The machine behind a sound
Roland built the TR-808 Rhythm Composer from 1980 to 1983. It sold poorly at first because its drums sounded nothing like a real kit, then became cheap on the second-hand market, where hip hop, electro and Miami bass producers found it. Its deep, long kick, papery clap, clicky rimshot and two-tone cowbell are now part of the vocabulary of pop.
How these samples are made
Because the 808 is analogue, every hit varies slightly, and the knobs change a lot: kick decay, snare snappiness, tone and tuning on the toms and congas. Sample sets are recorded from a real machine at several settings, which is why one 808 kit can sound quite different from another. Community banks, such as the drum machine sets loaded by Strudel and TidalCycles, include several 808 recordings. Licences vary between them, so read the verdict on each card.
For the long, tuned bass hits of trap and drill, see the 808 bass collection; for the machine’s successor, see the TR-909.