SDS7 FROM MARS

Crunchy and Funky Hybrid Drums From the Iconic 80s Drum Machine

The Simmons SDS7 is a beautiful, charming and somewhat odd hybrid drum synth from 1983, combining crunchy 8-bit digital samples with powerful analog synthesis. The result is a unique combination of chunky and fat 80s drum sounds, warm analog tones, metallic textures, and of course those signature cosmic toms that defined the Simmons sound. 

With interchangeable EPROMs, analog oscillators, and extensive sound-shaping controls, the SDS7 can sound quite contemporary one minute and unmistakably vintage the next. Ours came loaded with custom EPROMs featuring sounds like an 808 bass drum, LM-1 clap, and more, bringing unexpected classic drum-machine character to its already distinctive palette. It's punchy and aggressive enough for modern house and techno, yet full of the noise, grit, and nostalgic character you'd expect from a 40-year-old drum machine.

We captured 260 dynamic one-shots and created 10 ready-to-play 16-hit kits, spanning everything from classic Simmons sounds to custom EPROM tones, unexpected digital drum combinations, and entirely analog samples.

The Best of Both Worlds

Released in 1983, the SDS7 followed the legendary SDSV, expanding on its analog synthesis architecture with an 8-bit digital sampling system. Each interchangeable drum module could combine an eprom-based digital sample with an analog oscillator, noise generator, pitch bend, and snap controls, allowing for an enormous range of sounds.

Originally designed to be played by drummers using electronic trigger pads, the SDS7 became a staple of 80s pop, rock, and electronic music, with its distinctive sounds appearing in the work of artists like Yello, Genesis, INXS, Propaganda, and Pink Floyd.

Having already sampled the fully analog SDSV and SDS800, we were excited to explore this more digital side of Simmons. And while the SDS7 shares some of the enormous analog sound of its predecessors, the addition of lo-fi 8-bit samples gives it an entirely different personality.  The SDS7 can sound super chunky, fat, lo-fi, and much more aggressive than its predecessors. 

Factory EPROMs, Rare Chips & Pure Analog

For this pack, we sampled four SDS7 modules: bass drum, snare, hi-hat, and tom. The SDS7 modules can be triggered by any audio source (drum machines etc) or by the Simmons drum pads of course- we opted for the pads during sampling as we found them more dynamic and able to product more interesting variations depending on how hard you strike the pad. We started the sampling process by capturing the original factory eprom sounds and even painstakingly programmed some of the factory kits. Then we explored various combinations of digital and analog oscillators while adjusting tuning, pitch bend, noise, snap, and decay to create a wide variety of hits.

But the real fun began when we started swapping eproms. Alongside the factory sounds, we tracked a collection of additional chips featuring sounds from other classic drum machines, including LM-1 and Linn claps, 909 clap, 808 bass drum, SDX tom, HR-16 snare, and even a Chroma Polaris bass drum (which sounded surprisingly awesome!).

Running these different eproms through the SDS7's 8-bit architecture produced some seriously interesting (and often super noisy) results. Familiar drum sounds took on a new character, gaining extra weight, crunch, harmonic overtones, and a distinctly Simmons flavor. And even with the 3rd party eproms the SDS7 maintained a very idiosyncratic Simmons characteristic, which is - the category of drum voice is often merely a suggestion, not a rule.  Part of the fun with Simmons gear is using a tom as a kick, noise effects as a hi hat, a snappy laser as a rimshot, or a snare as a tom, etc.

Of course, we didn't forget about the analog side. By turning the eprom volume down to zero and removing the digital element altogether, we were able to create a wide range of entirely synthesized drums using just the oscillator, noise, pitch bend, and snap controls. From deep, rounded kicks and punchy snares to noisy percussion, zappy effects, and those classic descending space toms, there's plenty of pure analog goodness here too.

From Raw & Noisy to Punchy & Polished

One of the most interesting things about the SDS7 is the contrast between its relatively modern sound and its decidedly vintage imperfections. The eproms can sound crisp, punchy, and almost contemporary, but there's also plenty of noise, grit, and strange digital texture lurking underneath. At certain settings things can start to fall apart - and sound almost broken or glitched out.

We embraced that character throughout the sampling process, but also created carefully processed variations of many sounds, adding extra weight, warmth, punch, and presence to make them easier to drop straight into a production.

The result is a collection that ranges from raw, crunchy, and wonderfully imperfect to big, focused, and polished, without losing the personality of the original machine.

What You Get

SDS7 From Mars includes 260 one-shots and 10 pre-made 16-hit kits, sampled from the bass drum, snare, hi-hat, and tom modules.

The sounds range from factory and 3rd party digital eproms to entirely analog kicks, snares, hats, toms, and electronic percussion. With different pitches, analog/digital blends, and processing variations, there's a lot more here than just the familiar Simmons sounds.

The 10 kits bring these sounds together into ready-to-sequence collections, making it easy to start programming beats immediately or mix and match individual hits to build your own.

Simmons Sounds, Without the Simmons Setup

As much as we love the SDS7, it's a big, heavy, cumbersome machine that takes time to program, and was originally designed around an entire setup of drum pads, triggers, and cables. In fact back in the day, techs called the SDS7 the "Simmons cabasa" because its voice cards did not fit tightly into their sockets. This loose fit caused frequent contact problems, signal drops, and memory loss that sounded like a rattling cabasa. Lol. There's something incredibly satisfying about taking all of that sonic power and complexity, and putting it into a drum rack, ready to sequence in seconds.

And while the SDS7 is often associated with the huge, unmistakably 80s tom fills of its era, its range goes far beyond nostalgia. The punchy kicks, aggressive snares, crunchy claps, and metallic percussion feel right at home in house, techno, electro, synth-pop, and plenty of more modern productions.

It's a machine that somehow sounds both futuristic and hopelessly stuck in 1983 - and that's exactly why we love it!