EKO ComputeRhythm drum-machine from 1972 (demo 1)

[billychanxtreem]

the punchcards made me cream so hard

[3Dxxxx]

very cool wish i had one~ >:)~

[natefrogg1]

this is one of the most awesome early drum machines, the programming methodologies are way ahead of their time, wether it's the grid that even lights up, or the stored patterns on what looks to be punch cards! i was most impressed that you could run it live, and load new rhythms in at the same time, way ahead of their time for sure! thanks for sharing this amazing drum machine!

[puggo]

3:30 parece el Hallo Gallo de Neu! :)

pd:curioso ver una EKO en España!

salud!

[kovalmoog]

@puggo Bueno, no conozco mucho la cronología y los títulos de los temas de Neu, pero es verdad que suena muy similar a las bases rítmicas que usaban esas bandas (Harmonia, Neu, Cluster, etc). La máquina está en manos de un coleccionista de Madrid. Puedo pasarte su contacto si te interesara ir a verla.

[joselchino]

how cool

[douro20]

Rhythm programs could even be stored on punched cards.

[douro20]

The world's first programmable drum machine. It took advantage of the emerging technology of microprocessors to allow the musician to produce his own rhythms and manipulate them in real time. For the first time, drum machine users did not have to work within the limitations of preset rhythms.

[iw2mln]

I think an exemplar of that is in this video

youtube[DOT]com/watch?v=ejZVbz­9KssA&feature=related

[kovalmoog]

@iw2mln Yes, it is esentially the same machine but with slightly different case. All of the EKO CR's were hand-made prototypes, so slight differences can be expected between them.

Manuel Göttsching are using another EKO CR on this video: /watch?v=R3J0YPeOBN8

Best regards

[iw2mln]

It's drammatically amazing!

[mootbooxle]

OH MAAAAN I WANT ONE!!! It sounds really similar to the Maestro MRK1, with a side dish of Univox! The programmability with the matrix is SOOO ahead of its time!!! I'm blown away!

There's not a chance I could obtain samples of this machine are there? :)

[paulj0557]

Screw all the comments, this thing is the shit!

[mjing2]

われらが時代の産物だなあ。

ＤＯＮＫＡＭＡＴＩＣ ＳＯＵＮＤだあ。

Ｅｋｏ　社は高額で手が出なかったなあ。

ＰＣＭ音源が出るまでは・・この音だった。



[cjp240573]

Fruity loops eat your heart out

[rondroyd]

cr68/66tr arealso early drumachiens before 80ies

[Triames]

Only 20 of them ever made? That's too bad, I need 50!!

[Desmaad]

What a fascinating machine! Arguably one of the first programmable drum machines. I particularly like the row of buttons for each instrument and the patterns stored on punch cards.

[jjorquera]

great! thx for this video, i was looking for it for years! :D

[MarkJenkinsMusic]

The best known user of this instrument is Manuel Gottsching (Ashra) and it's on most of his albums notably "E2-E4". The visual display is of course nicer than the sounds. It was also used in Italian sci-fi films as a prop (for spaceship control panels). It might be mentioned in my book "Analog Synthesizers", available worldwide through Amazon. Or not :-)

[MarsHottentot]

I have a feeling Cluster may have used one on 'Zuckerzeit' as well.

[dwemmy]

@MarsHottentot no

[soepil]

@MarsHottentot : I think it was a Korg Minipops. I've seen a picture from around 1973 of the Cluster studio with one.

[MarsHottentot]

@soepil Thank you!

[AnalogAudio1]

You're wrong, Jean-Michel Jarre never used it on Oxygene! Although it appears in the Oxygene 4 video clip.

The only drum machine on Oxygene was the Korg Minipops 7.

[kovalmoog]

Could you, if you please, to explain the meaning of those exclamation marks at the end of your phrases. If you could do that, maybe I would understand your exact point of view.

"...Jarre didn't use the Eko, although it appears in the Oxygene 4 clip"...  Maybe you was there... I mean, if I consider your absolute sentences and your perfect use of exclamation marks, maybe I'm in front of the Michel Geiss alter-ego. Are you?

[AnalogAudio1]

Jarre did not played it on the OXYGENE album - but it was shown in the OXYGENE 4 music videoclip. Get it?

[atticthoughts]

Use and play are two different things. He didn't use the sounds from it AFAIK. But he might have used it as a master clock. Nobody knows for sure.

[KiopGenJin]

@AnalogAudio1 He did use the Eko on Oxygene, Oxygene 3 sports the Eko kick!

[103959770979]

@AnalogAudio1 Im agree with you, Jarre have a museum of instruments for reals and he show hardware in videos never used for the song playing.

[fututronic]

Beautiful sounds!!!!, it's possible that Roland copied the TR sequencing system from this machine...?????.

thanks for this DEMO.

[kovalmoog]

I don't think so. The sequencer engine of this machine is very simple and archaic, full of redundant electronics. Roland build drum machines before EKO, under the AceTone brand.

[AnalogAudio1]

That's right, but the TR sequencing system began with the TR-808 in 1981! Note, that the earlier machines were not programmable!

[kovalmoog]

In the year 19.811 ?? Oh, sorry, sorry... just another exclamation mark (1981!)

[atticthoughts]

Ah...the machine of my dreams. I love this thing. Too bad I will never own one. :(

Big thanks for uploading this. Fantastic!

[sleestack808]

those are the hi hats from the Miami Vice theme aren't they?

[kovalmoog]

hehe... I thought the same thing when I've heard that pattern in the finished video, but I don't think Jan Hammer would use this machine just for those hi-hats. The rest of percussive elements of that theme are not available in this machine.

I was told that he possibly used the Akai XR10 on that musical score, but it is not an official info.