Roland TR-808

The Roland TR-808 Rhythm Composer, commonly known as the 808, is a drum machine manufactured by Roland Corporation between 1980 and 1983. It was one of the first drum machines to allow users to program rhythms instead of using preset patterns. Unlike its nearest competitor at the time, the more expensive Linn LM-1, the 808 generates sounds using analog synthesis rather than by playing samples.

The 808 was a commercial failure, as electronic music had yet to become mainstream and many producers wanted more realistic drum sounds. After building approximately 12,000 units, Roland discontinued the 808 after its semiconductors became impossible to restock. It was succeeded by the TR-909 in 1983.

Over the course of the 1980s, the 808 attracted a cult following among underground musicians for its affordability on the used market, ease of use and idiosyncratic sounds, particularly its deep, booming bass drum. It became a cornerstone of the emerging electronic, dance and hip-hop genres, popularized by early hits such as "Planet Rock" by Afrika Bambaataa and the Soulsonic Force and "Sexual Healing" by Marvin Gaye.

The 808 was eventually used on more hit records than any other drum machine. Its popularity in hip-hop has made it one of the most influential inventions in popular music, comparable to the Fender Stratocaster's impact on rock. Its sounds are included with music software and modern drum machines and it has inspired unlicensed recreations.

Background

In the 1960s, drum machines were most often used to accompany home organs. They did not allow users to program rhythms, In 1969, the Hammond Organ Company hired the American musician and engineer Don Lewis to demonstrate its products, including an electronic organ with a built-in drum machine designed by the Japanese company Ace Tone. In 1972, Kakehashi formed the Roland Corporation and hired Lewis to help design drum machines. the first drum machine with which users could write, save and replay their own patterns.

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With its next machine, the TR-808, Roland aimed to develop a drum machine for the professional market, expecting that it would mainly be used to create demos. The team was led by the chief engineer Tadao Kikumoto. Kakehashi deliberately purchased faulty transistors to create the 808's distinctive sizzling sound.

Sounds and features

The 808 imitates acoustic percussion: the bass drum, snare, toms, conga, rimshot, claves, handclap, maraca, cowbell, cymbal and hi-hat (open and closed). Rather than playing samples, it generates sounds using analog synthesis; the TR in TR-808 stands for "transistor rhythm". The sounds do not resemble real percussion,

The 808 is noted for its powerful bass drum sound, built from a sine oscillator, low-pass filter and voltage-controlled amplifier. The bass drum decay control allows users to lengthen the sound, creating uniquely low frequencies that flatten slightly over time, possibly not by design. Users can program up to 32 patterns using the step sequencer, and place accents on individual beats. The 808 includes volume knobs for each voice, numerous audio outputs and a DIN sync port (a precursor to MIDI) to synchronize with other devices.

Release

The 808 launched in 1980 with a list price of . Roland ended production in 1983 In the same year, the YMO member Ryuichi Sakamoto used the 808 on his solo album B-2 Unit.

In 1981, the 808 was featured on the YMO album BGM and the single "Nobody Told Me" by the Monitors. In 1982, the American R&B artist Marvin Gaye released the first US hit single to feature the 808, "Sexual Healing". and became one of the most influential inventions in popular music. Flavorwire wrote that the 808 is now so ubiquitous that "its beats are almost a language of their own", with sounds recognizable even to listeners who do not know what drum machines are, and that "you also notice when somebody messes with them or uses them in unusual contexts". In 2019, DJMag wrote that it was likely the most used drum machine of the preceding 40 years. It was used by pioneering hip-hop acts including Run-DMC, LL Cool J and Public Enemy. which Slate described as "an explicit love letter to the device". The Beastie Boys used a reversed recording of an 808 on their 1986 track "Paul Revere".

Electronic music

In 1980, Ryuichi Sakamoto's electronic track "Riot in Lagos" from the album B-2 Unit introduced the 808 to clubs. According to Mary Anne Hobbs of BBC Radio 6 Music, it demonstrated a new type of "body music" that "foretold the future" of music. In 1982, Afrika Bambaataa and the Soulsonic Force released their single "Planet Rock", which used the 808 to create "strange, futuristic" percussion that was popular in clubs. The track influenced the development of electronic and hip-hop music

Pop

The 808 has been used extensively in pop. The New Yorker wrote that it triggered "the big bang of pop's great age of disruption, from 1983 to 1986", and that its "defiantly inorganic timbres ... sketched out the domain of a new world of music". In the 1984 Talking Heads concert film Stop Making Sense, the singer David Byrne performs "Psycho Killer" accompanied by an 808, stumbling against its "gunshot"-like sounds. The drummer and songwriter Phil Collins found the 808 useful for looping rhythms for long periods, as human drummers would be tempted to add variations and fills.

Other artists who have used the 808 include Damon Albarn, Diplo, Fatboy Slim, David Guetta and New Order. It has been referenced in lyrics by artists including the Beastie Boys, Beck, Outkast, Kelis, TI, Lil Wayne, Britney Spears, Beyoncé, R Kelly and Robbie Williams. According to Andy Jones of MusicTech, ReBirth was "especially incredible" as the first software emulation of 808 sounds.

In 2017, Roland released the TR-08, a miniaturized 808 featuring an LED display, MIDI and USB connections, expanded sequencer control and a built-in speaker. Roland released the first official software emulations of the 808 and 909 in 2018. In 2019, Behringer released a recreation of the 808, the Behringer RD-8 Rhythm Designer. Unlike Roland's TR-08 and TR-8S, which use samples and virtual synthesis to recreate the 808 sounds, the RD-8 uses analog circuitry. In 2025, Roland released the TR-1000, its first drum machine to use analog synthesis in 40 years, including analog recreation of 808 sounds.

References

External links

Official Roland site
In-browser emulation of the 808
Pattern for 808 Drum Machines
Roland TR808 – Sound On Sound retrospective