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Erica Synths Perkons HD-01 Drum Machine and Rhythm Synthesizer - Black Certified Open Box

4-voice Drum Machine with 4-track Sequencer, 4 Trigger Inputs, Multimode Analog Filter, FX Send/Returns, BBD Delay, and Modulation LFO - Black
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Item ID: PerkonsBkd1
Erica Synths Perkons HD-01 Drum Machine and Rhythm Synthesizer - Black

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This returned item is in excellent condition and is in perfect working order. Includes all original accessories. The item ships in its original packaging which shows some signs of wear.

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Erica Synths Perkons HD-01 Drum Machine and Rhythm Synthesizer - Black
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A Thunderous Hybrid Drum Machine!

Named for the Baltic thunder god, the Erica Synths Perkons HD-01 drum machine is a roaring rhythm synthesizer that will supercharge your music like a lightning bolt! Boasting four hybrid voices, each with three digital sound engine modes and a multimode analog filter, Perkons is primed for creating unique rhythmic textures. An intuitive 4-track step sequencer makes generating patterns a breeze. Plus, advanced features — including step division and multiplication, ratcheting, probability, and swing — ensure that you’re never kicking out stale beats. Onboard effects include an emulated bucket brigade delay, an optical compressor, and a master overdrive control. Individual voice outputs and send/returns expand the sonic potential of Perkons, allowing you to augment your beats with external effects. To top it off, Perkons is housed in a gorgeous and sturdy chassis, with a vintage-inspired look that stands out onstage and in the studio!

Digital sound engine and analog filters

With Perkons, you have command over four hybrid voices to craft complex rhythmic patterns. Each voice boasts three digital sound engine modes, a multimode analog filter with selectable highpass, bandpass, and lowpass modes, and eight controls for precise sound design. Kits and patterns can be saved to 64 onboard memory slots, with additional storage via SD card. Sequence the kits with Perkons' built-in sequencer or trigger them in real time with a drum pad controller, a keyboard, or an external sequencer. Additionally, each voice has a dedicated output to give you greater flexibility to process your kits.

Intuitive sequencer with performance controls

The Perkons sequencer comprises four 16-step pattern lanes, enhanced with real-time performance controls. Each pattern lane offers four time-division settings and four time-multiplication settings, per-step ratcheting, and probability, as well as four shuffle algorithms to get you into the groove! Beatmakers at Sweetwater love the tactile interface and speedy programming of Perkons — it’s an inspiring beat machine that begs to be played!

Emulated bucket brigade delay and optical compressor

Whether you’re creating a straight-ahead banger or an experimental rhythmic excursion, Perkons opens myriad possibilities with its expansive effects options. First, you have access to an ultra-vibey emulated bucket brigade delay with two-time modes, evocative darkening repeats, modulation with dedicated LFO rate control, and a feedback control that can be driven into self-oscillation. An optical compressor is on deck for giving drum sounds just the right amount of squish, and a master drive control lets you dial up the aggression! What’s more, each voice is equipped with an effects send/return, which allows you to integrate outboard processors and stompboxes. Plus, you can glue a kit together using the master effects send and patching in your favorite reverb unit!

Erica Synths Perkons HD-01 Drum Machine Features:

  • 4 hybrid voices with 3 digital sound engine modes and a multimode analog filter
  • 8 controls per voice for detailed sound design
  • Built-in emulated BBD delay, optical compressor, and master overdrive control
  • Modulation LFO with morphing waveforms, phase shift, and 8 destinations
  • 4-track sequencer, with 4 time divisions/multiplication, per-step ratchets, and probabilities
  • 4 shuffle algorithms get you in the groove
  • Velocity-sensitive trigger inputs for use with drum pads and other external controllers
  • Individual outputs and send/returns for each voice
  • 64 onboard kit and pattern memory slots; additional memory available via SD card
  • 5-pin MIDI I/O
  • Housed in a rugged metal chassis
What is Certified Open Box Gear?

At Sweetwater, we're so picky that what we call "Certified Open Box" is actually better than what most music retailers sell as "new" gear! Our gear hasn't endured hundreds of people a week plunking away at all the keyboards, fumbling through Stairway to Heaven on every guitar or playing with every fader and knob on a mixer or control surface.

Certified Open Box (also known as a demo) means we’ve had it out of the box for our YouTube channel, displayed at events, tested in our studio, or maybe it was in a customer’s hands for a few days and isn’t ‘factory fresh’ as a result. Every Certified Open Box item we sell has Sweetwater’s 2-year Total Confidence Coverage™ warranty and has been tested and verified up to ‘new’ specs by our factory-authorized technicians to make sure it’s in perfect working order before we ship it to you.

When you buy a Certified Open Box item at Sweetwater, you get:
  • 2-year Total Confidence Coverage Warranty™!
  • Products inspected and tested by our factory-authorized techs, guaranteed to function like new (or better)!
  • FREE shipping on most items
  • Equipment that will MEET or EXCEED your expectations!

Click HERE to browse our current inventory of Certified Open Box equipment. Purchasing Certified Open Box gear from Sweetwater is a smart and safe way to save!

Warranty Info

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Tech Specs

  • Type: Perkons HD-01 Synthesizer, Black
  • Pads: 64 x Step Buttons
  • Polyphony: 4-voice
  • Kits: 64 x Kits
  • Patterns: 64 x Patterns
  • Sequencer: 4-track
  • Effects: BBD Emulation, Compressor, HP/BP/LP Filter Modes
  • Analog Inputs: 5 x 1/4" (return)
  • Analog Outputs: 1 x 1/4" (master), 5 x 1/4" (send)
  • Headphones: 1 x 1/4" TRS
  • MIDI I/O: In/Out
  • Other I/O: 4 x 1/4" (trigger in), 2 x 1/4" (clock in, out)
  • Power Source: 12V DC Power Supply (included)
  • Height: 3.54"
  • Width: 17.87"
  • Depth: 12.4"
  • Weight: 8.15 lbs
  • Manufacturer Part Number: Perkons HD-01 Black

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Reviews

A Truly Thunderous Drum/Synth/Drone Machine
I sprung for the Perkons because of its relative simplicity and focus on performability. It seriously delivers on both of those fronts, while simultaneously sounding absolutely earth-shaking. Incredible for drums of course, but I also love the ability to use it as a four-voice synthesizer and drone machine as well. Excited to see where Erica Synths pushes it into the future.
Totally worth it
This beast is fan-bloody-tastic! Unique machine! Aaron Cieslikowski is hands down the best sales rep in this organization.
Music background: Synth player, recording engineer, producer
A beast!
This thing is bloody brilliant! Well worth every penny? Aaron Cieslikowski is the best rep here by miles.
Music background: Industrial, metal.
WHAT?!?
Not sure what the previous reviewer was talkin about. Just turn the knobs man.. that's what this machine is ALL about.. that is what machines like this are designed for. No complications anywhere on this amazing and beautifully designed machine. It's a very instinctual box. In fact I found myself not even paying attention to what every knob / switch was "called". Close your eyes.. turn knobs.. and be surprised by the results! AMAZING drum machine with no real competitors.
Music background: User, abuser and confuser of many devices. Producer, engineer, sound designer, youtube contnt creator, multi instrumentalist.
Wasn't For Me
I've had my eye on the Perkons for a very long time, and had been very hopeful that it could replace either my Elektron gear (extremely tweaky with a powerful sequencer and beautiful tone) and/or Roland TR-8S (immediate, musical, but bounded to XOX). The Perkons is visually beautiful and very tactile, and there are gorgeous sounds buried inside. I had studied the manual for about a month before buying it, and made the decision to return it after a few days. I really appreciate Sweetwater's no bologna return policy (thanks, Bob).

I think there are three elements that combine to make the Perkons fairly confusing: 1) While the entire instrument is laid out on the front panel, you don't actually know the state of the knobs before turning them (normal for a lot of gear), 2) The sound engines seem to prioritize "happy accidents" over "I know what is happening," and 3) The sequencer needs motion sequencing and trigger parameter locks to sound musical. That might work for some EDM artists who are comfortable shaping a stochastic process, however I'd prefer to know what is actually happening.

The implementation of the the Odds1 and Odds2 left me scratching my head. The box already has an awesome probabilities function that gives you scalable randomness. The Odds function, at least in my mind, would exist to help you deterministically turn 16 steps into 32 or 64 steps by placing beats in particular bars. The chosen ratios don't allow this, and instead have goofy ratios like 4/5 or 7/8. In practice, this is effectively random, and is then redundant with the probabilities function. I really don't understand this design decision.

The sound engines are unique and might work for some artists. As mentioned above, I found them confusing to program with a lot of interaction between the exposed parameters. The fold drum is probably your main axe for kicks and toms, and is seemingly aimed at very hard edged sounds. The snare is special and almost merits the full cost, I would describe it as a woodier version of an 808. The high hats were very disappointing in my opinion. The sample based algorithms were ok but not special, and the noise+tone algorithms were perplexing. There is almost no "clang" in the "tone" aspect of this algorithm, and I don't usually use beeps for HH.

I do think this box still deserves 4 stars, and I am interested to see what future firmware updates bring. I think some of the above could be fixed with "system settings" choice of algorithms, a complete rewrite of the high hats, and something to make the sequencer more predictable and musical. Programmers using an external sequencer or DAW might have more luck, as I don't think the advertised "everything is on the panel" ends up being true in practice. Playing the Perkons with a drum pad might also work well.

Even with these critiques, there is still a lot to like in this box, and I would strongly consider buying it again if some of this stuff got fixed.
Music background: Classically trained / Almost got somewhere