The sequencer on the 808, a row of 16 color-coded buttons, offered artists a way to store beats they programmed. Courtesy of Roland Even if you don't know the Roland TR-808 drum machine by name, ...

The TR-808 drum machine was the sound of the Eighties. Now it's back – courtesy of Kanye West's new album, out today. Rhodri Marsden feels the beat. These days, few new electronic instruments have an ...

The congas ring cheekily, the cowbell plays a corroded chime, the snare is parched and cruel – and the bass drum, a hard bloom of air, is barely music at all. With these core sounds, abetted by a ...

If you’re into hip-hop and pop, you’ve probably heard “808” at some point. That’s a reference to the iconic Roland TR-808, a drum machine created by Ikutaro Kakehashi in 1980. Its unique dribbling ...

The Roland TR-808 Rhythm Composer is credited with more musical innovations than you can wave a plug socket at – even after its rocky start. After flopping commercially upon release in 1980, because ...

Learn to make a Future type beat in Mixcraft 7! Discover music production techniques, 808 sounds, drum patterns, and synthesizer tips. Level up your beat making skills! Trump set to face a diplomatic ...

Last week, Roland posted a teaser to its website headlined by the words ‘tomorrow returns’ accompanied by what sounded like a processed TR-808 drum beat. Now the company has unveiled the inspiration ...

Maybe the secret to musical success isn’t to be original, but to try as hard as you can to sound like somebody else… When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

These days, few new electronic instruments have an identifiable "sound". We buy them on the understanding that they'll have thousands of preset configurations that will let us emulate sounds we've ...