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

Having gone over the TR-8’s interface and functions with a fine-tooth comb, let’s start applying what we have learned to real-world situations. TR-8 was designed to be played like an instrument, and that’s precisely how many use it — as the backbone of their all-hardware live rigs. This week, we dive into live rig integration with Roland TR-8.

Introducing TR-8 into an Electronic Ecosystem

The first step in assimilating TR-8 into your live rig is identifying its role. Is it a support machine, second to another drum machine or groovebox? Is it the backbone of your live sound? Is it the master clock? Is it triggering or controlling other devices? The answers to these questions will largely influence the signal routing settings you choose when integrating the TR-8.

MIDI

Oftentimes – especially in all-hardware ecosystems – TR-8 will function as the master clock. This means that TR-8 will send its own internal clock to other devices via the MIDI OUT port. In this case, you may want to set the clock source (Pad 1 in the “hidden” settings menu) to INTERNAL. This way, even if you decide to send MIDI into the TR-8 for any reason, it will ignore the incoming clock signal.

If you choose another device to be the master clock, make sure your clock source is set to AUTO. Run a MIDI cable from the output of your master clock to the input on TR-8.

If TR-8 is triggering another device or vice-versa, ensure they are both on the same MIDI Channel. This setting is accessible on the TR-8 via the settings menu as well (TEMPO knob). If TR-8 is not triggering other devices, ensure the MIDI channel is set to OFF. Otherwise, you may find errant sounds seeping into your groove.

MIDI Thru

I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again; one of the most clutch features of the TR-8 is its ability to turn its MIDI Out into a MIDI Thru. In a situation where you have a clock signal that needs to go to multiple devices, TR-8 is able to easily relay an incoming clock signal to a second device. In order to set this, access the settings menu and ensure Pad 2 is lit.

Audio

Now it’s time to decide its place in your live rig’s audio network. Do you use a hardware mixer? Are you using a DAW like Ableton Live and an audio interface? Are you running devices into TR-8’s External In? Answering these questions will determine how you route TR-8’s audio within your rig.

If you are using a hardware mixer at the end of your rig’s audio line, the connections are pretty straightforward. You want to reserve two channels for TR-8 (or up to four if you decide to isolate any sounds via your A and B assignable outputs). Just bear in mind that although the External In can be reassigned, the effects cannot.

If you are using a DAW like Ableton Live, run the audio to your interface. You will likely want to conserve inputs on the interface, so try to run everything through the main outputs. If you have inputs to spare on your interface, you may try isolating sounds via assignable outputs. Run the main outputs of your interface to the speaker system.

External In

TR-8 allows up to two audio signals to be mixed in with its own sounds. There are several ways to take advantage of this feature. The most straightforward way is to plug in a single stereo device, or up to two mono devices. Depending on your choice, you will want to set External In to STEREO or MONO, respectively.

Another method would be to run audio from your other devices to a submixer, then run your submixer’s main outputs to TR-8’s External In. This allows you to run as many devices as your submixer permits through TR-8.

Likewise, you can also run the master output of a DAW like Ableton Live directly into the TR-8. It is important to note, however, that this would put TR-8 at the end of the signal chain – it would not have its own channels within the DAW, nor would it be affected by the DAW in any way. What advantages would this configuration have? There are two:

SIDE CHAIN and SCATTER

Any audio passing through the TR-8 is affected by both of these functions. SIDE CHAIN allows you to pump the volume of the External In according to a set sequence (it’s not a true side chain, as it is not keyed by any input – it’s just a ducker running off of a sequence).

More interestingly, TR-8’s SCATTER function takes all audio passing through MIX OUT and affects it accordingly. This includes any incoming audio from External In. SCATTER may not be for everyone, but it’s something to consider when deciding how you want to route your audio.

In short, here are the main considerations to bear in mind when integrating TR-8 into your live rig:

Is TR-8…	Yes	No
…the Master clock?	Set Clock Source to INTERNAL	Set Clock Source to AUTO
…triggering (or being triggered by) other devices?	Set to the appropriate MIDI Channel	Set MIDI Channel to OFF
…relaying a clock signal?	Set MIDI Thru to ON (lit)	Set MIDI Thru to OFF
…receiving audio input from a submixer, or single stereo device ?	Set External In to STEREO (lit)	N/A
…receiving audio input from two   different devices?	Set External In to MONO (unlit)	N/A

Case Study: “The Trifecta” Hardware Rig

Let us now apply what we have discussed above to a real-world situation. Trifecta is what I call my small hardware rig. It’s portable, easy to set up, and simple to use. Trifecta uses three pieces: Electribe EMX-2, Bass Station 2, and TR-8.

TR-8 Settings

TR-8 is the master clock in this situation, so Clock Source is set to INTERNAL*. MIDI Channel is OFF because I do not want it triggering Electribe. MIDI Thru is engaged because I will be passing another signal through TR-8 and into Electribe. The Bass Station is set to MIDI channel 10. This will be important momentarily. For the audio, I engage the BOOST for a significant volume bump – this is because my rig will output directly to the house speaker system. I also opt to run External In under MONO mode.

Signal Routing

MIDI runs from TR-8 OUT to Electribe IN. Then, it runs from Electribe OUT to Bass Station IN. Finally, it runs from Bass Station OUT to TR-8 IN. Essentially, we have MIDI running in a circuit through all the machines.

Audio runs out from Electribe via main L (mono) output into one of the External Ins on TR-8. Bass Station’s mono out runs into the other External In.

Firing It Up…

The result with this setup is sleek and cohesive. The clock from TR-8 syncs the Electribe, right down to START/STOP. Meanwhile, any MIDI produced by manipulating Bass Station passes straight through TR-8 with no effect, and gets picked up by channel 10 on Electribe. This allows me to record my Bass Station performances, right down to the knob-twisting, onto the Electribe. Once recorded, Electribe then plays my recorded sequence back on the Bass Station.

All of it is a neatly self-contained system that features TR-8 as the master clock and “mixer” (signal merger may be more apt) for the other instruments. There are a handful of other settings on the other machines that make this rig work, but that is outside the scope of this article.

Conclusion

This is one way to use TR-8. Probably one of the more popular ways – TR-8 was developed for live play, after all. In the coming weeks, we will touch on two more common situations in which TR-8 is often found. We will also go into actual performance techniques for the machine.

Until next week,
AudioMunk

Want to see how TR-8 could work in a more complex setup? Check out a past Audiomunk series exploring The Stack – my Ableton Live-based extended live rig.