Quasimidi Rave-O-Lution 309

A dance machine built for hands

Quasimidi made the 309 for the moment when a tabletop groovebox could be a drum machine, a pattern sequencer and a bass-and-lead instrument at once. Its crowded front panel placed sound changes where a player could reach them, making performance part of the machine’s central idea.

Five parts of one restless machine

The 309 divides its work between kick, snare, hi-hat, percussion and bass/lead sections. Four percussion sections begin with recorded material; the bass/lead section uses analogue-emulation synthesis. Three effects processors, sixteen song memories and MIDI control recording give the box the feel of a compact electronic ensemble rather than a fixed drum source.

An expandable proposition

Its optional I/O module added two outputs and two inputs for external processing, while expansion slots accepted further sound and operating-system resources. EQ’s March 1998 price box listed the 309 at $1,295, with Audio Expansion at $349.95, Synth and Drum Expansion at $299 each, and rack ears at $30: a clear picture of the modular system Quasimidi was offering at the time.

The appeal and the friction

Sound On Sound liked the 309’s raw character, accessible control layout and filter sound, while wishing factory patterns could be overwritten. EQ welcomed its sounds and real-time sequencing but found a practical surprise: changing pattern banks returned tempo to 140 BPM. Together the reviews catch a machine with a strong live instinct and a few habits that a performer had to learn.

A live-minded groovebox

Akusmatik later placed the 309 among machine-oriented performance tools, valuing its immediate sound manipulation for electronic and industrial work. That reputation follows naturally from the panel: the machine invites a player to grab a sound, recast it and keep the rhythm moving.

The 309 in its own words

The surviving German manual preserves the 309’s operating language: sound sections, effects, song memory, external MIDI control and expansion all presented as parts of one performance instrument. It gives this page a direct route into the way Quasimidi expected the machine to be used.

Charlie Clouser’s “Starfuckers, Inc.” rhythm

Charlie Clouser has recalled going wild with a Rave-O-Lution 309 and DOD pedals, then cutting the result into the rhythm track of Nine Inch Nails’ “Starfuckers, Inc.” The story has the right amount of mess in it: an improvised pass turned into the frame around which Trent Reznor could write.

In the market

• 1998-03: USD 1295 — US review price. Base unit Source ↗
• 1998-03: USD 349.95 — US review price. Audio Expansion only Source ↗
• 1998-03: USD 299 — US review price. Synth Expansion only Source ↗
• 1998-03: USD 299 — US review price. Drum Expansion only Source ↗
• 1998-03: USD 30 — US review price. Rack ears only Source ↗

On record

• Charlie Clouser / Nine Inch Nails — Starfuckers, Inc.. Clouser says an improvised pass on the Quasimidi Rave-O-Lution drum machine and DOD pedals was edited into the rhythm track around which Trent Reznor wrote the rest of Starfuckers, Inc. Source ↗
• 808 State — State to State 3. State to State 3 credits Quasimidi 309 drums on named 1997 and 2001 recordings. Source ↗

In the studio and on stage

• Maison Blanche — Food for Soul studio work. MusicTech reports Maison Blanche layering drums with his Quasimidi Rave-O-Lution 309. Source ↗