Be sure to set the CTRL parameter in your Kit Menu to User, then set your ctrl knob to Coarse by holding the ctrl select button and turning the ctrl knob.
Hey man is this still running for you? Got a tr8s with a 2.51v firmware and this trick seems like not working. The ctrl knob set to coarse will change the general course despite you click on a certain step. Any advice? Thanks
Not just your video, but you are gold! Such simple and amazing explanation! I am planing to buy the TR8S and your videos are getting me the most clear picture of what I will be doing with it! Thanks a ton!
Thanks a ton for this! One thing that tripped me up for a minute here is I forgot to have the green motion button selected as on - once I selected this I could hear the tone changes - great video, many thanks again ✌️
Thank you so much for taking the time making these videos. It has really helped me understand the tr8s I have been learning a great deal from your channel. Thanks again
Thanks for sharing the knowledge! I was just wondering how to make in key synth patterns on my new TR8S and this has answered it perfectly. Have also used quite a few of your videos to help me get familiar with the machine. It’s the first piece of kit I’ve owned and I think I would be lost without these videos.
Five years later and I'm still learning from you... heh... Thanks for this. With all the new patterns and sounds with release 2.0 and 3.0 the TR-8S is pretty much a groove box now, rather than just a drum machine... but it is still a PAIN to program notes.
Thanks for the tutorial Unit:E, very helpful. I've just upgraded from v1.12 straight to v2.0 (skipping out v1.13) and have experienced some problems when following this as the ctrl knobs are not reacting when trying to adjust synth tones at 1min 20 secs of the tutorial, do you know what might be causing this issue? Do I need to ensure v1.13 is updated before 2.0?
@@UnitE808 Thanks for the quick response. Yes I did the factory reset but will do it again just in case. The ctrl knob isn't assigned to anything else but guess another reset would also rule that out.
Thanks for all your Videos, youre a big help :) I have one question though... as soon as i change the ctrl effect of my instrument to another effect, the melody vanishes... does this mean i cant put in a melody AND have an effect on the same instrument? please help me grandmaster
Motion record records the knob movement, not what the knob is assigned to. So, if you have coarse on the ctrl knob for a melody, you can't assign it to another parameter. If you want to tweak the inst fx and you are on firmware 2.0 or higher, hold the instrument button (bd-rc) and turn the Master Fx Level knob.
@@jakubjunga are you step recording or recording the movements while playing? Make sure that Motion is On. If step recording, hold the step and turn the knob. Let go of the step when you have the knob at the value you want. Once all steps are recorded, set the knob back to 0
@@jakubjunga if you can set Coarse to the ctrl knob, you should be able to record it. If it doesnt come up as an option, the instrument might be an ACB tone. Those tones are not samples and cant be coarse tuned.
@@UnitE808 yeah I noticed that but I couldn't figure out why it wasn't working until I hit "on" under motion record. And then I re-watched this and notice that yes you had it selected also.
Hey man!:) thanks so much and sorry if i repost something ive just wrote on a recent comment to the video: Is this trick still running? Got a tr8s with a 2.51v firmware and doing everything you are advising the coarse will change the general coarse. This happens despite you click on a certain step and even the lcd display shows as you are acting on a single step. But it always ends up you modify the coarse for all the steps of the instrument. Thanks if you can provide an advice, it is so important:)
It will remain the last value that was programmed in. If you want it to go back to the natural coarse tune or 0, you have to set the next step or next note to be that value. Think of it as you turned the knob and never turned it back.
Knowing the digital numeric equivalent nice. I use a digital guitar tuner or an app for my phone. The coarse adjustment usually lands on every note (flats etc) perfectly, as long as it is tonal in nature. Getting a 'note' to recognize out of something like a drum sound is hit or miss.
Unit:E Great video! It’s good that the semitone can be changed for each step. I’m wondering, what about if you want to use this same melody creation technique to affect an outside synthesizer or sound-module through MIDI connection? Can you use the TR-8s to drive another synthesizer (through MIDI connection) and be able to change the semitones of that "outside synthesizer" per step the same way you did in this video? Thanks!
George Galamb I don't think you can do that. The control knob is strictly for the on board instrument. I don't think it sends any midi data out itself. You'd have to set up through a computer and some kind of midi Checker or whatever to see what actually sends data out from that unit. I think there is a midi implementation chart on the Roland website under supporting documents.
How do you get to "course" I'm holding down ctrl select turning the ctrl select knob I want, setting it to inst fx. Can't seem to get to "course" Am i Missing a step? @@UnitE808
@@thecowboy666 if the instrument is an acb sound, coarse is not an option. The instrument has to be a sample, indicated by the S in the upper left of the screen by the name of the sound. Make sure you have 'User' selected in the Kit menu, CTRL category.
You don’t tune is the top knob of the three. Assigning coarse to the curl knob is done by holding the curl select button and turning the curl knob you want to assign. Make sure the instrument is a sample, indicated by the S in the top left of the screen when selecting an instrument. Coarse is not available to ACB tones, indicated by just a P in the top left of screen.
Hi, I've done the same operations as on your video, the same instrument on the Mid Tom but the sound is always the same and the notes always have the same keys, do you have a solution?
Have you assigned the ctrl knob to Coarse? Do this by pressing ctrl select and choosing User. Then hold ctrl select and turn the ctrl knob until Coarse is showing on-screen. Not all sounds have this parameter. ACB tones do not have coarse tune. Those are marked by only a P in the upper left of the screen when selecting sounds.
Thanks. Great help. So I'm a few weeks into my tr8s and a few things baffle me. Is there a way that you know of to start on a blank canvas? No instruments loaded everything empty and then assign each instrument to its desired location? I'm having to take an already designated kit and reassign everything. And because there are patterns associated with that kit. (Seems like the tr8s only plays one pattern at a time?) I'm stuck with all the assigned parameters associated to that instrument. For example, if I load a kit but want to put something in place of the Tom's, maybe a sample... then the delays assoc with the Tom's are now assoc with my sample and so on. Any way you know of to zero out everything? Many thanks in return for your help
Join the Facebook group for the TR-8S. There is a guy who created a blank default. The only other way I know is to got to pattern 6-06 or above and kit 97 and above. The kit is not blank, but there should be no pattern created. It's just a default 808 kit
Hi there, ..can it be that you allways have to start (coarse)tuning motion with the sequence stopped? Cause when I start creating the melody the normal way while it's actually playing, IT TUNES THE WHOLE PATTERN, NOT ONLY THE HOLD-PRESSED STEP... , any suggestion? Cheers
@@reardondearborn reset by setting step 1 on Variation A to 0 on the coarse tune ctrl knob. Also, make sure the physical knob has the coarse tune set to 0 naturally. Be sure to write your pattern and kit after making these adjustments.
@UnitE808 sorry to nitpick, but what if you want the coarse tune on step 1 to be something other than 0? What does this mean for resetting? Thanks for the quick reply.
@@UnitE808 Perfect! Thank you very much! Do you think the workflow process get worse critically if I completely turn off part of the backlight? I have sensitive eyes and I'm looking for some sampler to be able to make some music while my eyes rest from the computer screen. But all of the samplers have a pretty aggressive backlit (like Digitakt). It seems like Tr 8s is the best choice (not much menu diving). The only thing I'm worried about is backlit. I'm glad there is a brightness control. I guess that could help me :-)
I've been trying to find a beat machine that's close to or similar to the "E-MU SP-1200 Beat machine" Would you say that the "Roland TR-8S Rhythm Performer is that machine? Thanks!
I noticed that when you hold down the step, the copy and utility buttons flash. What is that for? Also, can you motion control and another FX and go back to course tune, or is it just one or the other? Thanks!
Those buttons scroll through the available motion parameters. You can use the value knob to adjust. Motion recording only records knob movement. If you switch what the knob is assigned to, the new parameter will have motion record on it.
Wojciech Wilk push ctrl select button, then turn the value knob to user. Push ctrl select button again to exit. Hold the ctrl select button and turn the ctrl knob on the channel you want to set your coarse tune to. Coarse is right between InstFX and Rate. 11 o'clock on the dial.
Unit E.. I just heard that 808 and 909 drum machine none of them are exactly alike cause they are analog circuits. So what does that mean for acb units like Tr 8s and Tr 6s are we all alike cause it is acb unit. Does one Tr 8s sounds identical like another Tr 8s.
@@miles46100 no. Unfortunatsly, there is no playing the sounds chromatically from a keyboard. The focus of the instrument is to be a drum machine. The synth sounds are just for basic basslines and melodies to add to the drums.
I'm not sure what I did wrong. Initially when I followed this, it seemed to work, but now I'm getting some strange behaviour. My first note is at step 9, my second is at 11. But the note that both gets is the same note I assigned to 11. The note on 9 doesn't persist. Then when I try to add a note at step 13, there's nothing. Did I set something that I shouldn't have?
Tune is like a pitch slider on a turntable and only goes one octave up and down, coarse adjusts in semitones and goes two full octaves up and down. You will get better accuracy using coarse.
UnitE hi there, after i've input the notes this way, when i change parameter to, say, Cutoff, the notes don't play anymore and is replaced by the cutoff effect instead. I can only get the notes back if i set Ctrl to Coarse again, and then i lose the cutoff. Is this the normal behavior or am i missing a step. I've heard talk of parameter lock but i can't find the damn thing hah
Σ∞ταΦ you have to set the filter cutoff in the instrument menu. Motion record remembers the movement and placement of the ctrl knob, regardless of what's assigned to it. Once you change the assignment, it does the motion for that effect.
ok tried it, kinda worked for cutoff or res adjustment, but no motion. I guess u can't have 2 motions goin at the same time. I thought there might be a way to have multiple motions goin on one ctrl assignment for one instrument. As u said.
Σ∞ταΦ nope. You cant have 2 separate controls on one knob. I said that you can design your sound and stack fx, not stack motion recording. You can change your sound without motion rec and once the sound is how you like it, set the ctrl knob to coarse and create notes.
DJ KennyMACK my left thumb rests right next to shift, always. Use the left hand to manipulate everything on the left section. If you force yourself to keep your left thumb resting next to the shift for a few sessions, it will become habit. Glad you got it sorted!
The tune knob doesn't change in semitones like coarse tune does. It is a finer tuning parameter. Much harder to tune it to specific notes, although still possible.
0 on coarse tune for me is C#, not C. Any ideas on how to fix this? Was trying to figure it out cuz nothing sounded right and I’m like “what the hell”? Lol
Strange. I got C on a tuner plugged into it. I didn't try all instruments though. I'll have another go and report back. If your getting C#, then just adjust the coarse tuning accordingly. I might have to redo the video or put a notice up on this one.... lol!
@@UnitE808 yeah I was thinking about running through some other instruments to see as well. I checked another one and both start on C#. And yeah, that’s about the only thing I can do at this point. I was hoping there’s a way to shift everything over one half step, it’s just a little easier starting on C but not the end of the world. And that would be awesome if you made an addendum if you have time! I watched this video last year and put the groove box down for a while, but I remembered you said 0=C so I was hella lost for a minute tonight lol. Let me know what you find if you remember. Thanks for the help and the videos!
I went through some other sounds today and it seems like a lot have C starting on different numbers for me. But roland’s website says coarse tune starts on C so maybe something is up with my machine.
@@UnitE808 I’m using coarse tune. I think I checked this but I’ll check again when I get home, I might have my regular tuner set in a different position from 12 o clock which will change the coarse tune note.
Followed this video but not working here. Course Tune, OK Sample OK Pretty easy to follow however leaving out the settings makes it hard to get results.
@@UnitE808 Thanks for the reply, Can the melody be played in TR-Rec mode? I am on a user kit using same sample as video, my semi-tones are locked in but not changing pitch. CTRL Select set on Course mode. press note one turn CTRL knob to desired semi. Just not taking effect
@@vallieduncan5165 the melody cannot be chromatically played on the TR-8S. Is the motion "on" button lit? The motion "rec" button does not have to be on, but the "on" button does. Also, the step needs to be held while adjusting the coarse tune.
Thank you for the kind words! Roland has their synths and this is a drum machine. I understand why they didnt give it synth controls. They gave us a way to make some melodic content to go with our drums, they didn't give us a groovebox. There is a 3rd party app that let's you get close to what you want to achieve. It's called TRSkreamer.
Good vid! Too bad Roland didn’t do two simple things... allow recording of midi pitch via external keyboard, and have the motion/parameter recording of the actual parameters, not recording the ctrl knob... that one is just silly... what use-case would there be to want to record the knob movements and then change what the knob points to? That’s nuts! They could have at least exposed the other parameters via midi but they didn’t do that either... it’s weird. Still an amazing box though!
@@UnitE808 It "looks" like a lot, until you actually "really" look at it. :) It's essentially only allowing midi mapping of the knobs that we already have access to. :) But Roland has ALWAYS had carp midi support. Which is odd considering they invented it with DSI! For example, there's no reason at all that they could not have exposed *every* parameter that can be mapped to CTRL knob. Just do it so each voice/channel is on its own midi channel. So you could have CC for cutoff, course tune, etc. each as a CC on CH1-16. But I can almost hear the team meeting where they shoot those ideas down because someone there keeps saying "It's a "performance" instrument, can't have too many parameters." :)
@@UnitE808 Are you saying that like: "Hang in there we hope they are going to fix this stuff", or: "hang in there because they said they are fixing this stuff" :) I've made the divorce from my Elektron Rytm official by picking up this much more immediate little hottie, so I'm REAAAALLLYYY used to companies that don't "support" their products, so I'm a bit leery. :) Going from the Rytm to this is like going from programming Fortran to Javascript! :)
Congrats!. this serie of video would should to be done by Roland (the user guide is pretty short) Thanks a lot! Note:Be careful with the external samples since maybe they are not set as C root and the cheat sheet could to make confusing.
True, but regardless of what the root is, the coarse tune is in semitones. Adjusting the cheat sheet so that it shows 0 as the root note of the sample will give the desired result. I thought I made mention of that in the video, but if I didn't, that's my bed. It would be great if Roland flew me out to make them!
Shame you can't create MIDI note sequences on the TR8S via MIDI in, then output MIDI note events too. That would make the 8S into a basic sequencer for external synths too.
if Roland set all the pitches to C as the 'zero' note and so display in half steps for 2 octaves up and down then why did roland not simply show the letter C with octave number 4 just like every musician knows C4 is the middle note then tweak up C#4 D4 ...etc... now that would actually make some sense..instead of having to make a cheat sheet table of "ok go up 7 steps to...blah blah" wow seems like a Major Fail to me.
Then what would happen when I import a sample? There would have to be a key detection algorithm in there, an accurate one at that. That means someone there would have to design one. All the key detection algorithms I have used can be inaccurate. If that happens, everyone grumbles how inaccurate it is. The semitones adjustment makes more sense to me. This easily allows any sample to be imported and adjusted accurately. Any musician knows how to adjust in semitones. You also have to remember that this is a rhythm performer with sample import capability, not a synth or sampler. Now, there is a poll going on the TR-8S group on Facebook that is full of feature requests. That request is on the poll. If you use Facebook, join the group and place your votes for the features you want to see. Roland is watching the poll very closely, as they are members of the group.
Thanks for taking the time to explain this. But also... fuck Roland for not implementing a simple chromatic mode instead of forcing us to tweak knobs (that aren't even encoders with 'stops'). Like... why can we not just play notes through a DAW or with a keyboard??? I swear they must have board meetings to decide which basic feature to omit from expensive, flagship gear. And yet, I keep crawling back to them because their stuff is otherwise awesome. I guess I'm just stuck in an abusive relationship with Roland.
It is sold as a drum machine. They are sticking with that. It has sample capabilities and tuning, but its not a synth. Some sort of tuner algorithm would have to be installed to read the key of any sample or loop imported into the machine. That might be too processor intensive for that machine. I agree with you though. It would be much easier to make melodies with a keyboard.
Dude....you are the man. Nobody is doing what you are doing....and it's great that you are sharing your knowledge to others!
Yes I thank you sir. So many things I figured because or ur vids and its highly appreciated.
Be sure to set the CTRL parameter in your Kit Menu to User, then set your ctrl knob to Coarse by holding the ctrl select button and turning the ctrl knob.
Thank you its still a bit confusing how to use the ctrl knobs
@@celdrichanfgarn5168 what do you mean?
Ah it's amazing what can happen when you actually read the comments properly, thanks dude. Please keep up the good work!
...and yet another priceless tip!
You've been such an instrumental (no pun intended) role in my TR-8S education. 100x thanks
Hey man is this still running for you? Got a tr8s with a 2.51v firmware and this trick seems like not working.
The ctrl knob set to coarse will change the general course despite you click on a certain step.
Any advice? Thanks
Not just your video, but you are gold! Such simple and amazing explanation! I am planing to buy the TR8S and your videos are getting me the most clear picture of what I will be doing with it! Thanks a ton!
I was frustrated trying to figure this out and you just saved me. Thank you so much.
Huge thanks. This piece of kit is so powerful. Props to you for unlocking and sharing the knowledge.
Thanks a ton for this! One thing that tripped me up for a minute here is I forgot to have the green motion button selected as on - once I selected this I could hear the tone changes - great video, many thanks again ✌️
super cool! I like the note making reference
Clever, thanks.
Great, simple description of how to work with this feature. Awesome. Thank you!
Thank you so much for taking the time making these videos. It has really helped me understand the tr8s I have been learning a great deal from your channel. Thanks again
Thanks for sharing the knowledge! I was just wondering how to make in key synth patterns on my new TR8S and this has answered it perfectly. Have also used quite a few of your videos to help me get familiar with the machine. It’s the first piece of kit I’ve owned and I think I would be lost without these videos.
Thank you for the kind words and your support!
Semi-tone cheat sheet FTW !!!!!! THANK YOU !!!
Five years later and I'm still learning from you... heh... Thanks for this. With all the new patterns and sounds with release 2.0 and 3.0 the TR-8S is pretty much a groove box now, rather than just a drum machine... but it is still a PAIN to program notes.
Thanks for the tip mate.
Thanks for the tutorial Unit:E, very helpful. I've just upgraded from v1.12 straight to v2.0 (skipping out v1.13) and have experienced some problems when following this as the ctrl knobs are not reacting when trying to adjust synth tones at 1min 20 secs of the tutorial, do you know what might be causing this issue? Do I need to ensure v1.13 is updated before 2.0?
You do not need 1.3. Did you perform a factory reset after updating? What is the ctrl knob assigned to?
@@UnitE808 Thanks for the quick response. Yes I did the factory reset but will do it again just in case. The ctrl knob isn't assigned to anything else but guess another reset would also rule that out.
You say its assigned to nothing else. What did you assign it to? It needs to be assigned to Coarse.
@@UnitE808 Thanks man, I'll make sure it's assigned to Coarse :-)
Thanks for all your Videos, youre a big help :) I have one question though... as soon as i change the ctrl effect of my instrument to another effect, the melody vanishes... does this mean i cant put in a melody AND have an effect on the same instrument? please help me grandmaster
Motion record records the knob movement, not what the knob is assigned to. So, if you have coarse on the ctrl knob for a melody, you can't assign it to another parameter. If you want to tweak the inst fx and you are on firmware 2.0 or higher, hold the instrument button (bd-rc) and turn the Master Fx Level knob.
@@UnitE808 Thanks for the quick Response, you are the best mate :)
perfect! JUST what I needed! Thank you
So glad I can help.
good tutorial, to the point, thank you
Hi. I do the same as you, play unchanged. As I shoot TUNE, there are changes. Anything else needs to be set? Any settings on CTRL SELECT?
See my comment below for CTRL settings.
@@UnitE808 I set CORSE and nothing changes when I shoot CTRL.
@@jakubjunga are you step recording or recording the movements while playing? Make sure that Motion is On. If step recording, hold the step and turn the knob. Let go of the step when you have the knob at the value you want. Once all steps are recorded, set the knob back to 0
@@UnitE808 I do as in the tutorial. Maybe I can't set it "Be sure to set the CTRL parameter in your Kit Menu to User".
@@jakubjunga if you can set Coarse to the ctrl knob, you should be able to record it. If it doesnt come up as an option, the instrument might be an ACB tone. Those tones are not samples and cant be coarse tuned.
really nice video thanks
Note: motion has to be on.
Of course. Motion record doesn't play if its off. You can program it with it off, though.
@@UnitE808 yeah I noticed that but I couldn't figure out why it wasn't working until I hit "on" under motion record. And then I re-watched this and notice that yes you had it selected also.
@@bevolkisch4628 oh, sweet! Glad it worked out in the end. Have fun
Thanks. That is pretty cool. Your semitone chart will help me program the Roland R70!
Hey man!:) thanks so much and sorry if i repost something ive just wrote on a recent comment to the video:
Is this trick still running? Got a tr8s with a 2.51v firmware and doing everything you are advising the coarse will change the general coarse. This happens despite you click on a certain step and even the lcd display shows as you are acting on a single step. But it always ends up you modify the coarse for all the steps of the instrument.
Thanks if you can provide an advice, it is so important:)
It will remain the last value that was programmed in. If you want it to go back to the natural coarse tune or 0, you have to set the next step or next note to be that value. Think of it as you turned the knob and never turned it back.
Knowing the digital numeric equivalent nice. I use a digital guitar tuner or an app for my phone. The coarse adjustment usually lands on every note (flats etc) perfectly, as long as it is tonal in nature. Getting a 'note' to recognize out of something like a drum sound is hit or miss.
Thank you for your explanation. Very clear and simple!
Unit:E Great video!
It’s good that the semitone can be changed for each step. I’m wondering, what about if you want to use this same melody creation technique to affect an outside synthesizer or sound-module through MIDI connection? Can you use the TR-8s to drive another synthesizer (through MIDI connection) and be able to change the semitones of that "outside synthesizer" per step the same way you did in this video? Thanks!
George Galamb I don't think you can do that. The control knob is strictly for the on board instrument. I don't think it sends any midi data out itself. You'd have to set up through a computer and some kind of midi Checker or whatever to see what actually sends data out from that unit. I think there is a midi implementation chart on the Roland website under supporting documents.
how about using Midi Keyboard to input notes into the TR8s? Is that possible. Thanks Unit:E for all your tutorials, very helpful
Σ∞ταΦ I dont think its possible, but I'll have a look into it.
thanks very much
Sorry just to confirm the CTRL knob is set to instaFX:Coarse tune yes?
kimson albert yes. Hold the ctrl select button and turn the ctrl knob you want to assign. Coarse is at about where the knob points to 10 o'clock.
How do you get to "course" I'm holding down ctrl select turning the ctrl select knob I want, setting it to inst fx. Can't seem to get to "course" Am i Missing a step?
@@UnitE808
@@thecowboy666 if the instrument is an acb sound, coarse is not an option. The instrument has to be a sample, indicated by the S in the upper left of the screen by the name of the sound. Make sure you have 'User' selected in the Kit menu, CTRL category.
could you malke a video on what note are all the default percussive
samples on tr8s on??
Can do!
I got it! How can you "cut" the notes from 1/4 to 1/8 and 1/8 to create complex Melodies. Is it possible?
Use substeps and flams. Check my channel for a tutorial on those!
@@UnitE808 trank you so much for your Kind reply !
Sensei, May you please Link Your tutorial of sub and flam? Can't find it
awesome video thanks
This is cool. But. How do I asign the control nob to tune?
You don’t tune is the top knob of the three. Assigning coarse to the curl knob is done by holding the curl select button and turning the curl knob you want to assign. Make sure the instrument is a sample, indicated by the S in the top left of the screen when selecting an instrument. Coarse is not available to ACB tones, indicated by just a P in the top left of screen.
Hi, I've done the same operations as on your video, the same instrument on the Mid Tom but the sound is always the same and the notes always have the same keys, do you have a solution?
The Motion ON button needs to be lit to hear the motion recording.
Is the ctrl knob set to Coarse?
Can this whole pattern be transposed to another key?
No.
Hi Unit:E when I hold down the step and turn Control knob, I do not see the same numbers you see on the screen. I am using version 2. 0
Have you assigned the ctrl knob to Coarse? Do this by pressing ctrl select and choosing User. Then hold ctrl select and turn the ctrl knob until Coarse is showing on-screen.
Not all sounds have this parameter. ACB tones do not have coarse tune. Those are marked by only a P in the upper left of the screen when selecting sounds.
@@UnitE808 thank you kindly! I set the ctrl knob to coarse and now I hear the change in sound.
Thanks. Great help.
So I'm a few weeks into my tr8s and a few things baffle me. Is there a way that you know of to start on a blank canvas? No instruments loaded everything empty and then assign each instrument to its desired location? I'm having to take an already designated kit and reassign everything. And because there are patterns associated with that kit. (Seems like the tr8s only plays one pattern at a time?) I'm stuck with all the assigned parameters associated to that instrument. For example, if I load a kit but want to put something in place of the Tom's, maybe a sample... then the delays assoc with the Tom's are now assoc with my sample and so on. Any way you know of to zero out everything? Many thanks in return for your help
Join the Facebook group for the TR-8S. There is a guy who created a blank default. The only other way I know is to got to pattern 6-06 or above and kit 97 and above. The kit is not blank, but there should be no pattern created. It's just a default 808 kit
Unit:E awesome thx
GREAT JOB AGAIN DUDE
THX 4 ALL
Hi there,
..can it be that you allways have to start (coarse)tuning motion with the sequence stopped? Cause when I start creating the melody the normal way while it's actually playing, IT TUNES THE WHOLE PATTERN, NOT ONLY THE HOLD-PRESSED STEP... , any suggestion? Cheers
Tune each step and then make sure you reset the tune knob to 0
Unit:E Thanks a lot!
@@UnitE808I'm not sure I understand what you mean by resetting it. By the way, love the tutorials!
@@reardondearborn reset by setting step 1 on Variation A to 0 on the coarse tune ctrl knob. Also, make sure the physical knob has the coarse tune set to 0 naturally. Be sure to write your pattern and kit after making these adjustments.
@UnitE808 sorry to nitpick, but what if you want the coarse tune on step 1 to be something other than 0? What does this mean for resetting? Thanks for the quick reply.
Thanks !
Probably a dumb question, but can you use a MIDI keyboard to input the notes?
Unfortunately, not.
🔥
When i do this it won't work with every instrument, only some? why is this? Do i need to update it im on version 2.0?
There isn't a coarse option for ACB tones. Those are indicated by just a P in the upper left of the screen when selecting instrument.
@@UnitE808 what do u mean,what will it only work with instruments with psl or p next to it on LCD screen?
@@vinnytnecniv Any sound will work besides the ones that have just a P in the corner.
Hi, is is possible to control (reduce) backlit brightness in Tr 8s?
Yes. Its in the utility menu
@@UnitE808 Perfect! Thank you very much! Do you think the workflow process get worse critically if I completely turn off part of the backlight? I have sensitive eyes and I'm looking for some sampler to be able to make some music while my eyes rest from the computer screen. But all of the samplers have a pretty aggressive backlit (like Digitakt). It seems like Tr 8s is the best choice (not much menu diving). The only thing I'm worried about is backlit. I'm glad there is a brightness control. I guess that could help me :-)
I have mine turned brighter than default.
@@UnitE808 thank you!
I've been trying to find a beat machine that's close to or similar to the "E-MU SP-1200 Beat machine"
Would you say that the "Roland TR-8S Rhythm Performer is that machine?
Thanks!
I noticed that when you hold down the step, the copy and utility buttons flash. What is that for?
Also, can you motion control and another FX and go back to course tune, or is it just one or the other? Thanks!
Those buttons scroll through the available motion parameters. You can use the value knob to adjust.
Motion recording only records knob movement. If you switch what the knob is assigned to, the new parameter will have motion record on it.
it doesnt work for me, i selected distoret 808, cntrl is set to inst fx and when i hold pad display shows -----, can't tune it, any ideas ?
Wojciech Wilk push ctrl select button, then turn the value knob to user. Push ctrl select button again to exit. Hold the ctrl select button and turn the ctrl knob on the channel you want to set your coarse tune to. Coarse is right between InstFX and Rate. 11 o'clock on the dial.
Unit E.. I just heard that 808 and 909 drum machine none of them are exactly alike cause they are analog circuits. So what does that mean for acb units like Tr 8s and Tr 6s are we all alike cause it is acb unit. Does one Tr 8s sounds identical like another Tr 8s.
All 8S sound the same. They use digital to recreate the analog behavior.
Many thanks mate!
On the TR-8S, can you create patterns that have both rhythm and melody? Like 808 and piano pattern? If so, how?
Make one or two of the instruments a piano sound. The rest can all be drum sounds.
@@UnitE808 Can I connect a midi keyboard to the midi in of the 8s to control the melodic sounds?
@@miles46100 no. Unfortunatsly, there is no playing the sounds chromatically from a keyboard. The focus of the instrument is to be a drum machine. The synth sounds are just for basic basslines and melodies to add to the drums.
@@UnitE808 oh so the melodic sounds would only produce one note at a time?
And also, can the step sequencer buttons act as a kind of keyboard?
I'm not sure what I did wrong. Initially when I followed this, it seemed to work, but now I'm getting some strange behaviour. My first note is at step 9, my second is at 11. But the note that both gets is the same note I assigned to 11. The note on 9 doesn't persist. Then when I try to add a note at step 13, there's nothing. Did I set something that I shouldn't have?
Not sure. Be sure to return the ctrl knob back to zero for the step following the changed step. It seems to keep a note till the next change.
Thank you this helped me
You are using the coarse for the notes but is it the same with the button tune? I see no difference between tune and coarse
Tune is like a pitch slider on a turntable and only goes one octave up and down, coarse adjusts in semitones and goes two full octaves up and down. You will get better accuracy using coarse.
@@UnitE808 ty soo much for ur lights
Yeah boiiiiii!!!!
UnitE hi there, after i've input the notes this way, when i change parameter to, say, Cutoff, the notes don't play anymore and is replaced by the cutoff effect instead. I can only get the notes back if i set Ctrl to Coarse again, and then i lose the cutoff. Is this the normal behavior or am i missing a step. I've heard talk of parameter lock but i can't find the damn thing hah
Σ∞ταΦ you have to set the filter cutoff in the instrument menu. Motion record remembers the movement and placement of the ctrl knob, regardless of what's assigned to it. Once you change the assignment, it does the motion for that effect.
thanks man i'll give it a go
ok tried it, kinda worked for cutoff or res adjustment, but no motion. I guess u can't have 2 motions goin at the same time. I thought there might be a way to have multiple motions goin on one ctrl assignment for one instrument. As u said.
i should rephrase that : it as u say, 'once u change the assignment, it does the motion for that effect'
Σ∞ταΦ nope. You cant have 2 separate controls on one knob. I said that you can design your sound and stack fx, not stack motion recording. You can change your sound without motion rec and once the sound is how you like it, set the ctrl knob to coarse and create notes.
How do you save the work?
DJ KennyMACK shift+write
Unit:E shift! Was just pressing "write".... as always, thanks
DJ KennyMACK my left thumb rests right next to shift, always. Use the left hand to manipulate everything on the left section. If you force yourself to keep your left thumb resting next to the shift for a few sessions, it will become habit. Glad you got it sorted!
Unit:E Got it and thanks again
❤️❤️❤️👍🤩
Thank you for this video :)
Hi Unit:E,
Great tip that you have assigned corresponding notes to the coarse tune. Does the same apply for the main Instrument tune?
The tune knob doesn't change in semitones like coarse tune does. It is a finer tuning parameter. Much harder to tune it to specific notes, although still possible.
0 on coarse tune for me is C#, not C. Any ideas on how to fix this?
Was trying to figure it out cuz nothing sounded right and I’m like “what the hell”? Lol
Strange. I got C on a tuner plugged into it. I didn't try all instruments though. I'll have another go and report back. If your getting C#, then just adjust the coarse tuning accordingly. I might have to redo the video or put a notice up on this one.... lol!
@@UnitE808 yeah I was thinking about running through some other instruments to see as well. I checked another one and both start on C#. And yeah, that’s about the only thing I can do at this point. I was hoping there’s a way to shift everything over one half step, it’s just a little easier starting on C but not the end of the world. And that would be awesome if you made an addendum if you have time! I watched this video last year and put the groove box down for a while, but I remembered you said 0=C so I was hella lost for a minute tonight lol. Let me know what you find if you remember. Thanks for the help and the videos!
I went through some other sounds today and it seems like a lot have C starting on different numbers for me. But roland’s website says coarse tune starts on C so maybe something is up with my machine.
@@colindavis2113 what tuner are you using?
@@UnitE808 I’m using coarse tune. I think I checked this but I’ll check again when I get home, I might have my regular tuner set in a different position from 12 o clock which will change the coarse tune note.
Followed this video but not working here. Course Tune, OK Sample OK
Pretty easy to follow however leaving out the settings makes it hard to get results.
Which settings? What is yours doing? I need more info if I am to help.
@@UnitE808 Thanks for the reply, Can the melody be played in TR-Rec mode?
I am on a user kit using same sample as video, my semi-tones are locked in but not changing pitch. CTRL Select set on Course mode. press note one turn CTRL knob to desired semi. Just not taking effect
Since my pitch changes are locked in. It must have to do with the Kit settings or Instrument settings.
@@vallieduncan5165 the melody cannot be chromatically played on the TR-8S.
Is the motion "on" button lit? The motion "rec" button does not have to be on, but the "on" button does. Also, the step needs to be held while adjusting the coarse tune.
Make sure the motion is on
Great video thanks! Utterly ridiculous that you can't sequence notes with a midi keyboard even 3 years later. Roland is really dumb sometimes.
Thank you for the kind words! Roland has their synths and this is a drum machine. I understand why they didnt give it synth controls. They gave us a way to make some melodic content to go with our drums, they didn't give us a groovebox. There is a 3rd party app that let's you get close to what you want to achieve. It's called TRSkreamer.
Good vid! Too bad Roland didn’t do two simple things... allow recording of midi pitch via external keyboard, and have the motion/parameter recording of the actual parameters, not recording the ctrl knob... that one is just silly... what use-case would there be to want to record the knob movements and then change what the knob points to? That’s nuts! They could have at least exposed the other parameters via midi but they didn’t do that either... it’s weird. Still an amazing box though!
I would hold tight for firmware updates coming
Have you had a look at the midi implementation chart? There is quite a bit you can control.
@@UnitE808 It "looks" like a lot, until you actually "really" look at it. :) It's essentially only allowing midi mapping of the knobs that we already have access to. :) But Roland has ALWAYS had carp midi support. Which is odd considering they invented it with DSI! For example, there's no reason at all that they could not have exposed *every* parameter that can be mapped to CTRL knob. Just do it so each voice/channel is on its own midi channel. So you could have CC for cutoff, course tune, etc. each as a CC on CH1-16. But I can almost hear the team meeting where they shoot those ideas down because someone there keeps saying "It's a "performance" instrument, can't have too many parameters." :)
@@UnitE808 Are you saying that like: "Hang in there we hope they are going to fix this stuff", or: "hang in there because they said they are fixing this stuff" :) I've made the divorce from my Elektron Rytm official by picking up this much more immediate little hottie, so I'm REAAAALLLYYY used to companies that don't "support" their products, so I'm a bit leery. :) Going from the Rytm to this is like going from programming Fortran to Javascript! :)
@@thedrumunkey while I can not be 100% certain, these are feature that are highly wanted by the community and Roland is paying attention.
Congrats!. this serie of video would should to be done by Roland (the user guide is pretty short) Thanks a lot!
Note:Be careful with the external samples since maybe they are not set as C root and the cheat sheet could to make confusing.
True, but regardless of what the root is, the coarse tune is in semitones. Adjusting the cheat sheet so that it shows 0 as the root note of the sample will give the desired result. I thought I made mention of that in the video, but if I didn't, that's my bed.
It would be great if Roland flew me out to make them!
Shame you can't create MIDI note sequences on the TR8S via MIDI in, then output MIDI note events too. That would make the 8S into a basic sequencer for external synths too.
if Roland set all the pitches to C as the 'zero' note and so display in half steps for 2 octaves up and down then why did roland not simply show the letter C with octave number 4 just like every musician knows C4 is the middle note then tweak up C#4 D4 ...etc... now that would actually make some sense..instead of having to make a cheat sheet table of "ok go up 7 steps to...blah blah" wow seems like a Major Fail to me.
Then what would happen when I import a sample? There would have to be a key detection algorithm in there, an accurate one at that. That means someone there would have to design one. All the key detection algorithms I have used can be inaccurate. If that happens, everyone grumbles how inaccurate it is. The semitones adjustment makes more sense to me. This easily allows any sample to be imported and adjusted accurately. Any musician knows how to adjust in semitones. You also have to remember that this is a rhythm performer with sample import capability, not a synth or sampler.
Now, there is a poll going on the TR-8S group on Facebook that is full of feature requests. That request is on the poll. If you use Facebook, join the group and place your votes for the features you want to see. Roland is watching the poll very closely, as they are members of the group.
superblonde people like you are boring and often loathed.
I am in Canada. I have a $400.00 deposit on one with a financing option BUT THEY ARE STILL NOT HERE YET!!!!!
Marcel Marechal have they given you an expected date of arrival?
Thanks for taking the time to explain this. But also... fuck Roland for not implementing a simple chromatic mode instead of forcing us to tweak knobs (that aren't even encoders with 'stops'). Like... why can we not just play notes through a DAW or with a keyboard??? I swear they must have board meetings to decide which basic feature to omit from expensive, flagship gear. And yet, I keep crawling back to them because their stuff is otherwise awesome. I guess I'm just stuck in an abusive relationship with Roland.
It is sold as a drum machine. They are sticking with that. It has sample capabilities and tuning, but its not a synth. Some sort of tuner algorithm would have to be installed to read the key of any sample or loop imported into the machine. That might be too processor intensive for that machine. I agree with you though. It would be much easier to make melodies with a keyboard.
thanks!