what's a good drum machine that has a retro, late 70's/early 80's dark wave sound?

Question

it would sound like these bands - Suicide, Psyche, Throbbing Gristle, The Screamers, Big Black (Steve Albini), Kraftwerk, D.N.A., Plath, The Contortions, Teenage Jesus & The Jerks, Europa, Blondie, "synth-punk," or any band from the post-punk "No Wave" period (1978 - 1982)

i'm looking for a good retro minimal/robotic rock sound. i'm not going to use any other instruments with the machine, but i'll be singing/talking (but NOT hip-hop!) while the beat(s) are playing

"lo-fi" and industrial

analog or digital doesn't matter, as long as i can play it live on stage.

preferably a fairly recent drum machine that can emulate retro sounds well, better if it's the only sound type to choose from.

my price range is $500, but I can go a little bit higher (maybe $700) if the machine is good enough.

i would really like the help please :-) i'm not an expert when it comes to drum machines/synthesizers

Answer 1

Alesis HR-16. Very usable drum sounds that are perfect for this genre and it is easy to use. They are inexpensive because they were very popular and as a result are very plentiful. Pretty much any Alesis drum machine is good though. I wouldn't get too hung up on getting something vintage since drum machine sounds can be reproduced faithfully quite easily. Almost every new drum machine comes with vintage drum machine sounds that will fit the bill for this kind of thing. Basically I would be looking at an HR-16 if you must have something old or SR-16 if you want something a little more flexible. or maybe look at Roland drum machines like the R-5 or R-8.



If you want a synth to go with it, that's a whole other subject. =]

Answer 2

Big Black Drum Machine

Answer 3

*also the band Joy Division is another good reference for the sound i'm looking for.



@Ghost yes i know that was the drum machine that Steve Albini used. I seen demonstrations and i love the sound, but it's very expensive :-/

Answer 4

This is the drum machine Big Black used:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roland_TR-606