Roland TR-6S

The TR-6S isn’t necessarily the most exciting drum machine released this year – with its interesting sounds and cool randomisation tricks, Elektron’s Model:Cycles (below) is the more unique beatmaker. What makes this cut-sized counterpart to the TR8S impressive, however, is how much creative power it packs into such a small package.

Like its bigger sibling, each of the six tracks can make use of either emulated sounds from Roland’s classic grooveboxes, samples – drawn internally or from an SD card – or the FM generator. There are effects track, master and send effects too.

Though the interface is a bit cramped, most of the TR-8S’s sequencing workflow remains intact. There were more characterful drum machines released this year, but you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better all-round package at this price.

BEST FOR… ON-THE-GO GROOVES

The TR-6S draws power from AA batteries or USB so it’s perfect for sketching beats on-the-go. Throw it in the backpack to build grooves away from the studio, then use its USB audio interface to stream into your DAW. Or pair it with a standalone sampler for fully on-the-go music making.