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With drumDING, Vermona presents a hybrid drum machine featuring sample-based and analogue sound generation. Vermona has already gained a wealth of experience with electronic drums. It all began in 1975 with the ER-9, followed in 1987 by the DRM – also known as the ‘Eastern Bloc 808’ – and various DRM1 versions since the turn of the millennium. Strictly speaking, drumDING is Vermona’s first major drum machine since the 1980s!
The concept behind drumDING is that you use the analogue Drum Voice to generate all the sounds you need, sample them directly using the sample engine, and insert them into a pattern. But that’s not all: you can also load your own samples and edit them extensively using the parameters and effects.
The instrument is logically designed and follows a pattern-based approach. There are very few ‘shift’ functions, as most operations are just a (double) click away or on the next menu page. This also applies to the storage structure: a total of 64 projects can be saved, with each project containing 64 patterns and 32 samples. Within the patterns, you have access to 6 sequencer tracks, which you can use to arrange the samples. The tracks can be programmed live in the familiar TR style, complete with parameter locks. Thanks to modern processors and stable MIDI timing, there’s hardly ever a situation where you’d need to stop the sequencer.
Like every Vermona device, the drumDING is also ‘Made in Germany’. The build quality and that of the components used are impressive to see – and, above all, to hear! Lovely details such as the colour gradients in the function areas round off the overall impression of high quality.
The Analog Voice occupies the upper section of the control panel. The signal path begins with the analogue oscillator, featuring a crossfadable waveform (sine to square) and two frequency ranges, which is modulated by a Bend/Time envelope. This is followed by a state-variable filter with two filter types, allowing you to smoothly transition from low-pass through band-pass to high-pass. A second Bend/Time envelope modulates the cutoff parameter. Between the oscillator and the filter is the modulator, which is a fast LFO with a sine waveform and trigger reset, capable of modulating either pitch or cutoff. The frequency range is very well balanced and extends from wobble-like sounds right through to typical FM sounds.
The analogue signal path concludes with the mixer section, featuring Click, Noise, VCO and Aux In. For each of these four sources, you can use the control’s position to decide whether the signal is sent to the filter or directly to the VCA. Click includes various attack signals and ‘clatter’; the latter is needed to generate analogue claps. The noise generator can be switched between pink and blue noise and shares a common decay envelope with Click. The Aux input should not be underestimated; if, for example, you feed a drone synthesiser into it, you can filter its signal further and record it as a sample. All four signal sources ultimately pass through the VCA, which also has its own decay envelope.
All parameters are extremely well-scaled and allow for a wide yet precise range of control. The Analog Voice generates a wide spectrum of diverse bass drums, toms, snares, electronic zaps, FM-style and atonal sounds, ‘Piu’, ‘Whoop’, bells, wobbles, claps, hi-hats and every conceivable electronic percussion sound you could wish for.
The second part of drumDING’s hybrid sound generation is entirely dedicated to samples. You can save 32 samples per project. Samples are mainly created using the Analog Voice. Select a memory slot, press SAMPLE+1–6, and you’re done! If you need a short chord sound or a clap from the Roland classics, you can easily set this up using the SD card.
Each of the six sample tracks features an AHD envelope for volume and a wide pitch range of +/- four octaves. This allows you to make small adjustments to a sample’s pitch or deliberately create those typical transposition artefacts, which also affect the playback time. In terms of effects, there are two delays with BPM sync and reverb available as Send FX. Distortion, bitcrush and amplitude modulation can be set per track. In addition to the parameter locks in the sequencer, each sample track offers an LFO with BPM sync and velocity as a modulation source. The LFO can be assigned to two targets simultaneously, whilst velocity can be assigned to a single target. This allows you, for example, to create pitched walking bass drums or a reverb mix that fades in cyclically.
drumDING’s sequencer is a dream in terms of logical operation and getting straight to the point. For each project, you have access to up to 64 patterns, each of which can have a step length of up to 64 steps (4 bars). A pattern comprises 6 tracks, consisting of the 6 sample tracks and the settings for swing/shuffle. For each sample track, you can set the step length from 1 to 64 steps, which also allows for polyrhythms. In addition, you can programme parameter locks, reverse play, microtiming, trigger probability, ratcheting and velocity fade-in/out for each step. Patterns that are adjacent on the 16 step buttons can be linked directly. More complex pattern links can be created using Chain Mode. Anyone who has worked with slightly more complex drum machines over the last 25 years will quickly get to grips with drumDING.
The rear panel of the drumDING features seven individual outputs for sample tracks and the Analog Voice, as well as a stereo output. All audio outputs deliver a good line level. The powerful headphone output is independently adjustable. The audio input is mono and is integrated into the signal path via the Aux In control. MIDI In and Out are, of course, also provided. The USB port is intended for MIDI and data transfer with a computer. In addition, there is a trigger output and a control input, both of which can be assigned via the system menu.
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