Rainy Day Hailstorm: Touch-Driven Percussion Sequencer

The Hailstorm from Rainy Day Electronic Instruments offers a refreshing take on drum programming. This compact groovebox puts rhythm creation at your fingertips with a unique touch-based interface that makes pattern building feel more like playing an instrument than programming a machine.

Touch-Based Sequencing

At the heart of Hailstorm are four capacitive touch strips, one for each voice. These strips let you record patterns by simply sliding your finger along them. The higher you touch on a strip, the more frequently that voice triggers. It's an approach that encourages experimentation and happy accidents while keeping the creative flow moving.

Each voice runs both an internal drum synthesizer and a sample simultaneously. The Mix knob lets you blend between the two sound sources, opening up possibilities for layered textures that go beyond typical drum machines.

Sound Design Tools

The device offers several ways to shape your sounds. Beyond the basic trigger patterns, you can switch modes to adjust level, pitch, decay, and shuffle for each voice independently. The pitch mode includes glide controls, letting you create melodic drum patterns with smooth transitions between notes.

Five global effects expand the sonic palette: reverb for space, beat repeat for stuttering fills, global pitch adjustment, a lowpass filter, and a granular delay line. All of these can be automated and recorded into your sequences.

Storage and Connectivity

Hailstorm includes 8MB of memory for custom samples, accessed via SD card. You can store up to 12 sample kits and 12 sequences, with the ability to chain both sequences and kit changes independently for building longer compositions.

Connectivity covers MIDI In/Out via TRS-A jacks, USB for MIDI and audio interface functionality, stereo line output, and analog sync I/O. The sync capabilities work with a range of devices from Pocket Operators to modular systems.

Workflow Features

Recording patterns is straightforward. Hit the Record button, play the touch strips however you want, and stop when done. Knob movements can also be recorded for dynamic automation. The Clear button lets you erase individual voices or knob automation, with a momentary hold option for quick edits.

The Mode button gives access to different control pages, letting the same four touch strips handle triggers, levels, pitch, decay, shuffle, or effects depending on what you need at the moment.

Firmware 2.0 added an online editor called HAILMAKER for customizing drum sounds, plus features like exponential envelopes and per-track glide controls. This update expanded the device's sound design capabilities without adding complexity to the interface.

Hands-On Design

The interface stays simple with just four knobs handling global volume, reverb, decay, and the synth-to-sample mix. Mute buttons below each touch strip provide quick performance control. An LED indicates the sequencer position, turning green on the first beat, yellow on half the phrase, and white for other steps.

The Hailstorm represents a thoughtful balance of features and hands-on control. Its touch-based interface offers an immediate, expressive way to build drum patterns, while the hybrid sound engine and effects provide depth for crafting unique rhythmic textures.