ELKA: RHYTHM MACHINE PAGE:
Date = 1981		Country = Italy		Type = Analogue
Drum Voices = 11		Rhythms = 32 (+32 Intro/Fills)		Rhythm Combining = No
What a fabulous find this was... This is the Elka Sidekick 32 analogue drum machine from 1981. No kidding, this thing is built like a tank. In fact you could probably drive a tank over it and it would survive! This is the second of the Italian Elka machines to join the Dubsounds collection and the sounds/features come from the peak of analogue drum machine technology. The Sidekick shared the same electronic hardware, (switches, fader etc.) as the infamous "Synthex" synthesiser and it could be assumed that this machine was intended to be a part of that same family.
The Elka offers 32 rhythms, (selected by the A/B rhythm variation switch)
and a "break" button which can throw in fills on-the-fly for as long or short as you hold down the button. If you keep the button pressed down continuously, it provides an alternate two bar rhythm which you can use as an intro so effectively this machine can produce 64 rhythms. Not all the "break" variations make useable rhythms in their own right however. They're fine for what they were designed for, i.e. fills but they can be a bit over-the-top. That said, if you're into drum & bass, you might just like that!
				Another feature of this machine which is really useful is that the "balance" fader on this thing actually works! At the bottom, you get nothing but drums and percussion and at the top, nothing but Hi-Hats, Cymbals & Shakers. Of course we made full use of this in our sample set so each rhythm, (and break) has been recorded three times (Mix/Drums Only/Cymbals Only).
The sounds this machine makes are top notch. It has the same metallic ring modulated hi-hats that first appeared as an overdub channel on the Roland CR-78 (Metallic Beat) and then came on full force with the CR-5000/8000 and the Korg KR series before becoming immortalised in the form of the Roland TR-808. The Sidekick 32 is less subtle than the Roland units however and actually sounds quite a lot like the Korg KR. It's a bit odd though because some of the other voices like the kick and the cymbal use old-style circuits that make it sound like a mid '70's drum machine. It's a bit of a hybrid in other words.
Once again, (as I mentioned on the Elka Rhythm Machine page) Elka's forte really is in their rhythm programming. The beats on this machine were almost certainly programmed by someone who could actually play drums. Over the years we've become accustomed to the Roland idea of what a Rhumba or March should sound like but they're not very realistic. On the Sidekick, the beats are very unique and some of the military rolls and the like are pretty realistic.
				Also the latin beats are much richer and rhythmically challenging that your standard plinka plonka kind of stuff. Because the Sidekick dates from the early '80s some more "contemporary" beats were included including four disco patterns which wouldn't sound out-of-place in today's dance music.
Sample Pack Info:
Recycle RX2 Loops:			Single drum hits (WAV):
This sample set contains 192 loops. That's 3 separate four bar loops for each of the 32 rhythms and 3 two bar loops for the 32 intro/fill patterns. Each of the three variations consists of Drums only, Cymbals only and a Mix of the two.			There are no individual drum hits included in this sample pack at the moment but individual sounds can easily be extracted from the RX2 loops.
What's so special about these sample packs? Quite simply, there isn't anywhere on the internet or in any commercial sample library where you can get this stuff. We made these samples because nobody else has.
All Dubsounds sample packs are sampled directly from our own drum machines. They are definitely NOT ripped from sample CD's, unlike many you see on Ebay at the moment, (which is a bit sad). All the rhythms are recorded directly into Pro-Tools from the machine's audio output and are not equalised, compressed or effected in any way. We want you to have the closest thing to the real machine as possible but with the added benefits of seamless integration into your VST host. The only thing we have done is to CAREFULLY remove any unwanted electrical noise and hum present in the signal, (if required) and taking extreme care to avoid damaging the delicate percussive transients. These samples were made for our own use first and foremost!
	Elka The Sidekick 32 - 192 loops - (56Mb download) £ 15.00
Please note:
Before buying; please make sure that you have read the information on the drum sounds intro page