Roland TR-1000

The TR-1000 sounds great and could honestly be a fantastic machine. Unfortunately, it is basically useless to me because there is no proper way to sync it with Ableton Live. That makes it practically unusable in a modern studio setup.

I simply cannot understand how a machine costing over $3,000 can be missing such a basic feature. Even more frustrating is that a huge company like Roland apparently cannot provide software that works as well as what a tiny company like Elektron from Sweden has been doing for years.

It’s embarrassing. More than anything, it feels like a complete lack of respect for the people who actually buy and use Roland’s hardware.

I have been using the Roland TR-8S almost since the day it was released, so I was immediately excited when I first heard about the TR-1000. After watching the initial reviews, I could clearly see that it was a close relative of the TR-8S, and I started waiting for the first opportunity to finally buy this long-awaited instrument. However, Roland took quite a long time to make it available.

Eventually, I received my TR-1000, and I would now like to share a detailed comparison for anyone who is still considering it or having doubts.

Sound
1. The sound has genuinely improved compared with the TR-8S. Thank you, Roland.
2. The analog filter and distortion sound great.
3. The reverb and delay are essentially the same as before. They still have no additional or hidden parameters to adjust.

Hardware
1. Roland removed the dedicated Shuffle/Swing knob. You now have to dive into the menus just to change this parameter.
2. There are many assignable knobs, which sounds useful in theory. In practice, however, some of them remain completely unused in many kits and instruments because there are either too few assignable parameters or none at all.
3. A dedicated Stop button that can be disabled is definitely a win.
4. The additional analog clock connections are also a welcome addition.
5. The Fill In Trig button is located in a very inconvenient position.

UX
1. The Cue mode is inconvenient to use. There is also no way to send the Ext In signal to Cue.
2. The instrument settings are mostly the same as on the TR-8S, although they are now organized a little more logically and are not scattered across the menus quite as badly.
3. There are also some minor interface issues. For example, when trying to select a higher Auto Off value, it sometimes simply does not work.
4. It is not entirely clear why there is a dedicated Vari Chain button when variations can still be selected by holding down their corresponding buttons, just as they could on the TR-8S. What exactly does this button improve or change in the workflow?

Morph
Morph is a great idea that does not work particularly well in practice.
In reality, it is not really morphing. It is simply several parameters assigned to a single fader. As I mentioned earlier, many instruments have a very limited number of assignable parameters. As a result, the function often fails to reach its full potential.

Scatter
On the original TR-8S, Scatter was my favorite and most frequently used effect. I always had it assigned to Fill In Trig.
By using it together with Ext In, I could create drum fills and transitions without really having to think about them, relying entirely on my sense of rhythm. It was especially useful because Fill In Trig could operate in Momentary mode.
On the TR-1000, Scatter has been moved into the MFX section, but Roland did not add a Momentary mode. It is now limited to Latch operation. As a result, turning drum fills on and off has become an extremely inconvenient process.

Overall Impression
At the moment, I feel that I will probably use the TR-1000 for one or two live performances, then put it on a shelf as part of my collection and continue using the TR-8S.

The TR-8S is simply more convenient for live performance.

I hope that someone at Roland reads this review and improves the instrument, because in its current state, the TR-1000 sometimes feels more like the SH-4d in terms of usability.

I use the TR-1000 as the rhythmic core of a hardware-first techno setup, and as an instrument it delivers. The analog and digital hybrid engine covers everything from deep sub kicks to sharp industrial percussion, and the depth of per-step editing, motion recording and variations makes it a proper performance and sound-design tool, not just a drum machine. The sound quality is excellent and it sits comfortably alongside serious gear.
The one real issue: after about eight months, the coating on the PTN SELECT button started peeling. This is a known production-run defect, not something caused by use. What matters is how it was resolved. Thomann's export service handled it properly, arranged a prepaid warranty return, confirmed with Roland that all buttons would be replaced with a revised type that will not peel again, and supplied the customs documentation for the return. Communication was clear and patient throughout. The unit is still in for repair as I write this, so I cannot yet confirm the fix long-term, but the support experience has been exactly what you would want when a flagship product has a defect.
If the button issue is behind it, this is a near-faultless machine for dark, industrial, analog techno. Recommended, with the note that Thomann stood behind it.