What exactly do you use a drum machine for?

What is the best drum machine to use as part of the songwriting process?

• I'm hoping to get recommendations for something simple and easy to use yet versatile and customizable, all for not-too-much money. Something I can set up relatively quickly when I get an idea for a melody, riff, or rhythm so I can develop the idea without having to stop and program a drumbeat?      Thank you!

• Answer:

  If you're songwriting, you might just want a quick beat in the right style-- not to create something unique of your own. After all, you're writing a song, not a beat. For hardware, this looks good because it has lots of presets: http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/DR3/ If you have an iPhone or iPad, get Garageband for crying out loud. If for some strange reason the Smart Drums in Garageband don't "do it" for ya, try Funkbox instead: http://syntheticbits.com/funkbox.html On a web browser try http://patternsketch.com/ or if you don't mind Java: http://www.rinki.net/pekka/monkey/m.php