Roland TR-8S Rhythm Performer

R
oland’s original TR-8
certainly wasn’t
without flaws, but it
managed to capture
the fun, tactile
experience of
jamming out on a
classic X0X groovebox. While Roland’s
later Boutique TR-08 and TR-09
boxes look, function and – debatably
– sound closer to their original
inspiration, both are held back by
their small and slightly fiddly
interfaces. On the other hand, the
TR-8, with its chunky sequencer
emulates the circuitry of the original
hardware units on a component-by-
component basis. That same
technology is still at the heart of the
TR-8S, providing models of the 808,
909, 707, 727 and 606. This time
around though, these emulated
instruments are joined by sample
tracks. Any of the TR-8S’s 11
instrument tracks can be assigned to
either an emulation or a sample,
meaning that, alongside the expected
pure emulation kits, the drum
machine comes equipped with plenty
of interesting hybrid kits, with lots of
scope for mixing and matching the
two sound sources.
Those core ACB tracks once again
offer high-quality, largely convincing
recreations of the original boxes
they’re based on. I’m not going to get
too bogged down on the authenticity
of these sounds here. Due to multiple
design iterations, production quirks
and decades of wear and tear of the
original machines, trying to establish
an ‘authentic’ sound can be a murky
business. Plus, we’ve become so
accustomed to hearing these sounds
processed, sampled or emulated, that
buttons, sturdy rotaries and individual
channel faders, felt ready to be
bashed and cranked in a manner
similar to the way artists like Jeff
Mills or Egyptian Lover handle their
original machines. It’s pleasing then,
to see Roland return to the TR-8
format for a follow-up that builds
upon the original and addresses most
of its flaws and foibles.
The most significant change here
is the addition of sample playback.
The original TR-8 was built entirely
around Roland’s Analogue Circuit
Behaviour (ACB) tech, which
THE PROS & CONS
+
Sample capabilities
dramatically add to
the flexibility
Far deeper sound
shaping and effects
than those of the
original TR-8
Extra variation
modes and
automation add
considerably to
the sequencer
-
Added depth means
that it loses
a little immediacy
Effects are decent,
but lack a bit
of character
Auto-Fill mode gets
old fairly quickly
Roland TR-8S Rhythm Performer | Reviews
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FMU331.rev_roland.indd 79 18/04/2018 16:32