This is amazing. Thank you for giving soul to my tr8s. I found myself not using it for a while and wanting to sell it. Glad I didn’t. It’s a rediscovery for me!
I dont have a TR-8S.was just checking to see how is it as a drum machine for hip hop and SUDDENLY you taught me something that gonna help me in life!! that 7/8...I just didnt getting it till now
I have a TR-8S coming in the mail. Trying to soak up as much info I can before it comes. Your videos are great. You explain it so a noob like me can understand. Thanks...
Mr Chris... You just changed a brother's life. This vid done helped me decide to keep my TR-8S. I was thinking about trading it but this technique changed my mind. Thanks 🏆
Cool! Glad to help. There's some more TR-8S related stuff coming soon. Stay tuned. I've developed a bunch of different tricks on it. It's a fun machine once you learn and embrace it's limitations/workarounds.
This dope. I just read Dilla time I understand moving the kick and snare just a hair to get that feel but that math you did. That’s some Weird Science. Pretty dope!!! Question for you. I use Mpc but decided to get a drum machine. Chose the tr8s over the tr-08. Right move?
Awesome! Tried some other techniques like going halftime and using the sub step value to get some polyrhythms going but never managed to do it the way you show it right here. Only wondering how this will work out when using the 8s in slave mode to other external gear. Will try out tomorrow! Thanks a lot for the great tutorial!
Great tip, but I think your math might be a little off? How'd you come up with that ratio? If you're treating 7 steps as a quarter note, the ratio would be 1.75
You may be right, I did that video so long ago and don't have the original notes of how I worked that out. Either way we're talking 1/100th of a BPM. If it works for you, it works.
I've been trying to find a beat machine that's close to or similar to the "E-MU SP-1200 Beat machine" Would you say that the "Roland TR-8S Rhythm Performer is that machine? (My primary use is for sampling melodies and creating my own beat for the sample Thanks!
Nah...the TR-8S is a totally different beast. The SP-1200 was a basic sampling drum machine. It had no other way of creating sounds aside from live sampling into the unit or a loading from a floppy disc. The TR-8S doesn't live sample, only import WAV and it's geared towards one-shots, not loops. It already has a bunch of different sound engines and FX inside to design and customize sounds, so sampling isn't it's focus. I'd look at other Roland units for sample-based work like the MC-707, Verselab, etc. The main appeal of the SP-1200 was the 12-bit gritty sound and workflow of using the faders to edit samples. However, it was super limited...like 10 seconds of sample time, no FX (except filter), and all editing by hand/ear. If you want that type of experience, there are so many options these days. You have the Isla SP-2400, which is designed to have the SP-1200 workflow, but with updated specs. On the cheaper side, you have phrase samplers like the Roland SP-series, that folks tend to use in a similar way. Even an older MPC like a 2000xl or 1000 would do the job easily. Newer devices like Maschine, MPC-One, etc would almost be overkill for the use you're describing.
I would love to know how you calculated that and if there are other genres that can be calculated to get a certain swing. Btw does this work on trap hats, because having those so quantized sorta makes the tr-8s unusable for me.
The nature of trap is a strict quantized rhythm. If your trap hats don't sound correct, I would check the division of sub steps used. Hold sub and move the value knob.
@@cooloutbeats I agree trap is mostly quantized. The right hihat offset can make a big difference. Substeps don't always cut it. Are you telling me you can offset substeps?
@@GTChris You can change the rhythmic division on the sub step: 1/2, 1/3, 1/4. One of those is probably the specific type of trap roll you're looking for. Download the reference manual (not just the owners manual) from the Roland site. It's all in there.
@@cooloutbeats Thanks, I like the TR-8S better than the MC707. But because MC707 has a start offset I was thinking about getting that, but now I might reconsider.
@@GTChris I have both in front of me. They are very different machines. The MC-707 is more of a complete production machine, synth module, and midi sequencer.. If you want to bang out complete tracks quickly and fairly easily. It samples and chops, records un-quantized, has a massive amount of synth presets, etc. The big gripe I have is that the font on the screen is small and hard to see sometimes for my old eyes. The TR-8S is more experimental IMO because it's limited a lot of ways and focused on drum sound design and live interaction. They're almost opposites, so you have to decide what role you want the machine to play. If I had to choose between the two, I'd go with a TR-8S/MC-101 combo. That covers most of the bases really. The 101 can do most of what the 707 can do except live sampling/chopping and deeper synth editing. The pads are smaller and not velocity sensitive, but it's a 1/3 the size, screen is easier to read, portable, runs on batteries, etc. More than half the price of the 707.
You have to space out the pattern. For instance instead of your snares (on the 2 and the 4) being on steps 5 and 13 of a SINGLE variation -- after you shorten to 14 and speed up the tempo, your snares would need to be on step 8 of TWO chained variations to make the same 2 and 4. It's pretty simple.
Hey this is super cool, but I kinda feel like a step is missing? Like do you need to stretch your 14 step pattern to 28 steps before increasing the BPM? And is there an automatic way to do that? Or something, slightly confused. Just reducing my patterns to 14 steps has created some interesting things tho!
the maximum number of steps in a variation on the TR8s is 16 steps, so in order to create a 28 step pattern you have to chain 2 variations together. your variations are now 2 bars each instead of 4 bars. 28 steps and nearly doubling the tempo is the only way I've found to get the resolution to create the septuplet feel. No automatic way to do it on this machine aside from using an external sequencer that can record unquantized which the tr8s can't.
@@cooloutbeats Great vid and sound, but I'm having the same issue, only just bought the thing. When you play the second pattern (the Dilla vibe), 2 beats of the pattern is spread out across 14 steps, just like 1 bar (4 beats) of the first pattern is spread out evenly across 16 steps. Of course I get that one bar of the first pattern would be 28 steps, but what I don't get is how you've converted the 16 step pattern across one variation (A) to the 28 step pattern across two variations (A+B) on the tr-8s - would you be able to explain?
Hay man, nice track, I love it. I followed the steps, but it sounds so fast at 160 bpm. I put all the instruments at 14 steps. Not sure what I am doing wrong. What drum pattern did you use in your track? Thanks!
@@JoseAyalaHoffmann Thanks for the kind words, José!! Basically, you actually have to make a 2x14 step pattern as if it were a 16 step pattern. So in other words, make a 28 (2x14) step basic pattern instead of your regular 16 step pattern. You "spread" your 16 steps over 28 steps. That way a 160 bpm tempo feels more like 90ish bpm or so. In practice, let's say you start with a "four on four" to make it simple and even if this technique applies clearly more to hip hop than EDM. Instead of placing your kick on steps 1, 5, 9, 13, you would "transpose to 28 steps or rather 2x14", meaning your kick would be on steps 1 and 8 on both 14 step patterns. Or steps 1, 8, 15 and 22 if you see it as a 28 step pattern. One of the advantage of the 28 (2x14) step pattern is that it creates more room on the sequencer for your hi-hat steps to be a bit off balance. Same applies to kick and snare. You got a bit more leeway to create that off-the-grid feel. The idea is to spread your 16 steps over 28 steps, so when you set the tempo at 150 or 160 bpm, it actually feels much slower with some added bounce. A bit like adding shuffle to a regular 16 step pattern except here you get to create that shuffle manually, on your terms. And you can still add some shuffle on top (we did). Hope it helps. By the way, we lowered our track tempo to 147 as it felt 160 was a bit rushed. The result probably sounds and feels like a 87 bpm tempo. It's more or less a trick to make your TR-8S or TR-6S sound a bit drunker and looser than it wants to be.
@@JoseAyalaHoffmann Delighted to help, and thanks again for the kind words!! Chris Davis deserves all the credit though, he's the one who came up with this awesome technique. Have fun, it really adds some human feel to our TR patterns...
was never a fan of that Jay Dee/Madlib off kilter sound for hip hop drum tracks. it just sounds sloppy and too lose. i think the first pattern at 92BPM sounds much more cleaner and tighter.
This is amazing. Thank you for giving soul to my tr8s. I found myself not using it for a while and wanting to sell it. Glad I didn’t. It’s a rediscovery for me!
How's that tr8s going?
I dont have a TR-8S.was just checking to see how is it as a drum machine for hip hop and SUDDENLY you taught me something that gonna help me in life!!
that 7/8...I just didnt getting it till now
OMG!!! THIS has freed me. Was using my MPC2KXL to get that Dilla feel. Thank you so much for this knowledge.
This is amazing. Been looking for a way to get off grid on the TR8S. Thanks for sharing your knowledge!
I have a TR-8S coming in the mail. Trying to soak up as much info I can before it comes. Your videos are great. You explain it so a noob like me can understand. Thanks...
how do you like it 3 years on?
Thanks 🙏 I’ll make sure to tell em about the coolout technique!!!
Liked and subscribed. Super cool. Thank you!
Nice man! Thanks ❤
Crazy Equation
Mr Chris... You just changed a brother's life. This vid done helped me decide to keep my TR-8S. I was thinking about trading it but this technique changed my mind. Thanks 🏆
Cool! Glad to help. There's some more TR-8S related stuff coming soon. Stay tuned. I've developed a bunch of different tricks on it. It's a fun machine once you learn and embrace it's limitations/workarounds.
@@Kierant2010 with all due respect with no respect... STFU
Dam Funk Vibes 👌🏽
Thank you! I’m using this on my tracker
This dope. I just read Dilla time I understand moving the kick and snare just a hair to get that feel but that math you did. That’s some Weird Science. Pretty dope!!! Question for you. I use Mpc but decided to get a drum machine. Chose the tr8s over the tr-08. Right move?
Merci patron !
u a genius thanks for this! what calculations did you do to come up with the number?
Haha right! What is this mathematical magic?!
so good man
Thanks 👍
You’re awesome homie
Appreciate you for this video
Nice one son, that has convinced me more on purchasing the TR8S
So good! Considering picking up the TR-8S and this has convinced me even more
the behringer one has outputs for the instruments
Thanks a lot
Quite cool bro ! Thanks 👌
Awesome! Tried some other techniques like going halftime and using the sub step value to get some polyrhythms going but never managed to do it the way you show it right here. Only wondering how this will work out when using the 8s in slave mode to other external gear. Will try out tomorrow! Thanks a lot for the great tutorial!
How was it? Running it in slave mode.
I’m curious as well
I have a Squarp Pyramid and I am quite intrigued by your findings.. I'm gonna see if this bears out on my piece of hardware.
Did it work?
Nice Technique! Never heard of Disgo, sounds too fast for me, but glad you like it.
It's some club shit for real. A lot of DJ's play my remixes in that style. Way more than any other types of stuff I made.
I do think you solved his style on the machine.
Great tip, but I think your math might be a little off? How'd you come up with that ratio? If you're treating 7 steps as a quarter note, the ratio would be 1.75
You may be right, I did that video so long ago and don't have the original notes of how I worked that out. Either way we're talking 1/100th of a BPM. If it works for you, it works.
Yep, 1.75 is the correct answer and works perfectly on my TR8S
Do you know how to set the TR8S to play Quintuplet Swing or Triplets also using a formula?
That would be great if you did!
You can change the scale in the pattern settings to triplets. Quintuplet swing would be moving 'last step' to 10 steps.
I've been trying to find a beat machine that's close to or similar to the "E-MU SP-1200 Beat machine"
Would you say that the "Roland TR-8S Rhythm Performer is that machine? (My primary use is for sampling melodies and creating my own beat for the sample
Thanks!
Nah...the TR-8S is a totally different beast. The SP-1200 was a basic sampling drum machine. It had no other way of creating sounds aside from live sampling into the unit or a loading from a floppy disc. The TR-8S doesn't live sample, only import WAV and it's geared towards one-shots, not loops. It already has a bunch of different sound engines and FX inside to design and customize sounds, so sampling isn't it's focus. I'd look at other Roland units for sample-based work like the MC-707, Verselab, etc.
The main appeal of the SP-1200 was the 12-bit gritty sound and workflow of using the faders to edit samples. However, it was super limited...like 10 seconds of sample time, no FX (except filter), and all editing by hand/ear. If you want that type of experience, there are so many options these days. You have the Isla SP-2400, which is designed to have the SP-1200 workflow, but with updated specs. On the cheaper side, you have phrase samplers like the Roland SP-series, that folks tend to use in a similar way. Even an older MPC like a 2000xl or 1000 would do the job easily. Newer devices like Maschine, MPC-One, etc would almost be overkill for the use you're describing.
@@cooloutbeats Thank you bro!!! that was great help, loving your work; keep it up!!!
I would love to know how you calculated that and if there are other genres that can be calculated to get a certain swing. Btw does this work on trap hats, because having those so quantized sorta makes the tr-8s unusable for me.
The nature of trap is a strict quantized rhythm. If your trap hats don't sound correct, I would check the division of sub steps used. Hold sub and move the value knob.
@@cooloutbeats I agree trap is mostly quantized. The right hihat offset can make a big difference. Substeps don't always cut it. Are you telling me you can offset substeps?
@@GTChris You can change the rhythmic division on the sub step: 1/2, 1/3, 1/4. One of those is probably the specific type of trap roll you're looking for. Download the reference manual (not just the owners manual) from the Roland site. It's all in there.
@@cooloutbeats Thanks, I like the TR-8S better than the MC707. But because MC707 has a start offset I was thinking about getting that, but now I might reconsider.
@@GTChris I have both in front of me. They are very different machines. The MC-707 is more of a complete production machine, synth module, and midi sequencer.. If you want to bang out complete tracks quickly and fairly easily. It samples and chops, records un-quantized, has a massive amount of synth presets, etc. The big gripe I have is that the font on the screen is small and hard to see sometimes for my old eyes.
The TR-8S is more experimental IMO because it's limited a lot of ways and focused on drum sound design and live interaction. They're almost opposites, so you have to decide what role you want the machine to play. If I had to choose between the two, I'd go with a TR-8S/MC-101 combo. That covers most of the bases really.
The 101 can do most of what the 707 can do except live sampling/chopping and deeper synth editing. The pads are smaller and not velocity sensitive, but it's a 1/3 the size, screen is easier to read, portable, runs on batteries, etc. More than half the price of the 707.
I followed the steps, but it sounds so fast at 160 bpm. I put all the instruments at 14 steps. Not sure what I am doing wrong, please help me :)
You have to space out the pattern. For instance instead of your snares (on the 2 and the 4) being on steps 5 and 13 of a SINGLE variation -- after you shorten to 14 and speed up the tempo, your snares would need to be on step 8 of TWO chained variations to make the same 2 and 4. It's pretty simple.
@@cooloutbeats great idea, man! Thanks for sharing.
@@cooloutbeats Thanks man, great idea!
thank!!!! toptoptop ;-)))))
which steps do you have your snares on? cant get this to work
The steps don't matter. Just make sure you change the lengths of all the tracks the same so they stay in sync.
Will this technique apply to the MV-1 Verselab as well?
Not really needed since the Verselab can sequence un-quantized and also shift the start position of the note. Much easier to get a 'loose' feel.
Hey this is super cool, but I kinda feel like a step is missing? Like do you need to stretch your 14 step pattern to 28 steps before increasing the BPM? And is there an automatic way to do that? Or something, slightly confused.
Just reducing my patterns to 14 steps has created some interesting things tho!
the maximum number of steps in a variation on the TR8s is 16 steps, so in order to create a 28 step pattern you have to chain 2 variations together. your variations are now 2 bars each instead of 4 bars. 28 steps and nearly doubling the tempo is the only way I've found to get the resolution to create the septuplet feel. No automatic way to do it on this machine aside from using an external sequencer that can record unquantized which the tr8s can't.
@@cooloutbeats Thanks, makes sense. I just wanted to be sure I hadn't misunderstood. Appreciate your reply!
@@cooloutbeats Great vid and sound, but I'm having the same issue, only just bought the thing. When you play the second pattern (the Dilla vibe), 2 beats of the pattern is spread out across 14 steps, just like 1 bar (4 beats) of the first pattern is spread out evenly across 16 steps. Of course I get that one bar of the first pattern would be 28 steps, but what I don't get is how you've converted the 16 step pattern across one variation (A) to the 28 step pattern across two variations (A+B) on the tr-8s - would you be able to explain?
@@MrLordofcoffee It’s been a while, but I think I just re-did the pattern, I didn’t copy it.
@@cooloutbeats ...it was literally that simple lol! Thanks so much for the response, legendary vid!
wouuuuw
1.73913043
now its the same price as mpc or roland 404 ...
D🔊PE
Nice Trick! Scale is 8th T?
Nope, just regular 16ths
wash your hands and have fun 😂😂
Thank you so much for this awesome technique!!! We used it on this one:
th-cam.com/video/WRhoYeGOfps/w-d-xo.htmlsi=Az33nM8ueMAuONTv
Hay man, nice track, I love it. I followed the steps, but it sounds so fast at 160 bpm. I put all the instruments at 14 steps. Not sure what I am doing wrong. What drum pattern did you use in your track? Thanks!
@@JoseAyalaHoffmann Thanks for the kind words, José!! Basically, you actually have to make a 2x14 step pattern as if it were a 16 step pattern. So in other words, make a 28 (2x14) step basic pattern instead of your regular 16 step pattern. You "spread" your 16 steps over 28 steps. That way a 160 bpm tempo feels more like 90ish bpm or so. In practice, let's say you start with a "four on four" to make it simple and even if this technique applies clearly more to hip hop than EDM. Instead of placing your kick on steps 1, 5, 9, 13, you would "transpose to 28 steps or rather 2x14", meaning your kick would be on steps 1 and 8 on both 14 step patterns. Or steps 1, 8, 15 and 22 if you see it as a 28 step pattern. One of the advantage of the 28 (2x14) step pattern is that it creates more room on the sequencer for your hi-hat steps to be a bit off balance. Same applies to kick and snare. You got a bit more leeway to create that off-the-grid feel. The idea is to spread your 16 steps over 28 steps, so when you set the tempo at 150 or 160 bpm, it actually feels much slower with some added bounce. A bit like adding shuffle to a regular 16 step pattern except here you get to create that shuffle manually, on your terms. And you can still add some shuffle on top (we did). Hope it helps. By the way, we lowered our track tempo to 147 as it felt 160 was a bit rushed. The result probably sounds and feels like a 87 bpm tempo. It's more or less a trick to make your TR-8S or TR-6S sound a bit drunker and looser than it wants to be.
@@maniandthenonos9493 Firstly, wow! How nice of you to take the time to give a detailed explanation. You are a legend, man. Thanks a lot!
@@JoseAyalaHoffmann Delighted to help, and thanks again for the kind words!! Chris Davis deserves all the credit though, he's the one who came up with this awesome technique. Have fun, it really adds some human feel to our TR patterns...
was never a fan of that Jay Dee/Madlib off kilter sound for hip hop drum tracks. it just sounds sloppy and too lose. i think the first pattern at 92BPM sounds much more cleaner and tighter.
Thanks !