Akai Professional Rhythm Wolf | True Analog Drum Machine and Bass Synthesizer

This is one interesting piece of gear. I got it and really liked the drum sounds off the bat, and I did enjoy the bass sounds too. The bass tuning had some problems because of the analog circuits, but akai made a program to tune it. Once I got it tuned it sounds great. A lot of reviews I read were older before the tuning program was released so when you are researching it keep that in mind. Two things to keep in mind is that you have to let it warm up for about 10-15 minutes for the bass to be in tune, and you have to run the tuning program when you get it if it is out of tune. Also when you use the tuning program listen to the output from the Rhythm Wolf to the computer and make sure the tone sounds good. You might have to turn down the synth volume a but when tuning. Other than that you shouldn't have to tune it too often especially if you don't move it between different temperatures or humidities. If you do have to tune it, it only takes a couple of minutes and the computer does everything for you so you can go make a coffee or something while you are waiting.The build quality is great and it is bigger than I expected. I was expecting something in size similar to Korg's Volca series since they are the main competitors. But the Rhythm Wolf is bigger and feels better. The pads feel great too, some of the best I have used. The feel similar to the Akai MPD-18.The sounds in this machine sound good as long as you are not expecting a Roland 303, 808, or 909 clone. Even though this has similar functionality, it is not trying to be those machines, it does it's own thing. The kick drum is powerful and sounds fantastic through good studio headphones or nice speakers that respond to bass tones well. The bass is good and has a feel like the TB-303 but a different sound. To me it sounds grittier or darker, not quite as smooth, but I like that. Remember that this machine has it's own sound and not trying to be a clone so you can't compare it in that way. In my opinion this machine sounds fantastic, and you could put it through effects for even more variety. Guitar pedals work great for this.

I've had mine for a week and I love it.Before buying, you should definitely know what it is and what it isn't. It's not an 808, and it's not a 303. It doesn't have a clap sound (which is fine with me--I've always thought claps were cheesy) and it doesn't have a ride or crash cymbal, although the open hi-hat can get a fairly sustained sound. By adjusting the pitch and envelope on the drums and combining them, however, you can actually get a LOT of different sounds. In general, I think it sounds MUCH better than the Volca beats.I think the bass synth is great. I read a lot of complaints that if you turn the resonance all the way up, the bass gets very quiet. True. So don't turn the resonance all the way up, and it sounds fine (or turn it way up for that "pew-pew" laser sound which can sound cool sometimes). What I love is that you can adjust the velocity of each note in the sequence, and you can also use the "tie" function to smoothly connect or slur different notes together. This way, you can get a LOT of articulation and textural variety.The biggest (and in my opinion ONLY) flaw is that THE BASS DOES GO OUT OF TUNE. But you CAN download a tuning utility from Akai and it DOES work. But you'll have to re-tune it often. I think if Akai were to fix this in a "Rhythm Wolf 2" or something, you'd have a truly classic machine.BUT...!! I don't think it's meant to be used as a stand-alone piece of gear. I have been using the MIDI-out to control an Electro-Harmonix 8-Step CV Sequencer and the gate output to control the arpeggiator on a Juno 60. With just these 3 pieces of gear, the Wolf, the 8-Step, and the Juno, I have stayed up late into the night making hundreds of amazing sounds and grooves. I haven't even tried running it through any pedals, which if you consider the fact that the bass and drums can each have a separate line out, you should realize the possibilities are endless.Really, the people who hate on this machine simply have no imagination.

I purchased this from amazon warehouse deals. What amazon did not know about this product is that it was returned due to malfunction with the voices. sure they checked it to see if it ran and worked...it does. BUT no one played with it. I don't expect them to do that much but it was a disappointment to get it with some minor problems. if i was not connecting it to other devices I would have kept it. Over all it functioned but did it function like new. not exactly. would someone that was not experienced in analog synths have noticed... unlikely. So with that said 3 stars. why 3 stars because I could not rate 3.5 . It was a good device for a n00b but as an experienced user you expect more. then again. its 150 dollars. I should not be expecting the world. The build quality is good but not great. I feel like the nobs could be heavier and adjust with a bit more thickness to them .

Really fun to play with! As a beginner with no previous experience with any other type of drum machine or synthesizer this thing gets the job done. Plus it has MIDI in/out to hook it up to your computer, I haven't tried that yet since I do not have any type of MIDI software, but I am sure if I were to be able to do that it would love it even more. I am rating it Four Stars since I am not 100% satisfied with all of the sounds that you are able to create on it, but again as a beginner it was been really easy to use and helpful in the past few weeks.

First off, you get what you pay for. And it's crap. Pure, awesome, meant to be run through a bucket of pedals crap. And thats a good thing actually. If you already have a bunch of other gear to run it through, it's not a bad way to go. Without any effects, it's sound is kind of flat and suffers from some circuitry design flaws - most notably, the kick and the hats. But with pedals its awesome.

most modern synths/drum machines come with so many extras such as on board effects and processors that it can often make these machine difficult to use. These "extras" are often of a poor quality and actually detract from the sound of the machine.You can forget all that with the wolf - its a drum machine - thats all you get.For £99 you cant ask for much more and why should you - who needs all the extra frills when you can just add them through a DAW anyway. I use it with logic and its sounds fantastic. The midi is reliable and the pads feel brilliant when you play them.The beauty of this machine is its just so easy to use - easy to manipulate the sounds of the pads and easy to alter the textures of the drum samples.Its idiot proof! The sequencer is great and the build quality is top notch.The sound it makes is really impressive - deep fat kick drum and decent HH and snare. If you want a realistic drum sound then this isn't for you but if you want a low fi synth sound then this little cracker is a must!

just for you if you like the early 70s synth. sounds

Good for the price

Not a bad machine for the money, the tuneable kick drum is awesome

I received it some weeks ago. I'm just now starting to incorporate it into my system. I'm not a studio engineer, just a musician with a recording hobby. I'm just starting to incorporate it into some work, Gonna take a while but I'm retired, got lotsa that. It has some great sounds and rhythms that I look forward to managing.