MusicRadar just released their picks for the 15 best drum machines in 2021. Lined up in ascending order of price, IK's UNO Drum is one of the least expensive. It scores high praise from MusicRadar for its value and for squeezing such a big sound into a small package.

First, the roundup presents an overview of the market and then discusses each drum machine. Here are the highlights:

The context

"Hardware drum machines have come back into fashion over recent years thanks to a general revival in the fortunes of electronic music production hardware, and because falling prices mean it can be almost as cost-effective to buy a cheap drum machine as it is a software plugin!

"Drum machines are therefore in demand for everything from live performances to adding that elusive analogue clout to a computer-based mix. Each one of the best drum machines in our roundup works as a standalone unit without the need for any other gear.

"They come in all shapes and sizes: from cheaper beatmakers that provide great, workhorse sounds for many genres, right up to full-blown grooveboxes that will add bass and lead synth and sample parts to those beats."

UNO Drum is more powerful than it initially appears and, in several areas, is more fully featured than many other drum machines at this price point.

Why UNO Drum?

"Representing IK Multimedia's first foray into the world of analogue gear, UNO Drum is a hybrid analogue/sample playback machine with an impressive-sounding synth engine housed in a lightweight plastic casing.

"Its six true analogue kick, snare clap and hi-hat sounds are authentically warm and rich-sounding, and are partnered with a choice of 54 PCM sounds lifted from IK's SampleTank sample library.

"There's 100 preset kits to explore, an extremely versatile and powerful sequencer with a 100-pattern memory, and some nice touches like the Stutter and Roll buttons to polish up your patterns, making the UNO Drum a fun piece of kit to play."

MusicRadar's verdict

+ All-analogue beats for less
+ Good value
+ Portable and easy to use

UNO Drum specs

• Sounds: Analogue synthesis and samples
• Effects: Yes
• Pads/buttons: 12 TouchPads, 16 Buttons
• Sequencer: Yes
• Connectivity: Micro USB, 3.5mm audio in
• Analogue outputs: 1 x 3.5mm main outputs
• MIDI I/O: 2 x 2.5mm mini-jack to DIN cables (IN/OUT)
• Built-in speaker: No
• Power: Batteries (4xAA) or mains
• Dimensions: 256 x 150 x 49mm
• Weight: 0.4kg

Learn more on UNO Drum
Read the full MusicRadar article here