Audio Computer Beat Friend Analogue Drum Machine
Preorder now to reserve a unit for autumn 2026 delivery.
Beat Friend is here: the most enjoyable, jammable, fun and limitless preset analogue drum machine ever. Not a contradiction in terms, try one and you'll see...
Beat Friend is the first offering from audio.computer, a UK-based duo making ‘benevolent, semi-autonomous music machines’. Beat Friend is an analogue drum machine, using circuits based on the ‘twin-t’s from the legendary Roland CR-78. Each drum has a slider that changes the drum’s complexity within one of the 30+ preset patterns, which already allows hundreds of variations on any given beat.
But wait! There’s more! Turning the Enthusiasm knob allows Beat Friend to add or subtract notes from the pattern as it sees fit, either keeping the pulse of the pattern or going completely off piste. It's like having an enthusiastic robot Labrador playing a 70's electronic drum kit just for you.
All the sounds are routed through a Triforce of digital and analogue effects, which...well, you just have to turn knobs to find out what they do. If you’ve ever wanted to base a track on a 7/8 samba through a bit-and sample crusher, then this is the unit for you.
And, sure, if you’re a control freak who absolutely must design every bar, you can control the drums individually via MIDI. It even includes a letterpress-printed manual, numbered to match your unit.
Beat Friend plays in glorious mono and is powered by a universal 12V power supply (included in the box).




The 'Enthusiasm' control is a probabilistic pattern manipulator, introducing dynamic variation by adding or removing hits. Depending on its setting, it can subtly adjust patterns or completely reinterpret them in real time, while preserving internal timing logic. This makes Beat Friend capable of evolving performances without MIDI sequencing. The unit outputs in mono, with all voices mixed and routed through a three-stage FX chain comprising both analogue and digital processes:
Effects Section:
Bit and Sample Reduction: Digital degradation tools allowing variable resolution and rate, creating crushed, lo-fi textures.
Analogue Filter Stage: Voice-mixed signal passes through a resonant filter for tonal shaping and movement.
Dynamic Saturation/Drive: Analogue saturation adds harmonic content and mild distortion, tuned for drum voices.
Technical Specifications:
Voice Architecture: Twin-T based analogue drum circuits (inspired by Roland CR-78)
Patterns: 30+ onboard rhythm patterns with real-time complexity control
Pattern Manipulation: "Enthusiasm" control introduces probabilistic variation
Effects Chain: Bit/sample crusher, analogue filter, analogue saturation
Connectivity:
MIDI In (for full manual pattern/sequencer control)
Mono audio output
12V DC universal power supply - centre pin positive, 500 mA minimum (included).
Construction: Steel chassis with bespoke knobs and screen-printed front panel
Individually numbered, letterpress-printed manual matched to unit serial