# Free 808 samples > Free 808 bass samples for trap, drill and hip hop, from clean sub booms to distorted glides, with key, length and a commercial-use verdict for each. 13 samples from 3 sources (Openverse 6, Strudel sample banks 6, Ghosthack 1), updated 2026-10-23. Picked from a live search and refreshed daily. - Same search in the browser: https://sound.shep.bot/search?q=808&category=bass.808 - Same search over the API: `curl "https://sound.shep.bot/v1/search?q=808&category=bass.808"` - Details, files and the credit line: `GET https://sound.shep.bot/v1/samples/{id}` with an id from the table below. - Licence verdicts: "Commercial use OK" (with or without credit) is cleared for a release; anything else must be checked or is non-commercial. See https://sound.shep.bot/docs/licences.md ## Choosing an 808 Listen for three things: the attack, the length and the tone. A clean, sine-like 808 leaves room for vocals and melodic parts; a distorted one fills a sparse beat on its own. Long 808s suit slow trap at 130 to 150 BPM, where notes ring for half a bar; shorter ones suit drill and faster patterns with lots of slides. ## Keeping it in tune Because an 808 is a note, it has to match your track's key. Load it into a sampler, set the root note, and play the bassline from the keyboard. If the key is not shown, tune it by ear against a piano: a wrong 808 makes the whole low end feel muddy. Many 808s in packs and archives are labelled royalty free; others are Creative Commons with a credit line. The badge on each card tells you which, so the sample you build your beat around won't block the release. ## Samples | Sample | id | What | Source | Licence | Commercial use | Direct download | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [Distorted 808.wav](https://freesound.org/people/dantheman5491/sounds/47928) | `openverse:2ab36d14-6be7-4777-b47c-03f398f3fcf8` | 808, One-shot, 2.1 s | Openverse | CC0 1.0 | Commercial use OK | yes | | [808 Emu.wav](https://freesound.org/people/breo2012/sounds/269100) | `openverse:c905b3ea-1f81-46d4-857d-b9b30b5bdb51` | 808, One-shot, 1.4 s | Openverse | CC0 1.0 | Commercial use OK | yes | | [808 distorted.wav](https://freesound.org/people/emceeciscokid/sounds/403342) | `openverse:4a5ed928-afeb-452c-8eba-b39a02cdc408` | 808, 3.6 s | Openverse | CC BY 4.0 | Commercial use OK with credit | yes | | [Heavy bass - 808 loops.mp3](https://freesound.org/people/J3rryz808/sounds/474826) | `openverse:1f0b6cfc-3333-4d2a-9cc1-13ae2e690659` | 808, Loop, 6.5 s | Openverse | CC BY 3.0 | Commercial use OK with credit | yes | | [808 Hospital sounds.wav](https://freesound.org/people/ERH/sounds/62602) | `openverse:7792b31d-b8d2-4552-903c-b1ad674e0da9` | 808, 4:26 | Openverse | CC BY-NC 4.0 | Non-commercial only | yes | | [[Drumbeats (Melodic)] 100 bpm generic synth '808' vibe](https://freesound.org/people/waveplaySFX/sounds/250575) | `openverse:fa98f34e-5eee-4679-8c95-59b2db73e666` | 808, Loop, 100 BPM, 9.6 s | Openverse | CC BY 4.0 | Commercial use OK with credit | yes | | [Dirt-Samples · 808 · 0](https://github.com/tidalcycles/Dirt-Samples/blob/master/808/CB.WAV) | `strudel:dirt-samples/808/0` | 808 | Strudel sample banks | No licence stated | Unclear: check the terms | yes | | [Dirt-Samples · 808 · 1](https://github.com/tidalcycles/Dirt-Samples/blob/master/808/CH.WAV) | `strudel:dirt-samples/808/1` | 808 | Strudel sample banks | No licence stated | Unclear: check the terms | yes | | [Dirt-Samples · 808 · 2](https://github.com/tidalcycles/Dirt-Samples/blob/master/808/CL.WAV) | `strudel:dirt-samples/808/2` | 808 | Strudel sample banks | No licence stated | Unclear: check the terms | yes | | [Dirt-Samples · 808 · 3](https://github.com/tidalcycles/Dirt-Samples/blob/master/808/CP.WAV) | `strudel:dirt-samples/808/3` | 808 | Strudel sample banks | No licence stated | Unclear: check the terms | yes | | [Dirt-Samples · 808 · 4](https://github.com/tidalcycles/Dirt-Samples/blob/master/808/MA.WAV) | `strudel:dirt-samples/808/4` | 808 | Strudel sample banks | No licence stated | Unclear: check the terms | yes | | [Dirt-Samples · 808 · 5](https://github.com/tidalcycles/Dirt-Samples/blob/master/808/RS.WAV) | `strudel:dirt-samples/808/5` | 808 | Strudel sample banks | No licence stated | Unclear: check the terms | yes | | [Producer Essentials - 808s](https://www.ghosthack.de/producer-essentials-808s) | `ghosthack:producer-essentials-808s` | 808, Pack | Ghosthack | Ghosthack licence | Commercial use OK | no | ## Questions **What key is my 808 in?** An 808 is pitched, so it has a root note. Where the source states it or the preview has been analysed, the card shows it. Otherwise load it into a tuner or a spectrum analyser and look for the strongest low frequency, then transpose it to match your track. **Why does my 808 disappear on phone speakers?** Small speakers can't reproduce the fundamental under about 100 Hz. Add gentle saturation or distortion so the 808 gains harmonics higher up, which the ear hears as the same note even when the sub itself is missing. **Is an 808 a kick or a bass?** Both. The original Roland TR-808 kick had a long, tunable decay, and producers began playing it as a bassline. Today an 808 sample is usually treated as a bass instrument and played chromatically in a sampler. ## Related collections - [Free kick samples](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-kick-samples.md): Free kick drum samples for any genre, from punchy acoustic kicks to drum machine thumps, each with a preview and a verdict on commercial use. - [Free clap samples](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-clap-samples.md): Free hand clap and snap samples, from stacked crowd claps to tight drum machine claps, ready to layer with snares, each with a licence verdict and preview. - [Free hi-hat samples](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-hi-hat-samples.md): Free closed and open hi-hat samples for programming grooves, from crisp drum machine hats to acoustic cymbals, each with a preview and licence verdict. - [Free Reese bass samples](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-reese-bass-samples.md): Free Reese bass samples: detuned, phasing saw basses for drum and bass, jungle, dubstep and techno, as one-shots and loops with a licence verdict on each. - [Free sub bass samples](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-sub-bass-samples.md): Free sub bass one-shots and loops: clean sine subs, rumbling drops and deep bass tones for dubstep, drum and bass, grime and house, with key and licence shown. - [Free synth bass samples](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-synth-bass-samples.md): Free synth bass one-shots and loops, from acid squelches to analogue plucks and house bass stabs, with root notes where known and a licence verdict. --- Source: https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-808-samples