Arturia DrumBrute Impact - Drum Computer

Product Information

If you’re looking at purchasing one of the Drumbrute machines it can be a bit confusing to know which one to plump for so in this article I will compare the two and offer some opinions and advice and hopefully this will help you decide which of Arturia’s drum machines best suits your needs.

The Drumbrute has a ‘Zap’ part while the Drumbrute Impact has a capable FM Drum part. Of the two the ‘Zap’ part is the least interesting and is not ‘Zappy’ enough for my tastes. Don’t expect the Zap effects to send clubbers running for cover – it’s an adequate but pretty tame affair and something of a missed opportunity in my opinion. I had a drumbrute and replaced it with the impact, and I think the impact sounds better, but not just because of the distortion. It is a cheap little machine so don't expect this to cover all your needs, Behringer drum machines cost about the same and offer much more both in terms of sound and versatility.Both snares have wide ranging decay controls, which can go from long washes of sound to tight rim-like hits. The low and high toms are fairly vanilla, Roland-style sounds, but both have enough punch and body to cut through a groove. Although they can be sequenced independently, the two sounds share a pitch control, so it’s impossible to tune one without affecting the other. Both lean towards the low-mid end of the spectrum, making them good for techno-style bass. In terms of sound quality, it is quite gritty, low pitched, and punchy which would be a better fit for edgy mixers. Addictively fun, intuitive and easy to getmeatydrum and percussive loops going -straight out the box. Drumbrute Impact is a game-changer for an analogue groovebox that won't break the bank.

As well as Color, the Impact employs the tried-and-tested Accent concept, implemented the same as on the original DrumBrute. Sounds have two trigger levels (accented or not) and generally sound slightly different from one state to the other. As we’ll see later, Accent sequencing is handled differently to Color. First though, let’s run through the sounds. When comparing the Arturia drumbrute Impact vs drumbrute, the original device seems to get ahead regarding the organized settings. Output distortion: rich, specially voiced distortion on the output to add some filth when you need it, and bypass when you don’t. Once you’ve honed your drums to tonal perfection, you can either record a sequence by turning on the metronome (which you could consider a bonus 18th instrument!) and playing in your pattern with the fully velocity-sensitive pads, or you can program it manually in ‘Step’ mode.Regardless of which Drumbrute drum machines you opt for, you’re unlikely to be disappointed especially if you favor gritty, electronic sounds. Both machines deliver in terms of meaty, juicy analog sounds and both machines represent excellent value for money. French developer Arturia create not only emulations of vintage synths but original hardware products too. In recent years Arturia have released not one but two analog drum machines in the shape of the Drumbrute and the newer Drumbrute Impact. Metronome: removed from the main output when headphones are connected, so you hear it and not your audience. Which brings us onto Snare 2. This is a filtered noise source, with the filter swept by the Tone control. The Decay can go long, producing swooshes that are one of the defining character sounds of the whole instrument. In Color mode this module turns into a Clap, with brighter filtering and the classic analogue clap flam. The Accent variation is nice here, slowing the flam down and producing a smooth mellow clap. Another factor you might like to consider is size. The original Drumbrute is both bigger and heavier than the Drumbrute Impact. What Type of Genres Are the Drumbrutes Best Suited to?