The famous TR-808 drum machine
The Roland TR-808 is a drum machine first manufactured in 1980 by the Roland Corporation. It was the first programmable drum machine and is still one of the most popular among producers. The Roland TR-808 has had an indelible impact on music production and hip hop culture. A solid understanding of how to use an 808 will help you make better beats or remixes, so this guide will cover everything you need to know about making great trap beats with 808s!
What is an 808?
The 808 is a drum machine, not a drum kit. This means it's not an actual acoustic drum kit and does not have the sounds of real drums, but rather electronic imitations of those sounds. The 808 was first produced in 1980 and continues to be used today—in fact, it's one of the most popular drum machines in hip hop music.
The TR-808 is a drum machine first manufactured in 1980 by the Roland Corporation.
The Roland TR-808 Rhythm Composer is a drum machine first manufactured in 1980 by the Roland Corporation. It was one of the first programmable drum machines, with which users could create their own rhythms instead of just programming preset beats. The name "TR" stands for Transistor Rhythm, referring to its use of transistors rather than vacuum tubes like other popular drum machines such as Korg's PA series; "808" refers to its powerful low-end sound, which became a hallmark of popular music styles such as hip hop and EDM (electronic dance music).
The 808 differs from previous rhythm machines because it allows users to program each sound individually; this innovation gave producers more control over their beats and inspired them to experiment with new sounds. As hip hop grew in popularity during the 1980s, many producers began using the 808 for their tracks because its unique sound fit well with their style of music—and because they didn't have access to any other drum machine at home!
Why did artists start using the 808?
The 808 is a staple of hip hop, trap music, and electronic music. It's been used in countless songs by artists like Kanye West, Skrillex, Nicki Minaj and more. To be honest, almost every artists nowadays has a song that uses 808 drums or especially 808 bass drums in it.
What are the elements of an 808?
The Roland TR-808, which is known as an "808", is a drum machine. It was introduced in 1980 and quickly became a staple for many popular songs, including Marvin Gaye's "Sexual Healing" and Michael Jackson's Thriller.
The 808 has several elements that make it stand out from other drum machines:
A sequencer. The 808 has a built-in sequencer that allows you to program 16 separate sounds on the fly, allowing you to create complex rhythms or play notes over prerecorded tracks. You can also change the tempo and pattern length at any time during your recording, making this one of the most versatile machines available for musicians today!
An analog interface. The 808 has an analog interface instead of digital like other drum machines; this means that each sound will have depth and character when played back through headphones or speakers without losing quality like their digital counterparts do! Plus they're easy on your ears so there won't be any annoying clicks while performing live either :).
The Roland TR-808 has had an indelible impact on music production and hip hop culture.
The Roland TR-808 is a the drum machine that was the first to use samples. It was used in hip hop and pop music, and it's still used today in more songs than ever before.
The impact that single drum machine had on music production and hip hop culture is simply unmatched.
Its distinctive sound can be heard in Trap Beats (a type of danceable electronic music originating from southern US), where producers often use the drum machine to create unique beats with its built-in sequencer. Some artists even sample themselves performing on their own version of this iconic instrument!
A solid understanding of how to use an 808 will help you make better beats.
While 808s are used in a variety of genres, including hip hop, pop and rock. In order to make better beats, you must understand how an 808 works as it can be either used to programm fat sounding drums or to add fullness to a track.
808s in Trap and EDM
Nowadays 808s are especillay used in Trap, a subgenre of Hip Hop. It's popular for its heavy use of 808 bass drums.
Another genre which heavely relies on 808s is EDM and Dance music.
While those types of genres are using the heavy bass and drum sounds other genres like Rock or Indie might use 808 sounds to layer them with other sounds to get a more rich and full tone.
Final word
We hope that this article has helped you understand the basics of 808s. Whether you're a producer or a fan of hip hop, learning about the history and function of this instrument will help you appreciate it more.
It's important to remember that while some artists have used 808s because they're trendy, others have embraced them because they're natural extensions of their music.
The Roland TR-808 was not just an instrument; it shaped various music genres and its culture.