Video 21844654968:
All Hail The Beat by Nelson George
A short film overview of the highly beloved Roland TR-808 drum machine.
“It’s kick drum sound is legendary.”
The Blog
“drum machine”
Audio 21279294068:
Aleph Null - Rocket 303 to Cosmos 808
In lieu of anyone more qualified stepping forward, it fell to me to contribute this April’s pattern to the SoundCloud monthly acid group. (A high-resolution transcription of the pattern can be seen here for better legibility and easier programming.)
My version has - at least to my ears - an early 90s spaced-out techno-trance vibe to it; the blame for which I place on finding my folder of miscellaneous astronaut transmission recordings. Also, I’m pretty sure Pete Namlook is partially responsible somehow.
I’m really looking forward to hearing how other folks in the group interpret the pattern. DyLABs has already taken it to a very cool and crazy place.
Audio 20448056852:
Couldn’t sleep so fiddled around in the studio and recorded a live jam.
No relation to the Yellow Magic Orchestra song of the same name, except for a possible common appreciation for the concept of idealised technologically advanced cities.
Photo-set 19538674031:
Program Your 808 by Rob Ricketts:
A series of informative posters detailing how some of the most notable drum sequences were programmed using the Roland TR-808 Drum Machine. Each sequence has been analyzed and represented as to allow users to re-programme each sequence, key for key.
Post 18615651630:
You have an RM1x. :O
facelesscope asked:
I was actually thinking of buying one off of a guy that I know. Do you like it?
Yes, yes I do!
Here, have some quick pros and cons.
+ Under-rated and cheap.
+ Built like a tank.
- Bit of a learning curve. Some concepts presented confusingly.
+ Lots available to learn, deep device. Even has some undocumented functionality.
+ Can be used really fast with practice. Commonly used features are immediately available, the rest within a few button presses.
+ Knobs can be re-mapped and assigned to specific tracks if you don’t want the default behaviour of it representing the currently selected one.
+ Lots to explore and manipulate in realtime.
+ Multiple sequencing methods: grid, step, realtime (overdub and replace), event list, edit jobs.
- Grid sequencing mode (i.e. 808 16th note triggers) only presents a single bar and mutes the other tracks, making it pretty useless for anything other than rough sketches. I tend to stick to realtime and step modes (multiple bars, easy control over note durations), before making fine detail tweaks via the event list and edit jobs.
- Have to stop/start the sequencer when changing recording mode. (Everyone really should have a footswitch controlling their master sequencer’s transport regardless.)
+ Extensive range of sequence editing commands: quantising (with swing), pattern splitting/extracting/appending, chord sorting and separation, gate time/velocity scale/override, clock offsets, thinning out of controller data, crescendo/decrescendo, generation of linear or curved controller data ramps, etc.
+ Undo/redo for destructive editing commands!
+ Easily editable grid groove per track. Lay down some basic 16ths then enter the groove grid screen (accessed during normal non-record playback, no need to restart the sequencer for this) and tweak pitch, velocity, clock and gate offsets in an immediate manner similar to an analogue sequencer.
+ Strong integration with other MIDI gear: tracks can be disconnected from the internal tone generator, and have their input/output channels remapped.
+ MIDI note delay per track with repeat, velocity and pitch options. Perfect for Kraftwerk-esque glissandos.
+ Pretty much everything is exposed to external MIDI control. Great when partnered with an external knob box.
+ Each track has it’s own pattern length, time signature (extensive selection), and transposition. Poly-rhythms!
? I think song arranging and pattern chaining are supposed to be decent but I don’t personally know: I stick to realtime pattern muting/triggering, tweaking and manipulating.
- Arpeggiator is basic. (I’m spoilt by my Emax II.)
+ Memory isn’t lost when powered down.
- Single stereo output.
+ Large selection of flexible synth, drum and sample raw materials including a variety of classical, band, “ethnic”, and acoustic percussion sounds.
- Limited sound synthesis capabilities, just basic tone generator controls: envelope, filter, LFO, portamento.
- Not a sampler, merely a tone generator with a (wide) choice of wavetables.
+ Digital filter is respectable. Low-pass only.
+ Broad +- 2 octave range on the pitch bend. Great for exploring gritty low frequency percussion.
+ Punchy sound. Extra beef possible with low frequency EQ boost.
+ 64 voice polyphony. Some patches use 2 voices, though, and the octaver/harmoniser/unison playback effects obviously increase that consumption.
- No indication when polyphony is exhausted; have to listen for note stealing.
+ Preset patterns and sounds are horrible, out-dated, plastic cheese. Avoid!
+ Effects are generally of respectable quality. Lower the low pass filter on the reverbs to reduce their slightly tinny digital shimmer.
+ Floppy disk drive storage. Vintage 1999 street cred.
- What’s a floppy disk, grand dad?
Most of those negatives are easily shrugged off given how cheaply the RM1x can be found second-hand. There’s a lot of boom for the buck in these boxes.
And if you fix those problems, you get the Yamaha RS7000 which is impressively powerful for a decade old groove box: EQ per channel & high-pass filters, sampling, multiple outputs support, etc. But RS7000s never appear second hand as their owners seem to like them too much.
As always one size never fits all, particularly when it comes to the variety of intimate creative partnerships between a human and their tools so - if possible - I would recommend borrowing the machine for a week and put some quality time into getting to know each other.
RM1x overview at Vintage Synth.
Sound On Sound’s RM1x review (February 1999).
Let’s Upgrade a Yamaha RM1x Sequence Remixer!
Masses of RM1x videos on YouTube. Quality varies, of course.
Some of the stuff I’ve recorded live using just the RM1x (occasionally partnered with a Kenton Spin Doctor knob controller).
Questions?
Audio 16720337460:
I figured it was about time I updated my answer ‘phone message.
Who can identify the drum machine?
Video 16529583384:
EKO ComputeRhythm drum-machine from 1972 (demo 1)
Oh my! That case, the carrying handle, the analogue sound, the punch card feed slot, and those lamps! ♥
Who dares attempt the impossible task of convincing me that this gloriously dusty, tactile, personable machine would be “better” as a cheap and disposable iPad App?
Audio 16174138314:
I had trouble sleeping last night so I pulled the laptop and headphones into bed and constructed this little experiment.
The gimmick here is that all the sounds are sourced from a single Roland TR-808 cowbell sample. Well, 2 samples if you consider the reversed version separately. Obviously and predictably, massive amounts of processing was involved.
Due to the context, I didn’t employ any outboard synths, mixers, controllers, or effects. Nor, for once, did I employ any third party plug-ins or other special sauce - just (a lot of) what’s natively built into Ableton Live 8.
Thus the project is easy to share (and not very big) so give me a shout if you’d like to have a play with it.
Post 15529553180:
dogpolice replied to your audio post: Don’t tell anyone, but the basslines in this were made by vocoding raw oscillators against 808 and Simmons tom patterns…
ha, i do that with 606 toms!
Haha! High-five, comrade. I knew you were cool.
I actually haven’t heard my 606’s toms for a few years as I religiously use the tom trigger outputs to tickle my SDS-IV, leaving the rest of the little silver box to be a dedicated clattery hat machine (with subtle snare & cymbal grace note accents and it’s own Alesis Wedge).
