Erica Synths - Bullfrog Drums

Bullfrog Drums is a seven-voice sample-based drum machine developed by Erica Synths together with Richie Hawtin. It has the immediacy of a classic X0X-style sequencer, but quite a bit more tucked underneath: patterns can run up to 64 steps, tracks can have their own lengths, divisions and play directions, and you get parameter locks, ratchets, probability, microtiming and per-track shuffle for pulling things away from the straight grid. Each voice can load any sample and has direct control over pitch, decay, loop point, filter, resonance, drive and pan, so the same set of controls can take you from a tight drum kit to chopped-up field recordings, pitched loops and fairly odd little rhythmic constructions.

There's a sampler onboard as well, with both a line input and built-in microphone for recording sounds straight into the machine. Samples can be trimmed, reversed and looped, with start, end and loop points available for sequencing and per-step manipulation. That makes it very easy to turn one short recording into a whole rhythmic phrase, especially once you start combining different playback positions with parameter locks and automation. Factory material from Richie Hawtin and Erica Synths gets you going immediately, but the machine really starts to feel like your own once you begin throwing other sounds into it.

Bullfrog Drums also has a separate CV/Gate track with accurate 1V/oct pitch, adjustable gate lengths and slides, so it can sequence a synth or modular voice alongside the drums. Add MIDI, analog clock, USB, stereo output, headphones and a built-in speaker, and it becomes a great little rhythm hub for a compact hardware setup. For all the depth here, the main idea remains very simple — make a beat, mess with the sounds, and see where the loop takes you.

Features:

• Seven sample-based drum voices
• Factory samples by Richie Hawtin and Erica Synths
• Up to 64-step patterns
• Individual track lengths, time divisions and playback directions
• Step and tap programming
• Parameter locks and recorded automation
• Per-step accents, ratchets, probability and microtiming
• Per-track shuffle
• Direct controls for pitch, decay, loop point, filter, resonance, drive and pan
• Built-in sampler with microphone and line input
• Sample start/end editing, looping and reverse playback
• Sequenceable sample start, end and loop positions
• User sample import via USB-C
• Separate CV/Gate sequencer track
• Accurate 1V/oct CV output with adjustable gates and slides
• DIN MIDI In/Out and USB MIDI
• Analog Clock In/Out
• Stereo main output and headphone output
• Built-in speaker
• Pattern and kit memory with USB backup