Polyend Drums: The TR-1000 Meets its Match – Pre-Order Now!
Polyend Launches a Truly Impressive Analog and Digital Drum Machine
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Polyend Drums was surely the biggest show-stopper at Superbooth this year. Only a few days after the announcement, you can now pre-order the luxury drum machine from Thomann.
All about Polyend Drums
Polyend Drums: Pre-Order Now!
Polyend Drums gives the mighty Roland TR-1000 a run for its money: the new drum machine boasts analog and digital sounds, samples, a powerful sequencer, and a workflow that just screams performance. If you want to be among the first to call this new groove flagship their own, you can now pre-order Drums from Thomann*. The drum machine is available in black or silver.
Polyend Drums
[7 May 2026] Polyend Drums has everything: analog and digital synthesis, samples, a state-of-the-art sequencer, loads of performance functions, and effects. A worthy competitor to the mighty TR-1000?
Polyend Drums is without a doubt the most exciting new drum machine at Superbooth 26. The most advanced drum machine since the launch of Roland’s TR-1000 last year, Polyend Drums has a little bit of everything: analog and digital synthesis, samples, and a powerful, performance-ready sequencer.
Drums offers 8 tracks, each of which can be assigned to an analog or digital sound source or a sample-based instrument. There are four analog voices based on modern SSI chips. Per voice, you get two analog VCOs, a noise source, and an additional digital oscillator for hybrid sounds or FM. Each analog voice also offers a multi-mode filter and VCA.
In addition, Drums offers various digital synthesis methods and sample-based instruments. Each track also has its own LFO for modulation. The included library consists of over 40 instruments, each offering several “sub-mode mutations”.
According to Polyend, Drums features the most advanced sequencer the manufacturer has ever developed. It’s got everything a modern performance sequencer should have, including probability, micro timing, parameter locks, pattern chaining, various playback modes, and even generative tools. A single project can consist of up to 64 patterns, 64 kits, and 48 songs – more than enough for a typical live set.
Speaking of live: Drums was designed with live performance in mind. You can switch patterns and kits on the fly without stopping the sequencer, and all important parameters are always within reach. The X0Y fader even lets you morph continuously between different versions of a kit or pattern – sweet! There’s also a comprehensive effects section with inserts, sends, and master effects.
Besides a stereo output and eight individual outputs, Drums offers a stereo input for running external gear through the effects, although apparently not for recording samples. In addition, there are MIDI In/Out/Thru and USB-C.
Price and Availability
You can now reserve Polyend Drums on the manufacturer’s website by putting down a refundable $500 deposit. The final price is $2,699 / €2,699 – on par with the TR-1000. As of today, Polyend hasn’t said when the drum machine will ship.
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12 responses to “Polyend Drums: The TR-1000 Meets its Match – Pre-Order Now!”
What a design. Absolutely gorgeous.
Very well streamlined. Great aesthetics and controls (No sliders is a bold choice but that can be added via Midi if one wants that).
I love the compact yet tactile nature of the product and the possibilities in terms of sound and design.
Priced to compete with the TR1000. They both have their pros and cons, but I love the way this is flat & compact so much easier to take to a gig, stick on a shelf/tray
I wish them the best with it.
I can’t help noticing the fact that Polyend Synth nearly doubled in price lately. I wonder is that temporary and does it mean Polyend Drum might become much cheaper when RAM and processor costs eventually come down?…
On the contrary, the design is abysmal. Sure it “looks” good if you like minimalism, but it’s gonna be an absolute PITA to use. Everything looks the same so you won’t be able to quickly find what you look for. Also good luck building muscle memories within such a cramped grid.
Compare that to the TR-1000: it has faders, different types of buttons grouped by functions, bold labels, line…
It doesn’t look as good, but it’s much more user friendly, which is ultimately what design is about
financial segregation of creativity. $2600 for a drum box. does it look good? yep. $2600 good? nope.
Could we not use words with historical significance for nothing, please ?
Also… like it or not but the price to feature ratio isn’t crazy. There are many thing to criticise with that device and dozens of better options for the same task… but this is how much a small-batch flagship hybrid instrument costs…
Most Polyend products leave quite a to be desired in terms of UX design, and it looks like this thing will not stray far from that path.
Who builds several tiny displays, but wastes space on a large meter nobody ever cared for in a drum machine?
I don’t see this even coming close to the TR-1000 in terms of sound or features. Let’s just hope Polyend will not abandon this thing like most of their other products.
I could have never said it better.
For people with more money than synths. 😁 A brave design, no doubt. Every main feature of every other drum machine in one box! This, and the TR-1000 will sell for 10k in about ten years, but both are more than I need, personally. Glad these boxes have been made, all the same, the best feature of this one being perhaps 48 songs per project? Even Cafe Del Mar hasn’t been remixed that many times….
Hipster beatz.
I think this looks excellent. I would opt for the Roland TR-1000 but there are latency issues with that box. I want a machine that can sync to MIDI from Logic without issue.
I also like that there is no menu diving with Drums. I can look at the Polyend Drums photo and already I understand how to use it.
I own the Polyend Mess, which is very easy to use, well built, no issues at all, and has received thoughtful updates.
I’ll wait to see reviews, if the sounds are really good and the sync is tight, this is the one I’ll save for.
How about a compare/contrast with the world’s worst ever drum machines. I speak, you well know, of the Akai Rythmwolf…..
They should have left the analog part out and made it 1.000 cheaper. Today’s analog has nothing to offer compared to digital. It doesn’t add anything except marketing blabla and a higher price tag. Not to mention the latency problems when mixing analog and digital sound sources driven by the same sequencer. That’s why they are still struggling to get this right with the TR1000
Hope one day they Make a MKII without analog path and 1k less.
Then I would probably buy it
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