ROLAND remakes classic "Acid House Machines"

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My apologies for the necro, but I couldn't resist.

Guess what folks! I FINALLY gave in and purchased the Roland Aira Tr-8! I love, love, LOVE this thing. I could marry it, I love it so much. Except I'm already married, so that would be, like, bigamy. Which is frowned upon by most of western society. And illegal. So I'm not going to marry it. But I love it enough that my wife is seriously worried about me. lol

I'm posting my Youtube vids to the Musician's showcase thread and will be using the TR8 in an upcoming production. So stay tuned!

From what I heard of these they sound gorgeous. Don't know if it was British tongue n' cheek but Orbital claimed that they couldn't hear the difference between an 808 and the TR-8? I'll be impressed when Ritchie Hawtin says that .

All the same I don't mind it at all - just that....eh.... I'm starting to feel like 808, 909, and 303 are rinsed enough to need use these days in only the most oblique angles? All anyone needs to do is check into Cluster, Smitten, Stay Up Forever, or any of the Chris Liberator/Dave the Drummer et. al avin' it London acid techno labels and they'll have heard these machines milked to just about their fullest in the more bold sense.

Good point…

But I neglected to mention I got this thing just before Christmas. Not long after, Roland published a 7x7 expansion on their website…which I promptly purchased and downloaded. I was passing through after an orchestra rehearsal earlier this month and made my yearly stop at GC for cables, etc. Turns out they were sporting a TR8 on the display rack. So feeling a little feisty, I cleared out a pattern and started working my magic. After having upgraded mine and getting all the firmware updates, I have to say the TR8 on display was rather sad.

Earlier last year I was messing around with creating patterns on step sequencers based on randomly generated numbers, which is ok with Redrum in Reason. So having worked this way before, I knew what to expect. It gives this very primitive, almost "tribal" kind of sound. I adjusted my programming technique to the TR8, and then it was all "hold on to your @$$." I've experimented with various drum configurations (you can mix/match among 4 different vintage drum machines in the expanded TR8). So what I've done is sync the thing to Logic, slow it waaaay down, and use the random patterns as a backdrop for some ambient tracks. Get some synth pads, bass going, and let the whole thing loop while I go over to the Yamaha grand piano and chill until my fingers start getting frostbite. It's a great little machine, but you're right, if I understand you correctly: There's more to EDM than 808. But at the same time there's also more to vintage drum machines than strictly fast-paced dance music. I'm more of a lounge lizard.

It's also useful for triggering samples. I've got tons of Synclavier FM drums/FX along with some of my other synths I'm probably going to transfer to an Akai s2000 or just play from NN-XT or EXS24. I like the workflow of a hardware sequencer, and I'm already feeling some life-changing effects just from having this thing and putting it to use.

^I've noticed you've mentioned owning a Synclavier a few times. How the heck did you manage to acquire one? I've heard those things are crazy expensive. Is it true that they're some of the nicest-sounding digital synths ever?

Yes, I'm a PROUD owner of a Synclavier PSMT. It occupies an entire wall in my bedroom! lol Currently NOT in use. I've blown several fuses and even melted a fuse holder…which I was prepared to deal with until my STM module died. Also fraught with never-ending V/PK issues. Now I mostly work out tracks away from the Synclav and bring it in for recording sessions lasting no longer than 1-2 hours. Oh, and only during the winter months! I developed a pretty extensive FM library on the Synclav, so if I ever go back to using those sounds, it doesn't take long to get everything set up. The main thing is, tech issues aside, I'm working more away from home than I used to.

The sound is unlike anything else I've ever heard. But I'd say it's hard to justify the expense for most people. While not a Synclavier, there are some pretty awesome workstations out there. After all, nothing sounds like an Obie M1000, or a Yamaha TX802, or an Akai S2000, etc. Seriously, having to choose between a Synclavier, Kyma, or even Max/MSP or Reaktor on the latest Mac Pro is pretty tough. My "cheap" gear has gone underused compared with what I've done on the Synclav that I'm starting to go back and blow the dust out of those (like the Obie, TX, or S2000). Your workflow is going to determine what you write/record, and I'm leaning more in favor of those essential synths because I feel the need to go in a different direction than I would at the Synclav. Flexibility in sound design and an open mind in production outperforms the Synclavier alone every time--and the same goes for any synth/workstation, I don't care how much you pay for it. Synclavier or no Synclavier, I'd be lost without my MBP running Logic, Reason, and Reaktor.

Just visit my youtube channel (youtube.com/angelrho) and listen to "Come Thou Fount," "Rejoice," and all the "Space Music" tracks. "Rejoice" was composed entirely at the Synclavier and performed together with a live orchestra. All strings, some percussion, and synth/SFX are Synclavier, and I programmed all the synth patches.

Congratulations on the TR8! it's wonderful sound, compact, light, convenient, and excellent for live performance.
I got mine last year too. I love it too, but TR8 is just as girlfriend, no marriage.

BTW did you hear the news about ROLAND??
They finally did something I never expected and thought impossible...

ROLAND finally released a BRAND NEW REAL ANALOG synthesizer this year!

Yes, Real Analog, finally.... there is a 100% real analog oscillator inside it!
JD-Xi, it's a mini keyboard that is to compete against MicroKorg.

Roland JD-Xi

And then full size keys REAL ANALOG synthesizer is coming later this year.
JD-Xa, it looks like Darth Vader turned into real analog synthesizer by ROLAND

Roland JD-Xa

It's renewal of the JD series, that was famous for the old JD-800 in 1991.
Do you remember JD-800?

Roland JD-800 from 1991

By the way, the brand new Korg Arp Odyssey is released now.
It's a little smaller than the original 1970's version but sound good

KORG's 2015 remake of Arp Odyssey
Korg Arp Odyssey

ARP's original 1970's Arp Odyssey
ARP Arp Odyssey

Is new version good as the original version ??

I didn't know Korg owned the ARP brand. The new Odyssey looks pretty neat, though I kind of question the use of pressure sensitive buttons instead of wheels for the pitch-bend and modulation. I'll admit though, I've never had the chance to play with a real analog synthesizer before, just software VAs.

The Roland Xi looks really nice as well, and I could see it being a great instrument for a starting musician, though I wish it had more than one analog oscillator.

Korg cannot own ARP because it no longer exists. This new synthesizer is just a remake of the original ARP Odyssey. Korg got help from one of the original designers named David Friend. The founder of ARP, Alan R. Perlman, who is the initials in ARP, was not involved in the Korg remake.

HERE is a comparison of Remake Vs. Original..

I think you should get the Korg MS-20 remake, or the Arturia Mini-brute or Arturia Micro-brute. These are brand new 100% real analog synthesizers that are cheap price. They are new, reliable, and have modern connections such as MIDI.. Not as warm atmosphere as vintage, but still 100% analog and very good value for money..


Of course you can also try to get original vintage synthesizers from 1970s and 1980s, but its like an adventure hunting for good deals in the used market. Here is 3 vintage Italian and Japanese synths from the 1970s that are not so easy to get.. But they sound so much warmer, fatter, and more organic than any software

TR8 & TB3 (2014 remakes) Vs. TR808 & TB303 (1980’s originals)

Hmm, I remember when they tried something similar with the Groovebox series. I still have a TR-909, TB-303, TR-606, and I have owned and sold two original TR-808s over the years. (wish I would have kept one) The JP-8000 was a halfway decent remake of the old Juno-106 (I have owned and sold both). I currently have an overly complicated Kurzweil which is not fun to program but the sound is superlative. I think that the best synthesizer available right now is probably the Access Virus which is capable of additive, subtractive, and I believe it even has a form of granular synthesis, by using digitaly controled, analog oscillators, thus solving the ol' analog vs digital debate.

I have the TB-03! Now to get the TR-8!

Congrats!! !

I need to blow the dust off mine and do a quick update, save my old sequences and start making new ones.

I'll just say you will NOT regret getting the TR-8. Make sure you also buy the 7x7 upgrade that you download from Roland. It has now been expanded to include the 606. I've been too busy, but I need to update my TR soon. This weekend might be a good time for that.

TB-03 and TB-09 are the ones I'd like to get being a huge house music fan

I wouldn't mind the 03 so much, but I wouldn't bother with the 09. I like the nostalgia factor. But overall it's just a little too entry-level for me. The whole boutique line feels that way, IMO. The 8 puts the whole vintage drum machine lineup into a single box.

I highly recommend you pair the TR-8 with a sampling library, and/or a plugin drum machine like Ultrabeat or even Maschine, or really whatever you like or already use. There's nothing quite like a good layered, hybrid drum sound for pro-level beat making.