Instrument Review - Yamaha EMR-1

I couldn't resist picking up this little device when I saw it for less than ten dollars on eBay so I bid on it and won.  When it arrived in the mail a pristine little black box greeted me.  This "digital drummer" came with very low expectations but I didn't care.  The dimensions seemed to match my Yamaha FB-01 and the sounds quirky enough for me to find useful.  So, without further ado, here is my simple review.

Build

This thing is pretty sound.  All but four buttons are a soft rubber and they are all it pretty good shape (apart from the "shuffle" button that appeared to be the previous owner's favorite).  Despite its age the device looks brand new and I would rate this thing pretty highly.

Cosmetics

The device is simple.  Several buttons, a small LED screen, a light showing what beat it is that is slightly reminiscent of KITT's scanner bar from Knight Rider.  This thing is so neutral that it can pretty much be integrated into any audio setup without appearing out of place.

Sound 

This is where many would grade this thing poorly.  The device is just a box full of PCM drum loops.  This is basically a home keyboard rhythm machine with additional rhythms.  It has the same intro or fill-in features a home keyboard of that era featured so it makes you wonder who this device was actually being marketed for.  My personal opinion is that the sounds are dated and some rhythms clunky but they are also fun, and the main reason why I picked this up was because it was different than anything out there.  Modern drum and rhythm machines kind of sound real.  Early machines were extremely synthetic.  Drum machines from the eighties had so much variation.  This one definitely does not sound real, although it does have some wonderful hi-hats and cymbals.

Features

This thing is bare bones and I imagine it was marketed for the home amateur market.  You may want this device if you are playing in a church band and needed a drummer.  The features on this are kind of minimal.  It was designed to daisy chain to other instruments in the Yamaha EM series, like the EMT-1.  That is neat, I suppose.  This thing also has MIDI, line inputs and outs (using RCA jacks), and power through if using in conjunction of other Yamaha devices.

While the rhythm features are pretty standard, the only thing that I find on this that make this slightly better than the rhythm section on a home keyboard is the "large" and "small" buttons that seemingly mute or add certain instruments to the selected rhythm, which seems to help facilitate songwriting and differentiating different parts of the song.  I personally like this ease of use so that I may record starting with the intro button, transition to the main rhythm, use a few fills, and then utilize these two buttons for either a chorus or bridge.  This is similar to older rhythm machines that have potentiometers to alter the sound of a single instrument, just with less precision.

Overall

Over all, this thing is an oddity.  It plays PCM rhythms, none to spectacular, has minimal features, and seems to be designed to be used in conjunction with other dated Yamaha products.  Keeping that in minde, if you like to record using strange one-offs, musical oddities, or antiquated synthesizers, this is a great addition to any studio - especially when considering its size.

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