Roland TR-8: A Guide to Live and Studio Use – Hybrid DJ Setup

In this final installment of our TR-8 series, we will explore one more situation that the Roland’s re-imagined drum machine shines – as a part of a hybrid DJ setup.

Far from alien, decks and drum machines have shared the booth from the very origins of house and techno music. Artists like Jeff Mills have been incorporating drum machines into their sets since the early 80’s, and running machines in tandem with tracks is gaining popularity with software like Ableton Live and Traktor Pro.

You can spot TR-8s on stage with the likes of Richie Hawtin, Rebekah, Ean Golden, and KiNK to name a few.

Now, let’s explore methods of linking your TR-8 with your DJ software of choice. There are idiosyncrasies when operating TR-8 with any of these systems. So be aware that once you get rolling, you will have to learn how your software of choice interacts with TR-8.

Essential Settings on TR-8

First, it’s important to configure the TR-8 for live use. This means routing all sounds to MIX OUT (the default assignment) and panning and gain staging your sounds. Also, be sure to adjust your hidden menu settings to the following:

• Clock Source AUTO
• Signal Boost ON
• MIDI Message Reception UNLIT

Traktor Pro

Traktor is probably the easiest system to connect with. Traktor’s platform revolves around looping and remixing, with several tools designed to aid DJs in doing exactly that. As such, it’s no surprise that they made it extremely easy to link up hardware – they even have MIDI ports on their DJ controllers.

To link TR-8 to your Traktor setup, do the following:

1. Configure TR-8 for DJ performance. Set a sound (preferably Rimshot or Kick) to play 4/4.
2. Connect TR-8 to your controller (if using a Traktor S-series controller or other MIDI-capable interface). Make sure that the cable runs out from the interface and in to TR-8.
3. Configure one of your Traktor decks to “Live Input,” and run TR-8’s MIX OUT to the appropriate stereo input on your controller or interface.
4. In Traktor’s preferences, go to MIDI Clock and check “Send MIDI Clock”
5. In the left FX area in Traktor Pro, select the metronome icon to pull up the Master Clock section. Click the TICK box to activate the metronome. Click the PLAY/PAUSE button to start your TR-8.
6. Listen to the tick and your TR-8 to gauge the tightness on the sync. If it’s not quite right, go back to the Master Clock section of the preferences menu and adjust the MIDI Clock Delay until your drum machine and the metronome is bang on.

You’re now ready to rock a hybrid DJ setup with Traktor!

Serato DJ Pro

Serato is the most popular DJ software stateside. Before 2019, if you wanted to sync a drum machine to Serato, it was a complex affair using its LINK function that may or may not have worked. Nowadays, however, Roland Corporation has released updates for all TR devices (TR-8, TR-8s, TR-08, and TR-09) that allows for a pain-free, easy sync with Serato – the Serato TR-Sync.

To link TR-8 to your Serato setup, do the following:

1. Ensure your TR-8 is running the latest version (1.61) of the firmware. If it is not, visit this page and carefully follow the instructions to install version 1.61 on your machine.
2. Ensure you have installed the TR-8’s drivers on your computer. If you have not yet installed the drivers, visit this page and carefully follow the instructions to download and install the appropriate drivers for your system.
3. Ensure you are running the latest version (2.3.2) of Serato DJ Pro. If you are running an earlier version, visit this page and carefully follow the instructions to update your software.
4. Connect TR-8 to your computer via USB and to your controller or interface on the appropriate audio channel inputs.
5. In Serato’s preferences menu, select a sync type (either one works).
6. Activate TR-Sync on the TR-8 by holding down TAP and turning the TEMPO knob to the right.
7. Once TR-8 is playing hard synced with an accurately beatmapped track, listen for syncing issues. If it sounds like they are not synced, go to the audio section of the settings menu and manually adjust the MIDI Clock Delay Compensation setting until it is bang on.

You’re now ready to rock a hybrid DJ setup with Serato!

For more visual learners, here is a video from Roland detailing how to set up TR-Sync for Serato:

Other DJ Software and Hardware Options

Some DJ mixers actually have on-board beat detection systems. They can extract the BPM of an incoming track and transmit that tempo via MIDI. This is another way you can go about syncing your TR-8, but the means by which you would accomplish this vary depending on your mixer. The same goes for other software options, such as Rekordbox DJ (which still lacks a means of syncing external, third-party machines) and Virtual DJ.

So rather than going into exhaustive detail on how to digitally synchronize TR-8 to the myriad of other options available to modern DJs, I will go over a universal method that works for every system, every time. This is the manual sync method – the way it was done before all this digital voodoo came around. This is the original hybrid DJ setup:

Manual Sync

Conceptually, it’s simple. In practice… well, don’t try this at a gig without plenty of practice first.

To manually sync TR-8 to your setup, do the following:

1. Find and set the Tempo

This can be as simple as checking your display and dialing in the tempo using the TEMPO knob. It’s easiest to work with whole number BPMs in these situations. On vinyl setups that lack such a display, use the TAP button to find the tempo at which you are working.

2. Start on time, adjust for error, and upkeep

This is the difficult part. Manual beatmatching is a skill that must be honed over time with practice. Once you get going, adjust for minor timing errors and drift by using the FINE knob on the TR-8. Be very aware of TR-8 in the mix, as it is essentially doing its own thing. It can fall off sharply on a dime. Don’t be afraid to use START/STOP – Jeff Mills talks about this in an interview with MixMag.

A Note on Manual Beatmatching

Manual beatmatching is not hard to do once you get the hang of it, but there is a learning curve. Be patient with yourself as you practice. Also, don’t try anything in public without feeling confident with it first. We musicians have a saying: Practice, practice, practice!

Until next week,

Chris Lazaga
AudioMunk

Missed the other articles in this series? Check it out from the beginning:

• Part 1: Introduction
• Part 2: Layout and Overview
• Part 3: Basic Operation
• Part 4: “Hidden” Menu and Other Settings
• Part 5: Live Rig Integration
• Part 6: Studio Integration