Course
Roland TR-08: A Hands-On Training Course
Ten short lessons on the Boutique TR-808, from first sound to writing, chaining and performing your own beats.
About the gear
- Roland Boutique remake of the TR-808, modelled with Analog Circuit Behavior (ACB)
- 16 sounds on 11 instrument channels: kick, snare, toms or congas, rim shot or claves, clap or maracas, cowbell, cymbal and hats
- 16-step sequencer with accent, shuffle, sub steps, A/B variations, intro/fill-ins and up to 32 steps per pattern
- 16 banks of 12 patterns plus 4 intro/fill-ins, and 12 rhythm tracks for whole songs
- MIDI in and out, USB audio and MIDI, trigger out, built-in speaker; runs on 4 AA batteries or USB power
Official info and manuals
- Roland product page ↗
- Specifications ↗
- Owner's manual and downloads ↗
- A User's Guide to the TR-08 (Sunshine Jones) ↗
- The original TR-808 on Wikipedia ↗
Prefer to watch or listen?
- Roland TR-08: everything you need to know ↗ Sam Ash Direct
- Roland TR-08 Quick Start Demo ↗ Sean Divine
- Roland TR-08 Rhythm Composer demo ↗ Reverb
- Roland TR-08 Tutorial: connecting to a DAW ↗ Nefertiti Gold
Lessons
- How to use this course
- Drum machine basics and a tour of the panel
- Setting up and getting first sound
- Shaping the sounds
- Programming your first beat in step write
- Tap write, editing and clearing
- Saving and managing patterns
- Variations, fills, shuffle and performance tricks
- Longer arrangements, sync and MIDI
- Classic beat recipes
- 80s and 90s grooves you'll recognise
- Quick reference and troubleshooting
- Appendix: Music terms