In this video, Alex Ball explores the history of the rare Simmons SDS-3 Drum Synthesizer from 1978.

The Simmons SDS-3 was created by Dave Simmons when he was working for a company called Musicaid, in the late 70s.

It was the precursor to the Simmons SDS-V, with its distinctive hexagonal pads that became an iconic instrument of the 80’s.

Ball has also shared a sample pack based on the SDS-3 (.zip).

You can find out more about classic Simmons devices at the online Simmons Museum.