# Writing about not missing the classic Roland sounds I was really just referring to the 808 & 909.
Part of my experience with the LM Drum has been loading 505, 606 and 7X7 samples. While they're iconic in their own right, the 8 & 9 are the big ones.
Before (and during) writing my review of it, I mentioned that that the only way to get to grips with a piece of gear was by really focusing on it. That's essentially what I've being doing with this.
The RD-8 and RD-9 are not currently connected and, with the variety offered by the LM Drum, I've not been missing the classic Roland sounds.
Just switching between sample banks (and being able to create my own) has been enough to trigger fresh inspiration, especially with the way the machine works.
The workflow is also more relaxed than the others mentioned above. For example, on the RD-8 & 9 you have to switch between Mute and Pattern modes whereas, on the LM, the layout allows access to both at the same time.
They say that just buying a new piece of gear won't make you happy or make better music, but that's exactly what's been happening.
Recently, I think it was on kne if the Android news sites, I came across the app PixelPlay which was in it's initial beta.
The app is designed to be the audio player that Pixels should have had. It uses Material 3 Expressive and has a very Pixel-like look to it — even down to the wavy track progress bar you get in the media notification.
It's still only on v0.3.0 but is becoming a solid app. The developer is also very engaged and responds to issues quickly, taking feedback on board.
They say the best way to test an app is to use it, and that's exactly what I'm doing. With this third beta, it is stable enough for me to use as my primary audio player and I'm loving it.
# I've been getting a number of spam comments lately so have enabled comment moderation while I take a look at alternative ways to catch them.
