TR-808: Marvin Gaye's Use In Hip Hop Music

In 1980, the Roland Corporation introduced the TR-808 Rhythm Composer. The TR-808 is a transistor based rhythm/drum machine. The unit relies on analog circuitry, rather than digital sampling or modeling to produce sounds. The analog circuitry synthesizes sound using a subtractive method, which involves using a filter to attenuate the harmonics of a signal. The resulting effect is a change in the tone of the sound. The various “fake” percussion sounds produced by the TR-808 included snare, bass/kick drum, rimshot, cymbal, toms, open/closed hi-hats, handclap, maraca, cowbell, conga, and claves. The unit was programmable up to 32 patterns using a step sequencer, and it could chain up to 768 measures. It was also had programmable tempo and time

The first hit record to ever feature the machine was Marvin Gaye’s “Sexual Healing.” Coincidentally, Gaye had chosen the device because it allowed him to produce his own music without needing others around him, corresponding with a period of isolation in his life. The first major use-case for the TR-808’s use in hip hop music came in the form of Afrika Bambaataa and the Soulsonic Force’s “Planet Rock.” As the 80s progressed, hip hop would become the primary genre to feature the unit. Young Rick Rubin used the device extensively, and would use it to produce albums by popular hip hop artists such as Run D.M.C., LL Cool J, and the Beastie Boys. The cult status of the device has been cemented not only by it’s relative rarity and signature uses, but also to the extent that the “808” itself has even been mentioned in the lyrics of countless

Originally, users picked this product over the competition based on its cheaper price point, but those early adopters often abandoned the product because of its perceived lack of sound quality. Eventually, a cult following increased year over year, and now the product is still sought after, and usually fetches more than the original 1980 price. The sounds of the TR-808 can still be heard to this day, thirty-seven years later; although, the end listener will probably not be able to tell if the sounds are from an original unit or from emulation or recorded