Bad Gear - Roland R-8 - End of an Era

[@AudioPilz]

Audiopilz: *slaps roof of YT channel* Full Tracks, Extended Jams, Sample Packs: www.patreon.com/audiopilz

[@jukesjointOG]

Always happy to be reminded that it’s Friday, when your new episode drops!

[@roberthiggins7930]

You should do the Yamaha rx11 next!

[@jukesjointOG]

@@roberthiggins7930 Ooo, yes, I second that emotion...

[@gonzinigonz]

@@roberthiggins7930 Classic!

[@AlexBallMusic]

I was given an R-5 but it's missing that bizarre power cable. Discovering the replacements are £60 I've made drum sounds by slapping my forhead in shock, so it worked out.

[@AudioPilz]

Nice technique! Have you tried alligator clamps?

[@Gin-toki]

Thats funny, a cousin of mine found one years ago in a dumpster, missing its power supply. We could at that time not find any replacement for it so I modified the unit by removing the weird power socket and replaced it with something more common and useable. I also modified the power circuitry inside the unit a bit to also be simpler. Sadly my cousin has lost the power supply I made him, so I have it at my home to make him a new one.

[@phfatband]

The power supply or the cable? If it's just the cable, replace the power connector inside the unit. 5$ on a bad day and historically doesn't hurt the value of a unit. If it's the power supply then its on you to make a call...

[@BosleyStarr]

Apparently you can adapt an old PC power supply but need to do some hacking because the connector's a bit unique. I bought a relatively cheap R5 a few years ago but but my girlfriend's dog pissed on the power supply for some reason and I haven't tested it since. Time to bite the bullet and plug it in I suppose.

[@josebritoneto]

I bet a subscriber with some electronic knowledge would happily make that for you for free.

[@skoog7091]

Makes me remember when we recorded some punk songs in high school and we used triggers to the R8 because we were to lazy to mic the drums.

[@AudioPilz]

Nothing wrong with that;)

[@michelvondenhoff9673]

Would sound great on Big Black Kerosene.

[@lancepage1914]

Nearly every metal band you could think of have done this since the late 80's let alone most other genres. If the Pros do it, you're on the right track IMO.

[@EFFbriskethead]

Not a bd idea

[@reginaldbowls7180]

Too lazy or broke to afford good sounding mic’s and drums? I was the former. :)

[@OscarUnderdog]

My god, this is top tier stuff. Thank you 💪

[@AudioPilz]

Hey Underdogs, nice to have you around!!!

[@ahhhhh2334]

The jams in this one are absolutely wicked

[@AudioPilz]

Thanks!

[@KeirMurphy]

Maybe the best one yet!

[@jezza8558]

Agreed, its excellent!

[@joseperellooliva9523]

Great tune Florian ✌️

[@stevenlindstrom3050]

Yep, nasty and tart!

[@davesandison2588]

I like how you take the time to respond to people who comment your videos. Respect!

[@AudioPilz]

Always a pleasure, thanks!!!

[@respectfulremastersbymetal8336]

Jesus, that thing is flat out AWESOME. Side note, your final jam on this one straight up gave me stank face. Thanks for the awesome jams yet again.

[@AudioPilz]

Thank you!!!

[@t3hjnz]

Your demo of the features basically re-created several of the tracks from Ministry's album Twitch. I'd often wondered where those percussion sounds came from, and now I _definitely_ know. This is great as always, Florian!

[@AudioPilz]

Thanks! Big Ministry fan here

[@t3hjnz]

@@AudioPilz here, too. :D

[@ryn_pail]

I have the R8 for recreating some of my favorite vintage industrial rock sounds, but if Twitch era Ministry is what you're after then the Kawai R100 is what you're looking for. It's THE sound of WaxTrax. kzbin.info/www/bejne/iGbQqod6pqmEnKej kzbin.info/www/bejne/bnqcdKZ5eNSMg7c

[@erikt211]

That album was recorded in 1985 though, a few years before this drum machine came out. The sounds are similar but I think they used a Fairlight CMI IIx

[@thefool2007]

Your videos really help with questions about the products while showcasing them in the best possible light. It’s cool how you manage to find the best features of the low-rated gear you review. It’s also cool When you find an overlooked diamond in the rough. All this is peppered with good humor, expertise in operation, and stellar music. So much art is packed into these fun episodes. One of my favorite channels on KZbin.

[@AudioPilz]

Thank you so much!!!

[@BuddhaPhi]

This is my favorite YoutTube channel. Thanks again Florian! Funny story: Back in the early 90s my roommate worked at a music store and was able to borrow gear occasionally. One day he brings home this expanded Roland R-8 (with RAM and 909 cards) and I loved it. I'd heard Prince was using one around that time and the machine sounded great. I had to have one. With the R-8, my Kawai SX-210 analog synth, a loaner Ensoniq EPS-16+, a crappy mixer and an older Tascam Portastudio 4-track we were convinced we were gonna make the next hip-hop or R&B masterpiece. I told my roomie as soon as he brought the R-8 back to the store I was going buy it with my savings money since the store was selling it dirt cheap (maybe $250 US). He returned it so I went to the store after a couple days and found out that someone stole the damn thing from the store the night before. I was so mad. I was convinced maybe my roomie was the thief (pawned it for rent money?) and it took a couple months of me giving him the side-eye while he denied stealing it before I believed him. lol.

[@AudioPilz]

Thanks! Wow, great 90s setup!

[@michelvondenhoff9673]

I remember the R8 being pretty sought after in the 90s. I settled for a Boss DR660 with 808 and 909 sounds.

[@AudioPilz]

Not a bad choice!

[@t0x0n1x]

A lot of us did :| The DR660 and the DR5 were meant for guitar players who can't put up with drummers. I shoulda got the ASR-X at the time, but I think it was kinda pricy compared to the cheap boss stuff. Some people shelled out for the MC-303 unfortunately for them.

[@thesequencer4971]

At SAE Frankfurt, a few years ago, we had a funny ProgRock teacher. He did a few short drum programming lessons on an Roland R8, as final exam, we had to program a 7minutes ProgRock drum session with lots of time changes, fills ect "Xanadu" from Rush by Sheet haha. ..what a nightmare, but the R8 Sounds really Realastic like Rushs Drummer Neil Peart.....ProgRockers Dream Drum Machine 🎸🦄

[@AudioPilz]

Isn't that a bit...mean;)

[@thesequencer4971]

@@AudioPilz Haha that was poor ProgRock pain...but Rushs Xanadu still sounds great today and R8 could handle it...cheers

[@cdk2968]

Right, great machine for "complex stuff" like Prog and Fusion - the electro dance stuff people usually make with it barely scratches the surface of what this thing is capable of!

[@Psychlist1972]

I worked at a music store when these came out. I loved the huge (80s, but didn't realize that at the time) drum sounds. The pads were yucky plastic, but the textured case was something else. They were the top-tier drum machines we'd sell, or more realistically, try to sell, back then.

[@AudioPilz]

I know, these were quite costly

[@natenussey6282]

I taught myself how to program this thing when I was 12. There was no manual. My dad was borrowing it from his guitar player. I can't believe these "hard to program" comments.

[@AudioPilz]

Respect!

[@gwugluud]

I gave mine away circa 2000ish. A couple of years ago I started missing it for some reason. When I bought it, I was tracking with a Yamaha 4-track cassette.

[@AudioPilz]

Yeah, 2000 was around the time it was least desired

[@gwugluud]

@@AudioPilz Just a couple of pointless comments, lol. I’m remembering that I didn’t think it was “human “ at all, but I still liked it. Also, a real hardware drum machine, unlike the VSTs now, will…drum roll… Actually print to a track. 🙄

[@ChipRobertsOfficial]

The R8 is probably my favorite drum machine ever made? It has literally everything I would ever want in it.

[@AudioPilz]

It certainly is a legendary piece of kit

[@kneonic]

Great video, love how that TB-3 keeps showing up!

[@AudioPilz]

It has become one of my favorite synths!

[@raistaparta]

That R8 + TB-3 pairing was unexpectedly great!

[@AudioPilz]

Surprised me too!

[@shaft9000]

It sounds like some tracks by Da Fresh or Donald Glaude - that hyped&slammin mid-90s northwestern USA club-rave house vibe

[@DJPhantomRage]

Definitely love your show and always get excited when I see a new one pop up in the notifications.

[@AudioPilz]

Happy to hear that, thanks!

[@InnerVisions68]

Man, I miss my R-8 MkII. I loved that drum machine. Great piece of gear.

[@AudioPilz]

MK2 is the one to get

[@RogerBrenon]

@@AudioPilz Actually I looked into what Espen craft said about the R8 vs. The MKii and he's right. Roland used cheaper components in the MKii to balance out the higher cost of putting a few more samples in it and thus it doesn't have the same quality of sound as the original R8 had. Better to have original R8 with cards.

[@WilmarBoer]

Nice! I worked on this one together with a Roland D70 (programming tones in voices in presets in performances or whatever the crazy workflow of the D70 was). Try to get a D70, DJ70 , MC50, R8 and M24E together for a True Digital Roland Linear Arithmetic Eighties Badgear Sequenced Song that's ticking all the boxes!

[@AudioPilz]

Nice!!!

[@bisheejom]

You know you've made it when the actual guys who made the product comments on your videos.

[@Scyber_Official]

That snare SLAMS. And the first jam was killer! 🤘😎

[@AudioPilz]

Thank you!!!

[@8-BitHeart79]

The R8 was also used in A LOT of industrial music from Front 242,Skinny Puppy, and even Leather Strip if I recall correctly. 1984-1998 was one heck of a time for music. So many changes, so little time…

[@AudioPilz]

True that!

[@BluePlanetMedia]

No, That was Kawai R-50 and R-100. Aka "Wax Trax in a box"

[@chriswareham]

@@BluePlanetMedia Allegedly it was Fairlight samples that just happened to sound similar to the "electronic" drum set for the Kawai drum machines. The Wax Trax studio had a Fairlight thanks to Al Jourgensen of Ministry wanting one, and he layered the library drum samples with his own and those of other people he worked with like On-U Sound guys (Adrian Sherwood and Keith LeBlanc).

[@ChiefExecutiveOrbiter]

And Autechre for sure. maybe Beumont Hannant too

[@slipknotboy555]

@@BluePlanetMedia 1. It can be (and is) true for more than one drum machine 2. There's much more to industrial than Wax Trax stuff Also, I bought an R-100 years ago because it was recommended for industrial. Was frustrated to then find out people really meant the R-50E or R-100 with R-50E sounds (though people would just say R-100). It's alright, but bulky, and takes up space. Kinda wish I'd just downloaded samples.

[@maxadocious]

i read that Prince (RIP) used this drum machine on many classic track. listening to the samples in this vid confirms this for me.

[@AudioPilz]

I thought he was more of a Linn guy. I have to check it out, thanks for posting!

[@lundsweden]

Maybe Gett Off!

[@avace917]

That's a first. The year this came out was when the Batman album dropped. Most of his classics had been released by them. As was stated already, the Linn LM1 was the drum machine he used the most. Some of the samples sound similar. That could be what the person heard that told you that or they could be talking about later albums like Diamonds and Pearls or the Symbol Album

[@maxadocious]

@@avace917 i consider his 90s name-change-era stuff to be classic, but I am also a big fan... i hear what you're saying, most of the most famous prince tracks definitely use Linn's stuff.

[@JesperTvedegaard]

I loved my R8, the one of all my drum machines I miss the most. The pads were absolutely killer, and those kicks made my speakers dance! Coupled it with a Juno 106 for sequenced bass fun 😎

[@AudioPilz]

Nice setup!

[@strelokknoize]

This is pretty rare isn't it? I've never ever heard about it. Your show turns into a history channel. Every friday I feel a bit more educated. You sir, are the Giorgio Tsoukalos of gear!

[@AudioPilz]

They sold quite a lot of these and they're all over many great records but it isn't one of the "sexy" TRs

[@patrickg.259]

They are not rare at all. The later MK2 and the R5 though pretty much are.

[@ryanjay6241]

Last time I checked (years ago?) at least in North America they're all over eBay and sell for peanuts. It looks like "now" they go for $400 but pretty much all "vintage gear" has 2-4x in price in the last 4 years. I remember when people were getting rid of these for like $120 US.

[@Rompler_Rocco]

So much excellence! The biggest takeaway? Florian bought an ADAT !! 🕺💃

[@AudioPilz]

Thank you!!! That ADAT isn't so bad as an AD/DA converter

[@Individual_two]

Whoa! Your R-8 rocked my Focal monitors - Awesome! I should know better than to get one of these '80's relics, but that drum sound simply stuns. Love your jams, too!

[@AudioPilz]

Thanks! Certainly fun on some Focals!

[@hadamana]

ngl, I kinda want one of these now, to compliment my SC-88

[@morten1]

I had this in the mid 90s and I miss it It was so good, electro in the fat warm organic way and mixed very well within the music

[@towmotornoises]

That intro in that jam was BAD ASS.

[@AudioPilz]

Thank you!!!

[@MrTelecasterPignose]

This channel is the reason I got a Roland TB3. My favorite synth so far

[@AudioPilz]

Big favorite of mine!

[@dr-zieg]

Damn that 80's anime OST was hella dope! Thanks again bro for subbing my channel :D

[@AudioPilz]

Thanks! Always a pleasure!

[@lancepage1914]

I love the drum samples on this era Roland/BOSS romplers. I still use them a lot in my Digitakt, they sound very punchy and they are good base for mangling. As always great video and audio production and a wicked sense of humour. Once again you made my day AudioPilz.

[@AudioPilz]

Thanks!

[@Archonagon]

I really enjoy the sounds this thing produces, and I'm not a fan of having a piece of hardware that just does drums. Great episode.

[@AudioPilz]

Thank you!

[@stub8213]

Watched this video with my partner who finds music tech videos boring. But even she was headnodding to the acid jam. Bravo.

[@AudioPilz]

Happy to hear that, thanks!

[@ericobrocki5850]

At 3:35, it sounds like you were on track to recreate the intro/outro to Smashing Pumpkins's 1979 lol. Lovely content as always!

[@AudioPilz]

Thanks! That one's on Autechre records too;)

[@iblamesummers]

@@AudioPilz Exactly circa "Incunabula"...

[@TheFatdust]

best music so far!! well done sir, love it

[@AudioPilz]

Thanks!

[@tatsuhirosato8646]

I heard the sound of so many industrial/electronic songs that I listened to in my teens come out of that thing. I would have ordered one off reverb already if it wasn't going for over $400.

[@AudioPilz]

They can be had much cheaper after some negotiation;)

[@SirRigbyBaconKaiser]

Depending on what you want to do you could look at alternatives. Like the R5 and R8-m

[@RunOfTheHind]

Was used by NIN, indeed.

[@goosemansell]

I was given one of these for free by the music department at my secondary school. It had sat in its box in their loft storage for years along with a D-20 (which they gave me too - being a teacher's pet pays in the end!). To a 15 year old kid, this thing was a treasure trove. Great video!

[@AudioPilz]

Thanks! You had nice gear at school;)

[@jamesm601]

I was 18 in 1989. I spent $450 on a Roland R-5. $450 was all I had in the world and I spent it on a Roland R-5. Anyway, I loved that little thing. It had a bass guitar sample on it that you could map across the pads and write little songs. I programmed Yes's Owner of a Lonely Heart in its entirety. It must have taken me like... 40 hours. Amazing. I think I just figured out why I didn't have a girlfriend in 1989.

[@AudioPilz]

Lol, I know that feeling!

[@djGreenALERT]

At the time I couldn't afford the R8, so I bought a R5 which I still have to this day. and yes, with the original power supply still working! I realise it has many limitations, but there is just something special it will always have that simply cannot be replaced with a VST.. Nostalgia.

[@AudioPilz]

Agreed!!!

[@nkozi]

This thing sounds great and its capabilities clearly place it ahead of its time in many respects. Love that snare and I'm sure I've heard it on a few dozen classic J-Pop records.

[@AudioPilz]

Nice! Gotta listen to J-pop more

[@querpmuerp]

The cyberpunk anime jam just killed it! Awesome channel!

[@AudioPilz]

Thanks!!!

[@DjTroublemaker]

I loved mine. I used it on so many tracks. I even credited as a band member. Drums by Roland. I even used it to trigger basslines on my keyboards like a sequencer!

[@AudioPilz]

Nice!

[@TayWoode]

Haha like when PWL always used to say Drums by A. Linn on the back of their records 😂

[@Manjarow]

Your video editing skills are priceless

[@AudioPilz]

Thank you!!!

[@chinossynthesizer705]

Esoteric curley used this drum machine for techno music programming with tr-808 and tr-909 cards he was crazy good.

[@AudioPilz]

Nice!!!

[@axymoulm]

The R-8 click is probably one more electronic sound on that machine worth mentioning as it got popular as rhythm element. You can hear it on „Da Rockwilder“ by Method Man Redman (though Rockwilder used the sample of it which is contained in the stock Roland JV/XV library as „R8 Click“).

[@AudioPilz]

Thanks for the heads up!!!

[@nobel11]

Very nice. Especially enjoyed that 80s Anime OST bit at the end. I've never actually used the R8, but I've loaded its sounds in a lot of samplers over the years.

[@AudioPilz]

Thanks! These sounds are non-timeless classics;)

[@DerDanko]

Fredrik Thordendal in Meshuggah used the R8 for making all his demos, later to be performed on drums by Tomas Haake. This was before they collaborated on developing the Toontrack DFH. Eventually, Fredrik got so good at emulating Haake that there are actually some released tracks where they kept the programmed DFH demo drums and at the time it seems most people never realised this. However, this all started with the R8.

[@Klangraum]

With no doubt, people would buy this thing if they would produce it today with extra memory and USB. I would buy it. Great 80ies soundtrack!

[@AudioPilz]

Thanks!

[@shaft9000]

If Roland had asked me, I'd have led the entire Boutique range's debut with a micro R8 and marketed the shit out of it to hip-hoppers as well. I'm surprised they haven't done anything like it in any hardware yet. Not everybody wants to spend time sampling or VST-ing - we just want to plug in and go.

[@Klangraum]

​@@shaft9000 For me, it's all about this Japanese industrial design. It's just like when you buy fresh bread from the bakery, it just fits in with any time.

[@LeadingMotive]

Yes! Imagine if Roland had added the R8's soundsets to their TR8-s. That would have been brilliant since it contains almost everything else already.

[@monkem]

Very entertraining, always fun to watch a new episode :)

[@AudioPilz]

Thank you!!!

[@aliensporebomb]

Meanwhile I used an R-5 to do entire album projects: drums, bass, synth sounds, melody lines. You name it.

[@geet77777]

what can you say about the R-5? Its blowing my mind how all of this gear tat was literally thrown in the trash or sold for $10 during the 2000s is suddenly crazy overpriced on reverb suddenly. None of it is even rare, people are just greedy. I'm afraid to mention any old gear that I likw because anyone who reeds the comment and has one will certainly list it for $600 over its value on FeeVerb. any thoughts about the R-5? ive been using ableton with a push controller because I was talked into it and I truly hate it.

[@PanHoover882]

I just bought one of these in January, and I am pleased with it.

[@AudioPilz]

Nice!

[@Thelostrune]

The drum samples that defined a whole generation of video game music

[@AudioPilz]

😍😍😍

[@Pheonix0114]

I'll never get tired of TB-3 acid jams either!

[@AudioPilz]

Happy to hear that, thanks!

[@djcoolcliff]

First Drum machine that I saw in a store!!!! It’s literally cost the same price as the Lugwig Rockets that I was purchasing at the time!!!!

[@AudioPilz]

Yup, that one was big bucks back then

[@arijr71]

Thanks for the memory lane! I've owned a few Roland drumboxes including R8 and R8Mk2 (R8 + all sound cards built in). In dance genres the thing was those specific sound cards specifically Electronic and Dance which contained 808, 909, CR78 etc. The user interface was/is really snappy to create beats for electronic/house/contemporary music so they were popular. Then came the era of MPCs and such and beat boxes faded away as bigger phenomena.

[@AudioPilz]

Yeah, these ROM cards are really nice!

[@EFFbriskethead]

Surprised how capable this machine is. Wow it was very advanced for its time. I’m talking about the ability to do fills, I bet you put some time into figuring that out as you always do!

[@AudioPilz]

Yup, this one was a little more challenging

[@darbydust9934]

Great episode!! all the jams sounded killer

[@AudioPilz]

Thank you!!!

[@HousePlantBand]

damn i wont be able to sleep tonight knowing that snare sound exists

[@AudioPilz]

It's so HUGE!!!

[@shadowsoflife000]

Since you asked.... I used FSK with my Roland TR-626 (another "Bad Gear" product, I believe) to lay MTC (MIDI Time Code, for your younger readers) onto a track of my Tascam 8-track cassette machine (or the Teac 4-track one before that). During cassette playback, the TR-626 would drive the Cakewalk sequencer, which would trigger all the MIDI keyboards...and the drum sounds in the TR-626. This freed up 7 tracks on the cassette for guitars and vocals, and made for surprisingly "clean" recordings, considering the circumstances and recording equipment (and no money) we had back then. And not that you asked, but.... Your videos crack me up! I actually own a few pieces of "Bad Gear" (more than I'd care to admit in public), but I happily share your videos to others who might be interested. Some people are actually offended that their beloved instrument is considered "bad", and they don't get over it even after I point out how you find good stuff in almost everything you review. I think the videos are great, the messages you "hide" in them are worth pausing the video to see, and the effort you put into making the tracks shows in the results. Thanks for these, and keep up the great work!

[@AudioPilz]

Thank you so much!!!

[@mycosys]

The Frequency Shift Keying sync didnt seem complicated - it just records an FSK timecode to one track of a Multitrack Tape Recorder to let the MTR act as a timecode master for the setup, much like any other timecode

[@AudioPilz]

Thanks for the clarification!

[@GizzyDillespee]

If you'd only replaced the phrase "frequency shift keying" with something Earthlings would say, such as "regular old pulses", then your explanation would be actually understandable. Everything else you write makes sense. Frequency Shift Keying sounds too much like Dilithium Crystals or Quantum Reiki. Even if you'd said "something like a tape bias track" I might have been able to access some distant foggy memories, but "frequency shift keying" still leaves me looking like a deer in headlights. However, I'm not asking you to explain further, unless it's easy to do for other readers' sake. I'll be checking wiki in the meantime, and probably will have found more about FSK, before you even read this.

[@SianaGearz]

@@GizzyDillespee Frequency Shift Keying is basically a pattern of tones of different pitch that the computer can recognise, haha.

[@robbiewabisabi]

I was so stoked when I was 15 to get a brand new r5. Then I graduated to an r8…sold it and got an r8m with dance and electronic cards included! :-0 now I am back to the og r5 which I mostly use as a metronome. Any hardcore jazz brush card fans out there? Thanks for ruining my childhood again and…see you next time!

[@AudioPilz]

The Jazz Brush card is awesome!

[@dykodesigns]

Dang, that thing sounds great. It would blend well with a Korg M1 or Wavestation to make some early 90’s industrial style music. Also it comes in stylish black.

[@AudioPilz]

Agreed! Great combination!

[@ryanjay6241]

The Wavestation certainly had some unique sounds :)

[@pearcaravel]

that's what I'm thinking. Kawai K1, even

[@twiff3rino28]

@@pearcaravel ...and Ensoniq SQ-80

[@DestroyER82]

Those samples are so well selected and crafted. Really liking the sound. With such limited memory in that era, companies had to really dig for the best possible samples available. If I ll see one for reasonable $ I ll definitely get it (or rack version). Thank you, all the best!

[@AudioPilz]

Thanks for watching, rack version is recommended!

[@adrianwright9418]

That final song was amazing! I would love a full track!

[@AudioPilz]

Thanks! Full tracks as usual on my Patreon (end of plug;)

[@lukeburkett5645]

"How does it keep up with the news like that?" "Don't. Praise. The machine!"

[@AudioPilz]

😉

[@energycsdx]

R8 is signature autechre gear, used on many tracks

[@AudioPilz]

Just pushed play on Crystel - Artificial Intelligence

[@drewnosky5892]

Came here to say this! I basically check every episode since the stylus thingy (I forgot the name)

[@user82938]

Came here to say this as well :)

[@franciscoraupp]

I was going to say the same lol

[@0v_x0]

Anthony Manning has entered the chat

[@attizzoso]

4:06 I did the Jimi Hendrix meme! Proud to be in one of your videos

[@AudioPilz]

Hey, great stuff! Thanks!

[@urfavoritehumanbean879]

The R-8 is the M1 of drum machines: a digital beast. Also one of the few you can basically compose entire tracks on (FFS, the DEMOS!!!) thanks to the pitch values and instrument cards. Still can't get why it's only getting a cult following _now._

[@AudioPilz]

I think that, with the necessary experience, you're faster than with a computer but nostalgia certainly plays a role

[@raistaparta]

It isn’t. It’s had cult status for ages. Just very obscure until now. Seriously, this and the Yamaha RY-30 are probably the most loved digital drum machines if you look in the right places on the internet, especially since Alesis HR-16 prices shot up.

[@marczellm]

That demo

[@mrz80]

@@raistaparta Cult status, but a rather small cult too busy banging out tunes to sing its praises in the forumverse. :D

[@raistaparta]

@@mrz80 you got that right! 😂

[@artisan002]

Nice timing. An artist started following me on Instagram the other day. And in his page, he has a jam session that includes an R-8.

[@AudioPilz]

Nice!!!

[@stephpicher]

"Welcome to gooooood gear!"

[@AudioPilz]

Bad in a good way;)

[@martinbridgewater]

There always has to be a TB3 acid jam - it’s the Law! Loving the channel - keep dusting off that bad gear! 👍🏼

[@AudioPilz]

Thank you so much!!!

[@lundsweden]

I reckon if this unit had the ability to do sampling back in '89, this would've been a MPC killer! This came out just after the MPC60, and seems influenced by it. 16 pads, chromatic sample playing, good sequencer, decent song mode. But yes, I agree about the hard, unforgiving "carpal tunnel inducing pads!". I think a lot of the samples are really good though, especially the cymbals! I still use these samples in Ableton despite having a LOT of choice with samples. The kick and snare samples are a bit dated, except ironically for the 808 and 909 samples which are excellent even in 2022!

[@AudioPilz]

You can get your own samples into the machine now with WaveRex cards;)

[@lundsweden]

@@AudioPilz 0.5 seconds, feels like the 80s 😂

[@SchlesGames]

This is the greatest adult 'Saturday Morning Cartoon' series I could ever envision

[@AudioPilz]

Synthsame street;)

[@alvaroapablaza5471]

nice! I've always seen these high priced. I gotta admit the very first time I read Human rhythm composer I thought it would provide sounds like beat boxing samples and smacking your thighs and chest sounds, true story.

[@AudioPilz]

Lol;)

[@lundsweden]

No Roland Jazz Scat samples!

[@brainbox9219]

Kinda like how this sounds tbh, great video 🤟🏾

[@AudioPilz]

Thanks!

[@modernmusician3346]

Poly aftertouch? Map this to a keyboard-style melodic synth and go to town 👍

[@AudioPilz]

...you might get carpal tunnel syndrome tho;)

[@mootbooxle]

Been wanting an R8 for a long time just for nostalgia reasons…but they go for more money than I’ve been willing to pay for a nostalgia trip!

[@AudioPilz]

Ah, Mr. Booxle! I feel you, wouldn't have got one if it wasn't for the show

[@kristianTV1974]

Glad I went for the RY30 instead, didn't think I'd made the right choice at the time!

[@AudioPilz]

RY30 is legendary!

[@sincinati]

ADAT cam is arguably the best thing I've ever seen on KZbin

[@AudioPilz]

Thanks!!!

[@felipesigne901]

i'm an ignorant: what is the synth with blue button in the rack at 00:33 ? (under what looks like a 2600 thing) ? i guess it's a pretty classic piece, which is funny combined to 2600...??

[@AudioPilz]

Someone butchered a Jupiter 8...

[@felipesigne901]

@@AudioPilz oh i see it now..thanks (i hoped it was even more frankensteinish)

[@Danielbarbus]

Safe to say, I´m impressed by your musical versatility!

[@AudioPilz]

Thank you!

[@opipik1650]

Oh come on! The Roland R-8 is IMO one of the best-sounding drum machines ever made (barring its successor, the R-8 mk2, of course!) - these early 90's drum sounds might not be everybody's cup of tea but they sure are my cup of tea! (and yes, I even like "that snare")

[@AudioPilz]

The extended library of the MK2 really makes a difference - the stock samples of the OG are a bit bleak;)

[@opipik1650]

@@AudioPilz yeah - e.g. the stock snare samples of the MK1 really need some (read: a lot of) reverb to really shine, whereas the new ones in the MK2 can stand alone quite well - though I'd skip the compression - both the MK1 and MK2 snares sound compressed enough IMO

[@dvdny]

I was always 'meh' on these, but this video makes me want one now. The sounds are epic.

[@superchroma]

sorry dude it's bad gear now 😔

[@v4silij3]

Literally any serbian popfolk song from 1989 till late 90s has used this drum machine, it's so classic and makes it my favourite drum machine ever!

[@AudioPilz]

True that!

[@lookapi]

I want/need a waverex episode too!!!✌✌✌🤟🤟🤟

[@AudioPilz]

Let's see if I can get hold of one of these cards...

[@StephenMcLeod]

I think my dad had one of these in the 2000s. It sounds surprisingly good.

[@AudioPilz]

Nice! My dad was anti-drum machine;)

[@23bit76]

That snare 😎

[@AudioPilz]

It slaps soooooooo hard;)

[@speckles9251]

Tape Sync saved me on a live act in NYC when we found that the TR909 only has MIDI Clock on ONE of the two MIDI outs! Tape Sync is friggin cool !!!

[@AudioPilz]

Nice!

[@dvdny]

First! Where is that clip at 1:38 from? I need to see more 😂 This is one of those 'Bad Gear' episodes that's really more like 'hurry up and buy this gem before they get truly overpriced'. Thanks for the heads up 👍

[@AudioPilz]

I think there isn't more to see. Just a harlem shake;)

[@dvdny]

@@AudioPilz Ahh, of course.

[@richcolour]

Spent two months in '89 recording incidental music for a 12 episode programme and ended up hating those sickly-sweet sounds, especially THAT SNARE.

[@AudioPilz]

Maybe suitable for a Sitcom about Sci Fi gladiators;)

[@jazzseba]

That was powerful! loved the synthwave-anime track!!!! made me crave for playing my tenor sax with tons of chorus and a bright reverb!!!!!

[@AudioPilz]

Thanks! Careless Whisper FTW;)

[@nosville22]

>"anemoia" used You once again have my full, undivaded attention

[@AudioPilz]

We really needed that word;)

[@nosville22]

@@AudioPilz very much so, yes

[@distantcomets]

8th! This one is such an edge case: the drums sounds genuinely good but also incredibly specific to their era. Like an M1 Organ sound, using them almost inevitably evokes a certain slightly overused aesthetic that can be difficult to shake IMO. Still, it’s got an incredibly powerful sequencer, and the sounds are high quality. Some clever afterprocessing could be the difference in making it sound more original/modern…

[@AudioPilz]

True that!

[@distantcomets]

@ghost mallDepends on your objective. I buy all these old bits to sample, layer, and thrash em. The hardware is great for that. Then I resample them. But yeah, in the box, there’s probably a Roland pack someone could buy instead… just for the stock sounds.

[@RodBeauvex]

It's always impressive to watch you twiddle knobs and mash buttons to play the instruments in real time without making mistakes. I can't even use a PC keyboard that well. D:

[@AudioPilz]

Thanks but it usually takes a few takes;)

[@jensmeyer3718]

Bad gear ????!!! Noooooo. I love this since i bought it in 1989. I habe all cards collected. For 20 years it was my workhorse, until switch to fl Studio

[@AudioPilz]

Wow, all cards! That's one for the pension fund;)

[@synthmage00]

Can't believe I missed this one when it was originally uploaded, but I ended up here while scouring the Internet for a ROM dump of this thing. There are so many iconic sounds in the R-8 that have been permanently etched into my brain as a child of the '90s.

[@AudioPilz]

Yeah, this thing was EVERYWHERE!

[@MGMan37]

Check out "Scc1t2.sf2". It's based on the ROM of a Roland Sound Canvas, which used a good number of the R8 samples. It doesn't have all of them but it does have That Gated Snare.

[@deelux5519]

The R8 isn't bad gear....it's gear too complex for 99% of the Ham n' Egger's out there to deal with. I HAVE USED FSK SYNC! And I CAN Fully program this bad Muthaf%$ka of a drum machine. I've got the 808 and 909 cards and let me tell you, this machine was the best investment I've ever made (In regards to drum machines.) The problem is simple. You NEED to understand music, in a classical sense, and engineering, to use it properly. Kids today simply do not have the skills to operate this classic.

[@AudioPilz]

Respect!

[@MistabishiTV]

Ugh i love this channel.

[@user82938]

Funny, I was just listening to old EMX-1 videos of yours the other day. They still rip :)

[@ErikEkholm]

For the love of Holy drum machine Jesus where can I get a sample pack of those drums??!

[@AudioPilz]

Samples from the show can be found on my Patreon (end of plug;)

[@removalist1995]

They are also in Microsoft General Midi, on every windows pc lol

[@MGMan37]

The R8 drum samples were used all over Roland's Sound Canvas line of romplers such as the SC-55. One way of getting those samples you can find is looking up the SF2 soundfont "Scc1t2.sf2" which is based on a Sound Canvas ROM. You will have to use another program to get the samples out of the SF2 file, or use a VST to load the SF2 and play it by sending MIDI to its Channel 10 and changing the Channel 10 patch number to 17 to get the set that has "That Snare" in it. The deeper snare used in Jam 1 is in patch number 1.

[@ErikEkholm]

@@MGMan37 Just make me an awesome multisampled mega layerd super Kontakt patch! with all the extras and mustard!

[@MGMan37]

@@ErikEkholm Apparently Kontakt up to 5 can load SF2 files directly, it will appear as a folder in the upper browser pane containing all of the soundfont's patches (you want the Standard Drumset and Power Drumset patches. Synth Drum too.) It may have been removed from 6 and up. But if you have a buddy with kontakt 5 or lower you can probably have them import the SF2, then export their library, and then you can import that into 6 and up