Grendel Drone Commander (v1)

Drone Commander

Grendel DC-2e Drone Commander 2 for Eurorack available now!

Hi, I really love the Drone Commander and I am very sad and bummed now that its not being made.

We apologize sincerely to anybody who wanted a Drone Commander classic. It is not in production any more, and all stock is sold out. If you are seeking one, try eBay, and see the notes below about packing it carefully for shipping. There’s no need to message us ‘just in case’.

What’s the story behind it? It was designed by me in about two weeks. More than 750 were assembled, largely by hand, largely by one person, over a span of six years. That is a lot of time to gather feedback from users and critically evaluate every feature, every manufacturing step, every failure mode, every business transaction, almost every molecule of a product. Not to mention the accumulation of personal insight on its playability, appearance, and sound quality. I spent three to five hours of my own time assembling each Drone Commander classic, and tested every one with my own hands and ears.

After making about 500 of them, it became tedious. After building another 250, I was more than ready to move on and apply the accumulated experience to newer designs.  How much experience?  Thousands of hours spent on assembly work, and thousands more hours spent on research and development for new ideas.

In short, the decision to discontinue this product was not taken lightly. Thank you for helping our company grow.

Archer

Rare Waves LLC

— Original Description —

With a total of 9 knobs, the Drone Commander offers two manually-tuned oscillators and two LFOs, plus an unusually colorful and nasty filter. LFO1 is an analog variable-shape oscillator, and LFO2 is a pulse waveform that auto-synchronizes to LFO1 at a ratio of 2x, 4x, 8x, or 16x. Both LFOs can be routed to the filter for rhythmic patterns. A line-level output jack is provided for connection to amplifiers or effects.

— Shipping Instructions —

Buying a used Grendel Drone Commander from somebody on eBay? Make sure the seller packages the item carefully to avoid shipping damage and D.O.A. merchandise.  Like most electronics, it can be damaged by dropping it on a hard surface.  Ask the seller to follow these guidelines:

  • Do not use newspaper or styrofoam peanuts as packing material – only use bubble wrap
  • Choose a box that allows at least two inches (5 cm) of clearance on all sides
  • Wrap the unit with at least two inches (5 cm) of bubble wrap on all sides
  • Label the box FRAGILE