The Roland TR-808 drum machine was one of the most influential electronic instruments of all time, and now it's got a worthy successor in the shape of the TR-1000.
The Roland TR-1000 is the first Roland drum machine in over 40 years with true analog voices, which the company has coupled with the latest digital sound and sampling technologies and what it says is a performance-focused user interface.
It's got big shoes to fill, which is why we're writing about it here. The TR-808 powered a thousand goth bands, was instrumental (ahem) in achieving the early hip-hop sound, underpinned acid house, dominated the pop charts... the list goes on. It might have been a commercial failure, with under 12,000 sold worldwide, but it's up there with the Fender Stratocaster and the Moog Synthesizer in terms of its influence on modern music.
For the TR-1000, Roland has stopped playing about with digital emulation and gone back to the source. The TR-1000’s analog engine features 16 of what is says are the most coveted circuits from the TR-808 and its TR-909 successor, all recreated from the original designs with detailed engineering and modern components.
Alongside the TR-1000’s analog voices are powerful digital sounds driven by Roland’s latest advancements; 21 circuit-bent TR-808 and TR-909 models built with Analog Circuit Behavior (ACB) technology, FM percussion, virtual analog tones, and a deep PCM library for sonic exploration and fresh textures.
Comprehensive sample tools include stereo sampling and resampling, BPM sync, time- stretching, and non-destructive slice editing. The onboard 64 GB memory comes with a curated collection of 2000 samples, with 46 GB free for user captures, edits, and sample imports.
A companion TR-1000 App enables hardware control from a computer, providing a large graphical interface for real-time parameter editing, a librarian for organizing sounds, and more.
It's designed to be used too, as the performance from Egyptian Lover below shows. The TR-1000’s sequencer expands on the familiar TR workflow with a focus on feel and flexibility. Users can program sounds fast, perform with intent, and shape rhythms in real time using extensive pattern tools, expressive controls, and new off-grid options to fine-tune the pocket.
An ergonomic panel layout encourages creative exploration with high-grip knobs and smooth, responsive faders. The new Morph slider allows for radical transformations with simple movements, while the snapshot feature creates playable step buttons that instantly recall any knob position for an instrument.
The Roland TR-1000 costs $2699 and is available now. The TR-808 was $1195 when it launched in 1980, which converts into $4370 in today's money, so it's perhaps not as expensive as it seems. And, as a drummer who currently finds himself between Roland kits, for the first time probably ever I'm wondering about how much fun it might be to play with one of my wholly electronic counterparts...