Love the R8. I think a lot of the charm is the way it pitch shifts the samples in that 'early days of sampling' way: I've got an Elektron Analog Rytm, which does the same style of parameter modulation during playback, but it's so much cleaner in comparison!
I never realised this machine family has these RY30-like functions, very very cool. Thank you for an excellent video. I regret not toying more with the ones I've had (R5 and R8 mk1). Yamaha picked these ideas up and perhaps made them more obvious with the bend wheel. Sadly mint machines are hard to find but perhaps I'll stumble upon one again. Will make sure to use these functions if that ever happens. Of course Elektron machines offer even more flexibility these days but I love Roland gear. :-) Anyway...
This was one of the first great drum machines of the 80’ (was super happy to get this when I couldn’t afford the Linndrum, Oberheim DMX or eMU SP12. Still have my R8 and sound cards pre MkII. Some R8 samples by today’s standards, are very sterile and digital sounding but more than got the job done. The ‘humanizing’ feature implemented during programming was a game changer for it’s time. One of Roland’s best products ever for sure.
While the R8's pads are velocity sensitive, they don't feel that great IMO, they're kinda hard without much give in them. I feel like its almost like tapping on a totally hard surface. Its a great machine though. I like the idea of the WaveRex cards that allow you to load your own samples. The WaveRex cards are expensive though!
Agreed. They are unpleasant (I have the MV8800 too which feels nicer) but in comparison to the Yamaha RX5 etc, they are fine. But I can live with it. The other features make up for it.
Great video- thank you! i have had an R8 for a couple years and only now am starting to understand how to use it due to an increase of R8 videos on TH-cam. I always struggled with the manual for some reason. Thanks again- would love to see more videos from you on the R8
Funny you mention the RX-5…it’s my favorite! It’s so damn cryptic, but the way it sounds so crunchy is what keeps me going. I recently got a card in which I can load my own samples. It really takes it to the next level!
I bought the Pharmasonic RX5USB from a shop in Japan. It took about two months to get here (USA) and cost about 70$, but it’s really expanded my favorite sounding drum machine. Also it came loaded with 808 and 909 samples.
The metal band Type O Negative used this drum machine on their albums. I was fooled for many years thinking the drummer played on their albums, but really it was the R8.
"The last album that we did with live drums was Bloody Kisses, and the ones that followed that were done with a drum machine. " - Steele Dead Again also featured real drums.
I’ve never seen any interview confirming this. I’m pretty sure it was custom samples loaded into a sequencer program Josh Silver had on his computer. October Rust, World Coming Down and Life is Killing Me were all programmed drums.
Great Video David. I still have a Roland R8 MKII in mint condition with the original AC adaptor ACH 220. Bought it long time ago while touring. Used only a few times in a recording studio. I think the original manual is still here. They were the Rolls R of the drum machines and still they have a quality of their own. I might sell it. Please drop me a line if interested. All the best!
Thanks. This is really helpful. Another feature I like a lot about the R8 mkII is the aftertouch on the pads. Using the roll it can give you lively hi hats during recording by modulating the velocity with the pressure on the pad.
I used to have the R-5. It was a bit of a cut down version, smaller LCD screen, only 4 outs (+stereo) different sounds built in, and no memory card slot. I had mine for years and loved it, but yeah always wanted the R-8 more!
Love this machine! I have the MkII as well plus all the cards. However, it was quite daunting to work work with it after being used to the 808 and 909.
Actually outside the 808, the Korg DD1 is a lot easier to work with, with it's matrix style layout. Unfortunately, the sound really is no way near the R8.
Excuse me, David, I understand, that this video is relatively old, but, anyway, I have a question for You: I see, that in the RAM slot of Your R8 Mk II there is an "Electronic" PCM card, which kind of surprises me. I thought, that tbe Mk II (which I own too) had all the samples of that PCM card, as well as those from the "Dance" card. Is that correct? It's hard to judge without having those cards, because in the R8 Mk II's manual and in the card's ones, that I've found on the net, the samples are named differently, IIRC. I may be mistaken though. Could You, please, clarify this point for me? Thank You in advance, and, please, excuse my English. Cheers!
Hi there. The samples are different in some cases and a few are missing. I recommend the MK2 for sure, but there are still sounds worth having on the card. But the Mk2 is much better than the R8 mk1 without cards. It also has more pattern memory which is small on the MK1
I had one of these back when it came out, but the lack of a backlight killed it for me. That's why I got rid of it. Got an R70 after that and even though the screen was two-line text at least I could read it. It also had fx.
User experience is as important as sound quality, imo. Got an R-70 on its way to my studio now. Would love to hear your thoughts on sonic differences between the two machines!
I chose the r8m over the r8 , simply because it has tighter midi sequencing compared to the r8 ( when done externally and eaving the the internal seq. out ) ,and soon to be sequenced from the cirklon v2 ...yuy The nuance control is more of a balancing+accentuation between the first and second part of the sample , as you (probably ) know most of the samples in the r8/mare made out of two parts .That's why the kick and snares sound so damn good , sampling the r8 just doesn't do it justice I love my r8m , and boy does that electro card sounds good , I only have the dance card , jazz brush and contemp.perc. Btz , have you heard abou the upcoming waverex card for the r8 ? You can load custom samples and more importantly make copys/images of the existing cards ..
I chose the R-8M back in the 90s since you could load up to 3 PCM cards into it. I still have my R-8M and all 14 PCM cards. I'm happy to hear about the custom sample card. I will certainly look into that.
Do you know if it is possible to sequence changes in pitch, velocity etc. trough MIDI CC? I prefer sequencing it with my Ableton Push but it's kindof a bummer missing these great functions.
Hi David, I'm having an issue where when I power the machine off and then back on, the patterns I created are still there but not the exact instruments I used originally for my pattern. So for instance if I am making a new pattern I will go through the different pad banks and use an array of sounds, and it works fine and remembers the specific instruments until I power off and then it seems to reassign the instruments. Can you help me figure this out? I have made some great patterns but it's frustrating when the sounds aren't correct
The Yamaha RY30 otoh, was almost as powerful imo as the R8. Each sound/pad was a complete synth, with filter, resonance and envelopes (filter and pitch). The RY30 could also do microtuning. But the RY30 was never as revered as the R8.. A very underrated instrument imo.
@@DavidMorley I agree the RY30 sounds had a certain Yamahaness about them. It was an instantly recognisable sound, hard to describe. Maybe lacking in weight? Not thin, but toned down and polite. This though never stopped me grinding them up through overdrive, or pushing more gain on the desk. Having now retired from releasing records and being a musician, I still think that instead of say a modular, a great classic drum machine is a must, even if it’s the only thing left in one's collection. I’d love an R8.
Thanx for amazin video David! But what u think about R70? In my opinion, this is also a great machine, which is really devoid of some of the expanded features.
David - Very helpful video! Just got one of these and I'm having a hard time doing something that is usually pretty easy. Is there a way to edit the length of a pattern after recording one in real time? I can't seem to find any way to do this in the manual aside from just deleting the whole thing and starting over, setting the correct amount of bars from the start. I'm trying to remove an extra bar that I don't need from a pattern that I've created. Also, do you have a video covering the "feel" function and more specifically the random setting. I can't seem to get these to work either based on the instructions in the manual.
i had both (the first version and the mkII) and they sounded slightly different. almost imperceptible. (imho) for the sounds of the tr808 you don’t need the electronic card. they are all internally. yep. I really think roland made it big. there were a serious problem (for me). I used to program some percussions changing the pitch, decay, pan, nuance (as you did in the vid) in the internal memory did work, but when I record in the sequencer that didn’t work. there were no control change for that programming. (roland mc-50 and brother pdc-100). so I had to use SysEx for that bulk dumping the whole memory card. (I don’t know if I was clear). nowadays I use maschine (hardware and software) with all the samples from R-8, besides all TR series. perfect!
Thanx for a great upload. I have a R8 that seems to make a small but extremely annoying and audible "hick up" in the pattern, when I program it in play mode, as if there's an issue with the timing. And no matter what I've tried I can't seem to fix it. Might be bad playing on my part, but on other drummachines I can!?!When recorded in step mode no problem
@@DavidMorley I remember reading an interview with 808 State, perhaps in Future Music, where they mentioned a similar problem (but not how they fixed it). It was only later I read somewhere that they used R8 as the main drummachine, and not the 808 as I would have guessed ☺
Dear David, some of the R-8's sounds appear to be made of multiple components (I may be imagining this) iirc the 808 style snare may be an example. Does the new card cater for this? probably wishful thinking.
Have you ever had a go at/on Korg Electribe EMX or ESX? Any thoughts on that? There's a modulation and speed function and motion sequence that works really quick and somewhat similar to some of the slider techniques you demonstrate
Adquiri unaa roland r8 y veo q los pads asignados para sonidos estan pegados me parece esto es normal ??? Aun no los eh probado su funcionamiento por falta de fuente de 10 + - tambien veo q toda la carcasa tiene una capa fina como si fuera estar impregnada de alguna pintura o grasa es normal ?? Ssludos !!!
@@chinossynthesizer705 no as you can only use one card at a time. On the R8m you can use multiple cards I believe but it is not interesting to me as it doesn’t have the sequencer.
@@DavidMorleyahh, man, I thought could use 2 drum card slots. Can you just overwrite the inside drum sounds with 808? And then use a external 909 card?
@@DavidMorley that's a bit strange because I heard esoteric curley used this drum machine in the 90s. and I can hear 808 drum sounds and 909 in his music.
Wow, that pitch trick is so cool. I am a big fan of my RX-5 and its samples,, but I don't think there's an easy way to do that on that machine. The R-8 has motion recording then, that's so cool. In an ideal world I would have an R8 MK2, the RX-5 and a RY-30.
I had the RX5 and its a great machine. Very different sounds and some cool feature (reverse etc) but no way to record parameters like this alas. RY30 is brilliant. That you can I believe, at least to a certain extent.
Hi there. The best way is to try and buy a used Roland R5. They have the same supply and are cheaper. Otherwise, you would need a custom built power supply.
I still have mine….. I tried to turn it on a couple years ago for the first time in about 10 years or better and totally forgot how to use it. I couldn’t even remember how to change the banks 😂😂😂
I have a few synths from this era and they all needed new LCD displays. What I worry about getting a used R8 is the condition of the screen. If it goes, you can’t replace it, as Roland used a proprietary design. Not sure how much of an issue this is.
@@daddyzhoam I’ve seen a few drum machines with weak looking displays. For my synths, Korg, Yamaha and Roland all used displays that have working analogues today. Most are from China. The R-8 has a proprietary display and controller that is not made anymore. If you go to the FaceBook group about displays for vintage synths and gear you’ll find the R-8 display is hard or impossible to fix. In contrast, replacing the screen on my JD-990 was child’s play. No soldering involved, just plug and play. I’m not sure if the R-8 rack mount is the same.
I have been looking for a drum machine that can do regular pop-rock genres the way this generation of drum machines do. At present the market is too concentrated on the hip-hop, EDM market - mostly analogue sound generation instead of acoustic samples and no song mode. I really hope Behringer, having sucessfully reverse engineered many classic synth and machines will consider doing an R8. #Behringer, thank you in advance.
Check out the Alesis drum machines SR-16 or 18. They are still in production after many many years, affordable and popular among band musicians, especially for metal and rock for some reason.
@@LousyFacelift thank you. I ended up with both the Alesis SR16 and the Behringer RD8 mk ii. Both are great machines with their own strengths, just have to reschool myself working on hardware machines.
Sir, could you plz suggest a device to transfer the programmed patterns to n back from R8..... No 8dea on that... Memory cards for R8 MK 2 not avlbl nw...
Love the R8. I think a lot of the charm is the way it pitch shifts the samples in that 'early days of sampling' way: I've got an Elektron Analog Rytm, which does the same style of parameter modulation during playback, but it's so much cleaner in comparison!
That's interesting that you mention Autechre in the description. They're the ones who made me aware of the R8. Great video, thanks.
I love the tr808 hihats on the r8 they have their own character compared to the actual tr808
I never realised this machine family has these RY30-like functions, very very cool. Thank you for an excellent video. I regret not toying more with the ones I've had (R5 and R8 mk1). Yamaha picked these ideas up and perhaps made them more obvious with the bend wheel. Sadly mint machines are hard to find but perhaps I'll stumble upon one again. Will make sure to use these functions if that ever happens. Of course Elektron machines offer even more flexibility these days but I love Roland gear. :-) Anyway...
This drum machine reminds me of some of the stuff that Kraftwerk was doing with drum machines in the late 80s and early 90s, freaking cool!
This was one of the first great drum machines of the 80’ (was super happy to get this when I couldn’t afford the Linndrum, Oberheim DMX or eMU SP12. Still have my R8 and sound cards pre MkII. Some R8 samples by today’s standards, are very sterile and digital sounding but more than got the job done. The ‘humanizing’ feature implemented during programming was a game changer for it’s time. One of Roland’s best products ever for sure.
As a previous linndrum & oberhiem dx owner. I would be happy with having this machine as it can do everything the linndrum & the dx could do.
While the R8's pads are velocity sensitive, they don't feel that great IMO, they're kinda hard without much give in them. I feel like its almost like tapping on a totally hard surface. Its a great machine though.
I like the idea of the WaveRex cards that allow you to load your own samples. The WaveRex cards are expensive though!
Agreed. They are unpleasant (I have the MV8800 too which feels nicer) but in comparison to the Yamaha RX5 etc, they are fine. But I can live with it. The other features make up for it.
I cast new buttons from rubber, they feel much better and don't make a clicky sound. Hope to post something on YT soon.
Great video- thank you! i have had an R8 for a couple years and only now am starting to understand how to use it due to an increase of R8 videos on TH-cam. I always struggled with the manual for some reason. Thanks again- would love to see more videos from you on the R8
Funny you mention the RX-5…it’s my favorite!
It’s so damn cryptic, but the way it sounds so crunchy is what keeps me going. I recently got a card in which I can load my own samples. It really takes it to the next level!
I bought the Pharmasonic RX5USB from a shop in Japan. It took about two months to get here (USA) and cost about 70$, but it’s really expanded my favorite sounding drum machine. Also it came loaded with 808 and 909 samples.
I have a Roland R5, I love it very much. R5 Without cards, it sounds no worse than the R8. great review, thank you!
The metal band Type O Negative used this drum machine on their albums. I was fooled for many years thinking the drummer played on their albums, but really it was the R8.
Never knew this! Thx.
"The last album that we did with live drums was Bloody Kisses, and the ones that followed that were done with a drum machine. " - Steele
Dead Again also featured real drums.
I’ve never seen any interview confirming this. I’m pretty sure it was custom samples loaded into a sequencer program Josh Silver had on his computer. October Rust, World Coming Down and Life is Killing Me were all programmed drums.
Great Video David. I still have a Roland R8 MKII in mint condition with the original AC adaptor ACH 220. Bought it long time ago while touring. Used only a few times in a recording studio. I think the original manual is still here. They were the Rolls R of the drum machines and still they have a quality of their own. I might sell it. Please drop me a line if interested. All the best!
Interested.. are you UK based too?
hi ! i am from Portugal and I am interested. do you have samples cards with?
Thanks. This is really helpful. Another feature I like a lot about the R8 mkII is the aftertouch on the pads. Using the roll it can give you lively hi hats during recording by modulating the velocity with the pressure on the pad.
Absolutely. The Aftertouch along with the roll function is brilliant. Works so well.
Sick! Elektron is the only other drum machine I know of that can do crazy different parameters in each step like that. I really want an r-8 now.
Well worth finding one IMHO. Still a superb machine.
RY30 too
The Electrons are perfect but the korg emx is still way more advanced than the Roland R8
Wonderful and very helpful, more R-8 in detail like this one would be great!
Thank you so much!
I used to have the R-5. It was a bit of a cut down version, smaller LCD screen, only 4 outs (+stereo) different sounds built in, and no memory card slot. I had mine for years and loved it, but yeah always wanted the R-8 more!
are the sounds the same?
@@dpalaoro Some of the sounds are the same, some are from various R8 Cards.
The first video wasn't bad... I actually went out and bought one of these because of it.
Love this machine! I have the MkII as well plus all the cards.
However, it was quite daunting to work work with it after being used to the 808 and 909.
Actually outside the 808, the Korg DD1 is a lot easier to work with, with it's matrix style layout. Unfortunately, the sound really is no way near the R8.
Sssshhhh ... it’s a secret. And yeah, the R8 is what the RX5 should have been. Have one gathering dust.
Excuse me, David, I understand, that this video is relatively old, but, anyway, I have a question for You: I see, that in the RAM slot of Your R8 Mk II there is an "Electronic" PCM card, which kind of surprises me. I thought, that tbe Mk II (which I own too) had all the samples of that PCM card, as well as those from the "Dance" card. Is that correct? It's hard to judge without having those cards, because in the R8 Mk II's manual and in the card's ones, that I've found on the net, the samples are named differently, IIRC. I may be mistaken though. Could You, please, clarify this point for me? Thank You in advance, and, please, excuse my English. Cheers!
Hi there. The samples are different in some cases and a few are missing. I recommend the MK2 for sure, but there are still sounds worth having on the card. But the Mk2 is much better than the R8 mk1 without cards. It also has more pattern memory which is small on the MK1
I used it on my Top 40 pop song "Don't Shut Me Out". Check it out on TH-cam! Roland R-8 goodness! Kevin Paige 'Don't Shut Me Out"
Just had a listen Kevin ...cracking tune dude ! ..great beats as well ! were the sounds off one of the external "cards" ? .. thanks Steve
@@2000stephenellis Out of the box factory sounds
I had one of these back when it came out, but the lack of a backlight killed it for me. That's why I got rid of it. Got an R70 after that and even though the screen was two-line text at least I could read it. It also had fx.
User experience is as important as sound quality, imo. Got an R-70 on its way to my studio now. Would love to hear your thoughts on sonic differences between the two machines!
I loved my R-8 MkII
But I thought the MKIi has all the R8 sound roms included internally?
Not all of them. And some are different.
Wow .. did you get the sample card?
not yet
I chose the r8m over the r8 , simply because it has tighter midi sequencing compared to the r8 ( when done externally and eaving the the internal seq. out ) ,and soon to be sequenced from the cirklon v2 ...yuy
The nuance control is more of a balancing+accentuation between the first and second part of the sample , as you (probably ) know most of the samples in the r8/mare made out of two parts .That's why the kick and snares sound so damn good , sampling the r8 just doesn't do it justice
I love my r8m , and boy does that electro card sounds good , I only have the dance card , jazz brush and contemp.perc.
Btz , have you heard abou the upcoming waverex card for the r8 ?
You can load custom samples and more importantly make copys/images of the existing cards ..
I chose the R-8M back in the 90s since you could load up to 3 PCM cards into it. I still have my R-8M and all 14 PCM cards. I'm happy to hear about the custom sample card. I will certainly look into that.
Do you know if it is possible to sequence changes in pitch, velocity etc. trough MIDI CC? I prefer sequencing it with my Ableton Push but it's kindof a bummer missing these great functions.
Hey is it possible to save my 808 Sounds ,I have to reload with my card everytime I turn my machine on.
Does the R8 mk 2 have more sounds than the original version?
Yes.
I've got an R5, and love it
Spectrum - Brazil. Great tune. Cheers.
SPECTRUM SPECTRAL 😊
This is the very best sounding and operable drum machine ever made. (And i have a tempest too)
Ahhh the Roland R8. The intro and outtro sound of the Pearl Jam album "Ten".
This is amazing, thanks for taking the time to put together
I have one of these for sale if anyone is interested. Its complete with original power supply and 6 cards in cases.
Hey Gary, did you sell it already? Give me a shout if you haven’t already
@@86crush hi Jeremy the drum machine is still available.
@@86crush its actually in fantastic condition for its age. Its been cared for and never abused. Everything works as it should.
Hi David, I'm having an issue where when I power the machine off and then back on, the patterns I created are still there but not the exact instruments I used originally for my pattern. So for instance if I am making a new pattern I will go through the different pad banks and use an array of sounds, and it works fine and remembers the specific instruments until I power off and then it seems to reassign the instruments. Can you help me figure this out? I have made some great patterns but it's frustrating when the sounds aren't correct
Great video! Thnx!
I would like to know the difference between the R8 and the R8 MK2...
The MK2 has more memory for patterns and more samples. The layout and materials are slightly different too.
@@DavidMorley Thnx!
The Yamaha RY30 otoh, was almost as powerful imo as the R8. Each sound/pad was a complete synth, with filter, resonance and envelopes (filter and pitch). The RY30 could also do microtuning. But the RY30 was never as revered as the R8.. A very underrated instrument imo.
Yes. I had one for a while. Nice. I still prefer the Roland sounds but the filter options were unique.
@@DavidMorley I agree the RY30 sounds had a certain Yamahaness about them. It was an instantly recognisable sound, hard to describe. Maybe lacking in weight? Not thin, but toned down and polite. This though never stopped me grinding them up through overdrive, or pushing more gain on the desk. Having now retired from releasing records and being a musician, I still think that instead of say a modular, a great classic drum machine is a must, even if it’s the only thing left in one's collection. I’d love an R8.
Thanx for amazin video David! But what u think about R70? In my opinion, this is also a great machine, which is really devoid of some of the expanded features.
I like the R70 but not as much. As you say, still great. The sounds are a bit more realistic and FX etc, but the R8 is hard to beat.
Btw I love the Positional pad!
David - Very helpful video! Just got one of these and I'm having a hard time doing something that is usually pretty easy. Is there a way to edit the length of a pattern after recording one in real time? I can't seem to find any way to do this in the manual aside from just deleting the whole thing and starting over, setting the correct amount of bars from the start. I'm trying to remove an extra bar that I don't need from a pattern that I've created. Also, do you have a video covering the "feel" function and more specifically the random setting. I can't seem to get these to work either based on the instructions in the manual.
Thanks David. I was listening to Tilted just a few hours ago. All the best!
Cheers!
does the R5 feature the same pitch/decay control as the R8 ?
i had both (the first version and the mkII) and they sounded slightly different. almost imperceptible. (imho)
for the sounds of the tr808 you don’t need the electronic card. they are all internally.
yep. I really think roland made it big.
there were a serious problem (for me). I used to program some percussions changing the pitch, decay, pan, nuance (as you did in the vid) in the internal memory did work, but when I record in the sequencer that didn’t work. there were no control change for that programming. (roland mc-50 and brother pdc-100). so I had to use SysEx for that bulk dumping the whole memory card. (I don’t know if I was clear).
nowadays I use maschine (hardware and software) with all the samples from R-8, besides all TR series. perfect!
Fuck that thing sounds absolutely awesome
wow
Thanx for a great upload. I have a R8 that seems to make a small but extremely annoying and audible "hick up" in the pattern, when I program it in play mode, as if there's an issue with the timing. And no matter what I've tried I can't seem to fix it. Might be bad playing on my part, but on other drummachines I can!?!When recorded in step mode no problem
Strange. I've never encountered this. You can update the operating ROM on these and perhaps an early version has a glitch?
@@DavidMorley Maybe, it is an early version
@@DavidMorley I remember reading an interview with 808 State, perhaps in Future Music, where they mentioned a similar problem (but not how they fixed it). It was only later I read somewhere that they used R8 as the main drummachine, and not the 808 as I would have guessed ☺
Great video. Did you ever find more info about the USB card for adding your own samples?
Thx! It seems to be produced by WaveRex. I may order one still. shop.waverex.de/en/WaveR8.html
@@DavidMorley I found it, thanks!
Thank you for the video. I have to clean mine, waiting for the waverec card :)
I have w dance card an mk1 R8💥 love it🏆✌✌🧡 20:56
Sounds better than I remembered!
Dear David, some of the R-8's sounds appear to be made of multiple components (I may be imagining this) iirc the 808 style snare may be an example. Does the new card cater for this? probably wishful thinking.
I always thought it a bit cheeky Gunshot and 808 hc was the same sample repitched.
Have you ever had a go at/on Korg Electribe EMX or ESX? Any thoughts on that? There's a modulation and speed function and motion sequence that works really quick and somewhat similar to some of the slider techniques you demonstrate
I haven't in depth. I tried one once, bit no experience. Sounds interesting 👍
Adquiri unaa roland r8 y veo q los pads asignados para sonidos estan pegados me parece esto es normal ??? Aun no los eh probado su funcionamiento por falta de fuente de 10 + - tambien veo q toda la carcasa tiene una capa fina como si fuera estar impregnada de alguna pintura o grasa es normal ?? Ssludos !!!
Can you technically mix tr-808 cards and tr-909 cards together and play them?.
@@chinossynthesizer705 no as you can only use one card at a time. On the R8m you can use multiple cards I believe but it is not interesting to me as it doesn’t have the sequencer.
@@DavidMorleyahh, man, I thought could use 2 drum card slots. Can you just overwrite the inside drum sounds with 808? And then use a external 909 card?
@@chinossynthesizer705 i don’t think so.
@@DavidMorley that's a bit strange because I heard esoteric curley used this drum machine in the 90s. and I can hear 808 drum sounds and 909 in his music.
@@chinossynthesizer705 the r8mk2 has a mix of 808 and 909 built in. But they aren’t identical to the cards.
sir I need this machine its available you
really friggin cool wow.
Wow, that pitch trick is so cool. I am a big fan of my RX-5 and its samples,, but I don't think there's an easy way to do that on that machine. The R-8 has motion recording then, that's so cool.
In an ideal world I would have an R8 MK2, the RX-5 and a RY-30.
I had the RX5 and its a great machine. Very different sounds and some cool feature (reverse etc) but no way to record parameters like this alas. RY30 is brilliant. That you can I believe, at least to a certain extent.
Hi, I thank you for the content. could you please tell me how to get the power sopply of these?
Hi there. The best way is to try and buy a used Roland R5. They have the same supply and are cheaper. Otherwise, you would need a custom built power supply.
Sorry, I meant - ROM slot.
thanks , very helpful !
Fatter warmer sounds? Have people forgotten what acoustic drums and real cymbals are?
Great video,thanks
I still have mine…..
I tried to turn it on a couple years ago for the first time in about 10 years or better and totally forgot how to use it.
I couldn’t even remember how to change the banks 😂😂😂
😂
Awesome, thanks!
The Best Mark || R8
Amazing!!!
Damnit, let's HEAR it!
Good point!
Maybe I'll do a video of original patterns.
I have a few synths from this era and they all needed new LCD displays. What I worry about getting a used R8 is the condition of the screen. If it goes, you can’t replace it, as Roland used a proprietary design. Not sure how much of an issue this is.
Personally I’ve never seen one that’s failed. But all this gear is getting on in age, so issues can always appear.
Do they need new displays or just lume strips / backlights?
@@daddyzhoam I’ve seen a few drum machines with weak looking displays. For my synths, Korg, Yamaha and Roland all used displays that have working analogues today. Most are from China. The R-8 has a proprietary display and controller that is not made anymore. If you go to the FaceBook group about displays for vintage synths and gear you’ll find the R-8 display is hard or impossible to fix. In contrast, replacing the screen on my JD-990 was child’s play. No soldering involved, just plug and play. I’m not sure if the R-8 rack mount is the same.
Could you do a comparison with the R70 and the DR 660
Hello.Please tell me, the yamaha ry30 is able to record sound changes at each step using a controller like the R8 ? Sorry for the auto-translator
Is there a way to simulate dampening a crash cymbal with your hand? Thanks.
I have been looking for a drum machine that can do regular pop-rock genres the way this generation of drum machines do. At present the market is too concentrated on the hip-hop, EDM market - mostly analogue sound generation instead of acoustic samples and no song mode. I really hope Behringer, having sucessfully reverse engineered many classic synth and machines will consider doing an R8. #Behringer, thank you in advance.
I think the only modern drum machine that might work is the boss Dr 880.
@@DavidMorley yups, I think so too but it is no more in production. Sigh.
@@christopherkiyui8071 looks like hardware drum machines are over. But there is the Isla s2400 perhaos
Check out the Alesis drum machines SR-16 or 18. They are still in production after many many years, affordable and popular among band musicians, especially for metal and rock for some reason.
@@LousyFacelift thank you. I ended up with both the Alesis SR16 and the Behringer RD8 mk ii. Both are great machines with their own strengths, just have to reschool myself working on hardware machines.
Great! It would be great to hear it in real song or track
If you search Andrea Parker and David Morley , you will hear it all over our tracks.
@@DavidMorley Thanks
Please make a new Buchla 200 video!!!
Sir, could you plz suggest a device to transfer the programmed patterns to n back from R8..... No 8dea on that... Memory cards for R8 MK 2 not avlbl nw...
I guess any midi data recorder would do it. Yamaha MDF2 for example
..🙄🙄🙄why didn't u run some samples....to hear snares..toms...claps...etc....
Because I was showing the programming features. You can find all the samples online these days.
is there any way to reboot the R-8?
amazing
You sound like an old dude? Nothing wrong with that…..as am I. Go and try a tr8s. It’ll blow your mind! ✌🏻
I had an R8mk2. I have an TR8S now, it is the greatest drum machine Roland has made. It's not "perfect" but it's leaps and bounds better than the R8.
TR8s is my fav and am happy to hear you enjoy it more than the R8. You just saved me a ton a cash😂
@@murphyjulian7393 the R-70 has some interesting tricks, my friend Paul Birken uses his R70 all the time still.
@@isaac.anthony I will check that out 🤘🤘🤘
Can the regular r8 do this motion recording of pitch and other parameters? Or is it only the mk2 that does this?
Yes it can. Identical.