Roland TR-8 – A Guide for Live and Studio Use: Introduction

Part 1: Introduction

Once upon a time, many years ago, there was disco. People played the funky music and bands embraced the style, as did the DJs of the time, and the people were happy. Then, counter-culture happened. Punk, metal and other malcontent rock genres surfaced, and along with them, so did the “Disco Sucks” movement. The people were angry – nobody liked disco anymore. The bands moved on to newer, more exciting styles. And just like that, disco faded into the night, without a word of dissent. It just rolled over and died.

…or did it?

When disco fell off the radar, it had found a new home in the Chicago underground where it underwent a seminal transformation. The genre had been distilled by pioneering DJs of the time into a raw, unyielding stream of thick, infectious rhythms that never had any mainstream aspirations. A true underground style, house music – as it would come to be known, came into being. And in spite of its underground roots, it would come to dominate nightlife around the entire world.

Enter Roland

A major catalyst in the development of house music was a pair of devices released by Roland Corporation in the early 1980’s. The TR-808 – and four years later, the TR-909 – are the two drum machines that conquered the world. They were relatively affordable, especially on the used market, so DJs that had acquired them created rhythm tracks that they would play alongside the disco and euro-pop records they spun at clubs. (This is a method of use we will discuss later in the series

Eventually dominating popular and underground genres, these two drum machines took on a mythical status. They went out of production just as the genres they defined were being formed. Thus, they demanded (and still demand) a steep price on the used market. In this light, it’s strange that it took Roland so long to capitalize on the popularity of these machines, but eventually they did. And it was well worth the wait.

The Second Coming: Roland’s TR-8

Thirty years after the release (and swift discontinuation) of the TR-909, Roland introduced the TR-8. It was a wet dream come true for producers and DJs alike, who lusted after the legendary devices, but couldn’t swing the prices they demanded.

Roland’s TR-8 is the next step in the development of the TR series. It was developed with live performance in mind, and it is an astoundingly accurate recreation for pennies in comparison with it’s ancestors.

Let’s get something out of the way, though. The TR-8 is a digital device, as opposed to its analog lineage. Purists will scoff. Collectors will look down their noses. Let them – we have a real beast of an instrument here. And it sounds and behaves freakishly like the originals it was meant to emulate.

The reason behind it is a proprietary technology called Analog Circuit Behavior (ACB). ACB emulates not the sounds, but the actual circuitry and component behavior of the original devices, thus yielding the sounds – right down to some of their more peculiar idiosyncrasies.

In this series, we will be going over the TR-8 and its uses both live and in the studio. We will go over configurations and integration methods, as well as operational tips and tricks, in an effort to get your drum beast hooked up and playing nicely with the rest of your gear.

AudioMunk’s Guide to the Roland TR-8

This series will be broken up and released individually on Audiomunk.com as follows:

• Part 2: Device Overview – We will discuss the layout, architecture, and key functions of the TR-8
• Part 3: Basic Operation – We will explore how to use this machine to make music.
• Part 4: Crucial Settings and Options – We will go over important settings crucial to seamless rig integration – including the infamous “Hidden Menu”
• Part 5: Live Play – We will discuss internal settings and integration with other devices as well as performance tips.
• Part 6: DJ Play – We will discuss internal settings and rig configurations for using the TR-8 in tandem with DJ software or decks.
• Part 7: Studio Play – We will discuss internal settings and configurations for home studio integration.

I’m looking forward to presenting this device to you – it’s my favorite for a reason. Until part 2!

-Audiomunk