Hey yall,
so my 808 should be here any day. yoinked it for $157 off ebay, been checking the tracking status like every 10 minutes for the last 2 days. I'm curious what you guys have to say about using a beast like 808 in conjunction with something like a 303 (which is the plan). Working with 303 for the last 4 months or so, my feeling has been "this would be perfect if I had another sampler."
Like, last night I'm bangin' a rough idea and dumping it into nuendo is the last thing I wanna do, I wanna keep it in the hardware realm and keep tweekin and crushin.
Anyway, anyone use second sampler with 808? if so, what's your process look like?

Im working with a 404sx and an 808. I got the 808 first and was dissapointed by the fact that programming individual drums is a no no due to the zip drive. I worked with looping different parts of drum loops and puncing them in and out to get the same result but realised that a 303 or 404 was needed just to deal with the drums at least.

Now iv been working with them together for close to two months and it's real nice. I usualy start by making the main body of the beat on the 404 with everything mono to get the most from it. Then when i have a few patterns start dumping it to the 808. I record all parts separate (kick, snare, hats, bass, chords, etc) by sampling to the pads in 4 or 8 bar loops. then arrange them in the real time record function and create a stereo image from the mono samples as you would recording a band in a studio.Then bounce them all down to one track in stereo. I also have the micro korg hooked into the 404 input to lay down keys an top of the beat which is hooked up to the 808 input so you get the advantage two efx when sampling which can be cool and saves time.

Now i have the 404 to complement the 808 i have no complaints but i would advise going to see before sitting down to read the manual as it takes a while to get through it and you will need something to numb the pain, Think i was there for about 4 or 5 days.

Good luck

http://soundcloud.com/xaouen

If you try to record separate drums hits with quantize on, then your fucked. The zip is too slow. But ive never had an issue banging out a boom bap beat fast or slow and recording it or resampling it. I remember when i first got it i tried to record with quantize on and it just didnt work, zip drive too busy message all the time. So i never did it again.
You can bang out your drum track, resampling, then lay it with the step record and make it lay the length of the (PAD) and your all good.
404 and an 808 sounds like a crazy combo. im rockin a MV and an 808.
The MV sounds so digital so ive been using the 808 to bring the quality down with the sample rate at 32000 and compressing or using the (RECORD) effect, sort of like the vinyl sim. Then id make a library on the MV and rock out. The 808 time stretch is pretty cool too. On the MV you either use a bpm sync so it syncs to the bpm (which is ok) but if you want to time stretch a sample without syncing it to the tempo, just to time stretch it, it goes by a percentage sort of thing, which is weird. The 808 has it so once you set the tempo of your sample in sample parameters by counting how many beats are in it. You go to time stretch and it shows you the samples bpm and you select the desired bpm and BOOM! your done. Roland always changes something that works so perfectly when it puts out a new machine. The MV ask how many seconds you want your sample instead of what BPM you want, so weird. The 808 is a great machine to be so old school. If it had a sequencer and ran off of something other than zip disk, it be the best roland sampler, i think. Lots of effects, good time stretch and pitch shift, quick to learn, easy to work with.
Enjoy

Oh, since the 808 has a ton of effects you could use it as an effects processor and resample like mad then dump it all to the other sampler. Id suggest a mpc device with great sequencing. When i had the 1k, it was a great combo with the 808. Id dirty things up in the 808 then dump the samples to the mpc and make a program and rock out. Ive never liked the 1 track sequencing on the roland machines and since you getting an 808, might as well combo it with something that has sequencing options covered, and track mutes without workarounds. Drum layering without resampling.

Damn all of you...I miss my 808

thanks for the ideas, peeps. good stuff.

yeah, the sequencer thing is a concern, sorta. I mean, I rock the 99-bar on the 303, and usually I can squeeze a tune into 99 bars. the idea with getting the 808 was a beast that i can dump all of my 303 work onto and go from there. For instance, if I had the 808 before submitting my recent 40-second battle entry("let em in"), the tune woulda been...well...longer.

Man if i want mega sequencing power i just use ableton. I can see that people want it to be easy with this kind of stuff but i find working round the limitations keeps my mind off thinking too much about the beat and reduces my creative block issues which i can suffer from quite badly sometimes.

As for dumping stuff from 303 it will be all good as long as you have enough zip disks.


http://soundcloud.com/xaouen/sofa-beat-02

part of the reason i got a 303 is that i got really burnt out on using a DAW to do absolutely everything (soft synths, soft samplers, etc). i got hardware fever and started grabbing samplers and 4-tracks and keyboards. ultimately, everything ends up in a DAW, but i try to get as much done until then.

i'd like stuff to hit tape before it hits, you know, whatever it hits in a DAW.

Yea man. Im going through a bit of hardware fever myself at the mo but im trying not to take it too far.
I do want an Mv though. I used to have one untill i split with a girl and she fucked it up in a desparate attempt at revenge,

Crazy how you make beats on the 99. As i said before i always use 4,8 or 16 bar loops. Makes it easier to fix mistakes and so on but i think im gona try this 99 bar thing as it might add some randomness to my production.

Peace out

http://soundcloud.com/xaouen/sofa-beat-02

OUCH about the mv. super sux. i'd give a ball to have one right now.

problem with 99 is starting out w/ 8-bar loop, perfecting that, making it 16, perfecting that...by the time you get up to like 50+ it gets super hard to correct mistakes. i use a pad of paper when i work on stuff to mark like "remove HH 55, 56, 70. removed snare 66..." etc. Gets painful.

F£$k man that sounds mega stress.

Check this link for 808 tips.


http://www.loopers-delight.com/tools/sp ... ruser.html

Prob the best i have found. Think there is a page on hacking to add extra features too but that stuff is way over my head.



http://soundcloud.com/xaouen