Boss DR770 Drum Machine

Feature:
Just about everything you could wish for in terms of options and sounds but for one annoying "feature" - read on...

Quality:
Good sturdy quality build with non-vol memory (beter than the 6xAA memory batteries needed with the D%-55- which used to let you down and loose memory just before you started performing.

Value:
Pretty naff in the UK but as I bought mine in the USA 9less than half price), good value for me

Desirability:
Great - apart from that incredibly stupid "feature" of starting the drum pattern in the middle when you re-start it.

Sound:
Pretty good sound - just like the DR-550 which I also own(2 of them in fact!) and have I used both models for over 10 years now for live gigs. The sound is good but there is one annoying "feature" that both machines have.

Ease of Use:
HERE is the annoying bit. Pity the designers of this family have never played with it live and used the drum machine for themselves in the real world of live music. When you hit the stop footswitch the sound stops when release of the switch (might sound daft but actually a it's a very good feature as it's easier to be more accurate when you release than when you step on to a footswith especially if you're singing and playing at the same time. BUT WHEN YOU HIT THE FOOTWITCH AGAIN TO RE-START, THE SILLY MACHINE STARTS AT THE POINT IN THD DRUM PATTERN WHERE YOU FINISHED!!! Why on earth doesn't it go back to the beginning of the patter to restart like real professional drum machines? Simple. It's 'coz the idiots who designed it never thought of it because they've never use it live themselves - otherwise this stupid annoying "feature" would never have hit the streets. They did it with the DR-550 and now with the DR-770. OH DO GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER YOU IDIOTS AT BOSS/ROLAND!!! More than happy to give you a spec that would be so easy to implement - if only you'd listen to a real musician who uses it in the real music world, not a lab.

Support:
Never had to use it for this machine but most unhelpful and very "jobsworth" orientated when I had a problem with a guitar synth pickup!

Overall:
I've used it for some time now and am not looking around for another. If I was, I'd probably avoid BOSS purely because of the stupid issue over starting the pattern in the middle. It really is annoying in a live environment and no other drum nachines I know of do this - they all do the sensible thing and restart at the beginning of the pattern. I know of many users of drum machines who hav avoided BOSS just because of this point.

Feature:
I see many complaints about the LCD. It doesn't bother me, but it is strange that they wouldn't throw that in. The programming is easy. The step recording of songs is very convenient.

Quality:
Well, I recently bought it and all I can do is keep my fingers crossed because it's not exactly a strong piece of equipment.

Value:
I found this to be money well spent. I expected less for $350 and got so much.

Desirability:
Great little box. Technically, it is really loaded. The little cheap box makes it a wolf in sheeps clothing. But it looks nice in my studio set up if that is an issue (?).

Sound:
Before using this little machine I was quite skeptical about the quality of sound reproduction of drum machines in general, but the DR 770 has changed my mind. With the exception of weak crash cymbal sounds, the drums are quite realistic. With a little tweaking of ambience and various sound parameters, it's like having a live drummer in the studio. The touch sensitive pads are not as dynamic in range as they could be, but they still make for excellent nuance. The sound is a lot better than I expected

Support:
Dunno.

Overall:
I am really happy with this. I'll be over it when I hire a full-time live in drummer, or win the lottery. Inthe mean-time, this has proved to be the missing link in my total music making capabilities.