MIDI Drum Machine (2000)

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The TR-6006 is a simple pattern-based MIDI drum sequencer, similar to classic 1980s drum machines.  It is one of the projects that I prototyped  using my MIDIBrick platform, by hand-wiring some buttons, LEDs, knobs and a display to a MIDIBrick board.

The 40×2 alphanumeric LCD displays user-configurable instrument names, current pattern with accent levels, instrument volume, instrument MIDI channel, instrument MIDI note, track shuffle value, global MIDI playing/stopped/continue state.

Sixteen tactile buttons with LEDs above allow real-time editing of patterns in a familiar way, while the LEDs chase left-to-right as the pattern plays to show the current step. A red-green bi-color PWM-driven tempo LED indicates tempo and beat one of the pattern in a mesmerizing way. MIDI in, out and thru jacks allow connection to a variety of samplers, sound modules, etc.  An RS-232 port allows firmware updates as well as connection to touch tablets and other devices for controller input.