BOSS DR55 MODIFIED AND MIDIFIED by DenDer

[DenDer]

So it's time to present my next project, namely modifying and midifying my Boss Dr55. It isn't quite finished yet but i really want to show it As you can see in the pics i managed to get 10 pots on this little drum machine. Which include new modifications that i haven't seen yet on the net.


From left to right:

-Full Accent
-BassDrum Decay
-BassDrum Pitch (new)
-Noise Level
-Rimshot Pitch (new)
-Rimshot Resonance (new)
-SnareDrum Pitch (new)
-HiHat Pitch (new)
-HiHat Level (new)
-HiHat Decay (new)

So that is total control over all the sounds...

On the back side you will find midi in and out and a switch for the direction of the midi (which is still a hole as you can see).....the normal CSQ, footswitch, three trigger inputs for BD, SD and RS and audio out offcourse. I'm also going to make an adaptor connection for it which is quite easy to do....the midi kit is already soldered just needs to be placed in but that ain't the biggest hustle..i'm also going to make individual outs on my Black Beauty
On this site http://www.synthforum.nl/forums/showthread.php?t=104131 you can find two pieces of audio with a total length of 15 minutes...in the second part i'm putting the DR55 through a modified Boss SD-1 with Monte Allums GT-1 mods for that killer 808 bass sound.....
If you want your DR55 modified like mine just PM me or mail me at dender at acidcult dot nl
Time for some more pictures.....

Sitting nicely on top of my JX3P showing the back side....

Great pic of the knobs with Sylvester in da background.

Cats don't care about drummachines...

Damn straight if you ask me.....

[DenDer]

I'm actually pretty proud of this one..

[Gordonjcp]

Looks good.  Haven't listened yet because I've got my mixer and speakers unplugged, but I will do later ;-)

[Circuitbenders]

hmmm, i modded one of these a while back and at the time i remember thinking that most of the possible mods couldn't be made to tweak the parameters widely enough and didn't really make enough difference to be worth the effort of installing them, at least the guy i was modding it for didnt think so and to be honest i'm inclined to agree. 

I think in the end i only added a couple of bass drum mods and some fill generator buttons and left it at that.

I'm liking the recasing and overall look of your machine though   

[sensor]

looks and sounds impressive.

[DenDer]

hmmm, i modded one of these a while back and at the time i remember thinking that most of the possible mods couldn't be made to tweak the parameters widely enough and didn't really make enough difference to be worth the effort of installing them, at least the guy i was modding it for didnt think so and to be honest i'm inclined to agree. 

I think in the end i only added a couple of bass drum mods and some fill generator buttons and left it at that.

I'm liking the recasing and overall look of your machine though   

Are you regretting it now? This little machine has some tricks up its sleeve.....I think it has become a killer drum machine now....i think the BD of the modded DR sounds better than a modded 606 BD....i'm repairing a modded 606 as we speak so i have some reverence.....especially when the DR goes through a modded DS-1.......unk unk unk
When i started reconstructing it i didn't want to demolish the original case. So what i did was just saw out 2 lines where the DR case snugged in. Then i dropped the pcb a couple of millimeters with some washers so now the write button is almost equally high as the surface which is nice.....i still have to finish the bottom though. Got another battery holder where the baterries are two inline so you can change the batteries from the outside. When that is done i'll post some pics of that to. But thanks again for the compliment

@ sensor thanks man!!!

[nochtanseenspecht]

..i think the BD of the modded DR sounds better than a modded 606 BD....i'm repairing a modded 606 as we speak so i have some reverence....

hey, thats what i was thinking ! i have here the (unmodded) 606 from a friend, but in my taste the dr55 sounds better...
of course it is much less sophisticated, can't program the hats etc, but somehow it's got more "groove" or something

sometimes i regret that i got rid of it... exchanged it for a emu procussion... and then exchanged that for an R8 with 2 cards
hmm not to bad deal anyway, since i only payed 15 guilders for the dr55

but anyway, i think we can state savely that you have now the most wicked dr55 on the planet 

[kick52]

Awww, cute cat.








..oh, and nice machine as well

[gmeredith]

can't program the hats etc

This isn't a problem, though, once you've got it midi'd - you just sequence everything externally.

The kick sounds just like my highly modded TR33 kick, which i did the same mods to. Can you adjust the decay on your sounds so much that they feedback? They do on the TR33 hehe!!

Cheers, Graham

[DenDer]

Well Graham that ain't quite true....it's only midi synced but that's more then enough for me since i won't be using the hats a lot since i also own a 606 and a Dr110 which have really nice hats....and for the acidtechno that i make i don't care about the hats of the Dr55.
But...but.maybe it's possible to swap the datalines of the rimshot with the hats.....maybe some one else can shine his light on this.....
And i saw your thread about the the TR33 i'm looking for one to now....really nice work you did on that one
@Kick my cat is already spoken for by his cute girlie cat Miep so you better watch out she is the jealous kind
   but thnx  dude!

[Gordonjcp]

Why can't you program the hihats?  Just trigger them like the others.  IIRC in the DR55 they're triggered by the output of a divider from the tempo clock so you get a steady "tick tick tick tick" on quavers.

[DenDer]

Why can't you program the hihats? Just trigger them like the others. IIRC in the DR55 they're triggered by the output of a divider from the tempo clock so you get a steady "tick tick tick tick" on quavers.

Hi Gordon,
What we mean is you can't program the hats in the Dr55 sequencer as a stand alone machine. They are fixed hihats.
Strangly enough it is possible in the SoundMaster SR88 which i also have but is dead at the moment. I blew out a diode somewhere. I modded that one about 2 years ago but didn't have the experience that i have now. I'll revive it some day if i can find the time. Been so busy with DIY synths and compressors and i also have to make music with these machines so the priority isn't that high. But where do you suggest to trigger the hats?


btw there is some new audio on the link in my first message. The Dr goes through a Boss DS-1 Keeley ASE and Ultra Mod. Man this is really the poor mans 909.

[DenDer]

I'm really starting to like this forum

[Gordonjcp]

But where do you suggest to trigger the hats?

Have a look at the circuit diagram available on the 'net - at the bottom left you can see the hihat "16/8/off" switch.  In the diagram a line has been drawn in showing a connection between RS and HH "off" so that when it's set to off it is actually triggered by the rimshot pulses ;-)

basically you'd add the trigger pulses in there, or add another diode and capacitor to the trigger circuit in the bottom right.

[DenDer]

I have the circuits......couldn't have modified the Dr without them.

In the diagram a line has been drawn in showing a connection between RS and HH "off" so that when it's set to off it is actually triggered by the rimshot pulses

I can't see what you mean...in the schems that i have there is no line coming from or going to the "off" point of S4.
There are lines coming from pin 10 & 11 of IC2 (counter) to S4, 16 / 8 but nothing to "off"...

Damn i was looking at the schems not the diagram...stupid. There is indeed a line there but where in the schems can i find that?