The Roland TR-707 Rhythm Composer, introduced in 1985, represented a major shift in drum machine design, moving from analogue circuitry to digital PCM sound samples. It delivered fifteen digitally recorded drum and percussion sounds, including bass drums, snares, toms, hi-hats, cymbals, cowbell, handclap and tambourine.
Unlike the more synthetic-sounding Roland TR-808 and Roland TR-909, the Roland TR-707 was intended to provide cleaner, more realistic timbres. Each instrument had its own level slider, making it easy to balance parts on the fly, while its large backlit LCD displayed tempo, pattern, bar and step information clearly, streamlining programming for both stage and studio use.
The Roland TR-707 could store up to 64 user patterns (16 patterns in four groups), chainable into 999 measures of rhythm, with an optional M-64C memory cartridge expanding total storage to 192 patterns. Programming modes included step-time and real-time, with extras like shuffle, flam and accent bringing nuance to rigid patterns. Connectivity was extensive: stereo and individual outputs, DIN Sync, trigger outs, footswitch control and full MIDI implementation, making the Roland TR-707 a highly adaptable piece of mid-1980s production gear.
The impact of the Roland TR-707 on music was immediate and enduring. Its crisp, punchy samples defined much of mid-1980s pop and new wave, heard in hits by artists such as Howard Jones, The Cure and Talking Heads. Crucially, its affordability and ease of use made it popular with house and techno producers in Chicago and Detroit, where it was used by innovators like Marshall Jefferson, Juan Atkins and Derrick May.
The Roland TR-707’s MIDI compatibility also meant it integrated seamlessly with synthesizers and sequencers, becoming a reliable studio workhorse. In later years, its distinctively lo-fi PCM sound, less polished than later digital machines, became a characterful feature rather than a limitation. It was heavily used in acid house, early industrial, and by bands like Aphex Twin and Daft Punk, who sought out its gritty, era-defining tone.
While overshadowed in fame by the Roland TR-808 and Roland TR-909, the Roland TR-707 remains an essential part of Roland’s drum machine legacy, celebrated for bridging the gap between analogue rhythm composers and modern digital workstations.
Features
- 15 digitally sampled PCM drum and percussion sounds, including bass drums, snares, toms, hi-hats, cymbals, handclap, cowbell and tambourine
- Step-time and real-time programming modes for flexible rhythm creation
- Shuffle, flam and accent functions for groove variation
- Storage for up to 64 user patterns, expandable to 192 with M-64C memory cartridge
- Ability to chain patterns into songs of up to 999 measures
- Large backlit LCD for tempo, pattern and step display
- Individual level sliders for each instrument plus master volume
- Separate stereo outputs and 10 individual voice outputs for mixing flexibility
- Full MIDI implementation for integration with sequencers and external keyboards
- DIN Sync 24 compatibility with older Roland gear
- Trigger output for rimshot
- Footswitch input for start/stop control
- Portable, lightweight design with intuitive front-panel layout
