HAINBACH Unleashes the BME Rattlesnake: Electro Monster from Luxembourg

Let’s not mess about – the Rattlesnake’s clap is legendary. HAINBACH singles it out as one of the best ever, and after hearing it in action, it’s hard to argue. Every hit is alive, slightly different, and dripping with character. This isn’t some sterile sample pack – it’s a living, breathing sound that’ll cut through any mix. If you’re after a machine with a signature move, the Rattlesnake’s clap is its knockout punch.

HAINBACH doesn’t just demo the Rattlesnake – he wires it up to his modular rig and lets chaos reign. With a bit of soldering and a car diagnostic breakout box (because why not?), he gets the Rattlesnake talking to his Surge modular. Suddenly, this old drum box is spitting out patterns, drones, and glitched-out textures that sound like a toaster-fight in a power station.

The real fun starts when he pushes the machine to its limits, running white noise through the voices and abusing the parametric and screen sound controls. The result? Sonic territory that’s way beyond what the original designers probably imagined. If you want to see a drum machine get truly unhinged, you’ll need to watch the video – words can only hint at the mayhem.

The story wraps with a bittersweet look at BME’s fate. Despite almost inventing the sampling drum machine before anyone else, Baumann was steamrolled by the rise of Japanese giants and digital tech. He bailed from the instrument game, leaving behind a handful of wild machines and a reputation for innovation that never quite got its due.

HAINBACH points out that Baumann’s creations, especially the Rattlesnake, still feel fresh and dangerous today. But with the man himself uninterested in a comeback and most of BME’s history lost to time (except for a few dedicated websites), these machines are now cult artefacts. If you want to hear what analog rebellion sounds like, you’ll have to hunt one down – or just watch HAINBACH push it to the edge.