Mini Drum Magic Ladder

A decade ago, I fell in love with the sound and ease of use of analog synthesizers but there’s a particular, vintage one that always felt like the holy grail of the monophonic realm since it first hit the market: let’s just say it’s mini but the sounds it produces aren’t.

The Mini Drum Magic Ladder came from a weird question: what if an American synths manufacturer founded by a guy named Bob made the most sought-after vintage drum machine of the last decades?
This is sample-based instrument is the answer!

I wasn’t lucky enough to put my hands on the original hardware to sample from but fortunately that same brand made a pretty cheap, faithful Virtual Instrument recreation of it for all us broke musicians to dream with.
That’s the source I used to produce the samples that this incredible drum machine contains.
On the other hand, the inspiration for the interface and samples comes directly from oversea on the eastern side of the globe, where another synths and organs manufacturer influenced the history of music releasing a programmable drum machine that found its place in so many recordings, surviving time thanks to its distinctive synthetic sound and initially, making drummers questioning their choices in life.
With 10 instrument sounds disposed in independent channels with dedicated controls to manipulate the source, a brutal waveshaper distortion that aims at total destruction, double global filter and pitch modulation, it’s ready to fit and cut through any track with its analog-like, aggressive character complemented by its powerful Bass Line section with glide control.

And the reverb… Oh, the reverb.
It’s a convolution effect powered by a very special set of Impulse Responses I made, recorded from an exoteric effect unit that uses LEDs and optical sensors to modulate the sound passing through an old school analog reverb tank.
I tried to capture a still of it and the results are pretty interesting, the effect has a “drippy” yet eerie sound.
Various IRs are selectable, to alter the tails length and it has a single mix control to choose how strong it’ll affect your drums.

This is a sort of tributary re-interpretation series of classic drum machines, aimed at composers, producers, sound designers and synths enthusiasts to play and enjoy.

Thanks for downloading, have fun with it!