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This £200 Roland drum machine is one of Cinthie's faves

The Berlin-based producer and label owner reveals her fave bit of kit she got on the cheap...

It can be tempting to drop our pay cheques on the newest, shiniest bits of kit and software for our studio. But there are plenty of hidden gems that, for whatever reason, managed to slip under the radar but still perform and sound like the big boys. This is what My Studio Bargain feature is all about – re-discovering old kit that can give you a powerful sound at a low price. This time it's the turn of Berlin-based Cinthie, owner of at least five labels, radio host, producer, DJ and former Ableton employee – she knows exactly what she's talking about.

Find out what bit of kit she's chosen below and catch her at Printworks in London on February 2nd for Eats Everything's 100th Edible show alongside Alan Fitzpatrick, Green Velvet and Nastia. Find out what Marquis Hawkes chose as his Studio Bargain here

"My [TR-]505 by Roland was a real bargain because I got it for free from my very good friend Holger for my birthday. But even if you want to buy one for yourself it’s under 200 Euros. By now everyone knows how obsessed I am with drum machines and the Roland series in general. I own the 909, 808 and 707 and now also the 505."

"The sounds might not be my first choice when writing music but the machine is really, really handy when it comes to travelling. Put in a few batteries and you can easily put it in your backpack. What’s really important when writing music or especially drums, it’s all about the rhythm. When Mike Huckaby gave my daughter a [NI] Maschine lesson when she was eight, he told me: 'You know what I’ m teaching the kids at the library in Detroit? I teach them rhythm!' For some reason, those words got stuck in my head since then and whenever I can, I take the 505 with me when travelling and practice rhythm patterns in my hotel room."

"I have to say it has done me really well as I’m now very fast when writing my drums or music in general.  Also for a bit more vintage or disco sounds, I love to use the 505. As with all Roland machines, you still have to process them a little bit. I run all my stuff through Ableton and so far I've had very good experiences with adding the onboard Saturator, cranking up the Drive to 1 or 2 o’clock."