In celebration of the 808 day, Roland has made its virtual TR-808 drum machine plugin available to try for free until the end of August.
We recently covered another 808 plugin (learn all about the SC-808 plugin by Yoshinosuke Horiuchi) and posited how many different emulations of the 808 does one truly need. However, if you’re going to be adding another one to your arsenal, it might as well be from the original source.
Roland has been quietly going digital over the last few years, releasing not only expansions for their hardware devices, such as the Fantom series of keyboards, but also creating emulations of some of their most iconic, classic gear.
They’ve opted for a subscription-based model – you can use all of these devices inside your DAW for $20 a month.
Their TR-808 emulation is an in-house made plugin that models the original drum machine down to its unique circuitry. This likely makes it the most faithful TR-808 recreation on the market, and it does sound the part. A blind test would likely prove that the difference between this and its hardware counterpart is unrecognizable.
While the plugin’s interface closely resembles the 1980 classic, a few brand new features have been added. For example, the 808 plugin sports a much more capable and easy-to-read sequencer and savable patterns and kits. The sequencer offers eight variations per pattern for longer sequences, with adjustable flams, sub-steps, and soft hits.
Apart from the minor functionality tweaks, the plugin looks and sounds just like you’d expect from an official 808 plugin developed by Roland. It’s a no-frills and no-nonsense virtual take on the classic 808 hardware.
I do feel like this promotion is a bit of a missed opportunity on Roland’s part, however. Nowadays, it’s easier than ever to get the 808 sound, with many options being completely free. Making the plugin available indefinitely after you get it from their manager would’ve been much more likely to get users into their ecosystem.
As it stands, Roland’s official TR-808 plugin is a bit of a hassle to set up, and with a limited payoff. After all, you can only use it for free until the end of August.
Have you ever wanted to try the authentic Roland TR-808? To hear the real original sounds? Do you want to get to know the drum machine that changed music? Take advantage of this limited-time offer and test drive the TR-808 plugin today. Enjoy from August 8 to 31, free of charge — no membership required!
You have to download and use the Roland Cloud Manager app, create a new account, and activate the software. If you want to continue using the TR-808 plugin after August, you have to either subscribe to Roland Cloud’s Ultimate tier, which costs $20 a month or buy a lifetime license for $149.
Whichever way you choose to do it, however, we hope you enjoy the month of 808 for free.
The official Roland TR-808 plugin is available in VST, AU, and AAX plugin formats for digital audio workstations on PC and Mac. Only 64-bit plugin hosts are supported.
Free download: Roland TR-808 (Available for free until August 31st, requires Roland Cloud account and manager)
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Last Updated on August 17, 2020 by Tomislav Zlatic.
