March 1984
Ian Gilby / Electronics & Music Maker · Source & credit ↗
Elgam · Instrument photograph
An Elgam Carousel from the Museum collection. Musica E Computer credits Agostino Maria Ticino playing one; this image is a collection view, not an album-session photograph.
Current collection page accessed 24 September 2026
SMEM / Swiss Museum for Electronic Music Instruments · Source & credit ↗
Roland · Artist / studio photograph
Eris Drew’s own Roland R-8 MKII, shown in Reverb’s Quivering in Time interview. She calls it a go-to drum machine for the album, where its built-in 808 and 909 material sits alongside samples and programmed parts.
02 November 2021
Eris Drew / Reverb · Source & credit ↗
Farfisa · Instrument photograph
A Farfisa Rhythm 10 with its pedal, retained as a clear object photograph. Wolfgang Flür’s Kraftwerk performance association provides the musical context beyond the image.
Undated modern photograph
Marina Denisova, credited on Vintage Audio Institute page · Source & credit ↗
Roland · Artist / studio photograph
Flying Lotus in the portrait published with his account of making childhood patterns on his grandmother’s TR-626. The machine is not pictured.
2026
MusicRadar · Source & credit ↗
Korg / Keio · Artist / studio photograph
Foodman holding the ESX-1 he identifies as his original machine. His account connects the box to the Ez Minzoku period while the photograph keeps the actual instrument in view.
8 April 2024 publication; photo date unspecified
Manabu Morooka / Always Listening · Source & credit ↗
Linn · Artist / studio photograph
A Frankie Goes to Hollywood studio image alongside the LinnDrum story behind “Relax”.
Article April 2008; captions date Horn image 1984 and Lipson image mid-1980s
Captions credit Retna / Michael Putland · Source & credit ↗
Suzuki · Artist / studio photograph
Howie Statland in the one-bedroom recording room where he described putting a Suzuki RPM-40 through a DigiTech delay, then recording its beat first to set a song’s tempo. The photograph is studio context: the pictured rhythm box is not identified as the RPM-40.
January 2004
Martin Munch / Tape Op · Source & credit ↗
Alesis · Instrument photograph
Alesis HR-16 review photography from 1988. Godflesh’s documented use on the Streetcleaner period belongs to the story; the scan shows the commercial instrument rather than the band’s particular unit.
1988-01
Sound On Sound · Source & credit ↗
Yamaha / Akai · Artist / studio photograph
Ian Pooley and Thomas Gerlach in a personal-archive photograph, paired with Pooley’s account of buying the RX7 in 1987. The RX7 is not pictured.
2019-03-06
Ian Pooley personal archive / GROOVE · Source & credit ↗
Yamaha · Artist / studio photograph
Ian Pooley’s Yamaha RX7 in his Berlin studio. Reverb identifies it as the drum machine he received for Christmas in 1987 and has kept in use ever since: a small survivor from the beginning of a long record-making life.
06 September 2018
Reverb · Source & credit ↗
Alesis · Artist / studio photograph
Jay Graydon’s studio with two visibly identifiable HR-16B units.
2001-12
Sound On Sound · Source & credit ↗
Roland · Artist / studio photograph
Jeff Mills in Roland’s official TR-909 story. The company calls him a leading 909 performer, known for real-time live manipulation; the image is performance context, not a named-record credit.
2019
Roland · Source & credit ↗
Kawai · Instrument photograph
Kawai’s R-100 in period press. The image is a documentary product view beside the machine’s artist record.
Nov 1986
International Musician & Recording World · Source & credit ↗
Kay · Instrument photograph
A 1982 view of the Kay Memory Rhythm Machine prototype. o[rlawren] and Tui’s early-instrument collection account gives the prototype its later human setting without claiming this is their machine.
October 1982
Electronics & Music Maker · Source & credit ↗
Kay · Internal circuit photograph
The interior of the Kay Memory Rhythm Machine prototype in 1982 press coverage. o[rlawren]’s catalogue-machine memory is a later ownership account; the image records the early machine’s construction.
October 1982
Electronics & Music Maker · Source & credit ↗
Korg / Keio · Instrument photograph
Korg’s DDD-1 in a second launch-era press image. The page records the product, while the dossier supplies the human connection.
Aug 1987; Nov 1986; Sep 1986
Making Music · Source & credit ↗
Korg / Keio · Instrument photograph
The Korg DDD-5 in period press. Its linked dossier keeps the artist evidence separate from this product photograph.
Aug 1987; Nov 1986; Sep 1986
Making Music · Source & credit ↗
Korg / Keio · Instrument photograph
Korg’s DDD-1 in period press. The linked dossier carries its sourced artist and record associations; this photograph stays with the instrument’s launch-era form.
Aug 1987; Nov 1986; Oct 1986; Sep 1986
Making Music · Source & credit ↗
Korg / Keio · Instrument photograph
Korg DDM rhythm machines in a retained product photograph. Timothy J. Fairplay names the DDM-220 in his studio set-up; the picture documents the instrument family, not his individual unit.
October 1984
One Two Testing · Source & credit ↗
Korg / Keio · Instrument photograph
The Korg DDM-220 in period press photography. Lustwig and Marc’o Dope-Ra list it among the instruments at Brainstorm-Studio Bonn for Lust; this scan shows the compact digital Korg in its own era.
October 1984
Electronics & Music Maker · Source & credit ↗
Korg / Keio · Instrument photograph
The 1963 Keio Donca Matic DA-20 in a reference photograph. Tadashi Osanai’s nightclub performance memory supplies the human accompaniment context.
2005-09-28 upload
Brandon Daniel (Flickr bdu) · Source & credit ↗
Korg / Keio · Instrument photograph
Korg’s KPR-77 display and panel in period photography. Amato identifies it in the compact “Ostbahnhof” set-up; the image returns to the box that carried that restrained pulse.
Feb 1983
Electronics & Music Maker · Source & credit ↗
Korg / Keio · Instrument photograph
Korg’s Volca Sample 2 product image. Moe Shop’s commissioned demonstration gives the revised sampler a current musical use; this is manufacturer imagery, not a studio photograph.
Undated evolving product page; artist items dated 2021; accessed 23 September 2026
Korg · Source & credit ↗
Roland · Artist / studio photograph
Kurtis Mantronik in Reverb’s 2024 interview. He recalls linking a TR-606 and TB-303 with DIN sync to program early beats; the portrait sets that first-person account in view without pretending the machine is pictured or assigning it to a named release.
08 February 2024
Reverb · Source & credit ↗
Roland · Instrument photograph
Roland’s TR-727 in period press. Phuture’s “Acid Tracks” history places it alongside a TR-707; the image shows the Latin-percussion machine in its own time.
Aug 1985
Electronics & Music Maker · Source & credit ↗
Alesis · Artist / studio photograph
A published frame from the source that credits Johanna Fateman’s HR-16B on Le Tigre’s “Deceptacon.” The visible machine reads HR-16, so it is shown as close family context beside the B-variant production story rather than passed off as the exact unit.
24 May 2014
Emily Strax / cited Red Bull Music Academy beat:repeat material · Source & credit ↗
Linn · Instrument photograph
A LinnDrum front-panel photograph hosted by Roger Linn. The a-ha “Take On Me” production account belongs to the record’s history; this image is a close look at the machine’s physical working surface.
Undated
Hosted by Roger Linn Design · Source & credit ↗
Mattel · Instrument photograph
Mattel’s Synsonics in a period buyers’ guide. Its linked dossier keeps the artist and use-history evidence separate from this product image.
Oct 1985
International Musician & Recording World · Source & credit ↗
Electro-Harmonix · Instrument photograph
Electro-Harmonix DRM16, pictured in period magazine coverage. Image: mu:zines archive.
Oct 1985
International Musician & Recording World · Source & credit ↗
Maestro · Instrument photograph
A clear Maestro Rhythm MRQ-1 exterior photograph. Jason Booth’s Rhythm King sample-board association is a later sound-source story; this picture preserves the original object.
2011-08-28 upload
stereogab · Source & credit ↗
MFB · Artist / studio photograph
Manfred Fricke in the early MFB workshop: maker context for the MFB-512, rather than a claim that the pictured unit is that model.
1982
MFB archive / AMAZONA.de · Source & credit ↗
Roland · Artist / studio photograph
A Roland TR-707 offered from Martin Gore’s official Reverb shop. The listing identifies it as part of his private collection; it establishes ownership, not a Depeche Mode recording credit.
2019 listing; accessed 2026-09-28
Official Martin Gore of Depeche Mode Reverb Shop / Reverb · Source & credit ↗
Ace Tone · Artist / studio photograph
An angled view of Moby’s Rhythm Maker 12 from the same 2018 collection sale. The wooden case, elevated carry frame and row of preset buttons turn a bare catalogue name into a real, surviving machine.
2018 Moby drum-machine sale; listing accessed 28 September 2026
The Official Moby Reverb Shop / Reverb · Source & credit ↗
Ace Tone · Artist / studio photograph
Moby’s Ace Tone Rhythm Maker 12, photographed for his 2018 official Reverb-shop sale. The front panel lets the rare box speak for itself: its own lettering says “Rhythm Maker 12,” even as the listing used “Rhythm Master 12.”
2018 Moby drum-machine sale; listing accessed 28 September 2026
The Official Moby Reverb Shop / Reverb · Source & credit ↗
Kay · Artist / studio photograph
Moby’s Kay R-8 Rhythmer, photographed for his 2018 official Reverb-shop sale. The front panel preserves the full eight-preset layout; it is a Moby collection story, set beside Nick Rhodes’ separate memory of taking a Kay R-8 onstage at Duran Duran’s first art-college show.
2018 Moby drum-machine sale; listing accessed 28 September 2026
The Official Moby Reverb Shop / Reverb · Source & credit ↗
Kay · Artist / studio photograph
The rear of Moby’s Kay R-8 Rhythmer, photographed for the same sale. The original model plate and lone output make the little wood-cased rhythm box feel like a real instrument rather than an equipment-list footnote.
2018 Moby drum-machine sale; listing accessed 28 September 2026
The Official Moby Reverb Shop / Reverb · Source & credit ↗
MPC Electronics · Maker / workshop photograph
MPC Electronics founders Mike Coxhead and Clive Button with their machine. It is maker and development context for the MPC story, not an assertion about a specific finished record.
December 1983
Electronics & Music Maker, pp.62–63 · Source & credit ↗
Yamaha · Instrument photograph
A Yamaha MR10 illustration from a period Music Maker feature. Robin Johnson recalls the machine in an early cassette-recording rig; the image supplies the object beside that first-person studio memory.
March 1983
Electronics & Music Maker · Source & credit ↗
Yamaha · Instrument photograph
Yamaha’s MR10 in a period Music Maker scene. Robin Johnson’s early-cassette story gives the box its human connection; the image records the machine’s original era.
Mar 1983
Electronics & Music Maker · Source & credit ↗
Roland · Instrument photograph
The Roland PB-300 in a period Music Maker feature. This is a product record placed beside the dossier’s sourced musician stories.
Nov 1983
Electronics & Music Maker · Source & credit ↗
Akai · Instrument photograph
Akai’s XE8 in a 1988 Music Technology review. AtomicBeats later sampled the unit for a producer library; the magazine image keeps that later afterlife beside the original drum box.
1988
Music Technology · Source & credit ↗
BOSS · Instrument photograph
The BOSS DR-660 in a contemporary comparative review. Benn Jordan recalls building early tape recordings around the machine; this is the retail-era instrument, not a photograph from those sessions.
October 1992
Simon Trask / Music Technology · Source & credit ↗
Sequential · Instrument photograph
Sequential’s Studio 440 in Music Technology. Kurtis Mantronik says he made “King Of The Beats” on one; the review captures the formidable sampler at the moment it entered the studio market.
February 1987
Paul Wiffen / Music Technology · Source & credit ↗
MXR · Instrument photograph
The rear of the MXR 185 Drum Computer in period press. Richard H. Kirk called the machine central to Cabaret Voltaire’s 1984 writing room; the image documents the hardware, not that studio.
Oct 1983
Electronics & Music Maker · Source & credit ↗
Elka · Artist / studio photograph
Colleen’s own studio view of an opened Elka Drummer One. The image and her account of “Gazing at Taurus – Santa Eulalia” bring machine and recording practice together without overstating track allocation.
Published 2020-06-28; capture date not independently established
Published by Colleen · Source & credit ↗
Oberheim · Instrument photograph
Oberheim designer Marcus Ryle with the new DX at the 1983 NAMM show. The photograph shows the machine and its maker together.
Aug 1983
Electronics & Music Maker · Source & credit ↗
Roland · Instrument photograph
Roland’s PB-300 Rhythm Plus at NAMM. The linked dossier keeps its artist and home-recording associations separate from this trade-show image.
Aug 1983
Electronics & Music Maker · Source & credit ↗
Korg / Keio · Instrument photograph
Korg’s PSS50 in period new-product coverage. The image records the machine; its associated use history belongs in the dossier.
Apr 1984
Electronics & Music Maker · Source & credit ↗
Oberheim · Instrument photograph
The A-side label of No Sell Out. The linked DMX dossier keeps the record’s machine association in its sourced story; this is the surviving record label, not evidence of an Oberheim unit in the studio.
1983 printed notices; photograph date unknown
Tommy Boy label · Source & credit ↗
Oberheim · Instrument photograph
The B-side label of No Sell Out. The linked Oberheim DMX dossier carries the record’s sourced machine context; this is the surviving disc, not studio evidence.
1983 printed notices; photograph date unknown
Tommy Boy label · Source & credit ↗
Simmons · Instrument photograph
The Simmons SDS1000 in a retained magazine image. The reported Jimmy Edgar lead remains properly scoped in the dossier, while the scan documents the product.
July 1986
International Musician & Recording World · Source & credit ↗
Roland · Artist / studio photograph
Phil Collins and Leland Sklar in a 1985 studio photograph. The foreground machine is a TR-808; the CR-78 story for “In the Air Tonight” is documented separately.
1985-02-21
John Stoddart / Popperfoto via Getty Images · Source & credit ↗
Chamberlin · Artist / studio photograph
Phil Elverum’s Chamberlin Rhythmate Model 40, photographed for his 2018 Reverb feature. Elverum says it played on Microphones records including The Glow Pt. 2; it is a later Rhythmate, shown here as family context for the earlier Model 100.
13 May 2018
Phil Elverum / Reverb · Source & credit ↗
Sequential · Instrument photograph
Thompson Twins in Sequential’s 1984 Prophecies spread. This is a period stage photograph, not a Drumtraks advertisement or product view; the cleared full-page Drumtraks advertisement remains the separate lead document.
1984-03
Sequential Circuits · Source & credit ↗
Q Electronics · Artist / studio photograph
Quintron at his bench, paired with the profile’s Drum Buddy account. The device in frame is not identified as a Drum Buddy.
2015-05-14
Laurie Lambrecht / The Guardian · Source & credit ↗
Simmons · Artist / studio photograph
Rare DM, photographed for her 2022 Chaos Control interview. Erin Hoagg describes using a BeatStep Pro to trigger the SDS-9 for sequenced drum sounds, part of a tactile rig built for jamming alone. This is an artist portrait; the SDS-9 is not in the frame.
5 July 2022
Chaos Control / Bob Gourley · Source & credit ↗
Roland · Instrument photograph
Roland’s CR-8000 rhythm unit in period press. Chris Barbosa names it in the bedroom system behind the Fire and Ice demo; the photograph shows the preset machine in its original market setting.
Dec 1981
Electronics & Music Maker · Source & credit ↗
Roland · Instrument photograph
An internal view of Roland’s CR-8000. Chris Barbosa’s Fire and Ice account is a separate studio story; this scan is a technical view of the machine rather than a session photograph.
Dec 1981
Electronics & Music Maker · Source & credit ↗
Roland · Instrument photograph
Roland’s CR-78 in a drum-machine history image. The linked dossier carries its record and artist associations.
MusicRadar history feature, accessed 26 September 2026
MusicRadar · Source & credit ↗
Roland · Instrument photograph
Roland’s CR-80 Human Rhythm Player in a current product photograph, retained beside the dossier’s source-led use history.
SUBTOKYOSHOP product page, accessed 27 September 2026
SUBTOKYOSHOP · Source & credit ↗
BOSS / Sound-bank records · Instrument photograph
BOSS DR-220 machines in period press. The gallery preserves the family context while each dossier carries its own artist evidence.
Nov 1986
Making Music · Source & credit ↗
Roland · Instrument photograph
Roland’s MC-505 in a Sound On Sound review. The linked dossier supplies its musician and record associations; this is period product context.
April 1998
Sound On Sound · Source & credit ↗
Roland · Instrument photograph
The Roland R-8 MKII in a retained period photograph. Eris Drew names it as a go-to machine on Quivering in Time; the scan is original product context, not her studio.
Jul 1993
Music Technology · Source & credit ↗
Roland · Instrument photograph
Roland’s R-8M in a contemporary review. Romain FX names the rack machine as a source of heavy, classic drum sounds in his working room; the photograph is period product context, rather than his own studio.
April 1990
Sound On Sound · Source & credit ↗
Roland · Instrument photograph
Roland’s R-5 in period press. Daru Jones remembers learning New Jack Swing programming on one; this image records the machine that became part of that education.
Jul 1989
Music Technology · Source & credit ↗
Roland · Instrument photograph
Roland’s R70 in period product imagery. RP Boo’s “Under’D-Stat” association puts the machine in Chicago footwork history; the image is an instrument view, not a claim about the track’s session.
June 1992
Ian Steele / Sound On Sound, pp.14–18 · Source & credit ↗
Roland · Instrument photograph
The Roland R-8 MKII in period press. Eris Drew’s Quivering in Time account belongs in the dossier; this scan shows the later revision itself.
Feb 1989; Jul 1993; Mar 1989
Sound On Sound · Source & credit ↗
Roland · Instrument photograph
Roland’s R-8 in period photography. The linked dossier preserves its artist-use evidence; this is an instrument view, not a studio claim.
Apr 1990; Feb 1989; Mar 1989
Sound On Sound · Source & credit ↗
Roland · Instrument photograph
Roland’s R-8 in a retained magazine image. The photograph gives the programmable machine a physical presence beside its later use stories.
Apr 1990; Feb 1989; Mar 1989
Sound On Sound · Source & credit ↗
Roland · Instrument photograph
The Roland R-8M rack unit in period coverage. The linked dossier carries Romain FX’s working-machine account; the photograph is product context.
Apr 1990; Feb 1989; Mar 1989
Sound On Sound · Source & credit ↗
Roland · Instrument photograph
A modern product photograph of Roland’s TR-626. The machine’s artist history is separately sourced in the dossier.
MusicTech product page, accessed 26 September 2026
MusicTech · Source & credit ↗
Roland · Instrument photograph
Texas Radio’s own Roland TR-66, photographed from the front. Will Sergeant recalls experimenting with two TR-66 machines around Echo & the Bunnymen; this image preserves a surviving example, not the band’s unit.
Collection photograph, September 2026
Big Beat Collection photography · Source & credit ↗
Roland · Instrument photograph
Texas Radio’s own Roland TR-808, photographed from the front. The Planet Rock account belongs to Arthur Baker’s record-making history; this is a collection photograph of a surviving machine.
Collection photograph, September 2026
Big Beat Collection photography · Source & credit ↗
Roland · Instrument photograph
Texas Radio’s own Roland TR-909, photographed from the front. Juan Atkins names the 909 with Drumtraks on Model 500’s “No UFOs”; this is a collection photograph, not the original studio unit.
Collection photograph, September 2026
Big Beat Collection photography · Source & credit ↗
Roland · Instrument photograph
Roland’s TR-505 in a retained period image. The photograph shows the modest programmable machine in its original period context.
May 1986
One Two Testing · Source & credit ↗
Yamaha · Instrument photograph
Yamaha’s portable RY10 in review photography. Cat Inside names the machine on “Whispering (Rewind)”; the photograph is period product context rather than a session image.
August 1992
James Cumpsty, credited by Music Technology · Source & credit ↗
Sequential · Instrument photograph
Sequential’s Tom drum machine in period press. The gallery preserves the hardware beside its linked artist story.
Jul 1985
Electronics & Music Maker · Source & credit ↗
Simmons · Instrument photograph
A Simmons electronic kit in SDS7 review context. Neil Peart’s Power Windows account gives the programmable system its recording story; this period image shows the kit in the public eye.
April 1984
One Two Testing · Source & credit ↗
Simmons · Instrument photograph
The Simmons SDS1000 in period photography. A Jimmy Edgar EP connection is recorded as a reported association in the dossier; the scan preserves the hardware without inventing a session.
Jul 1986
International Musician & Recording World · Source & credit ↗
Simmons · Instrument photograph
A Simmons SDS7 control unit in a retained period image, placed beside the dossier’s sourced artist and recording histories.
Apr 1984
One Two Testing · Source & credit ↗
Simmons · Instrument photograph
A Simmons SDS7 system in period press. The linked artist histories belong to musicians and recordings; this image documents the rack-and-pad instrument itself.
Apr 1984; Jun 1984
One Two Testing · Source & credit ↗
Simmons · Instrument photograph
A second retained period view of the Simmons SDS7 system. It keeps the hardware in view beside the dossier’s record and performance histories.
Apr 1984; Jun 1984
One Two Testing · Source & credit ↗
Simmons · Instrument photograph
The Simmons SDS800 series in period coverage. Mathew Jonson names an SDS800 among the electronic drums on Her Blurry Pictures; the image documents the earlier hardware range.
Sep 1985
Electronic Soundmaker & Computer Music · Source & credit ↗
Simmons · Instrument photograph
A Simmons SDS800 kit in a retained period image. Mathew Jonson’s album account belongs to the dossier; the photograph gives the modular electronic drums their public visual context.
Sep 1985
Electronic Soundmaker & Computer Music · Source & credit ↗
Simmons · Instrument photograph
The Simmons SDS9 in period press. Rare DM’s current workflow sits in the linked dossier; the scan shows the original system.
July 1985
International Musician & Recording World · Source & credit ↗
Simmons · Instrument photograph
A Simmons SDS9 snare-rim detail in period press. Rare DM’s later sequenced set-up shows the module’s afterlife; this image records the machine’s own design.
Jul 1985
International Musician & Recording World · Source & credit ↗
Simmons · Instrument photograph
The Simmons SDS9 control unit and kit in a period review. Rare DM’s sequenced SDS-9 practice is a later artist account; the photograph is launch-era product context.
September 1985
Home & Studio Recording · Source & credit ↗
Simmons · Instrument photograph
The Simmons SDS8 in a period photograph. Its dossier supplies the source-led music history; this is instrument context.
Jun 1984
Electronic Soundmaker & Computer Music · Source & credit ↗
Roland · Artist / studio photograph
Skinny Puppy in Reverb’s 2017 cEvin Key feature. The accompanying account places the TR-808 and TR-909 among the group’s early machines and describes the TR-808 triggering role; neither machine appears in this portrait.
24 April 2017
Reverb · Source & credit ↗
Electro-Harmonix · Instrument photograph
The rear panel of an Electro-Harmonix DRM32 in a retained object photograph. Sam Gendel built DRM around the machine; this view shows the instrument’s connections rather than the artist’s recording room.
SMEM collection record
SMEM · Source & credit ↗
Electro-Harmonix · Instrument photograph
The Electro-Harmonix DRM32 front panel in a retained SMEM photograph. Sam Gendel’s “DRM” association offers the musical lead; this image shows the distinct instrument itself.
SMEM collection record
SMEM · Source & credit ↗
Pollard · Instrument photograph
Pollard Syndrums in Sound International. Yukihiro Takahashi’s touring-kit association gives the 477 a Yellow Magic Orchestra connection; the period review shows the electronic percussion system itself.
July 1978
Peter Randall / Sound International · Source & credit ↗
Kawai · Instrument photograph
Kawai’s R-50 in period review photography. Roman Flügel remembers the machine in his first electronic set-up around 1987; the image gives that early studio memory a physical shape.
September 1987
Ian Gilby / Sound On Sound · Source & credit ↗
Oberheim · Artist / studio photograph
Stewart Copeland’s own Oberheim DMX, photographed for Reverb in 2023. The machine’s later sale history reaches back to Copeland’s solo work, including Rumble Fish and The Rhythmatist; the page carefully stops short of calling it the actual unit heard on “Every Breath You Take”.
26 May 2023
Reverb · Source & credit ↗
Suzuki · Instrument photograph
A Suzuki RPM-40 product view retained from a source listing. Moby’s collection history is a separate provenance story; this image records the machine itself.
Current Audiofanzine image record; accessed 24 September 2026
Audiofanzine contributor · Source & credit ↗
MFB · Instrument photograph
The rear of MFB’s 512 drum machine in period coverage. The linked dossier keeps its artist evidence separate from this object view.
May 1984
One Two Testing · Source & credit ↗
Simmons · Instrument photograph
Howard Jones beside a clearly marked Simmons SDS7 brain in a 1985 studio photograph. The card records the visual connection without assigning a specific recording to the unit.
Mar 1985
One Two Testing · Source & credit ↗
BOSS · Instrument photograph
The BOSS DR-770’s rear panel in a contemporary review. Caro C names the machine in the hardware arrangement for “V To The Dub”; the photograph is product documentation, not a session image.
July 1999 article; photograph date unestablished
Sound On Sound · Source & credit ↗
Movement · Instrument photograph
The rear of the Movement MCS Percussion Computer. Dave Stewart’s Sweet Dreams account gives the hybrid British machine its record history; the photograph is an object document.
Jan 1982
Electronics & Music Maker · Source & credit ↗
Movement · Instrument photograph
The Movement MCS controls in a retained period image. The linked Sweet Dreams story comes from Dave Stewart; the detail view stays with what the instrument itself visibly offers.
Jan 1982
Electronics & Music Maker · Source & credit ↗
Simmons · Instrument photograph
A Simmons SDS7 kit in a period feature. The linked dossier contains the human and recording context.
Apr 1984
Electronics & Music Maker · Source & credit ↗
Yamaha · Instrument photograph
A second retained RX5 image. It shows Yamaha’s machine, not the Meat Beat Manifesto studio discussed in the linked dossier.
Mar 1987
Sound On Sound · Source & credit ↗
Kawai · Instrument photograph
The Kawai R-50e in a retained magazine image. Its linked dossier carries the artist association, while the scan shows the product.
Sep 1988
Sound On Sound · Source & credit ↗
Star Instruments · Instrument photograph
Warren Cann at his Ultravox set-up, with a legible Synare 3 shell at right. It joins his period profile with the Synare’s later documented Joy Division and Touch Sensitive stories.
Apr 1981
Electronics & Music Maker · Source & credit ↗
Akai · Artist / studio photograph
Karl Hyde in Underworld’s live working environment. The linked dossier carries the MPC2000 account around Everything, Everything; the image is a performance-context photograph.
2000-12
Sound On Sound · Source & credit ↗
E-mu · Instrument photograph
E-mu’s SP-12 in period press. Prince Paul distinguishes it from the later SP-1200 in the De La Soul Is Dead equipment story; the scan makes the earlier sampler visible on its own terms.
Aug 1985
Electronics & Music Maker · Source & credit ↗
Yamaha · Instrument photograph
Yamaha’s RX5 in period press. Jack Dangers’ Storm the Studio account gives the machine its musical context; this image is launch-era documentation.
Mar 1987
Music Technology · Source & credit ↗
JoMoX · Instrument photograph
The Jomox XBase09 as an archive product image. Andreas Henneberg’s “All Right Now” account gives the box its record-making context; the photograph is a product view.
Archive image labelled 1996
JoMoX · Source & credit ↗
Yamaha · Instrument photograph
The Yamaha RX21L in another period image, retained as machine context for the family’s artist stories.
Nov 1985
International Musician & Recording World · Source & credit ↗
Yamaha · Instrument photograph
Yamaha’s RX21L in a contemporary feature. The visual is product context for the machine family’s documented use stories.
Jun 1986
Electronics & Music Maker · Source & credit ↗
Yamaha · Instrument photograph
The Yamaha RX21 in period coverage. Its artist history is held in the dossier; the page shows the small digital rhythm machine in its original public setting.
Jun 1986; Nov 1985; Oct 1985
Electronics & Music Maker · Source & credit ↗
Yamaha · Instrument photograph
Yamaha’s RX7 in a period photograph. Ian Pooley calls it his first drum machine and says he still uses it; this is the object at the beginning of that long working relationship.
Feb 1988
Music Technology · Source & credit ↗
Yamaha · Instrument photograph
The Yamaha RY10 in period review context. Cat Inside’s “Whispering (Rewind)” makes the small programmer part of a named record story; the photograph shows the machine itself.
Aug 1992
Music Technology · Source & credit ↗
Yamaha · Instrument photograph
Yamaha’s RY30 in a retained period image. Mark Gamble remembers shaping its sounds from the wheel and panel for Rhythmatic; the scan captures the programmable instrument he describes.
Jul 1991
Music Technology · Source & credit ↗
Zoom · Instrument photograph
Zoom’s official MRT-3 product photograph. Ian Evans lists the compact RhythmTrak on the self-documented Reader’s Voice EP; the image shows the all-in-one machine rather than the recording set-up.
Current Zoom product record; accessed 24 September 2026
Zoom Corporation · Source & credit ↗
A growing collection of archival images. Document dates and source credits accompany each image.
Back to all machines →
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