Roland TR-1000

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.

Die TR-1000 ist hervorragend verarbeitet (Ausnahme die nicht verschraubten Einzelausgänge), klingt tief und mächtig und ist eigentlich fast die eierlegende Wollmilchsau: wenn sie noch eine vernünftige CV-Anbindung hätte (nicht nur Clock) und man per Midi andere Geräte steuern könnte (vgl. Digitakt), dann wäre sie wohl perfekt.
Bleibt die Frage, wer braucht ein solch überwältigendes Gerät? Vermutlich tun es Maschinen, die nur ein Viertel kosten, am Ende genauso. Ich frage mich derzeit, ob meine Musik mit der TR -1000 wirklich 2700€ besser wird. Die Feature-Liste ist schier unendlich, es gibt eigentlich nichts, was nicht geht. Bei alldem ist man in der Bedienung natürlich oft auf den sehr kleinen Bildschirm fokussiert, der leider auch nicht zentral, sondern in der Peripherie des Gerätes angeordnet ist. Wenn man also wirklich Sounds tweakt, ist man vorwiegend auf etwa 1/15 der Oberfläche des Geräts beschäftigt.
Schärfster Konkurrent derzeit ist sicherlich die Heckdrums von Erica Synth: ebenfalls analog, wahrscheinlich ziemlich tiefgehender und wuchtiger Sound (ich habe selbst noch keine gespielt), keinen Preset-Speicher, One- Note-Per-Function-Konzept. Und vor allem: kostet fast genau die Hälfte.
Mich persönlich erschlägt die TR -1000 einfach. Mal sehen, ob sie bleibt… Auf jeden Fall ein Gerät, nur für Profis, die nebenher auch nicht mehr sehr viel brauchen.

Update 30. Dezember 2025: Sie bleibt! Die Hexdrums sind klanglich viel zu eingeschränkt und vor allem nicht speicherbar. 2700€, klar, das ist viel, sind aber auch 14 analoge Stimmen. Da zahlt man bei Oberheim und co für 8 Stimmen beileibe nicht weniger.
Update 17. März 2026
Sie musste doch gehen, vor allem war das Multitrack-Recordning in Ableton und Logic faktisch unbrauchbar, da mit erheblichen Artefakten versehen, ferner ließ sich das Gerät kaum zur Midiclock synchronisieren, da gab es, trotz vieler Versuche, Timingprobleme von fast einer Sechzehntelnote (bei 133bpm, aktuelles update war natürlich aufgespielt). All das geht für ein 2700€-Gerät leider überhaupt nicht. Im übrigen: wer hört wirklich den Unterschied zwischen analog und acb_Emulation? Ich konnte sie im direkten Vergleich nicht wahrnehmen.