| Notes | This is the slightly more rare Cheetah MS16RP - as oppose to the slightly more well known MD8, MD16 Drum Machine or the MD16R rackmount.
The RP is basically the R in a 2U 19'' Rackmount version, featuring 8 additional trigger input jack sockets on the front.
The MD16RP was released in 1991, but after the MD8 (desktop drum machine), MD16 (desktop drum machine), the MD16 (1u 19'' rackmount). The additional 8 trigger inputs were designed to be used with electronic drum pads/kits such as Simmons pads, Roland Drum Pads or Cheetah's very own Simmons copy.
Since this was released after the MD16R, it actually has an improved / later software version (I believed version 2.0)
The MD8/MD16/MD16R/MD16RP was dubbed the poor man's digital drum machines, a poor man's Roland R8 ?
They were a lot cheaper than any other digital sampled playback drum machines at the time when they were launched. (MD8 was like £150 in late 80s, as opposed to the real R8 which was like £400+)
As seen on the front - "High Sample Rate 16 Bit Drum System", yes, as with the MD16 and MD16R, it has 16 bit 44.1kHz samples, onboard drum machine with real and step time patterns and song, plus song chain.
The rackmounts also feature 16 "Pad" buttons, programming and also auditioning sounds.
All drum sounds can be mapped to 127 Midi note numbers, so you can basically get a full midi channel full of all the onboard sounds
Have Midi In/Thru/out, can sync to Midi Clock, and even Tape Sync
Stereo Outputs + 8 individual Outputs - so 1 outputs total but they were on 5 stereo jack sockets
Number of onboard sounds be expanded via EXPANSION ROM plugged in the back. Over the years I haven't really seen these ROM available, but I did see one MD16 with "Electronic ROM" cart for sale once.
Cheetah's logo was "Affordable Excellency" - well Cheetah was quite a good short lived British manufacturer, prices for these in the early 90s were like £100, for a full blown sampled drum machine with all the complicated editing facilities!
However, they managed to cramp so many functions inside, while trying to maintain the low costs, the MD16 / MD16R / MD16RP were not easy to use, and the not-so-easy-to-read manuals are essential if you really want the full power of these. |
