Beat making tutorial, dnb, using delay as a roll effect on the TR 8

[@josephcreed7]

I made a beat to your tutorial on the Tr8 lmao...I love instruments that don't require a daw. Just so much more inspirational!

[@SuperHappyplant]

Another really helpful vid, thank you. My girl friend is a producer and music the teacher - I asked her about the 8th setting and got a very technical, musically knowledgeable response that just made me scratch my head! Your vid has really helped explain it to an idiot like me and also shows how I can use it and add the delay in subtly with it. Just a shame I dont make dnb and have to try and work out how I'll apply this to techno!

[@LousyFacelift]

+SuperHappyplant Hey man! Guess this means you're going to have to start making dnb hahaha :D Thanks for the nice comment, best wishes!

[@jimmydewit7319]

genius, simple, crystal clear. thanks.

[@norfolkchillihead]

Very useful video, I've been wanting to make a good drum n bass beat on my TR8 and this will help me get started 😀

[@LousyFacelift]

Thanks for the nice comment! Have fun making those beats on your TR 8! :)

[@adamjcohn]

Great method! Twice the space too. Good stuff. Thanks. Just for my 8S and am trying to learn how to step sequence live like this in the 808 vs "MPC" method. This is certainly more visible. Thanks.

[@LousyFacelift]

Adam Cohn Thanks for the nice words! :)

[@stoneslice]

Great video. Thanks for sharing this. The 707 download gives the TR8 even more awesome sounds. Cheers.

[@LousyFacelift]

Yes, I really like the fact that the 707 upgrade adds a kick drum sound on the low tom channel. So you can use one bass heavy long kick in combination with a short and punchy one. Thanks for the nice feedback! :)

[@mrbuchkie]

thanks for this I have roland dj 505 has built in tr drum machine can do some d+b remixes now

[@DaJungleDred]

Great video thank you for this

[@unfinishedmonkeyrecords]

There's also a roll function just straight on the panel board when in play instrument mode.

[@josephcreed7]

Good job, very helpful!

[@herzaincarmona4810]

Very cool.

[@LousyFacelift]

Many thanks!

[@jonathanulery1610]

Great info I do the same thing only at 172BPMs and 86BPMs

[@luvlilginger2514]

I've been trying to find a beat machine that's close to or similar to the "E-MU SP-1200 Beat machine" Would you say that the "Roland TR-8S Rhythm Performer is that machine? Thanks!

[@LousyFacelift]

The Isla SP-2400 is made to be a new extended version of the E-MU SP-1200. It is more expensive but also a lot closer in sound than the TR-8S.

[@Wouterferdinand]

When I put in the exact same instrument sequence it sounds completely static... would you happen to know how to get that flow ?

[@LousyFacelift]

Wouter Ensink Check on the timing feature on step key number seven in boot mode to see if you have TR timing (lit) or solid timing (unlit) activated. I usually use high accent levels for dnb, between twelve and three o'clock on the poti.

[@Wouterferdinand]

Thanks for the answer!! In the end it was only me being too hyped and paid low attention to my "swing" Thanks for the tutorial though! I mainly made techno on this device so it's cool to do dnb for a change

[@MarkyMarkYo]

I do this so much. Always a small detail im overlooking cause gotta go fast!

[@filipZieciak]

Hi, I almost got everything to work except from...I don't know way but I'm not able to record the any effects like the delay or reverb. I'm using the Logic Pro x 10.5 and recording the audio. DO u know what is the reason?

[@djdeemz7651]

Interestingly if your producing on a daw the opposite also applies you can make a beat at 360 bpm and do the opposite and spread the bar out and over a 4 bar it's basically kick on one bar snares on second bar step beat on third bar and snare on last bar and then

[@asmodeussatan5364]

Hi, i noticed if you put 3 (take for example snares) and you place them next to each other, you will only hear 2 snares, is there anyway to create that nice triple roll? also if i connect my tr8 to ableton, the delay and reverb on the tr8 itself, arent working anymore? Anyway big up on the tutorials, really been helping me out :)

[@LousyFacelift]

Hi there! About the snare example: If steps are missing or inaudible, check the swing setting and make sure it's set somewhere close to neutral (12 o' clock). If it's set to the far left or far right, the even number steps will play at almost the same time as the previous or the following odd number step. About the effects: The effects are hardwired to the main outputs and cannot be used on the individual outs, just like the scatter function btw. Unfortunately triplets cannot be integrated in a pattern based on scales three or four. If you have the 7X7 upgrade you can try to use the flam function as a workaround.

[@boogiemaps859]

thanks mate

[@bib993]

I just realized using half BPM kinda doubles the number of available patterns!

[@lenistwho]

I hope you stil answer questions . I l whats the differnce between this methode or just using 32e notes at the scale section ?

[@LousyFacelift]

Lenistwo The advantage of this is getting four measures out of a two bar loop (one pattern A and B) instead of just one measure in scale four but at the same time you're losing flexibility to program fast notes, so this definitely is a compromise that doesn't work all the time. Using a delay to create faster notes is ok for rolls in only one voice but if you want to write fast breaks for the kick and snare this doesn't work.

[@lenistwho]

LousyFacelift , ok thanks , for this reply .

[@sabinem8642]

yeah, i´m happy to find this video ! And Ii have a question : talking about that 707 download, i have upload that 606 upgrade, so i don´t know do i have that 707 ? makes me confusion !

[@LousyFacelift]

I think you should have all of the extra sounds (707, 727 and 606). To make sure press the Instrument key and switch between tracks to see all the assignable sounds on the step keys in different colors. Pink is for 808 sounds, yellow for 909, orange for 707, blue for 727 and white for 606.

[@sabinem8642]

LousyFacelift well thank, Yes i have all these colors ! And thank you so much for this video. It was exectly that was i search to know.

[@solomonjenkins9505]

when step recording every time i press a button for the second time its purple instead of red whats up?

[@LousyFacelift]

Solomon Jenkins Yes, that's the accent per step function. The purple steps will be played at half the level of the red steps.

[@solomonjenkins9505]

oh shit yeah what i didn't realize is that when you boot holding ptn select you can change the way this is applied by pressing the tr rec button, the way it is when the button is lit is annoying for live use

[@LousyFacelift]

Solomon Jenkins Yes, when you have TR REC lit in boot mode you're in 909 mode, unlit is 808 mode. In 909 mode you press step keys twice for soft accents and hi hats cancel eachother out when placed on the same step. In 808 mode you hold the instrument key together with the step keys for soft acccents and open and closed hi hats on the same step produce a different sound. I also prefer the 808 mode.

[@leemajors1417]

LousyFacelift can you record with the roll function in live record?

[@LousyFacelift]

Ronan Lee No, unfortunately not. It's just a live feature that cannot be recorded.

[@grimkin6154]

Looping pedal m8... or ableton lol

[@peterheard5132]

Legend! Thanks

[@LousyFacelift]

Hahaha :D My pleasure! Thank you!

[@tobiashirsch5466]

Thanks for sharing! Really helped me out (: Another question; how did you achieve to turn off so many LEDs?

[@LousyFacelift]

Tobias Hirsch I muted all the instruments that I didn't need for the demo, these sounds are inactive. Access the mute settings: In Inst Play mode press pad 16 to turn individual instruments off (along with the lights). Press pad 16 again to go back to realtime playing.

[@intelbreak]

Amazing! thank you for these great tutorials!! I was thinking could you perhaps use a midi clock divider to send say a TB3 a half clock signal so you can still work in 180bpm on the TR-8? or am I not understanding midi correctly?

[@LousyFacelift]

That should be no problem. By the way there is a timing shift function for triplet patterns in the TB 3, when you press [TEMPO] and [STEP REC] but it doesn't do half tempo shifts afaik.

[@intelbreak]

@@LousyFacelift nice to know! thanks!

[@reazallykhan]

nice

[@stemfourvisual]

Only thing is youre losing grid resolution if you half the tempo.

[@LousyFacelift]

True, I think I mentioned giving up 16th for only 8th note resolution somewhere in the video. Thanks for watching!

[@ManGeesterful]

Why am I the only one that can't seem to get the same results at half speed... Have followed this video to the letter and get completely different sounding results. Can do at normal bpm, but for some reason I can't reproduce at half speed :s

[@LousyFacelift]

Gary Johnson Hmm.... check the settings for scale and keep the shuffle knob in a neutral position... that's all I can think of that could cause problems. 🤔

[@ManGeesterful]

LousyFacelift thanks for the response :) I will try again today. Spent hours frustrating the he'll out of myself yesterday... can do at 180 bpm in seconds... half speed, I just can't get the rythm :s

[@LousyFacelift]

Gary Johnson It can become a bit confusing and of course it is a (sometimes bad) compromise being limited to eighth notes. Maybe try counting the downbeats on 1, 3, 5 and 7 for a "full measure", the same goes for 9, 11, 13 and 15 for the second measure of course.

[@ManGeesterful]

LousyFacelift I'm about to give it a go again. Thanks so much for the responses.. it's very much appreciated :) I will let you know how I get on shortly.

[@ManGeesterful]

This is driving me nuts lol... Still just can't get it... Stupid thing is, I have done it before... Am using Ableton to drive bpm, since I have other hardware synchronized and realised before that half bpm, meant the arpeggiators work a whole lot better for d&b.... Have watched the video so many times and have followed exactly, but still just sounds wrong :s Have no idea what's going on... :s

[@aliasghar907]

too bad you cant copy patterns from A to B eh...

[@LousyFacelift]

aliasghar907 Yes, I would really like to see that added in a new update. Also more roll variations to the flam function and maybe even polyrhythm by making last step available per track. That would be pretty awesome. :)

[@aliasghar907]

u mean the last step feature doesnt get saved per pattern/track eh.. i gess as a "live tool" you really have to get comfortable as possible or initimate with the tr8 to be able to do create those more complex possibilities.. lets bug Roland politely until they keep improving the Aira line. i know i will be asking for a/b copy as i've heard many mention this..

[@LousyFacelift]

aliasghar907 The last step assignment gets saved with the pattern but not per track. If each track could have a different number of steps you could create polyrhythms which would be pretty cool and make the TR 8 a tougher contestant for the Arturia Drumbrute. Also programmable rolls would make the sequencer a lot more flexible. Good idea to contact Roland, I actually thought about it myself. :)

[@aliasghar907]

LousyFacelift communicating with developer can be good way to help by giving needed feedback.. wondering what you mean about the tracks..Isnt that in your DAW.. i know what polyrythms are altho my music research hasnt gotten to it yet.. May I ask is there a second accent mode besides the obvious one? I think one of your videos shows 2 different velocities when you hold the ACCENT button..is that over and above the regular ACCENT operation..?

[@LousyFacelift]

aliasghar907 You can create polyrhythms in your daw if you use the TR 8 more like a sound module and copy phrases of its tracks in a way that creates them. It would be cool to do this with the built in sequencer though. About the accents: Yes, you can place normal or lighter global accents when the accent key is activated. For lighter accents simply keep the accent button pressed while placing the step and you can program normal or softer notes, by simply pressing a step key when a track is selected or holding down the track key while placing the note (in 808 mode) or pressing the step key twice (in 909 mode) for 50% quieter notes.

[@kfernandesless]

less talk more rock.