The Arturia DrumBrute Impact is a powerful analogue drum machine with a huge amount of output and modern features. The DrumBrute Impact contains 10x analogue-based sounds which can be individually manipulated by the “Color” sound-shapers and then automated into a sequence. The integrated distortion can then be employed to add some weight or punch to your patch. Sequencing with the DrumBrute Impact is simple, using the same architecture as the original DrumBrute, and can conceivably perform in any capacity that traditional drum machines/sequencers have done.
The hands on nature of the DrumBrute will be refreshing to musicians who have only composed beats and breaks within a digital domain. Dedicated controls mean that, with some practice, you will soon be playing the DrumBrute Impact like any other instrument or creative surface, and therefore be able to focus on sound production. The 8x touch-responsive finger-drumming pads are the perfect illustration of this, able to trigger drum sounds or input sequences, among other functions.
The sequencer adopted from the Arturia Drumbrute has a number of interesting sequencing options that can be used individually for each instrument. Swing can be applied to the selected instrument or all sounds. Randomness adds random hits to the drum track, Step Repeat and Roller allow you to subdivide the steps into smaller steps and repeat sounds at preset intervals for drum rolls and fills. The Sequencer also makes it easy to create polyrhythms for more complex patterns and set accents that emphasize certain steps and thus contribute to greater dynamics.
Due to the many connection options, the Arturia Drumbrute Impact can be easily connected to other synthesizers, drum computers, effects or DAWs. It has a 3.5mm headphone output, individual instrument group outputs, clock in and out for synchronization via CV and MIDI in and out. Using the USB port the Drumbrute can be synchronized with a DAW via MIDI whilst changes can be made to the settings via the MIDI Control Center.
With the free MIDI Control Center, available for MAC and PC, you can change a number of the settings of the Drumbrute Impact. Patterns can be saved and loaded and the behaviour of the metronome and the sequencer can be adapted to individual needs.
The UK VERSION comes with a mains adapter or power cable for the UK power connection, otherwise everything is identical to the non-UK version. The instrument can also be used outside of the UK with the UK power supply or UK power cable using UK ADAPTER.
So far this is a feature rich drum machine that offers a lot of different sounds and tweakability. I was torn between this is the behringer 808 clone (roughly same price). To me, this offered more functionality and sounds impressive.