Dropped $80 on a used drum machine that only plays one tempo

I bought this old Alesis SR-16 off Craigslist from a guy who said it worked fine. Got it home and it only runs at 120 BPM no matter what buttons I push. The kick drum sounds like someone tapping on a cardboard box and the hi-hat cuts out halfway through every pattern. I tried factory resetting it three times and even opened it up to check for loose wires but nothing helps. Instead of sending it back I've been using it to record lo-fi demos where the bad rhythm actually adds character. My bandmates hate it but I think we finally found our sound. Has anyone else held onto a broken piece of gear because the flaws made it interesting?

2 comments

2 Comments

umab8625d ago

Man @brian_murray gets it, half the stuff we love is just broken in the right way.

brian_murray25d agoMost Upvoted

I picked up a Boss DR-550 for $40 at a pawn shop that only triggers the snare if you hit it just right. The volume knob crackles and one of the pads basically disintegrated, but I rewired it into a guitar pedal setup where the glitchy snare became this weird ghost note thing that my drummer actually started sampling. I feel you on the bandmates hating it, mine told me to just buy a new one, but there's something about a broken machine that forces you to work around its quirks. The SR-16 at 120 BPM with that cardboard kick sounds like a secret weapon for some blown out basement punk if you lean into it hard enough.