drum machine

American  

noun

1. a device that simulates percussion sounds in various combinations and rhythms, and can alter digitally stored drum sounds or make digital recordings of drum sounds.

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drum machine British  

noun

1. a synthesizer specially programmed to reproduce the sound of drums and other percussion instruments in variable rhythms and combinations selected by the musician; the resulting beat is produced continually until stopped or changed

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Example Sentences

“Tonic” is one of several tracks in which the hurdy-gurdy is processed to resemble a snarling guitar, and a drum machine implies a relationship to experimental rock.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 3, 2026

The show’s producers were always pushing to save money, Groening says, and to have the show scored with synthesizers and a drum machine — par for the course for TV music in the 1990s.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 19, 2025

Other visitors sit attentively, following the step-by-step tutorials on how to use a drum machine or create a sample.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 12, 2025

Adjuah mixes in the odd SPD-SX drum machine or other synthesized percussion, but the album features almost nothing but acoustic percussion, vocals and the occasional sound of trees rustling or birds cawing.

From New York Times • Jul. 27, 2023

I told myself to stay calm, but my heart thrummed like a drum machine.

From "Hollow City" by Ransom Riggs