Knowra Drum machine Drum machine An electronic instrument that produces percussion sounds from programmed patterns or real-time performance. It can imitate acoustic drums or generate synthetic rhythms.
Step sequencer : A sequencing interface that divides time into steps for programming musical events. Many drum machines use rows of steps to place percussion hits across a repeating pattern.
Rhythmicon : An early electronic instrument, built by Leon Theremin and Henry Cowell, that produced rhythmic patterns at different pitches. Its automated rhythms anticipated later electronic percussion instruments.
Electronic dance music : A broad family of dance-oriented music made primarily with electronic instruments and production techniques. Drum machines provide the repeated percussion patterns that anchor many styles.
Drum kit : A collection of drums and cymbals played by one percussionist. A drum kit produces rhythms through physical performance rather than programmed playback.
Sampler : An electronic instrument or software system that records and plays back audio samples. Sample-based drum machines trigger recorded percussion sounds rather than synthesizing every hit.
Chamberlin Rhythmate : A late-1940s instrument that played prerecorded rhythm patterns from magnetic tape. It brought recorded percussion accompaniments into a keyboard-controlled instrument.
Hip-hop music : A music culture and genre built around rhythmic speech, DJing, sampling, and beat production. Drum-machine patterns became a key source of beats in hip-hop production.
Drum synthesizer : An electronic instrument devoted to synthesizing drum and percussion sounds. Unlike many drum machines, a drum synthesizer may focus on sound design without sequencing patterns.
Drum synthesis : The electronic creation of drum sounds through oscillators, noise, filters, and envelopes. Synthesized drum voices let machines shape kick, snare, and other sounds electronically.
Wurlitzer Sideman : An electromechanical rhythm machine introduced by Wurlitzer in 1959. It helped establish the compact, preset rhythm machine as a commercial product.
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