![\"TR-808-blog-marquee\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.rolandus.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/TR-808-blog-marquee.jpg?resize=660%2C270\")
<\/a><\/p>\nAuthor: Oz Owen and\u00a0Roland UK Features Team<\/a><\/p>\n Let\u2019s kick this off with a little bit of trivia: the TR-\u00a0808 has been used on more hit records than any\u00a0other drum machine. Read that again. This simple fact is made\u00a0all the more improbable when you look back at the inauspicious\u00a0launch of the TR-808. The year is 1980, and Linn has just unleashed the\u00a0(much more expensive) LM-1 sampling drum machine. Consequently\u00a0the TR-808 is considered a poor relation due to its synthesized sounds\u00a0and lack of “pro” features. A pretty harsh debut, given that the TR-808\u2019s\u00a0designers intended for it to provide rhythmic backing for demos. So\u00a0against the odds, just how did Roland\u2019s all-analog beatbox prevail to\u00a0become the world\u2019s most popular programmable drum machine?<\/p>\n Related: Roland Drum Machines 1972 – Present<\/a> First, let\u2019s take a quick tour of the machine itself. The “TR” in TR-808 stands for Transistor Rhythm, and the 16 onboard sounds that it is capable of pumping out are all created through analog circuitry. Purists will argue (as purists do) that the 808\u2019s allure comes from two factors. Firstly, that all-analogue sound means the sound of each hit is created every time, rather than simply replaying a recorded sound as a sampler might. This introduces subtle variation. It also causes purists to wax lyrical. Don\u2019t take our word for it \u2013 here\u2019s early pioneer Egyptian Lover\u2019s thoughts on the drum machine that he plays live to this day.<\/p>\n
\n<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\nSlave to the Rhythm…<\/em><\/h2>\n