From robot@crl.comFri Jul 28 21:39:04 1995 Date: Fri, 28 Jul 1995 18:01:31 -0700 (PDT) From: rbcIII the lovebot To: Mike Perkowitz Subject: Re: CR-68, CR-78 .. > could someone with a CR-78 post some specs and descriptions? from all i > hear, it's a cool box, but i dont know much about the workings. CR-68 > too, i suppose, though it's less KEWL!!!! COOL! A CHANCE TO HYPE THE CR-78!!! I love mine! There are two rows of preset patterns. The upper row I think of as base patterns. They are rock and disco patterns. The bottom row is fill in type patterns like rumba, cha cha, tango, ENKA!... You can combign patterns from the top row with paterns from the bottom row. If you want to get some real interesting patterns then you can press and hold down two patterns from the top row making for some really great rhythms. The preset patterns are 4 measures long and are set up to be switchable between A and B groups so that they will change over 8 measures (if set that way in the variation section). There are 4 user programmable patterns in the top row and they are 8 measures long each (no A/B switching). Programming is rather difficult as there is no quantization to 1/4 notes or anything. It's trial and error. Plus you only get four (or is it five) channels in the programmable patterns (only four instruments can be programmed per pattern) but you do get to select which instrument you'd like to program in the different channels. I tend to use the programmable patterns as bass and snare variations of the rock and disco presets and combign them for more interesting changes in the pattern. Cool features include a section with buttons which allows you to kill individual instruments at once. I.e. if you press bass you can drop the bass out and so on. The buttons are bass, snare, cymbals and cow bells/something which I forget, so there are four in all. There are also three added constant pattern instruments: the Guiro, the (um shit I forget but it sounds like mechanical crickets!) and this metal clanking bit which are all controlled by faders. The fourth fader is a front/back fader which fades from the cymbals to the bass while the snare continuously plays. The fifth fader is volume. Last but not certainly not least is the variation section which allows for manual breaks as well as an auto variation feature. This section acts exactly like the 808's variation. You can set auto-variation to be every 2/4/8/16 measures and manual variation fills in whenever you hit the manual variation button. Variations include the A/B section switching as well as things like a cymbal roll and a snare roll and normal and very strange breaks. I believe one is programmable since it is labeled in orange graphics like the programmable pattern section whereas the other variation patterns are printed in white. I'm not sure of this though as I haven't gotten it to ever work. The only thing left that I can remember is that you can set the start stop button to fade in and out! Pretty weird but that's part of the CR-78's charm. The back of the unit is all 1/4" jacks. Two outs: low and high impedence (sic?). A start/stop pedal in. Sync in and out (12ppq which is a REAL PAIN!!!). Program pedal in. Hmm I think that's it unless I've forgotten something else. This is all from memory so forgive me if I've forgotten anything. I really love this analog beat-box though. It's one of those cheap and fun things that makes you all warm and fuzzy inside. I've been told to absolutley never spend over $100 for the unit and lucily I picked up mine for $30 (wooo woo!!!) Good luck. -robert --> __ _ _ _____ _____ _____ / _\ | || || _ \|_ _|/ _ \ / /_\\ | -- || |_) | _| |_ | (_) | ______________ /______\\____/|_____/|_____|\_____/ ( *electronic* )