Roland TR808 :

The Roland TR808 Rhythm Composer (a.k.a. the “808”) was one of the first programmable drum machines (“TR” serving as an initial ism for Transistor Rhythm). Introduced by the Roland Corporation in early 1980, it was originally manufactured for use as a tool for studio musicians to create demos. Like earlier Roland drum machines, it does not sound very much like a real drum kit.  The TR-808 cost US$1,195 upon its release. Drum machines in general became an integral part of hip hop music as a cheap and simple way of producing a drum sound.

Roland Tr 808:

The Roland TR808 held specific appeal because of the ability of its bass drum sound to produce extremely low-frequency sounds. It also featured various unique artificial percussion sounds that characterized the TR808 a deep bass kick drum, tinny hand clap sounds and the spacey cowbell. The Roland TR808 would eventually be used on more hit records than any other drum machine, and has thus attained an iconic status within the music industry.

Roland TR-808 History:

Roland credits the design of the TR808 to two of its employees: Mr. Nakamura, who was responsible for the analog voice circuits, and Mr. Matsuoka, who developed the software. The Roland TR808 was produced between 1980 and 1983 by the Roland Corporation, with approximately 12,000 units manufactured in that time.  By the end of the 1980s, the TR-808 was popular within electronic music and hip hop genres. As with many analogue electronic musical instruments, a great deal of effort was put into sampling the sounds of the TR808 for use in modern devices; however, due to the nature of analog circuitry, the result is often considered unsatisfactory and can sound unduly static and digital. Demand for the real 808 sound is so great that street prices for a used machine have remained close to what the cost of a new TR808 was upon its initial release in 1980 when adjusted for inflation.

Roland TR-808 Specifications:

The 808 also had a significant impact on dance music due to its ability to program rhythm and drum sounds separately and store up to 32 patterns, which enabled it to become a serious composition tool. The kick drum of the 808 is little more than a bridged T-network sine oscillator, a low filter and a VCA. The output works continuously and that makes it possible to produce an overdub of the same signal even after 32 steps in a medium tempo. The kick is a triggered CV pulse that is added into the audio signal. The typical flattening of the decay directly after the attack is because of the audio design of the oscillator and appears like a compression. Its 16 drum sounds include the famous boomy 808 kick, snare, low/mid/high toms, low/mid/high congas, rimshot, claves, hand clap, maracas, cowbell, cymbal, open hi-hat, closed hi-hat and accent. Most of the sounds can be edited. Bass Drum and Cymbal (tone, decay), Snare (tone, snappy), Toms and Congas (tuning), Open Hat (decay). All sounds have individual volume controls and individual outputs. Unfortunately it was not MIDI equipped but it did use Roland’s DIN Sync.

Roland TR808 Specifications:

• Polyphony: 12 Voices
• Sampler Core:  17 Drum Sounds
• Memory  Size:  64 Patterns
• Date Produced:  1981 – 1983
• Original Price: USD $1,195
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