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Behringer RD-765: 176 Drum Sounds and an Onboard Sampler
Behringer's RD-765 is a hybrid drum machine with 176 sounds, onboard sampling, a 64-step sequencer and an analogue filter, listed at $374 at Thomann.
E
Elena Marsh
November 4, 2026 · 9 min read
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Behringer has announced the RD-765, a hybrid drum machine that pairs 176 built-in drum sounds with an onboard sampler, a 64-step sequencer and an analogue filter. It channels the golden era of sampled drum machines, the sound that ran through so much 1980s pop and early hip hop, then adds modern pattern tools those classic boxes never had. It's listed at $374 at Thomann, with units rolling out worldwide after a late-October debut.
At a glance: 176 built-in drum sounds plus user sampling, with each sample tunable across 24 semitones; a Wave Designer attack control, a dual-mode analogue filter and a bitcrusher for shaping; a 64-step sequencer with swing, per-voice probability and real-time filter recording; MIDI and USB, and the free Synthtribe editor. $374 at Thomann. An affordable, hands-on way into vintage sampled drum sounds, not a flagship.
What is the Behringer RD-765?
The RD-765 is a standalone drum machine built around sampled sounds rather than pure analogue circuits. Behringer calls its launch video "A Golden Era of Drums in One Machine", and that is the pitch: the dry, punchy, slightly gritty PCM drums that defined 1980s machines like the Roland TR-707, gathered into one modern box with a sampler bolted on.
That places it between two worlds. Classic sample-playback drum machines gave you fixed sounds and a simple sequencer. Modern grooveboxes let you load your own samples and process them. The RD-765 does both: 176 ready-made sounds for instant familiarity, plus a sampler so your own kicks, snares and found sounds sit alongside them. At $374 it undercuts almost every current drum machine with sampling, which is the whole reason it exists.
What's new in the RD-765
176 built-in sounds, plus your own samples
The RD-765 ships with 176 drum sounds on board, enough to build most classic and modern kits without touching a computer. The more interesting part is the user sampling menu: you can record your own samples straight into the machine and assign them to an instrument channel, so a sampled 808, a vinyl snare or a vocal chop plays from a pad like any factory sound. Each sample can be tuned up or down across a 24-semitone range, which turns one recording into a playable row of pitched hits, a quick route to melodic toms, tuned stabs or sub kicks.
Wave Designer, analogue filter and bitcrusher
Three sound-shaping tools sit over the top. The Wave Designer sets the attack of a sound, so you can exaggerate a transient for a snappier snare or soften it for a rounder kick. The dual-mode analogue filter runs as a low-pass or high-pass and can be assigned to single voices, so you can roll the top off the hats without touching the kick, or sweep one element in a build. A bitcrusher reduces the bit depth of a sample for lo-fi grit, the kind of controlled degradation that suits trap, lo-fi and vintage electro.
A 64-step sequencer with probability and swing
The sequencer records in real time or step by step, up to 64 steps per pattern. Swing runs from 25 to 75, so you can push a groove from stiff to loose. Per-voice probability sets how likely each note is to trigger, which is the feature that keeps a loop from sounding like a loop: set the hats or a percussion layer to fire only some of the time and a four-bar pattern stops repeating exactly. You can also record filter-cutoff moves in real time into a pattern, so a hat sweep or a rising filter becomes part of the groove rather than a separate automation lane.
Synthtribe editor and connectivity
The RD-765 connects over MIDI and USB, so it slots into a hardware setup or syncs to a DAW. The free Synthtribe companion software (version 3.3.0, for Windows and macOS) handles firmware updates and deeper configuration from a computer. A multi-language PDF manual covers the rest.
Behringer RD-765 specifications
| Spec | Detail |
|---|---|
| Developer | Behringer |
| Type | Hybrid drum machine with onboard sampling |
| Built-in sounds | 176 drum sounds |
| Sampling | Record your own samples and assign to an instrument channel |
| Sample tuning | Up or down across 24 semitones |
| Shaping | Wave Designer attack control, dual-mode analogue filter (low-pass or high-pass), bitcrusher |
| Filter routing | Assignable to single voices |
| Sequencer | 64 steps, real-time or step input |
| Groove | Swing 25 to 75, per-voice probability |
| Automation | Real-time recording of filter-cutoff moves into patterns |
| Connectivity | MIDI, USB |
| Editor | Synthtribe v3.3.0 (Windows, macOS) |
| Price | $374 at Thomann |
| Availability | Global rollout after an October 2026 debut |
RD-765 vs Roland TR-1000
The RD-765 and Roland's flagship TR-1000 answer the same question, sampled and classic drums in one box, from opposite ends of the price list.
| Behringer RD-765 | Roland TR-1000 | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $374 at Thomann | Around £2,299 |
| Engine | 176 sampled sounds plus user sampling | True analogue TR-808/909 tones, plus ACB, FM and PCM |
| Sampler | Record and assign your own samples, 24-semitone tuning | 64 GB onboard sampler, around 46 GB free |
| Sequencer | 64 steps, swing, per-voice probability | 16 steps x 8 variations, 2,048 user patterns |
| Filter | Dual-mode analogue, per voice | Multi-mode filter plus deep instrument and master FX |
| Best for | A cheap, hands-on sampled drum box | A no-compromise flagship studio centrepiece |
Which to pick: if you want genuine analogue 808 and 909 circuits, a huge onboard sampler and the deepest engine in the category, the TR-1000 is the top of the range and priced like it. Our Roland TR-1000 v1.50 first look covers what that money buys. The RD-765 is for everyone else: producers who want classic drums, a sampler for their own sounds and real-time filter moves for roughly a sixth of the price. If you're weighing the whole category, our guide to the best drum machines of 2026 lays out the options, and our Roland TR-8 tips show what a sampling drum machine can do in a track.
Who the RD-765 is for
Buy it if you want classic drum sounds and your own samples in one standalone box, and you'd rather spend the money on a hardware sequencer you can play than on a high-end machine. It suits beatmakers, lo-fi and electro producers, and anyone building a hardware setup who wants an inexpensive, capable drum brain with a filter and probability.
Skip it if you need a true analogue engine, since these are sampled sounds, not analogue circuits. Skip it too if software covers you: a plugin like Drumazon 2 models a classic 909 inside your DAW for less fuss. And if you want the premium option with a giant sampler and the deepest feature set, the TR-1000 is the machine, at many times the price.
How much does the RD-765 cost?
- $374 at Thomann, the current listed price, with availability shown as rolling out over the coming months after the October 2026 launch.
- The free Synthtribe editor for Windows and macOS is included for firmware and configuration.
Prices and stock vary by region and are still settling in after launch, so check the current figure before you order.
Check price on ThomannFAQ
How much does the Behringer RD-765 cost?
It's listed at $374 at Thomann. Stock is still filling in worldwide after the October 2026 debut, so availability and the exact price vary by region.
Can the RD-765 sample my own sounds?
Yes. It has an onboard sampling menu: record a sample, assign it to an instrument channel, and play it from a pad like a factory sound. Each sample can be tuned up or down across 24 semitones.
RD-765 vs Roland TR-1000: which should I buy?
The RD-765 is a $374 sampled drum machine with a sampler, an analogue filter and a 64-step sequencer. The Roland TR-1000 is a top-tier machine at around £2,299 with true analogue 808 and 909 circuits and a 64 GB sampler. Pick the RD-765 for value and classic sounds, the TR-1000 if you need the analogue engine and depth.
How does the RD-765 connect to a computer?
Over MIDI and USB. The free Synthtribe software for Windows and macOS handles firmware updates and deeper configuration.
Verdict
The RD-765 is Behringer doing what it does best: taking a familiar idea, in this case the sampled drum machine, and making it cheap enough that the price stops being the reason not to buy. The 176 built-in sounds cover the golden-era territory the launch video promises, the sampler and 24-semitone tuning let your own hits join them, and per-voice probability plus real-time filter recording give the sequencer more life than the classics it evokes. It's not an analogue machine and it's not a flagship, so if you want real 808 circuits or a 64 GB sampler you're looking at the TR-1000 and its price tag. But at $374, with sampling, a proper analogue filter and a 64-step sequencer you can play, the RD-765 is one of the easiest ways into hands-on drum programming this year. Check stock in your region, because the rollout is still catching up with the launch.
