From the Studio - Roland TR-8S

[@ThinkerThunker]

Great review! I hadn't been using the Master Probably, so thanks for that and other little tips. Next time Roland calls you up to ask what upgrades they need to make ... pease ask them for the ability to reassign ALL the knobs above the instruments. Thanks.

[@ftc_music]

That would be nice. Yes, sometimes may you want to change tune and decay on the fly or record a motion on them, but sometimes they are “set and forget” parameters so you could use the knobs for panning and the like.

[@mattchang3266]

The best feature over the TR8 is the lack of green. Roland has done very well with software updates on this device and adding new features. We just need an ACB CR-78 kit.

[@StarskyCarr]

that would be cool

[@HybridCult]

You're in luck... 😂

[@ftc_music]

3.0

[@1111undici1111]

What's not to love about this machine? It's a monster especially with the new firmware update! A great review, thank you!

[@GolabKitsForTR-8s]

A Beast with the new Update.

[@MatusFinchus]

Great video. I absolutely adorable my TR8S. Paired up with the MC707, it's almost all one needs to make pretty much any sort of track.

[@tb-cg6vd]

Yep the TR-8S can cause serious time travel. At least I seem to lose a lot once I start mucking about on it. Brilliant fun!

[@StarskyCarr]

I know.. I got the OG TR-8 with the 7x7 expansion and you can get lost in those classic sounds. This just takes it so much further.

[@tb-cg6vd]

@@StarskyCarr Almost as bad as Arturia - I spent years trying to work out Buchlas & Modulars etc then they bring out Pigments 4. Sheesh.

[@dracorex280]

Dude I was at my local music store and saw this on display. I love it so much! I ended up spending 3 hours using this and the roland boutique synths ,(they were all together at the table as a roland station setup),.

[@meilstone]

Ha, from drum machine to time machine! 👍🤖

[@TezzRah]

SOLD: got one coming in a few days. last time i played with something like this was with propellerheads rebirth which was software in the 90s. cannot wait to get cracking out some acid techno when i combine it with pscyon and ableton. thanks for the review mate

[@ftc_music]

I know what you mean. I haven’t had my hands on the original machines, but knowing Reason’s ReDrum for quite some time I immediately felt like home.

[@saardean4481]

I LOVE my Tr 6s . Only downsides , No chromatic mode for the 16 pads-keys in order to play melodies, No micro timing , No real time un-quantized recording and only ......300 seconds of stereo sampling..... common Roland!!!!! I imported 60 mb of samples and it was full ! :-) Other than That the Tr 6s is a magical little box and I imagine the Tr8s is even more fun. Can't wait to see what they come up with with the Mk3 version "Tr 8s.s" or what it will be called!

[@ftc_music]

Why stereo drum samples in the first place? If you’re talking melodic (spherical) content, you got a point.

[@saardean4481]

@@ftc_music I never said “stereo drum samples “ but “stereo samples” . Stereo because … we are in 2023 or more like 2024 and I don’t find it an unreasonable wish. Since you mention drums , why would using stereo drums would be a weird thing to want? How about experimental music ? A “drum” can be anything even remotely percussive and there are a lot of them that make sense in stereo. Sky is the limit in music not mono compatibility. I will continue with using them even if I end up in prison in case the “do it the right way” thought police gets me :-) (not referring to you )

[@lazarethneptune6969]

Yo Starsky did you load those LINN/Prince sounds or are they already in the drum machine.

[@cold00n]

Is it OK that cymbals and hi hats has a lot of low frequencies in TR8s?

[@ftc_music]

You have several filter and EQ options, depending on the instrument (ACB, FM or sample). If you don’t mind external processing, you can take advantage of either using the 8 individual outs or using the TR8S as an audio interface to record/process all channels separately.

[@cold00n]

@@ftc_music Yes. I am using both ways. But i would like to know are somebody used for example 909 cymbals without low cuting? Is it suitable at all in any kind of music? I hear that i am loosing something after cuting low frequencies. But according to the mixing theory i should cut it off. Can this theory be incorrect?

[@nicosauer3611]

@@cold00n In many of my tracks i have low frequencies which you can't really hear. But when you sum all of them together (that's what a mixdown basically is) it adds up and creates muddy rumble you don't need. Most instruments, if it ain't kick or bass, can be cut below 50Hz without sounding any differrent. But that's not only a cymbal/HH thing.

[@ozzy3ml]

@@cold00nif it sounds worse, don’t cut. I agree you lose fatness if you low cut e.g. a 909 crash a lot. You could try a low shelf instead of highpass. A mistake many people make is to use too sharp hpf’s. Try 6 or 12 dB/oct :)

[@snörre23]

Would you buy this new in 2025 ? Or is there a new generation waiting around the corner ?

[@allancarter3930]

How do u open up the app on Mac. Having trouble

[@AlainHubert]

I've had the TR-8S for some time now and I don't like its convoluted user interface. Too many ways to get lost in button combinations and not have the result you expect. It sounds really good, however, when it finally plays what you want it to.

[@synthetic24]

It is a very simple drummachine. When I bought it after 1 hour I knew 80% already of it. The TR-8S is very easy to use. And always good results.

[@reardondearborn]

Can the trs8 perform multiple hits 2/4/8 on a step like the behringer rd8?

[@ftc_music]

Yes, that’s what the video showed when referring to ratchets. I don’t know the exact time divisions by hard, but they’re suitable.

[@Blueberrystop]

❤

[@bullet0657]

Best drum machine ever imo. Love the workflow

[@StarskyCarr]

The only thing it really lacks is a song mode. So you have to be on the ball playing it live!

[@schmapps1]

@@StarskyCarr Triggering tr-8s patterns via external midi pc from whatever your 'brain' is, works pretty well but you use an awful lot of patterns fast. I really wish Roland would allow VARIATIONS to be triggered via external midi. Imagine how much mileage you could get out of each pattern that way! With 8 variations per pattern, you could pretty use only one actual pattern for a whole song

[@schmapps1]

Or at least, if we could set a variation to repeat a certain number of times, before advancing to the next variation. That could be a nice pseudo song mode

[@pedrogomis]

I prefer the elektron Analog rytm mkii

[@chrisbaron70]

@@StarskyCarrwhen they contact you about updates preference can you stress SONG MODE - then it would be an absolute live in the wild beast

[@reazallykhan]

I still love the tr8….,the tr8s sounds better but it’s the menu that I don’t like