Behringer Rhythm Designer RD-9

he RHYTHM DESIGNER RD-9 provides all the tools you need to become a master beat-maker, including: 11 drum voices; a 64-step sequencer; wave designer and dual-mode filter – for a full-fledged drum machine that’ll shake the house! Whether you’re new to drum programming or a seasoned pro looking to upgrade your setup, the RD-9 has everything you need to step up to the big leagues.  

Masterpiece Rejuvenated

Great care has been taken in designing the RD-9 to achieve new possibilities in beat creation by reviving a timeless design from one of the most classic drum machines of yesteryear. By taking a fresh and modern approach on a classic drum machine, the RD-9 gives you the power to harness the phenomenal sound of the venerable TR-909 and tap into some new features as well. Colossal bass drums through sizzling hi-hats can be manipulated to take your rhythm performance to the next level. This is an analog beat-making monster! 

Complete Control

Built to enhance the way you perform, the RD-9 boasts all-new features for live use in each of the sequencer modes including step repeat, note repeat, real-time triggering and live step-overdubbing. This makes it easy to enable recording in pattern mode, so you can build song structures on-the-fly and switch back to playback mode at the touch of a button. Each of the 11 original drum sounds come with their own tuning, level, attack and decay controls to be able to tweak each sound just the way you want or adjust them in the heat of a song to create drum sounds that vary in intensity and tonality as a song progresses. Add some more excitement with the autofill feature and introduce more variations. You can even cue up another song from memory without interrupting playback, allowing you to perform entire sets from start to finish – just using your RD-9.

Powerful and Feature-Rich Sequencer

The RD-9 features one of the most powerful step sequencers ever created. The 64-step sequencer can store up to 64 patterns and 16 songs with a continuously variable swing allowing you to mimic a real drummer and give the beats you create a more human feel. 

Wave Designer and Dual-Mode Filter

The integrated Wave Designer has individual attack and sustain controls that can be applied to individual voices to bring another dimension to your drum beats. Additionally, RD-9’s highly flexible dual-mode filter button toggles between LPF and HPF, allowing you to experiment with the cutoff frequency and resonance controls to create out of this world beats while those fluid sweeps can be recorded straight into the sequencer and further tweaked using the step editor.

Parameter Chaining

RD-9’s robust encoder lets you set separate chain preferences for each of your parameters, allowing them to function globally or to switch when a song or pattern changes. Parameters include tempo, swing, flam, probability, independent track mutes/solos, FX bus assignments, filter modes and sweeps for enhanced real-time control. Patterns can be changed on-the-fly for further creative control when using the RD-9 as the heart of your live setup.

USB Control

To bring the RD-9 into the modern age, USB connectivity has been added for sync and MIDI triggering. This enables the RD-9 to be controlled by your DAW if desired, allowing individual sounds to be triggered. 

The Numbers

The RD-9 has 33 knobs and 58 buttons, all laid out in a highly-intuitive format that puts the fun back into your beat creation. Input and output connections include: Phones; Mono audio; MIDI In, Out and Thru over USB and 5 pin MIDI ports; and 11 independent analog outputs for external processing or recording your rhythms as multitrack audio. With its 3 trigger outs, the RD-8 lets you control external synths and hardware sequencers to create songs without a digital audio workstation (DAW) in sight. The RD-9 can also send and receive clock information with highly-accurate timing to sync it to the outside world.