I don't really know anything about the DRM1 or the MAQ 16/3...

HOWEVER, from what I can tell, this sounds like a job for the electribe series!

For basic 808 style programming, the er1 will do the job, which you can usually find used for under $200 or for some added features you can grab a ESX (around $500 new last time I checked) which will give you the ability to change the length of the pattern to odd number of steps, etc... (as well as being a decent sampler)

With electribe you can definitely choose the midi note, so I think it will do.

Hope that is useful.

-R

--- In Doepfer_a100@yahoogroups.com , zaum <zaum@...> wrote:
>
> > I have a Vermona DRM1 drum machine which is controlled via external
> > MIDI. I use computer software to program the drums, but I want to
> > buy a hardware sequencer to do the job. I have no idea what to buy
> > - I have seen many products (future retro mobius, sequentix P3...)
> > but they are all waaaay overprice. I only want a simple 16 step
> > sequencer to make sequences for the different drum sounds.
> >
> > I have seen the MAQ 16/3, but I actually have no idea if this would
> > suit the job. I have seen videos on youtube of it working with
> > melodies, but I don't know if I can do drums... Is it suitable Can
> > anyone tell me what to buy
>
> The MAQ gives you 3 rows of 16 steps via MIDI so you could play up to
> 3 drum sounds at a time. Not ideal but not useless. You would be
> spinning a knob to get the drum you want or perhaps use a MIDI
> keyboard to get the right midi note or you'd add a rest for each
> step. Then you'd move to the 2nd and 3rd row if you need a second or
> 3rd drum on the same step. I have neither unit but I have the
> feeling it would be workable but not super fast to program and edit.
>
> An 808 style interface where you could choose the MIDI note going
> out (that's important!) would be ideal and most direct in my mind,
> not a simple knobby sequencer. As I think you've discovered,
> unfortunately most flexible sequencers aren't cheap and unfortunately
> while I can think of a couple drum units that respond to MIDI, there
> aren't that many that a lot of companies find a demand to support
> them with affordable hardware (the fairly expensive Elektron
> Machinedrum could control it properly from what I know).
>