"Making electronic music technology more accessible": Erica Synths and Richie Hawtin's Bullfrog Drums is an educational drum machine inspired by the Roland TR-909

bullfrog drums
(Image credit: Erica Synths)

Erica Synths has teamed up with producer and DJ Richie Hawtin for another product in its Bullfrog line of educational electronic instruments. 

Bullfrog Drums is a sample-based drum machine with an easy-to-use, 909-style interface, aimed at helping children and adults learn the basics of drum programming and sampling.

Equipped with seven drum voices, Bullfrog Drums offers controls for hands-on sample manipulation, including tuning, start point, sample length, attack, decay, stereo panning and overdrive. The drum machine also features a CV/Gate sequencer that can be used to control the Bullfrog and Bullfrog XL synthesizers. 

With the Bullfrog range, Erica Synths and techno legend Richie Hawtin are hoping to provide educational tools that encourage people of all ages to explore and understand music technology, guiding users through the principles behind synthesis and sound physics.

''As a producer who’s created many percussion-only tracks under my Plastikman moniker, it only makes sense to add a drum machine to our developing Bullfrog ecosystem," said Hawtin of the collaboration. 

"This exciting development will allow both novices and pro’s a new way to learn drum programming and enjoy some fun new capabilities that we plan to feature on our new machine!''

Bullfrog Drums will be available by the end of the year; we've no word yet on pricing.

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Matt Mullen
Tech Editor

I'm MusicRadar's Tech Editor, working across everything from product news and gear-focused features to artist interviews and tech tutorials. I love electronic music and I'm perpetually fascinated by the tools we use to make it. When I'm not behind my laptop keyboard, you'll probably find me behind a MIDI keyboard, carefully crafting the beginnings of another project that I'll ultimately abandon to the creative graveyard that is my overstuffed hard drive.