Contents

• Introduction
• Loading and using the kit
• Customising the sounds
• Creating patterns
• Version history
• Updates and support

Introduction

The TR-808 Emulation Kit is a special sound kit that faithfully emulates the sounds of the legendary Roland TR-808 Rhythm Composer, it is designed especially for Roland Fantom-S/X series workstations. This kit uses basic synth waveforms, filters and pitch/amplifier/filter envelopes combined in structures to re-create the classic drum and percussion sounds of the 808 and give you total control on shaping them in any way you want and beyond. With this amazing performance setup not only you can create lively and expressive retro-styled rhythms (using keyboard and/or pads to trigger sounds), but you can also make all-new beats and breaks surpassing any of your expectations.

The TR-808 EK distribution consists of the following items:

• SVQ and SMF files with emulation patches, drum kit setup (keyboard/pads) and demo patterns
• Examplary ready-to-tweak effected setups with patterns
• User guide (that you are reading)
• Audio samples of the patches (in case if you want to use the resampled sounds in your Fantom, or in any other hardware/software)

Loading and using the kit

Provided files

The TR-808 Emulation Kit is available as the following files:

• tr808ek.svq: contains the TR-808 EK with sounds split on the keyboard as well as assigned to pads (via RPS)
• tr808rps.svq: contains the TR-808 EK with sounds split on the keyboard and demo patterns assigned to pads (via RPS)
• tr808ek.mid: contains the TR-808 as a System Exclusive data dump, with sounds split on the keyboard

In addition to the standard "clean" TR-808 EK SVQs, there are additional examples with interesting effects setups and patterns, giving you some useful hints on how to create cool beats for various styles/purposes:

• 808_dist.svq: turntable break
• 808_hip1.svq: hip-hop beat
• 808_lofi.svq: lo-fi electro beat
• 808_rdio.svq: radio beat
• 808_rev1.svq: gate-reverb electro beat
• 808_syn1.svq: ring-mod electro beat

Loading the SVQ files

You simply have to transfer the SVQ files to your /ROLAND/SEQ/SNG folder of User or Card area (via USB or using a card reader), and load them using the LOAD/SAVE mode or directly from the Song List in the main sequencer screen. For more details, refer to the instructions available in the Fantomized FAQ.

Loading via a SysEx dump

If using a Fantom-XR, play the SMF file with the SysEx dump from the external sequencer, or, transfer it to the User/Card memory and play with the Fantom-XR itself.

Keyboard/pad layout

In a nutshell, the TR-808 EK is a 16-part performance, with each part representing a single emulated sound.

In the keyboard layout, parts are laid out in a drum kit fashion: they are assigned to keys according to the GM standard, which makes playing the kit intuitive for those who are familiar with this setup (it is used in all factory drum kits). The sounds are mostly assigned to the fourth octave: B3 and C4 are the kick drums, then go the snares on D4 and E4, claves on C#4, hand clap on Eb4 and so on. Refer to the picture below to examine the complete layout.

In the pad layout, the TR-808 EK sounds are also available to be played from pads. You can activate the pad layout by switching the RPS mode on. Check out the picture below to see which pads play which sounds.

Playing the patterns

The TR-808 EK comes with loads of different pre-programmed patterns, you can view the list by going to the main sequencer screen and switching to the pattern mode with F keys. In the RPS setup (tr808rps.svq), press the RPS button to switch on the RPS mode: you can now use the non-lit pads to play the patterns that have been assigned to them. Go to RPS setup screen to assign the patterns you like to keys or pads, and enjoy jamming with them. You can experiment with mixing drum patterns with percussion patterns, and with breaking the beats on the fly.

Customising the sounds

Tuning the sounds of the TR-808 EK to fit your preferences or certain target rhythm style is very easy. In the MIXER you can see your whole setup and adjust the levels and pans of individual sounds. Here is a very easy and intuitive way to balance the kit in MIXER:

• Press a key you want to adjust the level/pan of and you will see the corresponding part number light up
• Use the horizontal cursor buttons to scroll to that part
• With the vertical cursor buttons, go to pan and level entries and then use the value dial or inc/dec keys to adjust these parameters

With such a method, it is really easy to balance the sounds on the fly. In addition to this method, you can press F2 Part View while in MIXER mode to access the Level/Pan screen. There you will see the sound list on the left of the display (move between parts with vertical cursor buttons) and you will be able to adjust levels and pans for individual sounds. Note that it is also much easier to tweak the levels and pannings when you already have some rhythm pattern playing.

In order to modify effects routings and adjust sends, in MIXER mode, press F2 to access Part View, and then press F2 again to enter the Output Effect screen. Move through the parts with vertical cursor buttons, and use horizontal cursor buttons to walk through output assignments and effect sends adjust them.

If you press F3 in Part View mode, you'll get to the Pitch screen, where you can fine-tune each sound. Use the Coarse and Fine tune parameters to adjust pitch for each key, walking through parts/sounds with horizontal cursor buttons.

To go deeper into making the TR-808 EK sound exactly like you want, go to the Offset screen (F4 in Part View mode). There you can adjust the following parameters:

• Cutoff: adjust this parameter to tweak the filters which are used in synthesising the drum/percussion sound, you can achieve radical changes with it
• Resonance: increase it to emphasise the frequencies around the filter cutoff frequency, decrease it to make the sound spectrum softer
• Attack: increase this parameter if you want the drum or percussion sound to be softer (start slower in time)
• Decay: decrease the decay of the sound's envelope to make it shorter, and increase if you want it sound longer (note that the Release parameter will have no effect on the sounds, since they all are set to sustaining playback mode)

A big advantage of the TR-808 emulation kit over static samples is that all it's sounds are patches based on basic waves, which gives a possibility to do things like using an LFO to add various modulations to the sounds. Here are some nice tips that would not be possible to realise with a sample-based TR-808 rhythm kit:

• Select a percussion sound part, then go to patch edit and set LFO (number 1 or 2, as you wish) Wave Form to triangle, Rate to 60-70 and Pan depth to 40-50. With such modulation this sound will cyclically "walk" from left to right channel and back, adding more stereo space to your rhythmic pattern. Apply pan modulation on shaker, hi-hats, conga and other percussion sounds, setting LFO rates and pan depths to different values. You can gain a nice stereo tremolo effect if using a high-rate trapezoid or sine LFO (Rate = 125-127).
• In the same fashion as with pan modulation, try setting an LFO to control TVA, TVF and Pitch. Having two LFOs modulating different parameters per each sound will add a lot of life to your grooves.

Ready-to-tweak MFX setups

The TR-808 kit includes several very different MFX setups that are ready to be tweaked with the four control knobs. Simple load the needed SVQ file, play a pre-programmed or your own pattern, and twist the knobs to mangle the sounds. You will be amased with the amount of drum, percussion, effect and shadow loops you can create with these ready-to-use setups. The table below shows the details.

Name	MFX chain	Knob 1	Knob 2	Knob 3	Knob 4
tr808ek.svq (TR-808 EK)	Limiter > 3D Chorus > LoFi Compressor	3D Chorus Balance	3D Chorus Rate	LoFi Compressor Balance	Limiter Threshold/Ratio
808_lofi.svq (TR-808 EK LoFi)	Super Filter -> Ring Modulator -> LoFi Compressor	Super Filter Cutoff	Super Filter Resonance	Ring Modulator Frequency/Balance/Sens	LoFi Balance
808_dist.svq (TR-808 EK Dist)	Turntable -> Phaser -> Compressor	Turntable Wow/Flutter	Turntable Noise	Phaser Resonance/Mix	Compressor Attack/Threshold
808_rdio.svq (TR-808 EK Radio)	LoFi Radio -> Ring Modulator -> Enhancer	Radio Detune	Radio Noise	Ring Modulator Frequency	Ring Modulator Sens

NOTE: since MFX Control Channel is set to channel 1 on all setups, make sure you have part 1 highlighted when you turn the knobs, otherwise they will not control the effects units.

Read more about processing your grooves in the next section.

Creating patterns

Recording into the sequencer

When creating patterns with the TR-808 EK, you can use your favourite recording method: into tracks or patterns, step or realtime. Press the [RECORD] button in any mode, set up a loop recording (1, 2 or more bars, as you prefer), MIX mode and start recording. Record the base pattern, then use the rehearsal mode to try out some new percussion pattern and then record it in when you have a good idea (toggle the rehearsal mode on/off). Here are some tips for creating groovy beats:

• Use the Shuffle quantise during or after recording to create swinging beats. With a resolution setting of 56-58% you can create moderately swinging patterns, and a shuffle resolution of 64-66% is great for extreme grooves both in high and mid tempos (70-140 BPM).
• For lifeful beats, use Grid or Shuffle quantise with strength (rate) set to 40-60%. This way your patterns will not be quantised to a perfect grid, but they will be aligned to it while preserving the live feel that your hands give them.

Processing with effects

When you have your pattern running, go to the effects section and experiment with the MFX units to add subtle or radical processing to the groove. The default TR-808 EK kit has a Limiter > 3D Chorus > LoFi Compressor MFX setup with a little of chorus and reverb applied as well. It is a very good point to start from. Try out the following tweaks with this setup:

• Go to MFX 3 setup (LoFi Compressor) and set Balance to D0:100W. Play with LoFi Type and Pre Filter Type - this way you will get a whole lot of variations out of a single rhythmic pattern.
• Set MFX 3 (LoFi Compressor) Post Filter Type to HPF and Post Filter Cutoff to 8000 Hz. With these adjustments you have a nice way to create hissing percussion and shadow loops.
• Set MFX 2 type to Super Filter with Filter Type = HPF, Filter Cutoff = 30, Filter Resonance = 20. This will give you a tight kick drum great for hip-hop and RnB.

Below are some more interesting effects setup examples.

• Route your groove to Speaker Simulator to make it sound like an old beatbox recorded from speakers. The SMALL models are great for creating "cheap" beats, BUILT-IN models are cool for more massive beats (BUILT-IN 5 has a very good bottom)
• Use the Turntable Simulator to simulate a vynil disc recording. Increase the Signal Distortion parameter to make the sound more distorted and buzzy, add more Wow and Flutter to make sound's spectrum and pitch drift in time.
• To create "liquid" beats with wah filter effect use the Auto Wah MFX algorithm with Depth set to 0 and Sens set to 50-70 (this will make filter's cutoff frequency controlled by the signal level - the rhythm pattern itself). Select a filter type (LPF or BPF), then adjust Manual (cutoff frequency) and Peak (resonance) parameters. The most "wet" sounds are achieved with a BPF filter, Manual = 0, Peak = 70, Sens = 30. You may experiment with the Polarity parameter that changes the way the cutoff frequency is controled by signal level (UP = the louder the signal, the higher the cutoff frequency; DOWN = the loder the signal, the lower the cutoff frequency) - but note that with the DOWN polarity you have to set Manual to 80-90.
• For making "chopped" beats, use the Gate MFX. In GATE mode, it will cut the portions of the beat that are of lower level than the Threshold parameter. In DUCK mode, it will do the reverse. Try out the GATE mode with a Theshold of 40-50 and DUCK mode with Theshold set to 80-90. Adjust the Attack, Hold and Release parameters to make the gated chops longer or shorter, softer or harder.
• In order to create sci-fi beats, you can route the pattern to Ring Modulator. Increasing the Sens parameter will make the rind modulator's frequency be controller by the rhythm, which applies wonderful effects to the sound. Set the Balance to D0:100W to leave only the effected sound, then adjust the Frequency. The Polarity parameter works in the same manner with the Auto Wah filter. Here are a few settings examples: Frequency = 0, Sens = 5, Polarity = UP; Frequency = 110, Sens = 15, Polarity = DOWN.
• If you want to dive deeper into creating even more original loops, create the following MFX chain: Gate Reverb > Slicer > Phaser. Set the Balance of Gate Reverb to D0:100W, and then play with the Slicer pattern and Phaser settings. This setup is a great way of creating the so-called "shadow" loops - the loops that add depth to your grooves and make your music sound exquisite.

To add more dynamics to your grooves, use MFX Control to assign different parameters of the MFX units to knobs, pitch bender, modulaton lever, aftertouch and other controllers. Then, you can record all the real-time tweaks right into the sequencer, or Skip-Back sample them. Be sure to use Matrix Control to control the MFX with envelopes and LFOs of the TR-808 kit's patches.

And remember, you can go much beyond written here: check out the Fantom TweakBook for lots of amazing sound processing and synthesis tips and tricks. The Fantomized FAQ also has many tips on using the effects.

Resampling

The TR-808 is designed to work in stand-alone mode, so that you can create grooves, finalize them with effects, resample and then save save to User or Card are for further usage in your compositions and live performances. When you have your beat ready, it's the right time to capture it with resampling. The most easy and right resampling procedure for beats is as follows:

• Switch to sampling mode (press the [SAMPLING] button), then enter ReSampling. You can set the "trim switch" on if you want the start and end points adjusted automatically.
• Start the sampling, then start the beat from the sequencer. When the beat pattern ends (or starts over again in loop mode), stop the sampling.
• Now that you are in Sample Edit mode, adjust the start and end points to cover the whole beat loop.
• Use the Truncate function in Sample Modify menu to cut the unneeded sample data before the start point and after the end point.
• Normalise the wave to ensure that no clipping is there. You may also use PreEmphasis to raise the high frequencies a bit.
• Now go to Sample Parameter screen and execute "Reset Grid" - this will make the sample beat points reset so they start right at the beginning of the sample (this will ensure correct tempo synchronisation)

Voila, your new 808 groove is ready. Now WRITE it to User or Card area, and... go create more grooves! ;-)

Version history

• 2.1 - Updates to the manual.
• 2.0 - New ready-to-use processed setups. Additions in the manual.
• 1.4 - Added velocity sensitivity to RPS setups. New example SVQ files with interesting effects setups and patterns.
• 1.3 - Now available as a SysEx dump in a MIDI file (for loading into the Fantom-XR).
• 1.2 - New pad mode: allows playing the kit with pads.
• 1.1 - User guide update (more effects tips).
• 1.0 - Initial release.