Sonicware CyDrums 2.0: the wavetable drum machine learns to sample
Sonicware opens the CyDrums 2.0 firmware public beta: 4-second sampling, a two-layer SP DUAL structure, a modulation LFO and a Feel function.
Sonicware opened the public beta of firmware 2.0 for the CyDrums, its wavetable-based digital drum machine, on November 4. It is the machine’s first major update, and it adds the thing it most lacked against the competition: sampling. This article is based on Sonicware’s official downloads page, which lists the changes, and on the version 2 manual, which details them. The news was also reported the same day by Synth Anatomy.
What version 2.0 changes
Sonicware sums up the update in four points:
- sampling, through a new sound structure called SP DUAL;
- an LFO added to the modulation options;
- a Feel function, along with improvements to the performance features;
- several minor bug fixes.
This is a beta: you sign up through Sonicware’s form to get it, and the company is still testing it. Back up your projects before installing it on a unit you gig with.
SP DUAL: two samples on one track
CyDrums builds its sounds from structures: 23 in version 1, each tailored to one instrument (FM kick, snare, hi-hat and so on). SP DUAL adds one that plays samples instead of wavetables. A wavetable is a series of single-cycle waveforms you sweep through to make the timbre move; a sample is a short recording the machine plays back. With SP DUAL, each track gets two samples, on layers O1 and O2, played together: an acoustic kick doubled with a click, or a snare layered with a clap.
According to the V2 manual, each layer offers these controls:
| Control | Range, per Sonicware |
|---|---|
| Sample slot | 01 to 32 |
| Release | 0 to 127 |
| Playback direction | forward, reverse, forward loop, reverse loop, start then loop |
| Pitch | −60 to +60, in 20-cent steps |
| Start and end points | 0 to 127 each |
| X-Fade | crossfade at the loop point, 0 to 127 |
Sampling without a computer
Samples are recorded straight into the unit from the 1/4-inch inputs (the left one takes a guitar at high impedance, the right one a dynamic mic), the built-in mic or USB audio, with threshold-triggered recording (AUTO REC) and normalisation. WAV files can also be imported from the memory card. The limit to know: 4 seconds per sample at most, whether recorded or imported (longer WAV files are truncated). That covers drums and one-shots, not full loops.
An LFO and a Feel function
The LFO (low-frequency oscillator, which moves a parameter over time) has rate, depth and shape controls (sine, square, triangle, saw, smoothed or stepped random, ramps and more), an option to retrigger on each note, and a cycle count from 1 to 8 or infinite. It can be assigned to any parameter. It uses the same vocabulary as envelopes, covered in our guide the ADSR envelope explained. The Feel function, in the tempo menu next to swing, adds tempo fluctuation: P.DRIFT varies over short cycles, SEMI.CRCL more slowly, SOLID adds none. It follows the playback tempo, VariSpeed included.
Sonicware’s official CyDrums demo (version 1):
Who it is for, what it costs, what it competes with
Who it is for. CyDrums owners first, since the update is free. Then anyone after a portable drum machine (AA batteries, built-in speaker and mic) who held back because CyDrums only played its own synthesised sounds. With 8 tracks, 128 steps and per-note probability, it targets beatmaking on the move as well as live sets.
What it costs. Firmware 2.0 is free. CyDrums is listed at $499 on Sonicware’s official store; the company says it is almost sold out and that new units may arrive with the final firmware release, for which no date has been given.
What it competes with.
- Korg volca sample 2: a battery-powered portable sample player, but with no wavetable synthesis; CyDrums 2.0 now does both;
- Elektron Model:Samples: six sample tracks and Elektron’s sequencer, without on-board sampling or battery power;
- Behringer RD-765: a hybrid drum machine that also samples, with an analogue filter, in a studio format (see our coverage of its announcement).
The strength of 2.0: CyDrums stops being a closed system, and layering two samples per track is still rare at this size. The trade-offs: 4 seconds per sample, 32 slots, and a version that is still in beta. Other firmware news is in our Firmware Updates section, and drum machines in Drum Machines.
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