vermona DRM MKIISo, I though I write a little something about this machine, because it’s hard to find some decent info about it on the net. If you’re looking at this you’d probably know that the Vermona DRM MkII is an all analogue drum machine. There are 5 different percussive sound generators, 3 drum channels, a multi, snare, 2x hi hats and a clap, totalling to 8 channels and a whopping 72 knobs on the front panel with each channel having 9 dedicated controls (volume, panning and 7 other depending on the channel type). There is MIDI support, a main output and individual outputs on all channels, which double as channel insert points. No sequencer, no memory ..

how is it in use? Well, it doesn’t really makes a good first impression. It has really boomy and clicky bass drums, thin snares and you can’t help sounding like Kraftwerk. It you’re after a 909 style kick, you’re out of luck. Although it’s analogue, it painfully makes clear that that’s not a guarantee to kick ass drum sounds. Thinking about it, most real analogue drum modules really didn’t sound all that impressive (apart from a famous few) on their own. The lack of a dedicated sequencer doesn’t help either in getting something out of it that doesn’t sound as a preset from an early nineties toy keyboard. So far, not impressed, and what’s the fuzz all about then.. analogue fan boys maybe?

So, after sitting in a rack for a few months, untouched and gathering dust, I recently gave it another try and, to my surprise, we managed to get along quite well. Actually, very very well.

First, I hooked it up to my Roland R8 drum computer which has a really great realtime sequencer. It’s far more intuitive in use as a computer based sequencer, and the Vermona really really needs a way to manipulate notes and sounds at the same time. The second key fact is a change of mindset. You should not think of the vermona DRM as a drum sound generator, but rather as a percussive sound generator. There is no reason you should make a snare sound because the channels name says so. So, after starting a simple kick/snare combination on another drum computer (still can’t get a decent kick out of it) the Vermona really started to become a very useful synth for all kind of weird percussive sounds. As an addition to some other drum computers it really starts to shine. It can do those boomy long, air moving, ooooommphh sounds very very well for example.

You should not buy this if you’re after ‘real’ drum sounds, not even as an 808/909 emulation , because it really doesn’t do that all that well. It really is a great piece of gear and it isn’t trying to emulate anything, it has it’s own vermona like character, which is, IMHO a good thing. It’s definitely analogue and thus does some weird things from time to time. All controls have a pretty wide parameter range which is great if you’re looking for weirder sounds. The availability of insert points on each makes it easy to throw in a few guitar effects and go totally of the beaten path. It’s clearly designed with this kind of use in mind, and if you use it as such, it’s well worth the cash.

as a conclusion.. I don’t think it can handle a whole drum part on it’s own, but it makes a great addition to more classic drum sound sources.