AudioKit Pro Super 606 Drums is a new open-source, authentic Roland TR-606 emulation that runs on your iOS mobile device
Between 1981 and 1984, Roland built the TR-606 analog drum machine. Compared to the TR-808 and TR-909, it was lightweight and also had a crisper, mid-focused, and punchy character. All three have one thing in common today: they’re legendary.
Today, the situation is reversed. Roland went digital with the Boutique TR-06, and Behringer has re-created it old-fashioned with the RD-6, aka the analog TR-606 clone for everyone. For those who prefer a portable option, AudioKit Pro has just dropped Super 606 Drums, an emulation for on the go.
Thanks to Matthew Fecher at AudioKit Pro for giving me access to the beta, which let me take a closer look at the app.
AudioKit Pro Super 606 Drums
Positive
- 100% synthesis, no samples
- open-source engine!
- many pages, but a playful, hands-on, and fun interface
- high sound quality (on the same level as the Roland Cloud version)
- added features
- AUv3 support with multi-output
- magic pattern generator
- MIDI note playable
Neutral
- I can’t verify the 100% authenticity (I don’t have an original TR-606)
Negative
- No macOS AUv3 support
AudioKit Pro Super 606 Drums
Super 606 Drums is a new authentic emulation of the Roland TR-606 analog drum machine for iOS (iPhone and iPad). As usual with AudioKit Pro, macOS is left out.
Getting started is easy: download from the App Store, and you’re ready to go with the standalone version. It also includes an AUv3 plugin, so you can integrate it into your favorite iOS DAW or host.
AudioKit Pro aims to make the TR-606 sounds with the Super 606 Drums code accessible to everyone. To do so, they offer the app during the introductory period for a very affordable $4,99. On top of that, the code is open-source and freely available on GitHub.
The code has been online since last Friday, and someone has already ported the TR-606 to Ableton Move Schung (formerly Move Everything).
Analog Modeling, No Samples
Super 606 Drums includes the typical elements of a drum machine: independent voices with various parameters, an XOX-style sequencer, a fader-based mixer, two-level drum pads, and built-in effects.
The core is 100% synthesis, not samples! Matthew Fecher analyzed the analog circuits and recreated all eight instruments using analog modeling technology: kick, snare, lo tom, hi tom, closed hat, open hat, cymbal, and clap.
Who found the mistake? Yes, the original Roland TR-606 from 1981 only had 7 and didn’t feature a clap. This one was modeled after the Behringer RD-6, a hardware clone.
Each instrument in Super 606 Drums is an independent drum synth voice you can adjust with various parameters:
- kick: tune, decay, pan, thud, heat, and XL
- snare: tune, decay, pan, snappy, and tone
- and lo tom, hi tom, closed hat, open hat, cymbal, and clap: tune, decay, and pan
Choosing analog modeling is a major advantage because it lets you design and fine-tune the drums down to the last detail, like a synth. With samples, pitch control is usually the best option. And there is no sample import function; the app is pure synthesis.
All 8 sounds sound excellent. I have the Roland Cloud TR-606 as a plugin, and I compared them. There are no significant, audible differences. In my opinion, he nailed them in this comparison.
However, I can’t compare its vintage authenticity as I don’t have a TR-606 hardware. Check AudioKit Pro’s official video, where Matthew compares the hardware, the cloud, and the app.
You can easily mix the individual sounds in the 9-channel mixer. 9 because each instrument has its own channel, plus the accent also has a dedicated one with level control. Each channel has mute and solo buttons, so you can quickly add and remove sounds.
Play & Program Sounds
Playing sounds and creating patterns from them is just as easy as building them. Maybe even easier than on the current hardware boxes.
The XOX-style sequencer has up to 32 steps (16 standard) with four rhythmic grid modes to choose from: 16th, 32nd, 8th-note triplets, and 16th-note triplets. Polymetric patterns, yes! You can do this with the last step function in each lane.
You can program it in three ways: tap your beat, program step by step, or use a magic sauce. Perhaps the most classic method is playing the sounds live in the soft machine.
AudioKit Pro’s Super 606 Drums offers a dedicated interface page with two drum pads for each sound. You can also program accents from this page. If you have less of a feel for live beats, you can also program patterns step by step.
The third option is the one-button drum machine pro built right into the app, or better known as the magical pattern generator. It’s super fun and creates fresh, usable beats at the push of a button.
To make the beats more engaging, you also have a smart fills button that generates fills that fit your beat. I am skeptical about generative tools, but I was pleasantly surprised by how varied and colorful the patterns it spat out were. If you lack inspiration, you can certainly refer back to this.
The 606 Grooves
Assigning sounds to individual steps is one thing. But the TB-606 hardware flair and feel come primarily from its wonderful extra features. This includes per-channel swing, per-step ghost/dull and accent levels, and nine 606-style flam types.
As a bonus, it comes with a traditional mode that goes ahead of the beat. Matthew Fecher also implemented the substeps, aka ratchets, in 2x, 3x, and 4x from the digital Roland 606 drum machine offering. These unlock more complex and versatile beats.
Super handy: each sound lane in the sequencer also has shortcuts to the mute and solo buttons. Perfect for making instant changes in the pattern during a performance.
And if all else fails, you can import MIDI patterns (Roland Cloud TR-606…) into it with flams and substeps support.
One sequence with only 16 steps? No, each lane can have up to 32 steps and supports polyrhythms (last step). There are eight storable patterns (A-H) in each song that can be chained together.
That works as it should, but I would have greatly appreciated being able to arrange the patterns on a grid and create very long patterns. Patterns can be triggered via MIDI.
Refining Your Drums
The original TR-606 didn’t have effects. They only appeared in the Behringer hardware clone and various software emulations. AudioKit Pro Super 606 Drums also dedicates an entire page to effects.
They’re global, but not all of them. You can route delay and reverb to individual drums. Click the right button next to these effects to modify routing. Perfect for adding a touch of sweetness to certain sounds while leaving others alone, creating some contrast in the beat.
It houses five effects: a vintage-style delay, an overdrive fine-tuned for drum machines, a reverb with lo-cut, a Moog-style ladder filter, and Mangle, a bit-crusher with lo-cut.
Besides the volume and built-in limiter, you’ll find the vintage knob, eeh analog knob that dials in variations into the modeled circuit. This modifies the start position and infuses analog pitch drift. The effect is subtle, but it makes the whole thing more organic.
Integration & Sound Management
Super 606 Drums runs as a standalone app or as an AUv3 plugin. This allows you to run multiple instances if needed. One welcome feature in the AUv3 version is the ability to route the individual outputs separately.
This allows you to mangle individual tracks (kick, snare…) separately with different effects. What’s only possible in the app/plugin with delay and reverb can be done externally with your favorite plugins. Big like for this!
Plus, it comes with all the integration options you could want in 2026, including Ableton Link and MIDI clock sync.
Sound management leaves nothing to be desired. It has two browsers: one for sounds and one for beat patterns, so you can try out new sounds without changing the beat or vice versa. Both include dozens of sounds and ready-to-use, inspiring beats.
Exporting your beats to your favorite desktop DAW or other hardware works like a breeze in AudioKit Pro Super 606 Drums. It can export patterns as a MIDI file, stems, and WAV loops, with or without FX tails.
AudioKit Pro Super 606 Drums Review Conclusion
With Super 606 Drums, Matthew Fecher has created an authentic, all-synthesis-based TR-606 emulation for iOS that matches the original software version in quality but is affordable and accessible without a subscription.
Since I got access to the beta, my fingers keep wandering to Super 606 Drums, whether on my iPhone or iPad. It’s fun and instantly inspiring. And making the code open-source, which would be a well-kept treasure for many developers, is the crowning achievement of this release.
Anyone with an iPhone and/or iPad who’s a fan of the TR-606 simply can’t miss this emulation. It’s affordable (intro $4,99), accessible for everyone (open-source), fits in your pocket, and gives you 606 sounds everywhere, also outside of your cozy studio.
AudioKit Pro Super 606 Drums is available now for an introductory price of $4,99 instead of $19,99. It runs as a standalone and AUv3 plugin on iOS (iPhone and iPad). The code is open source and available on GitHub.
More information here: AudioKit Pro / App Store
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