Do Drum Machines Dream Of Ambient Music?

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EU
Roland TR-8s : tinyurl.com/5fprtwmj
Strymon Nightsky : tinyurl.com/32xs44w5
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Roland TR-8s : tinyurl.com/26ct2c4w
Strymon Nightsky : tinyurl.com/2p8p9zs7
Would be a drum machine able to play ambient music?
In the case of the Roland TR-8s the answer is a big YES. You might know me as a big fan of the older TR8, which is a straightforward instrument perfect for live performances, and I have to say that this new version added a lot on that heritage. While having a little more menu diving, the features packed in the TR-8s are pretty great.
Rather than doing a basic demo ( there are so many already out) I decided to think a little out of the box and create ambient music using the new FM sounds and probability (features added in the latest firmware).
I will also do a general rundown of the other features I like.
Well done Roland!
I will use some help from Hologram Microcosm and Strymon Nightsky.
00:00 Introduction
04:00 Overview
08:00 Probability
11:50 Using internal effects
15:00 Sound design ( including new FM sounds )
21:00 Full FM kit
22:30 Another ambient kit, great for soundscapes
24:00 Conclusions
#roland #rolandtr8s #tr8s #nightsky #microcosm #strymon
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[@OoraMusic]

Support the page by buying through these affiliate link : EUROPE Roland TR-8s : tinyurl.com/5fprtwmj Strymon Nightsky : tinyurl.com/32xs44w5 USA Roland TR-8s : tinyurl.com/26ct2c4w Strymon Nightsky : tinyurl.com/2p8p9zs7

[@davidbetts2980]

I have a Roland TR-8s and watch your you tube videos regularly. It's perfect to see you using this machine, gives me idea's and inspiration. I'm at work so I'll watch the whole thing in a bit 😁

[@OoraMusic]

Thanks David!

[@peladoclaus]

It's kind of hilarious that you turned a hardcore techno machine into a dreamscape. Very cool! Cheers!

[@OoraMusic]

ahah yes , not sure why :)

[@spidericemidasiosmusicprod1309]

Fantastic. I love making this kind of thing in modular with a bunch of euclidean sequencers and bernoulli gates. Only just purchased a TR-08s and didn’t imagine it could ever be used in this way. Will be updating to version 3 this week and then starting to explore it properly. This technique will definitely be on my list of things to try out on it! Excellent vid, cheers.

[@ozzy3ml]

One of the best videos I have seen on the TR-8S, and I have watched a LOT of them! Very nice. Respect

[@OoraMusic]

thanks!!

[@lukz123]

I never though about this way of using the TR8s. Youre the best

[@OoraMusic]

thanks!

[@mike_qbik]

There is a YT channel Sand Puppy and that guy does marveles with TR8s. Its amazing what this machine can produce. Its great to see you bringing this to the spotlight. iRolqnd deserves appreciatiation it deserves for these updates.

[@OoraMusic]

will check him out now!

[@all1nz]

This is utterly brilliant. I might have to finally sign up to your Patreon and have a few one to ones!!

[@OoraMusic]

Awesome, thank you! Would be happy to help!

[@nori3beat]

Great idea ❤thank you😊 beautiful sounds..

[@LuisTorres-qz5kr]

Some very creative ideas for ambient tracks. Looking forward to your vid on setting up tracks with chords which you mentioned at around the 24min mark.

[@OoraMusic]

Coming soon!

[@Anth8787]

Hello, I have a Roland TR8S and I also plan to perform a regenerative ambient set in march. I stumbled across your video by accident and you’ve given me great inspiration to help design a foundation for my show. I don’t have any pedals unfortunately but I may be able to make it without one!

[@OoraMusic]

Good to know! keep me posted!

[@ross_ykm]

loved this, maybe time to pick up a TR-8S again! love the notion of the cassette-style, mixing in of different chords. I've had a note to try this for ages too - think I listened to Alessandro Cortini talk about this for live NIN and love how off-the-grid and performative that could be.

[@OoraMusic]

Yep, maestro Cortini did it first :)

[@CNTRRNDM]

Turns out they do😲 amazing video as usual!!!

[@OoraMusic]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@andyjey3126]

Very cool! Thanks a lot...

[@OoraMusic]

you are welcome

[@_monoaural1993]

Nice Video. Well done! One Question comes in mind. Could I access all there parameters from the TR8S without using the editor. Unfortunately my old MacBook Pro with OSX High Sierra 10.13 doesn't support the editor.

[@OoraMusic]

Yes you can! There is menu diving to do but all is accessible

[@dustinevans]

personally sold my analog rytm for another analog four, just does so well more techno and ambient drums.

[@rokagrooveradio8429]

Another great video thank you, ive got a bit of a dumb question really as im new to this game, even though ive had hardware years ago, but ive got the tr8s & the nightsky and oto boum, i use my Allen & heath xone 92 mixer for audio, wanting to use them for the same as youre doing here, but i get lost as ton connecting them up, do i connect the tr8s to a line in on my xone 92, then midi out from the tr8 to the nightsky midi in, then midi out to the oto boum? ive also got some other bits of kit but its the cabling up that throws me:) sorry for being a bit wet behind the ears:)

[@OoraMusic]

Hi! I would do tr8 in mixer, using aux send of the tone to the 2 effects. Then midi out of tr8 into night sky. I would not bother using midi on Boum. Ciao!

[@rokagrooveradio8429]

@@OoraMusic Great thanks very much, keep up the great videos:)

[@sqreef5736]

I'm getting back into hardware and want one box to compose, sequence and sound design...looking at Syntakt, love your vids...would you recommend Syntakt or this or something else for one box to start with and build a set up around? Thanks for all your vids ❤

[@OoraMusic]

Both are very capable machine. Syntakt has a steeper learning curve but super powerful, TR8 is more instant gratification and perfect for live performances.

[@sqreef5736]

@@OoraMusic Great thank you :) I actually discovered your vids while searching about the oto boum, love how it shows up a lot here :) they're so rare, I've been looking for alternatives but hard to find something. Thanks mate :)

[@ezequielsapir]

Great video, as usual! I'm always tempted by the TR8s but as I have the Machinedrum, I'm sticking with it.. By the way, I've been trying similar things but with the Machinedrum, using the unofficial firmware that allows you to use tonal machines and make chords and create long attacks with LFOs.

[@OoraMusic]

you can do that. MAchinedrum is amazing!

[@Chrispwilton]

Does anyone have a similar way to sequence the Jomox machines like the 888?

[@user-or3ce4gt2r]

GraZie !

[@OoraMusic]

A te!

[@plantpoweredmuscle]

Can I have all these notes on one track and add drums to it with the other tracks?

[@grazstarr]

Hi. I'm pretty sure you used this product for this video and then never used it again. Is that right?

[@istvantoth7431]

"Drum machines have souls."

[@OoraMusic]

they really do

[@earlsfield]

I was expecting for you to bring Machinedrum or Analog Rytm for this kind of video:) Just kidding - I was never a fan of T series and Aira, but if you want oland classic sound - thats where you will get it the closest. Honestly, you know I have AR, MachineDrum, Tempest, MFB Tanzbar and Perkons on back order - and all these beautiful machines can do so may things, they can sound very close to the Roland classics, but I feel people have missconception that if machine is digital, it will sound bad - actually, you want digital sound if you want Roland legacy percussion, doing it with analogue synthesis is the other way around. So, if you want Roland, get T series.

[@OoraMusic]

yes good points. Nowadays the digital machines sounds great and is time to stop the polemics. Whatever works for you is the right answer!!

[@earlsfield]

@@OoraMusic it pains me when I see comments like “this Analog Rytm is crap I cant have 606 or 707 on it” - well there is a reason why 606 sounds like it does, and fully analogue machine is certainly not to blame you are searching for a wrong sound on a wrong machine ( now AR is so flexible it CAN do it, you just need to know drum synthesis), same as with Tempest, but if you want Roland sound, buy - Roland.

[@chinmeysway]

@@earlsfield paradoxical tho to say the thing you said if you want Roland go digital, bc all the old school Roland is not digital

[@earlsfield]

@@chinmeysway Yes and no. While some of those machines used analogue synthesis, there was also PCM synthesis going on. Second, these were budget machines compared to high end stuff like Analog Rytm, Tempest or Tanzbar. On the other hand, I already said I dont like TR, but Roland has two emulation technologies (Zen and that other one I forgot the name for) that pretty much capture 1-1 the sound of the legacy machines. Therefore, I suggested that if you want that 909, 808, 707,606, 778 etc, you turn to the originl source - before start bashing on the high end Analogue machines that CAN emulate what you want, but if you go and get whatever from Roland, you'll find already prepared kits etc. Also, drum synthesis back then was limited to sine/triangle wave and one noise source. You can take say, Tempest, and recreate kits 1-1, but it will require knowledge in drum synthesis and time. If you want legacy kits on the fly, they are with the original manufacturer. Or, you cna pick up some of the clones.

[@genemaruszewski9315]

they dream of a sober bassist. :D

[@OoraMusic]

ahahahah