Hügelton Instruments Trix: emulation of the Roland TR-66 Rhythm Arranger

Hügelton Instruments Trix is a new, authentic emulation of the Roland TR-66 Rhythm Arranger (1973) for macOS and Windows.

At the beginning of the month, developer Hügelton Instruments attracted attention with the Kepra plugin. It emulates the Korg KPR-77, a drum machine no company had previously emulated. His second plugin follows the same approach with less popular instruments.

Hügelton Instruments has released Trix, a new drum machine that emulates a Roland TR device from the past, long in the shadow of the great 808 and 909.

Hügelton Instruments Trix

Trix is a new drum machine plugin for macOS and Windows that emulates the Roland TR-66 Rhythm Arranger. It was released in 1973 and preceded the famous CR-line of CompuRhythm drum machines, including the legendary CR-78.

Strictly speaking, the TR-66 was not a drum machine as we know them today but a rhythm arranger. It offered 18 initial drum patterns that could be arranged into various style patterns.

Trix is ​​a plugin that emulates this instrument and transforms it into a programmable drum machine. Hügeltone Instruments admits to using generative AI (Claude and Codex) for coding assistance and running the testing pipeline. 

According to him, however, he did the hardware analysis and sound design, and created the visual design and all graphical assets. You can tell because the plugin doesn’t look like many AI plugins.

Trix doesn’t use samples, but every sound is a fully synthesized model based on the original electronic circuits. On top of that, each instrument has various tweakable parameters, making it an independent drum synth voice.

For example, the bass drum is tuneable and shapeable with a tone and decay envelope. The plugin also adds a low conga, derived as an extension of the original percussive architecture. In total, Trix uses 12 independent instruments/voices:

• bass drum: tune, tone, decay 
• rim/claves: tune, decay 
• snare drum: tune, snap, decay
• hi-hat: metal, decay
• cymbal: decay 
• conga: tune, decay
• bongo: tune, decay
• cowbell: tune, decay
• cymbal: metal 
• lo conga: tune 
• hi conga: tune 
• hi bongo: tune 
• lo bongo: tune 
• noise: tone
• metal: tune 

 

Sequencing & Arranging

The front panel features a mixer that lets you mix each instrument individually into the overall sound. In the same row, you get an adjustable accent, a filter, and a drive to shape the global sound. A volume knob is also available.

Now you need to fuse the sounds into a rhythm. Hügelton Instruments Trix offers both worlds: arranging like in a TR-66 and classic sequencing.

In the lower-right section, you’ll find the arranger part that ships with all the original hardware patterns. You can slow or speed them up and create two variations (A/B). Below the mixer is ​​a classic step sequencer, which wasn’t present in the original.

Here, you can create new patterns and edit them in a classic XOX way. You can dive deeper with the edit button, with which you can access the pattern editor. Of course, you can clock it: manually via the internal, DAW host, or via MIDI clock.

First Impression

We often get emulations of the same drum machines: TR-808, TR-909… It’s nice that Hügeltone Instruments emulates less legendary instruments that are not yet available as plugins. The TR-66 is certainly one that we did not expect as software

I can’t say how authentic this is, as I don’t have the hardware. But it sounds very solid to me, and at $3-$5 you can’t go wrong.

Hügelton Instruments Trix is available now for an introductory price of $3 and will increase to $5 in seven days. It runs as a VST3 and AU plugin on macOS (native Apple Silicon + Intel) and Windows.

More information here: Hügelton Instruments 

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