Programmer - Preset Mode

The original CR-78 included 17 preset pattern buttons arranged in two rows, with a master A/B switch variation switch for a total of 34 preset patterns. It also allowed users to program their own patterns, albeit in a rather clumsy fashion - don't worry, we fixed that, but more about that later.

Playing Preset Patterns

To play a preset pattern, make sure the Play Mode switch is set to Preset, click one of the preset pattern buttons, and press the Start/Stop button. If you're not seeing the multicolored preset buttons,. Note that each button has two separate variations, selectable via the Rhythm A/B switch. Most of the buttons contain two similar variations; the B version is usually slightly more complex. A few of the buttons do double-duty with two completely separate rhythms as indicated on the panel.

Clicking one the red Cancel buttons at the end of the row stops the pattern at the end of the bar. If a new pattern is selected while in play mode, CR-78 waits until the beginning of the next bar to switch patterns.

Don't let the bad-home-organ names fool you - some of the seemingly silly patterns often become really cool in conjunction with the Cancel Voice buttons - for example, Blondie's "Heart of Glass" is basically the Rhumba pattern with the bass drum and snare muted.

Combining Patterns

On the original CR-78, you could simultaneously play two beats at once by pressing a button in each horizontal row. The original unit's mechanical buttons worked something like an old TV, where pressing one button in a row caused the currently pressed button to turn off, but with a little coercion, it was also possible to hit multiple buttons in a single row. This caused the drum machine equivalent of mixing Big Gulp soda flavors at the 7-Eleven: sometimes it works out great and sometimes it resulted in a mucky mess.

Two rhythms can be combined with Cherry CR-78 by selecting the first pattern as usual, then shift-clicking the second one. A pattern can be canceled by shift-clicking again. Only two patterns can play at once, but believe us - anything more sounds like the electronic equivalent of Keith Moon and The Muppets' Animal meeting in a dark (and overly percussive) alley.

If two patterns are playing, one in the top row and one in the bottom row, clicking the respective row's Cancel button will turn off the pattern playing in the row at the end of the bar, but the pattern in the other row will continue to play.