Behringer is on a hot streak at the moment: following the release of a raft of new products in December - including long-awaited recreations of the classic PPG Wave synth and LinnDrum drum machine - the German manufacturer returned to NAMM after a decade away with a show-stealing clone of the Yamaha DX1.
You'd think the company might take a little downtime after such a barrage of headline-grabbing new releases, but it seems that Behringer is only just getting started. Today, it's announced that the RD-78, a remake of the historic Roland CR-78 drum machine first teased in 2020, is now available to order.
Released in 1978, Roland's CR-78 was a landmark instrument in the history of music technology, being the first drum machine that allowed users to program and recall their own custom patterns. Though designed as an accompaniment for organ players, the CR-78 found favour with scores of influential musicians throughout the '70s and '80s, including Tears for Fears, Blondie and Phil Collins.
Behringer says the RD-78 authentically captures the classic tones of the CR-78 thanks to detailed recreations of the original drum machine's analogue circuitry. A new 909-esque clap joins the CR-78's selection of 14 drum sounds, a list that includes guiro, bongos and cowbell alongside the usual suspects, and you'll find all of the CR-78's beloved preset rhythms onboard.
RD-78 also recreates of some of the CR-78's more distinctive features, letting you drop in drum fills and breaks between patterns, fade patterns in and out when triggered, and adjust the tonal balance between bass and treble via the Balance dial. While the CR-78 required the use of an additional device - the WS-1 - to dial in your own patterns, RD-78 is equipped with a far more intuitive 16-step sequencer that can store up to 32 patterns.
RD-78 augments its vintage forebear with a number of modern features that, though they now seem par for the course, were a little way off back in 1978: you've got individual volume and mute controls over each voice, along with enhanced connectivity options that include MIDI in/out/thru over DIN and USB, sync in/out, and individual 3.5mm outputs for each voice alongside a dedicated headphone out and main output. You've also got also ports for hooking up footswitches to control transport and trigger fills, should you so wish.
Behringer's RD-78 is priced at $199. Find out more on the company's website.
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