If the number 909 isn’t immediately evocative of saturated hi-hats and shattering kick drums, chances are you’re not an analog music gear nerd. But even if you’re not familiar with Roland’s legendary TR-909 drum machine, if you’ve been to a club at some point in your life, you’ve witnessed what it’s capable of. The 808’s sibling was originally a commercial failure, but it’s characteristic sound as pretty much defined modern dance music, and while the original 10,000 units of the drum machine are crazy expensive today, there are some pretty interesting alternatives that can help you get the party started if you’re considering producing some rave-ready jams. Here are some of my faves.

Samples From Mars

The conversation could end there. Samples From Mars offers pretty much any classic drum machine under the sun, sampled with care through analog gear, and conveniently compatible with your major DAWs and samplers, from Ableton Live to Maschine.

They offer the original sounds, as well as colored and re-pitched samples if you want to get jiggy with it. I recommend getting their complete library during one of their sales, but if you just can’t contain yourself, you can get the TR-909 kit or their loop pack today for 9.09$. Talk about a steal.

Bedroom Producer Blog

If you just can’t swing 9.09$ these days, a) I don’t blame ya, and b) I got you, bro. Head on over to the Bedroom Producer Blog where you will find some 909 samples with attitude, as well as a ton of other free production tools, reviews, news, and… Why am I plugging a rival here?

Their BPB Cassette 909 kit comes with all your necessary clean samples as well as some really cool, grimy tape-saturated versions of your favorite DJ’s favorite drum hits. They also offer a free 909 VST which I should probably have tried before writing this post, but anyway, check it out for yourself.

Echo Sound Works

You’re still broke and the BPB samples didn’t satiate your hunger for cool-sounding drums. No problem, go to Echo Sound Works’ website where you will find some crispy and edgy versions of the drum machine of the hour. They offer a free pack to celebrate 909 day (as in September 09, because, yep, music nerds are just that nerdy).

The pack is free, although you will have to drop your email to subscribe to their newsletter, which usually would be a bummer, except in this case it’s 100% worth it. I can attest that ESW offers some of the best synth presets, as well as cutting-edge drums that can rival any samples out there (I’m looking at you, Cymatics). You should totally stay in the loop and get their stuff the next time it goes on sale.

PS- Just kidding Cymatics, I love your stuff. Don’t be mad.

HelloSamples

HelloSamples offers bundles specialized in all kinds of modern sounds, all your fave urban genres really. While they don’t have a dedicated TR-909 pack, let’s be real, their Lo-Fi House Flavor Pack is the next best thing. It’s specifically inspired by the sound of some of the best left-field artists like DJ Seinfeld, Ross From Friends, and MC Everybody Loves Raymond (I made one of those up, just FYI).

It contains hundreds of saturated samples and loops to get your creative juices a-flowin' and your feet a-tappin'. Just like me, you will be left with the parody song “HelloSample my old friend” stuck in your head for days every time you use one of their products. That’s my personal guarantee.

Sample Magic + Splice

After all this, you still haven’t had your fix? You're still scouring the dark streets of Chicago to find the perfect nuance of open hat to tie your next hit together? There might be something wrong with you, but before you check into drum rehab, why not visit Splice. There are literally thousands of samples that you can download for a few cents.

For dance music, I tend to stick with Sample Magic which offers some pretty crazy-sounding vintage drums, as well as awesome loops. I like to use the loops to get an idea started, but they’re also de rigueur when I want to glue a mix together and make it sound huge. The 90s Deep House and Garage kit is my favorite at the moment, but their catalog is worth exploring.

Hardware and VSTs

A quick word about other options. If you’re looking for a VST emulation of the TR-909, you should consider d16 Group’s Drumazon 2 (which was clearly named by one of the aforementioned music nerds) or Audiorealism Drum Machine.

If you’re a purist, Roland has a official TR-909 Software Rhythm Composer which is definitely a powerful piece of software. And for the economically challenged, the Roland50 Studio is a free way to get some cool ideas for a track started in your browser. I’ll be honest, I prefer Roland50’s interface to most other drum machine plugins. There, I said it.

In terms of hardware, from boutique clones to imaginative reinventions, there are plenty of options out there. The Roland’s TR-8s is probably in the sweet spot between authenticity and flexibility, but you could also get Behringer’s excellent RD-9, or hop on your Maschine if you’re not too precious about the x0x workflow…

If you already have a sampler you’re comfortable with, you can also load in a few 909 one-shots in it. No one will be able to tell the difference. It’ll be our little secret.

My point is that, if you can afford hardware, there's something to be said for getting out of a DAW environment and creating dance music on a physical piece of gear. Dance music - at least the kind I like - is meant to be felt by the producer first, and it shines in its simplicity, it’s movement, and its imperfections.

It never hurts to have knobs on hand and to stop thinking in terms of loops and sections. Creative constraints can invite some happy accidents and bring life to an otherwise mechanic beat.

Either way, load up a session and start having fun, the rest will take care of itself.

Happy 9/09 everyone. See you all on March 3rd 2025!