In the early 1990s, the music world was a digital frontier, and Roland was acting as its primary cartographer. While the legendary TR-808 and 909 were already drifting into the realm of "vintage gold," the company was busy trying to perfect the concept of the "Human Rhythm Composer." Enter the Roland R-70. Released in 1992, it was designed to prove that a digital box could have a soul—or at least a very convincing approximation of one. It arrived in a compact, grey chassis that looked more like high-end office equipment than a legendary beat-maker, but beneath that humble exterior lay one of the most underrated sound engines of the era.The R-70 was essentially a "greatest hits" collection for your fingertips. It came pre-loaded with 210 high-quality 16-bit sounds, covering everything from standard rock and jazz kits to the electronic staples that defined the Roland brand. You get the punchy kicks of the 808, the snap of the 909, and the kitschy charm of the CR-78, all accessible via 16 velocity-sensitive pads. But what really set the R-70 apart from its contemporaries—and even some of its successors—was the Positional Pad. This wasn't just a gimmick; it allowed you to change the tone of a sound based on where you struck the pad, mimicking the way a real drummer might move from the center of a snare to the rim. It added a level of expression that made standard digital drum machines of the time feel, well, robotic.To double down on this realism, Roland implemented its "Human Feel" function. At a time when most sequencers were rigidly locked to a grid, the R-70 allowed producers to inject subtle fluctuations in timing and velocity. It wasn't just about "swing"—it was about simulating the tiny, imperfect variations that make a live performance feel alive. This made it a secret weapon for artists who wanted the precision of a sequencer without the "machine gun" effect of repetitive samples. It is no surprise that the R-70 found its way into the rigs of heavy hitters like Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails, Daft Punk, and The Chemical Brothers, proving that digital drum machines could thrive in both industrial grit and polished pop.FeatureSpecificationSounds210 PCM Samples (808, 909, CR-78 included)Polyphony14 VoicesEffectsReverb, Delay, Chorus, FlangerSequencer100 Patterns, 20 SongsOutputsStereo Main + 2 Individual OutsBeyond the rhythm, the R-70 featured a surprisingly deep architecture. It offered onboard digital effects which were a rarity for drum machines in 1992. The internal "Rhythm Expert" mode even acted as a proto-AI collaborator, generating patterns and songs based on parameters you set—perfect for when the creative well had run a bit dry. While the interface does require a fair amount of menu-diving through its small backlit LCD, the "Palette" function helped bridge the gap, making it easier to tweak parameters like pitch, decay, and "nuance" on the fly.Today, the R-70 is often overshadowed by its more famous sibling, the R-8, yet it remains a "sleeper" favorite in the synth community. It offers a warmth and punch that many modern VSTs struggle to replicate, packaged in a unit that feels like a tank. Whether you are looking for those classic 808 sub-bass kicks or weird, ethnic percussion with 90s digital character, the R-70 delivers a specific kind of magic. It is a testament to a time when "human" wasn't just a marketing buzzword, but a goal that Roland’s engineers chased with every bit of processing power they had.
Link to purchase:
https://horrorweapon.gumroad.com/l/RolandR-70