2.1.3 Drum Kits and Sounds

DrumX is built on a meticulous emulation of 10 classic hardware drum machines. Each machine was sampled through multiple signal paths and mapped across a 16-pad grid, with machine-specific parameters that mirror the original hardware’s controls. Alongside the core library sits a collection of Jimmy Jam custom drum sounds — Jimmy Jam’s own creations, sampled and processed through the same DI, Push 1-4, and J37 signal chain as the drum machines. The custom sounds appear in roughly half of the Jimmy Jam Kits instruments, in the composite All Kits_Custom instrument, and as DX Layers for layering over an existing drum kit. Their pad layout is similar to the default machine layout but differs in a few positions.

A Pad Layout

All single-machine drum kits share a common default pad layout. Jimmy Jam custom-drum kits use a slightly different layout, primarily at pads 7-8 (toms/snap) and pads 15-16 (percussion/FX). Both layouts are MIDI-addressable via the Chromatic or GM Drum map selected in section 2.2.2 PADS, starting with Kick on C1 (MIDI note 36).

PLEASE NOTE: Not all machines have sounds for every pad position. When a machine has fewer than 16 sounds, unused pads are left empty.

B Tape Saturation Options

Each drum sound was captured through multiple tape saturation processing paths. The available options are largely consistent across drum machines, with a few exceptions noted in the per-machine sections below.

• DI (Direct Input) — A clean signal with the natural character of the original units.
• Push 1-4 — Pushed through an analog tape machine with increasing levels of saturation, from a touch of warmth (1) to pushed over the edge (4).
• J37 — A separate tube tape stage that adds presence and warmth; when pushed hard produces extreme levels of harmonic saturation.
• Dist (Distressor) — In place of J37, the LinnDrum kit runs through a Distressor — an analog compressor/limiter that adds dynamics and aggressive punch.

All sounds also include a Room ambience layer — a blend of close and far room microphones capturing each drum reamped in a world-class recording studio — controlled by the Room knob in the Pad Inspector (see SECTION 2.2.3 PAD INSPECTOR §D).

C TR-808

One of the most influential drum machines ever made, the TR-808 was released in 1980 and went on to define the sound of hip hop, electro, R&B, and countless other genres. Its deep, resonant kick drum, snappy snare, and characteristic hi-hats have appeared on hundreds of the biggest records in music history — and continue to dominate today’s productions. DrumX captures all TR-808 sounds with up to 4 round-robin variations and deep parameter control, including Tone and Decay on the kick, Tone and Snap on the snare, and Pitch controls on toms and congas.

PLEASE NOTE: The TR-808 has no Crash cymbal — pad 10 is empty when a TR-808 kit is loaded.

D TR-909

Released in 1983, the TR-909 is the cornerstone of house, techno, and electronic dance music. Its punchy kick drum, snappy snare with adjustable pitch and snap, and crisp hi-hats — combined with its step sequencer — made it the machine of choice for the architects of club music. DrumX captures 11 TR-909 sounds with extensive parameter sampling.

E TR-606

Originally designed as a companion to the TB-303 bass synthesizer, the TR-606 delivers punchy, lo-fi drum sounds with a distinctly raw character. Its simplicity is its strength — what it lacks in programmability, it makes up for in attitude. DrumX captures all 7 TR-606 sounds with up to 4 round-robin variations.

F LinnDrum

The LinnDrum defined the sound of 1980s pop and new wave, appearing on iconic records by Prince, Michael Jackson, Peter Gabriel, and hundreds more. As a more affordable sequel to the LM-1, it brought a new level of realism to electronic drum production. DrumX captures 23 LinnDrum sounds including 7 snare variants with adjustable Pitch, plus Decay control on the closed hat.

PLEASE NOTE: The LinnDrum uses Dist (Distressor) instead of J37 for its sixth tape position.

G LM-1

The LM-1, released in 1980, was the first drum machine to use high-quality digital samples of real drums, and it changed music forever. Used by artists like Prince and Gary Numan, the LM-1’s sound was so distinctive it became a genre-defining instrument in its own right. DrumX captures all 11 LM-1 sounds with Pitch parameters across the board, plus Decay control on the closed hat, preserving the machine’s characteristic warmth and snap. If you can find an original LM-1 in good condition, it will cost you approx. $40,000!

PLEASE NOTE: The LM-1 has only 5 tape positions (DI, Push 1-4). It does not include J37 or Dist.

H DR-55

The DR-55 “Doctor Rhythm” was one of the first affordable programmable drum machines, putting rhythm programming within reach of musicians who couldn’t afford larger systems. Its limited but characterful four-sound palette has a gritty, lo-fi quality that remains charming and useful in modern productions. DrumX captures all 4 DR-55 sounds with Tone parameter controls.

I DR-110

The DR-110, successor to the DR-55, expanded the palette with additional sounds including a distinctive electronic clap and accent channel. Popular with new wave and synth-pop producers of the early 1980s, the DR-110 brings a compact, punchy energy to any production. DrumX captures all 7 DR-110 sounds with up to 4 round-robin variations.

J DMX

The DMX was a staple of early hip-hop and electro, heard prominently in records by Run-D.M.C., Afrika Bambaataa, and many others. Its crisp, digital snare and punchy kick gave hip-hop producers a harder-edged alternative to the TR-808’s analog warmth. DrumX captures 16 DMX sounds with Pitch parameters on all sounds and Attack control on the kick and snare.

K DrumTraks

The DrumTraks was one of the first programmable drum machines with individual outputs, giving producers unprecedented control over the mix. Its clean, punchy sounds with real-time Pitch control made it a favorite among studio professionals. DrumX captures all 13 DrumTraks sounds, each with a Pitch parameter featuring 16 discrete sampled steps, and 4 round-robin variations per sound.

L SP-12

The SP-12 was a groundbreaking sampling drum machine that allowed producers to sample their own sounds for the first time, and its factory sounds became staples of hip hop, funk, and electronic music. With the largest sound set of any machine in DrumX — 26 individual sounds including multiple kick and snare variants — the SP-12 offers extraordinary versatility. DrumX captures the full SP-12 library with Pitch parameters across the kicks, snares, toms, and tonal cymbals, and Decay control on the hi-hats and select cymbals, with up to 4 round-robin variations per sound.

M DX Layers, DX Stacks, and DX Pitched

Specialty instrument types that remap the same sound library for different play styles and production scenarios — layering across an existing kit, stacking multiple machine variants into a single hit, or playing drums melodically across the keyboard.

DX Layers collect every variant of a single drum type from all 10 machines onto that drum’s original pad position — all 10 machine versions stacked on one pad, with a menu selector to choose which machine’s version plays. A Kick Layer, for example, sits on pad 1 (the kick slot) and exposes every machine’s kick via the pad’s menu. Use DX Layers to layer a single drum type over an existing kit for added thickness, or to integrate one drum type into a composition with instant machine-to-machine swapping from the menu.

DX Stacks map every variation of a single drum type from all 10 machines across the pads. Trigger them simultaneously to build a massive, hybrid hit combining multiple drum machine variants into one layered sound.

DX Pitched instruments map drum sounds chromatically across the 16 pads, each pad playing the sound at a different pitch. This transforms percussive hits into playable melodic instruments — for example, pitched TR-808 kicks as a bass synth, or pitched toms for melodic patterns.

All three categories include sounds from all 10 machines and support the same tape saturation, room mic, and per-pad controls as the full kits.

N All Kits

The All Kits instrument gathers every sound from all 10 drum machines into a single composite instrument. Use the Drum Selector in the Pad Inspector to pick any drum from any machine for each pad — build a TR-808 kick + TR-909 snare + LinnDrum closed hat + SP-12 crash kit inside one instrument.

The All Kits_Custom variant contains the full set of Jimmy Jam custom drum sounds on top of the machine library, giving you an additional construction kit that adds Jimmy Jam’s exclusive selections to the entire DrumX palette. It uses the custom pad layout (see §A) with Snap and FX slots in place of the high-tom/clave positions.

PLEASE NOTE: “This instrument is a construction kit. It contains ALL drums from all Kits, making it very slow to load. When you are done selecting drums please remember to use the ‘Finalize Kit’ button to remove all unused drums and speed up loading!!” This message appears automatically when an All Kit is loaded. Load times also depend on your system specifications.