Ten classic Roland TR-808 patterns

[@Zeal808]

Something about just rocking the machine by itself is so powerful. I enjoy how the sounds play off each other a lot

[@machiwoomiapoo]

I love that TR-808 sound. Nothing can replace it. I just love cranking it up and feeling the BASS! Thanks for the amazing videos.

[@thema1998]

Machiwoomiapoo I can see why Kanye West used this for an entire album (808s & Heartbreak). This shit still sounds good today.

[@DennisMHenderson]

The Misunderstood Assassin yeah because "he" is a pile of slop that is trying to associate or take credit for something that anyone else would consider common knowledge. And like always, way too late

[@KandiKlover]

I like the crack of the snare.

[@AshleyPomeroy]

The only drawback is that the kick is *so* low it gets lost if you listen through poor-quality speakers, because it's almost literally just a pure bass tone. I never used to understand the TR-808 until I bought some decent headphones.

[@ericques9974]

Hi, is there "ANYWAY" at all for me to hit the pads and hear the drums without it being in sequence ? I have an MPC 2000 sequencer that I am trying to make tha master and this Roland tha slave. Problem is, I do not hear the drums when I hit any of the pads on tha MPC 2000 or the Roland :(

[@gjdud12]

RIP Ikutaro Kakehashi, founder of Roland.

[@sebastianoliguori1688]

Yeong Heo

[@tynao2029]

Roland is the founder of modern music, not any musician

[@danaminyip]

@@tynao2029 it's synergy

[@SpoonerUK]

Absolutely fantastic. Thanks for sharing. Nothing comes close to the 808, a whole generation of rhythm.

[@craigthornton1971]

Amazing that a machine that could only be made due to sourcing faulty components and therefore only 12,000 could be made as components got more reliable, has such longevity. Sound of my childhood and beyond

[@ashleyelizabeth1173]

Sigh

[@speakertreatz]

special props for getting the Voodoo Ray beat 100 nailed. It's much more complicated than I thought

[@Alex-di8ti]

I cant believe the price of these units are as much as a used car

[@KandiKlover]

Because only a very limited amount were made a long time ago and was originally considered a commercial failure in the early days.

[@johntalbot1331]

Having owned and used both - I recommend kzbin.info/www/bejne/kKe6Z3yhmt6gq5I Identical to the original and very inexpensive

[@NikKershaw1984]

Luckly Behringer exists!

[@wackerburg]

Depends on the car you want to get. A classic in good shape, from 1980 will cost you, too.

[@Anti-FreedomD.P.R.ofSouthKorea]

Get a replica

[@snowdjagha]

Electro boogie just breathes 808! Nice vid!

[@SynthManiaDotCom]

+SNOWMΛN Thank you, Snowman!

[@Juice84]

This is like magic to me right now. Such great memories watching this video. Thanks for sharing =)

[@willnova1234]

Juice

[@rdubb77]

"The 808 kick drum makes the girlies get dumb" - the great poet Sir Mix A Lot

[@danieltx7066]

"Nuthin' sounds quite like an 8... 0... 8!" - Beastie Boy Ad Rock

[@kingcipher7j.e.w.e.l.s302]

This is fantastic. Cybotron. I was surprised and glad to see that.

[@AndySalinger33]

Man I'd forgotten how sick the 808 is.

[@DanYoungDrummer]

I swear I could listen to Planet Rock's pattern all day

[@whatupstalker]

I would love to see a video like this but all beastie boys songs with the tr 808

[@sebastianoliguori1688]

i love raccoons g

[@fender1000100]

Wouldnt work. Beastie boys sound is about those big gated sledgehammer beats. The 808 is too lightweight for that. You need the KING. A DMX. Or a AKAI PC60. To get that weight. That slam.

[@daendiznigh]

Thanks for featuring some of the best electro funk / freestyle jams in this video - no one does that

[@nemisysone]

The TR-808 is my favorite drum machine!!! It's my Holy Grail, my El Dorado, and I just love its sounds! I try to use samples of the iconic rim shot and cowbell in any music I do...and these patterns were some of the reasons I wanted to get into electronic music! Superb video!!! I love it! You're so lucky to have an 808: literally a piece of electronic music history!!!

[@SynthManiaDotCom]

It doesn't have much to do with luck - you just need the money to buy one. You make money by working.

[@nemisysone]

@@SynthManiaDotCom so true! once things start getting back to normal; I can continue saving up for mine. : D They are super-expensive nowadays!!!

[@SynthManiaDotCom]

Yup - they were in the 3K range last year, now they jumped up to 4K

[@domr5901]

@@nemisysone Just get a roland TR-08

[@rocknroll7400]

Learn to use real drums instead

[@tragmadat]

This is the best drumcomputer EVER!

[@vaughanmccarthy6685]

Oh, you're making me regret selling mine! Sounds so gorgeously smooth! Your clap has developed the same problem mine did - a long decay. Must be a common problem. I know mine didn't sound like that when I first got it. To the others out there who wish they had one; yes they sound great, but they're a pain to program. There's no copy and paste functionality and if you want to chain patterns into a song, you have to play each pattern through in real time, and in sequence - very time consuming and frustrating if you make a mistake!

[@AutPen38]

All these patterns are from my favourite era. I loved hearing the Voodoo Ray pattern again. I knew Gerald used an 808 (he was a member of 808 State before they became well known) but I never realised the whole loop was done on that box. It's remarkably melodic and it must have taken you a while to program it!

[@SynthManiaDotCom]

You might be interested in this other video of mine that recreates the song, then --> kzbin.info/www/bejne/p4rSYqaEiJmgntU

[@AutPen38]

@@SynthManiaDotCom Oh wow. I've seen loads of your other uploads, but that one's never come up in my recommendations. I shall add it to my watchlist. Cheers!

[@nik_elektrik]

Omg. The Twins. Guilty pleasure of my teenage years. 😂 Though I still love the sounds and instruments they used.

[@dnc23x]

even Phil Collins! good work, thanks.

[@saulberg5247]

I'M IN TR-808 HEAVEN........................THANK YOU..........

[@cutdafukup]

awesome demo..i love that track by Adonis

[@GeorgeLamond]

Brought back some memories !

[@westcoastpartyplanners7469]

Nice video, brings back great inventions back in the days.

[@mixon1988]

Voodoo Ray real masterpiece

[@danieltx7066]

i just installed an 880 from System80 into my modular system and the first beat i programmed was Sexual Healing. so much fun!

[@axidhaus]

When you’re reading through the comments and you realize some of the coolest fuckers are in here

[@macuse2008]

They've done a good job of emulating these sounds

[@slammingsamples8855]

The 808 - Cheesy and cool at the same time.

[@ashleyelizabeth1173]

Nothing cheesy about this boo

[@InflatablePlane]

Wow the bass out of this just blows through my headphones and vibrates my entire head. What a hell of. Sound. All I can think of is Janet Jackson's "Control" album win this box on heavy rotation throughout it.

[@donallfinn]

Yep. Perfectly sculpted kick and snare sounds that find thier way in any mix,, that's the 808's most underated quality, it just WORKS with other instruments

[@oholm09]

Jam and Lewis productions

[@rocknroll7400]

Yrs it's almost 50% as loud and real sounding as a real drummer playing the same notes. Kindve like how real that football incident with Janet at halftime with the breast touched by the young gay kid was real

[@SPAZZOID100]

There is no 808 on that album.

[@SPAZZOID100]

@@oholm09 no 808 on that album.

[@RandomnessTube.]

Game changer in music.

[@njxiong]

cowbells all day!

[@NandoCesar]

Bro, Sister, whoever you might be. I'm your fan !!!

[@SynthManiaDotCom]

Nando, thank you - I'm a bro ;)

[@adamharris7775]

Roland TR-808 cowbells, Roland TR-808 claps and Linn LM-1 were heard in “How Will I Know” (1985) and “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” (1987).

[@ep5742]

Adam Harris It was the LinnDrum and Oberheim DMX used in those songs not the LM-1

[@oholm09]

Narada Michael walden track

[@SPAZZOID100]

Not the best examples.

[@AveMcree]

you would think Roland would of made a boutique version of the 808 but no.... They put out the TR-9 instead lol

[@sebastianoliguori1688]

Ave McRae

[@pushsantana]

Your wish come tru

[@michael_sterling]

Done! :)

[@sutusmihaly]

..keep looking for the new behringer rd-808 ;-)

[@sportsfreundberlin]

would 'of' ????

[@jaggass]

Did Beyonce use one Irreplaceable?

[@diegoalba931]

I want the Roland TR 808 to be my first drum machine. If I win the lottery, it'll be one of the first things I'll buy.

[@maccagrabme]

At current prices I think you are wasting your money. You can get so many alternatives nowadays that sound almost identical for a fraction of the cost. These are great machines but they are getting OLD physically and aurally and I think its time for some new sounds that are different but sonically as powerful to come along and wow us all again and move on from being an 80's stuck record.

[@xnonsuchx]

I always liked Phil Collins's use of it for the beginning of Genesis's ME AND SARAH JANE.

[@AshleyPomeroy]

Was it a TR-808 or a CR-78? "In the Air Tonight" had a CR-78.

[@EphemeralProductions]

Yep. Phil used the 808 in MANY of his songs throughout the 1980s

[@SPAZZOID100]

That was a CR-78. “Man on the Corner” was an 808.

[@GunnarLoeb]

That sexual healing beat is epic!

[@TransistorBased]

I actually got to review with one of these, but it had been sitting in an attic for years and had some pretty scratchy controls. Still one hell of an experience though

[@wioska123]

Hey, I would like to listen to your cover of Chris de Bourgh "Lady in red" ! It`s a good song for Roland tr 808

[@samthesmartfella]

nice name

[@graveyardgxblin]

Egyptian lover, Egyptian lover, baby! Damn I love Electro & Acid House.

[@정찬호-x3k]

simple but sophisticated

[@riddlerspeoples3173]

Mantronix was the master of the 808

[@phinds1]

Totally agree!!!

[@joshlloyd9698]

Programming is essential, id have to say the _sound_ of the 808 on a given recording, can be such a defining feature, one could argue the 'production' of the 808 tracks can count for as much if not more perhaps than the rhythm being played. Not to take anything away from Mantronix certainly, but as far as records with big 808 drums, Rick Rubin just shut it down cold

[@claypleasant6327]

Riddlers Peoples Egyptian Lover as well when it comes to uptempo

[@bitinback2825]

Riddlers Peoples and the 909

[@AutPen38]

My mum did not like it when I blasted out my Def Jam records in '87-'88. PE, Run DMC, and the Beasties had some very hard 808s.

[@adamharris7775]

In the song "I Wanna Dance with Somebody" (1987), the Roland TR-808 claps were heard.

[@SPAZZOID100]

You need to check out rap & r & b 1982-1984. MUCH better examples of 808 usages.

[@jd49631]

Great mix. Would have been better with some Jam and Lewis and Nick Martinelli beats also (S.O.S. Band, Loose Ends).

[@SynthManiaDotCom]

+helen4963 Helen, thank you, I only had time for ten songs at this time but I'll try to include other artists in a future demo

[@michael_caz_nyc]

O.M.G. - Hell Yeah. Jam & Lewis are The Masters of the TR-808. This is the Greatest Drum Machine of all time. Everybody Wants " These Sounds "

[@speakertreatz]

good call Helen, Nick Martinelli was an absolute master of the 808, Hanging On A String is 808-funk elevated to a high art

[@SPAZZOID100]

@@speakertreatz he did not program it.

[@speakertreatz]

@@SPAZZOID100 you're right, he wasn't the guy who sat down with the machine and programmed in the beats. But he understood the 808 so well he could hand an engineer a record and say 'copy that exact beat' and it would be perfect for the song. We both know that's exactly what he did for Hanging On A String.

[@djrolixtraordinairmusic3037]

This and the MC-303 did it for me. Both by Roland.

[@toastingbread]

has the kick got some biit reduction on i can hear?

[@MrDXW1213]

This and the Linn L-1 are the greatest

[@Mahdcat]

That is dope as hell.

[@soaribb32]

Iconic

[@BlixtenMarlowes]

Thanks! Very instructive! :-D

[@SynthManiaDotCom]

+BlixtenMarlowes Blixten, thank you!

[@maciejzakrz3wski]

Nice! Love this 😍

[@gorillatekdrummajorz]

THE HOLY GRAIL!!

[@adamharris7775]

In the Miami Nights 1984 song “Sunseeker” (2011) and SHAMMY song “Candela” (2021), the Roland TR-808 was heard.

[@paulbaloukas90]

Top 5 808 Songs: 1. Sexual Healing 2. Cold Blooded 3. Planet Rock 4. One More Night 5. Brass Monkey

[@michael_caz_nyc]

Classic Drum Sounds. I Love this Unit. If you want to " Really Hear It " - Listen to The SOS Band ( produced by Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis ) Tracks: Tell me if you still care, No ones gonna love you, Just be good to me ( among many others ). I Never get tired of these drum sounds. I have had a Roland TR-707, Akai MPC, Alesis HR-16 ( now have the Roland DR-880 ) - with Many of the Old TR-808 Sounds.

[@avzarathustra6164]

Interesting.

[@donuzoka8858]

Love it!

[@thebmxband1t]

BRILLIANT👾👾👾👾👾👾

[@cla3452]

TR-808 is the musical version of the "Wilhelm Scream" thats put into movies.

[@KandiKlover]

Nah

[@SteelSkin667]

It really is. Specifically that bass sound that sounds nothing like a bass drum, but is getting pitched to used as a bassline absolutely everywhere.

[@KandiKlover]

@@SteelSkin667 nope

[@Ppaintkiller]

​@@KandiKlover ok man, you are as wise as wordful

[@marcellusaz4246]

Im so stoked to buy one. Time to stop making excuses and get this music career popping

[@SynthManiaDotCom]

Career in music? I strongly suggest that you get some data before choosing a career... and spend 4K on an 808... the vast majority of musicians are poor. Here's a bit of data from Disc Makers that you should consider - 50,000 songs are published every day flic.kr/p/2j7vmAk Why? Because it's easy. It doesn't take any effort to push a few buttons and make a song. That's why 50K people post songs every day. But that's also why the value of music is very, very, very, very low. It doesn't take any effort or skill.

[@marcellusaz4246]

Oh wow, well I'm planning on investing in drum machines. I'm a rapper and I got tired of trying to explain to producers how I want certain things to sound fr. I'm only 19, so I figure if I learn how to so both sides of the spectrum the sky is the limit

[@dennisesedney1239]

Nice

[@SynthManiaDotCom]

Thx

[@Kholdstare0503]

POSSE ON BROADWAY??

[@avzarathustra6164]

Classsssssssic!

[@chisel316]

I've always loved the sound of the 808. I just realized that I've already remade half of these songs in my Classic 808 Tracks using TR-08 series. :)

[@FredGoodatWork]

Cybotron FTW!!! :D

[@jaredgerard7992]

WHOOP! there it is

[@jbarrier3506]

I wanna see the bridge remade. Marley Marl

[@robertsmith-sz2dj]

Mantronik is the king of kings of 606 808 909 mu 12 Jupiter keyboard and 303 !

[@RodneyD]

run dmc's "together forever" was hip hop song to introduce the classic 808 boom in rap. The S.O.S. band's "tell me if you still care" was the first r&b song to introduce the classic 808 boom. However the S.O.S. band used it briefly in the song, on the part where it says "listen to my heartbeat". It was only for a few seconds.

[@SPAZZOID100]

Nope. Marvin’s “Midnight Love” LP was the first appearance.

[@RodneyD]

@@SPAZZOID100 You’re wrong…. I’m talking the actual 808 “BOOM”. The long sustained bass kick of the Roland Tr-808 drum machine… that’s prevalent in hip hop and trap music. Marvin’s “Midnight Love” Lp was the first soul record to incorporate the 808 drum machine. BUT NOT THE ICONIC BOOM OF THE 808 kick drum. It wasn’t there. Listen to Run Dmc “together forever”. Listen to how the boom of the kick drum sounds. Its sustained and booming. THATS WHAT IM REFERRING TO… I owned the actual Roland Tr-808 drum machine for many years bro.

[@speakertreatz]

@@SPAZZOID100 take a breath..now read it properly. The BOOM. The long-tailed basstone.. Not 'the first appearance of the 808 on a hip-hop or soul record'. The boom.

[@AutPen38]

Never mind the "boom" bit. Yellow Magic Orchestra recorded with an 808 a year before anyone in America even had one. Marvin Gaye's 'Sexual Healing' was the first chart-topper to feature it prominently though. It's kind of amazing that its sounds are even more prominent in today's charts. Gotta give 808 State and Kanye (with his '808s and Heartbreak' album) some credit for keeping it in the public eye.

[@MR-xo9co]

Being a lover of 🎶 music myself I remember hearing the TR-808 for the first time on Afrika Bambaata and the Soul Sonic Force smash hit "Planet Rock" in the summer of 1982 and after that everyone started using in their music!

[@alvidama151]

please make a video about the the 808 drum pattern in 2 live crew throw the d !!! a nother 808 classic !!! mr mixx was a king on the 808 along with egypten lover and many others from miami bass movment !!!!

[@slipper-uk9878]

rock rock the planet rock, dont stop

[@slipper-uk9878]

got me body poping now true old school bboy style ...

[@mastertung7]

Ok thanks,that's what I reckoned...

[@cph2004]

Is there any way I can have the patterns for these?

[@patriciahearst9038]

+synthmania can you do a video speaking about how trigger out works on the 808? Thanks, I love your work and compositions!

[@SynthManiaDotCom]

Thank you, sure, will do - what would you like to see in particular, about the trigger outs from the 808?

[@StanAlter]

try some old Skinny Puppy beats.

[@Shred_The_Weapon]

How close do you think Roland gets with their new emulation gear?

[@patricksteveok]

❤️

[@АндрейБорисов-р8ы]

Wow.. it's Atomm

[@rayramon5955]

oh shit i started to top rock when cybotron came on!

[@ericques9974]

Hi, is there "ANYWAY" at all for me to hit the pads and hear the drums without it being in sequence ? I have an MPC 2000 sequencer that I am trying to make tha master and this Roland tha slave. Problem is, I do not hear the drums when I hit any of the pads on tha MPC 2000 or the Roland :(

[@karmaomegaentertainment8522]

Dope

[@aelmore]

Anyone who went to skating ring in the 1980's lived these beats

[@jrosboston9106]

How can I get the patterns?

[@optigana]

robricketts.bigcartel.com/

[@Shikefa5]

RIP Ikutaro Kakehashi

[@ashleygraham8781]

Voodoo Ray. CHOOOOOON!!

[@mikeangelson]

There's an app I found with tr 808 beats

[@nikopericic7972]

What is it called

[@nikopericic7972]

If you mean app that has a list of beats with 808 i would pay for that and if you mean an app to like play 808 drums then cool but that is not what I would be interested in

[@adamharris7775]

In the song “Baby Got Back” (1992), the Roland TR-909, LinnDrum and Roland TR-808 were heard.

[@Skyisnotalimit]

Is this the machine you can hear in intro of the film Top Gun?

[@cakafella]

Other than sampling the 808 and 909 where the most important tools of early rap.

[@X-101]

+cakafella i can't think of a early rap/electro track with a 909, the other drum machine that was used a lot was the DMX

[@djlsd1678]

+X-101 Steady B used the 909 default in a lot of his early songs, so did Schoolly D but he added a lot of hard reverb, Mantronix used it a lot too

[@AutPen38]

Define "early" rap. There was a lot of 808 use by Def Jam artists like Public Enemy, Run DMC and the Beastie Boys, but the really early stuff came out before the 808 was even invented. (It wasn't cheap either at 1200 dollars in 1982, which is about 4 grand in today's money). Kurtis Blow was having hits in 1979, and most of the Sugar Hill stuff was performed by the house band or Grandmaster Flash spinning his wheels of steel. (Sampling vinyl on to tape before samplers were available. :)

[@daothermanager]

Download link? for roland cloud?

[@ashleyelizabeth1173]

😎 Could have me up all night 🌙

[@dsalbatera]

that bass tho

[@Zoltar78]

I♥️808

[@cresshead]

New Order - CONFUSION (tr-808)

[@rb8058]

Did they also use on the remake that appeared on Substance? Or just the original?

[@frankborsellino6840]

There are some pretty good apps out.

[@cqbs]

Yeah Voodoo Ray!

Yeeaaaaaaaaaahh :)))))))))))))