“Vintage Charm” – with modern technology
It was only a matter of time, until the incribley popular TR-Series from Roland was resurrected. Numerous clones have been developed and yet no device has managed to even test the ranks of a TR-909 or TR-808. As a result of huge demand, the prices of used TRs on the second-hand market are sky high and continue to rise, no doubt also driven by their authentic ‘retro’ aesthetic.
The TR-8 offers next to the legendary sounds, an improved sequencer which gives the user faster access to all of the most important parameters without having to stop the instrument. The integrated compressor crowns the package. The days of investing an additional budget into expensive outboard equipment are in teh past. The TR-8 already has everything onboard. Every single track is transmitted via USB, making it easier to record and edit them individually with your favourite DAW.
For the transfer of the once analog circuits onto a DSP computational algorithm, the engineers have taken into account the characterisitcs of the original components to the most minute detail inorder to incorporate them into the formula as these fundamently affect the behaviour of the processed sound.
The sequencer is the heart of this piece of equipment. In the TR-REC mode, driving grooves can be created based on the running light programming in a very short time after selecting the desired instrument. And it can do all this without prior knowledge of rhythms.Alternativley in the INST-REC mode, notes can be played in real-time.
Via the back-lit faders, the volume can be changed in no time at all. The sooud characteristics are changed with the dedicated paramtmers, which are available for every instrument.
Dry sounds can be given more spatiality with the very good sounding reverb. Especially attractive is the fact that reverb effectsd can be applied to individual steps, allowing the production of new, rhythmic movements – an incredibley creative tool!
A compressor is simply indispensable for the production of electronic music. Thankfully the TR-8 possesses a great sounding compressor, which is applied and controlled with its own knobs over the Bass Drum and Snare respectively.
The compressor gives the desired sound more punch and a powerful character. After being passed through a compressor, an instrument is typically better suited for the mix, without losing volume.
External singalns (e.g. Roland TB-3 Touch Bassline) also profit from the compressor integrated into the TR-8. The dynamic influence of the input signal to be processed is aimed at applying the sidechain compression after the TR-8, whereby the mix sounds more homogenous and balanced. The bass always dominates the mix. Therefore the sidechain compressor is very interesting and practical in this situation. The put it simply; the mix of both devices are “stuck together” through the use of the compressor. Even this application is realized by a dedicated knob “External In”.
Dubstep is becoming an increbiley popular music style, which gets its charm from the use of crazy effects. The same effects can be created with the “Scatter” effect, whereby the rythms of the TR-8 are practically hacked into small pieces and are then looped at an incredible tempo. The intensity of this effect is controllable and there a numerous algorithms are available. Even input signals are run through the Scatter effect, as soon as it is activated.