Review: Zenhiser's 80s Drum Collection

A couple weeks ago, I got a copy of Zenhiser's recent sample multi-pack, The 80s Drum Collection. This set consists of 10 of Zenhiser's other sample selections, so not only am I reviewing this entire collection but the individual parts-- three sets of 80s Electro Beats, the Pure 80's Kick Drums, Hi Hats, and Snares & Claps, three sets of Ultra 80's Drum Beats, and the Ultra 80s Drum Kit. All this totals to 885 samples and it's just over a gig in size!

Zenhiser's Roland CR-78 The Machine Sample Pack Review

CR-78 The Machine - Zenhiser Sample Pack Demo by The Synth Symp

The Roland CR-78 is a classic drum machine. Whether you've heard of it or not, it greatly influenced the sounds of the 80s and is featured on many famous tracks. Some of the artists who used it include Phil Collins, Peter Gabriel, Hall & Oates, Blondie, Ultravox, OMD, Roxy Music, and Gary Numan. While the CR-78 lacked full programmability like the Roland TR-707 or 808, it still had enough customizability to make it a great addition to any musician's studio. Unfortunately, eBay prices for this collector's item have forced it well past the $500 USD range. If someone wanted its classic sound for a new recording, they'd have to pay out a pretty penny for it.

When I heard Zenhiser was putting together a high-quality sample pack of the famous drum machine, I'll admit, I was pretty excited. The samples I had before this pack lacked any low end and needed desperately to be tampered with in order to make them come to life at all, so much to the point that I've never gotten anything I like out of them. With this new sample pack, I would be able to enjoy the sounds of the CR-78 without tampering with them or putting a massive hole in my pocket. But would it actually live up to such a classic machine?