Like the kings and queens of pre-annexation Hawai'i ('sup, Sarah Vowell), the Roland Octapad SPD-30 has a long and storied lineage. Building on the successful design of the SPD-20, the newest Octapad adds better triggers, more sounds, a nicer user interface, and a fairly flexibly built-in phrase looper.

The majority of this demo is devoted to an examination of the Looper functions on the Roland SPD-30, during which non-drummer Owen O'Malley bravely attempts to lay down a 3/4 groove inspired by the world music he never listens to. If you like this video demo, you'll love Owen's solo album Ragas in the Key of White Guy.