Roland 909

Also known as TR-909. (TR stands for Transistor Rhythms). The legendary drum-machine made by the Japanese firm Roland. Formerly released to work with the bass synthesizer TB-303, it didn't gain much support from 'traditional' musician. The synthetic sounding drum kit made it difficult to mix with instruments such as guitars as a substitute to real drums.

It became a popular instrument for numerous electronic music artists, from Hip-Hop to Techno. Its grid beat-programming function, its compact size, the ability to shape the sound using knobs quickly made it one of most popular drumbeat machine. As Roland has ceased to produce this model, a few companies have started selling clones.

Not to be mistaken with Roland TR-808.