The first real attempt at creating a drum machine happened in 1931 when the inventor of the Theremin accepted a challenge to build a device that could reliably play back some complicated rhythms that could accompany a human musician. The result was a device that looked rather like an organ called the Rhythmicon.
Pressing any of the 16 keys provided a different beat. If you wanted to get really complicated, you could hold down to or more keys and have the machine play multiple rhythms at the same time.
Get daily National news
A second prototype was commissioned which could do even more. There was even an orchestral score written for it.
Unfortunately, critics thought the whole thing was stupid and the Rhythmicon died a quick death. It was, however, the first step towards a programmable drum machine.
Comments
Want to discuss? Please read our Commenting Policy first.