Erica Synths and Hexinverter HexDrums: Monster Analog Drum Machine Revealed
10 sound sources for raw power!
4,5 / 5,0 | 
Erica Synths and Hexinverter surprise reveal HexDrums, a forthcoming analog drum machine with a massive sound.
Erica Synths and Hexinverter HexDrums
You may remember when Erica Synths resurrected four drum modules by the sadly defunct Hexinverter Électronique. Now the company is going one further by taking that Mutant Drum DNA and putting it into a standalone drum machine. Ladies and gentlemen, HexDrums.
10 Sound Sources
HexDrums is a (mostly) analog drum machine “forged out of deep respect for traditional designs with innovative improvements and the combined spell work of its makers,” in the words of Erica Synths. It professes to combine the sound of Hexinverter with the workflow and layout of Erica Synths. This is still very early days, but it already looks like a winner.
HexDrums has 10 sound sources largely built on Hexinverter’s Mutant series of Eurorack percussion modules. It will have: two kick drums (BD9 and Bass Drum), an optimized Mutant Machine, Snare Drum, Clap, Rimshot, and HiHats. Additionally, Erica Synths has thrown in its own Cymbals with 10 sets of crash and ride cymbal samples. Each source offers a variety of controls for sound-shaping depending on the sound at hand.
All drums have individual outputs (but of course), while the master channel features stereo panning. There are also Compressor and Master Drive circuits, the latter taken from the Mutant Glue. It will also offer a kick drum-controlled sidechain.
Maybe you’re getting excited, but nearly as excited as you’ll be after you hear it.
Hands-On Sequencer
Being a full-on drum machine, it will, of course, have a sequencer. Erica Synths describes it as “hands-on and easy-to-program” with up to 64 steps, per-track accent, per-step microtiming, ratchets, rolls, per-step probability and a memory of 16 banks with 16 patterns each.
Connectivity
Looking around the back, along with the individual outs, the HexDrums appears to have a clock in, stereo outs, a headphone out, DIN MIDI in and out and USB.
Be Still My Beating Drum
“Our plan was always to use the Mutant Drum DNA to create a next-level desktop drum machine,” said Stacy Gaudreau of Hexinverter Électronique. “We began early work on one before the Pandemic. I’m so glad that the Erica Synths crew was able to carry out the vision and finish the dream!”
HexDrums looks and sounds absolutely fantastic. There’s no pricing information yet, but Erica Synths is promising it will be available for purchase “later this year.” Start saving now.
Erica Synths products are available at Thomann*.
More Information
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