Roland TR-08
Lesson 2: Setting up and getting first sound
Goal: power on, hear the patterns already in memory, and set the unit up so it behaves predictably.
Power
- Four AA batteries (alkaline or NiMH) last about 6 hours, by Roland’s figure. Or plug a USB cable into a computer or USB power supply and the TR-08 runs from that.
- The power switch is on the back. Turn VOLUME down before switching on or off.
- “Bt.Lo” on the display means change the batteries soon.
- If a USB port won’t power it (some phone chargers and hubs), hold step 9 while switching on. This is fixed battery mode: it keeps running on batteries even with a USB cable plugged in.
Audio out
On the back panel:
- PHONES for headphones.
- OUTPUT (3.5 mm stereo) to a mixer, interface or powered speaker.
- MIX IN lets another device’s audio pass through the TR-08 to its outputs, handy for chaining a small synth into the same speaker.
With nothing plugged in, sound comes from the built-in speaker. Start with VOLUME low and bring your speaker or interface up from zero.
Hear it straight away
- Turn the mode switch to MANUAL PLAY.
- Press START/STOP. Whatever pattern is selected starts looping, and the step lights run left to right.
- Turn TEMPO and watch the BPM change on the display (40 to 300 BPM).
- Press steps 1 to 12 (the BASIC RHYTHM buttons) one at a time to switch patterns. The selected one blinks.
- Flick the BASIC-VARIATION switch between A, AB and B to hear each pattern’s two versions.
- Press START/STOP again to stop.
To look in another bank, hold BANK and press a step from 1 to 16. The display shows the bank (b-01, b-02 and so on). Keep holding BANK and press a step again to choose the pattern number.
What’s in memory depends on your unit’s history: Roland’s preset patterns, the last owner’s beats, or nothing. Listen before you write over anything. If you want everything back to factory state, see the factory reset below, but it wipes the patterns, so back up first (Lesson 6).
Want to play along straight away? Pick whichever pattern feels steadiest, grab your guitar or uke, and turn TEMPO until it sits comfortably under your strumming. Lesson 4 shows you how to write simple beats made for exactly this.
Settings worth knowing (the menu)
The TR-08 keeps its settings in a menu rather than in a power-on combination.
- Press MENU/SUB STEP.
- Turn FINE (VALUE) to choose an item.
- Press TAP to switch between choosing an item and changing its value.
- Press MENU/SUB STEP again to leave.
| Display | Setting | Values |
|---|---|---|
| A. Off | Auto power-off | Off, or after 30 minutes (never while USB is connected) |
| CH | MIDI channel | 1 to 16 (shown as 1 to 1b), or Off |
| SynC | MIDI clock source | AutO (follow incoming clock) or Int (always use its own tempo) |
| PrG.N | Compose mode for rhythm tracks | OrG (808 style) or SteP (909 style); Lesson 8 |
| t.PrN | Track recalls its tempo and shuffle | AUtO or Off |
| LvL.C | LEVEL knob response curve | nrN (normal) or SpL |
| dENO | LED demo after idle | Off, 1, 3 or 10 minutes |
The sound settings in the same menu (compression, gain, tune, decay, pan, long kick) are in Lesson 3. The output settings (USB.O and OUt) are in Lesson 8.
If the step lights start dancing by themselves when you leave the TR-08 alone, that’s the LED demo. Set dENO to Off.
Factory reset
Hold step 2 while switching on. TAP blinks. Press TAP to reset, or switch off to cancel. When all the buttons blink, switch off and on again. This erases your patterns and tracks.
Exercise 2
Listen through the 12 patterns in bank 1, A and B of each. For each one, find a tempo you think suits it, and note which ones you’d like to keep.