software

i was flippin through something guitar center sent me the other day amp; i saw a drum machine in there, i had been wanting to pick one up for a while just dont know which one to get...suggestions ?

Alesis SR-16.

I demo'd the Boss DR-880 (I think that was its #). It was a great machine but I was much more comfortable using and making custom loops so I returned it. It was close to $500 and could also do bass parts. It also had a guitar processor built-in similar to a POD XT that was pretty neat.

DR-3 is a great, butt-simple unit.

I know next to nothing about hardware drum machines, but for the computer you can't beat Reason IMO.

1 on the alesis sr-16 if you just need a simple drum machine with no other bells and whistles. you can get them pretty cheap these days.

Depends on what your needs are. For recording and practicing, you get better sounds and options with software. I use either Steinberg's Groove Agent for normal drums, or Spectrasonic's Stylus RMX for more out-there stuff. If you want to be portable and don't have a laptop, you may be forced into a hardware machine.

I use a Boss DR-770 and get some killer sounds out of it.