TR-8SRhythm Performer

TR-8S

TRevolution

Born of the most famous and influential drum machines ever made, the TR-8S combines the best of its Roland heritage with modern production techniques and comprehensive sound design. The result? The most complete drum machine to date—a forward-thinking, performance-tuned instrument unlike any other. Build your dream kit from the most iconic drum sounds of all time, otherworldly FM sounds, and the finest selection of samples from our vast library—or go even further by importing your own custom samples. Tap, tune, and tweak with hands-on controls and production tools that make your patterns move and groove. And why keep this kind of percussive power confined to the studio?

The TR-8S was literally made to play live.

Design Kits with Authentic TR and CR Drums, FM Sounds, and Samples

The TR-8S comes loaded with the largest, most authentic collection of iconic Roland drum machines available. The powerful processor gives our next-generation ACB models a whole new level of detail and nuance with that classic boom, snap, and sizzle. Enrich the core drums with a spectrum of futuristic and editable FM sounds, plus preset and custom samples for unique hybrid and layered kits. Then enhance them all with specialized effects to inject professional sound design into the TR formula.

Transistor Rhythms

The TR-8S includes faithful recreations of the TR-808, TR-606, TR-909, TR-707, and TR-727, along with several modified versions. You also get the CR-78 CompuRhythm, a direct predecessor of the TR-808 that’s left its own indelible footprint on pop classics from the 1980s and beyond. These are not sound-alike sample packs or mere recordings—each is a complete machine built with detailed, down-to-the-circuit models that sound and behave exactly like the original hardware. All these sounds are yours, at your fingertips, and ready to use in your own productions and performances.

Stellar FM Sounds

The FM sounds in the TR-8S are unlike anything this side of Mars, conjuring silvery drum hits and twisting tails to augment your tracks. Tap into the Morph parameter for a single, ultra-expressive macro control to sweep through an array of sonic variations, wildly manipulating FM depth, ratio, and feedback with simple knob movements. Or manually design six fully editable FM drum models, each with a unique parameter set for creating sounds sure to push sonic boundaries.

ACB Meets Samples

Today’s rhythm tracks need a diverse set of sounds and production techniques, and it’s harder than ever to sound unique. While authentic TR and CR sounds are vital, layering your own mono or stereo samples, or pulling from the extensive onboard collection, opens a world of modern styles and the potential to craft your own signature sound. Like the ACB and FM sounds, you can deeply manipulate samples with hands-on control of tuning, decay, start points, speed, and direction. Create a kit entirely from samples. Or mix and match FM textures with classic Roland sounds for genre-defying drum tracks that demand attention.

Drumatic Effects

The right effects make a drum part stand out by creating depth and space. Whether it’s delay on a rimshot, overdrive on a kick, filters on toms and cymbals, or just the right amount of reverb on select instruments, the TR-8S has an array of percussion-tuned effects that sound great. In addition to the Master FX knob, each channel has a customizable CTRL knob, placing all this sound-shaping power within easy reach. The attack of the kick, snap of the snare, phaser depth, distortion amount—whatever parameter you need direct access to—can be assigned to the knobs and saved with the kit. Both Instrument and Master Effects, along with their precise settings, are also saved with each kit, so your productions are always performance ready.

Create Evolving Patterns with Probability, Variations, Fills, and Motion

Pattern creation on the TR-8S feels natural and intuitive, thanks to the Roland ”TR-REC” step sequencer that’s been the beating heart of electronic music production for decades. And now, it’s been enhanced and modernized to be better than ever.

Fast, Fluid, and Fun

You can program on the 16 TR-REC buttons or use the velocity-sensitive performance pad to play live or record into the sequencer. And you can move seamlessly between either—playing, editing, and reshaping your drum parts without ever interrupting your flow. Create intricate grooves and detailed fills using velocity, accents, flams, and adjustable sub steps for modern rolls and ratcheting. Get experimental with unusual polyrhythms and complex meters by adjusting the length or "last step" of each drum part.

Keep ’Em Guessing

Bring drum programming to life with a generous serving of probability. Set percentage values per step to instill your beat with evolving unpredictability—simply hold a step and set the amount. Then adjust master probability to offset the overall effect or uncover hidden notes waiting to be revealed. For further flux, try the random kit or instrument functions to flip your sounds on the fly.

Variations on a Theme

Keep things fresh and exciting, even during extended live sets. The TR-8S can store 128 patterns, each with eight variations and three kinds of fills. Patterns or variations can be triggered individually or chained together for evolving sequences. Copy patterns on the fly during performances, and even stay ahead of the beat and work on patterns that aren’t currently playing. Each pattern can include the tempo and the kit, along with its knob positions and effect settings. This gives you instant recall and enough flexibility to play an entire set without ever repeating a measure in the same way.

Filling In

Well-placed fills create thrilling moments in a track or a live set. Each pattern in the TR-8S can contain two fills that you can customize or create from scratch. There’s also an adjustable "Scatter" fill to slice and dice a measure into short bursts of cool and controlled chaos. But at times, your hands may be too busy to trigger every fill manually. AUTO FILL IN automates fills every 2, 4, 8, 16, or 32 measures, keeping your hands free and adding interesting dynamics to your performances.

In Motion

Professional-sounding tracks require detailed production techniques. The TR-8S not only makes crafting this detail possible—it makes it fast and fun. Locking parameters to steps or recording motion into patterns gives you everything from subtle movement to dramatic tonal shifts. Automate classic 808 basslines or go wild on snare pitch, panning, effects…whatever you want. Motion recording is immediate and effortless, and motion playback can be instantly enabled or disabled.

At Home in the Studio, Made for the Stage

After the release of the TR-8, we listened to feedback from enthusiastic fans and artists from around the world—and it left us with a clear vision to make it even better, both for studio production and live performance. We’ve put these user-requested features—and more—into the TR-8S while keeping the immediacy and fun factor of the original TR-8 fully intact.

Eight Analog Outputs

Like some of its famous siblings, the TR-8S has eight separate analog outputs, so you can process individual drum sounds through external effects or send them into separate channels of your mixer or DAW. Take control of your sound and decide which instruments or groups are sent to which outputs. And whatever you choose, know that the TR-8S sounds big, punchy, and spacious thanks to its high-resolution 24-bit/96 kHz digital-to-analog converters.

Trigger Out, External In

The TR-8S has a dedicated trigger output as well as stereo audio inputs for external sources. And its assignable outputs can even be used as additional triggers. This lets you control external instruments and mix them with internal TR-8S sounds, greatly expanding your creative possibilities in the studio and performance possibilities on stage. Each pattern has a dedicated trigger track for access to all kinds of variations with no need to use up an instrument. Rimshots and triggered analog bass patterns? Yes, you can.

Audio and MIDI Interface

Aside from being the most powerful drum machine ever made, the TR-8S is a complete multi-channel audio and MIDI interface. When you connect the TR-8S to a computer or AIRA Link host, you can transfer MIDI and high-resolution audio over a single USB cable. Record each drum instrument to a different channel for individual processing and recording, automate parameter movements from your DAW by CC messages, or sync the TR-8S to your computer or Roland MX-1 Mix Performer for live sets or late-night jam sessions.

Hardware Meets Software

Enhance your workflow with TR-EDITOR, a fluid computer-based editor and librarian for the TR-8S. Nimbly design and edit patterns and kits with the intuitive graphic interface, which features a wide array of onscreen parameters and access to deeper FM editing. And with the large display, it’s easy to manage your entire library. Download TR-EDITOR for free today through Roland Cloud Manager, the software interface for Roland Cloud content.
TR-EDITOR

Refined Design with a Modern Touch

Aesthetic and ergonomic improvements can be found throughout the TR-8S, giving it a timeless design that fits any creative space. The shape, colors, and overall feel have been refined to be more substantial, elegant, and inviting. RGB color faders and TR-REC buttons let you customize the brightness, glow, and color of each element. Not only does it look amazing, but it gives crucial visual feedback about what’s playing, what’s muted, which instruments are grouped, and so on. And then there’s that lava lamp mode…

Total Recall

The life of a musician can be pretty unpredictable, whether it’s touring mishaps or studio calamities. Take comfort in the fact that every kit, every pattern, and every setting for literally everything can be backed up on an SD card. Just pop it into a fresh TR-8S and you’re back up and running.

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Specifications
User Drum Kit
128
User Patterns
128
Step Sequencer
11 instrument parts and 1 exclusive part for trigger out
16 steps per 1 variation
8 (A – H) variations per 1 pattern
2 Fill-in patterns per 1 pattern
INST tone
(Tone can be assigned to each 11 instrument parts freely.)
BASS DRUM: 11 ACB tones
SNARE DRUM: 8 ACB tones
TOM: 15 ACB tones
RIM SHOT: 3 ACB tones
HAND CLAP: 5 ACB tones
HI HAT: 8 ACB tones
CYMBAL: 8 ACB tones
PERCUSSION: 23 ACB tones
FM: 72 tones
PRESET SAMPLE: 300 tones or greater
USER SAMPLE (imported form SD CARD for playback): Available format: WAV, AIFF
Total time for all samples: Approximately 600 sec (at 44.1 kHz, mono)
* The maximum length of a single audio file that can be imported is approximately 180 seconds (at 44.1 kHz).
Effects
INST FX: THRU, HPF, LPF, LPF/HPF, H BOOST, L BOOST, L/H BOOST, ISOLATOR, TRANSIENT, COMPRESSOR, DRIVE, COMP+DRV, CRUSHER
REVERB: AMBI, ROOM, HALL1, HALL2, PLATE, MOD, HA-DOU
DELAY: DLY, PAN, TAPE ECHO, PITCH SHIFT
MASTER FX: HPF, LPF, LPF/HPF, H BOOST, L BOOST, L/H BOOST, ISOLATOR, TRANSIENT, TRANSIENT2, COMPRESSOR, DRIVE, OVERDRIVE, DISTORTION, FUZZ, CRUSHER, PHASER, FLANGER, SBF, NOISE, FATTENER, VINYL SIM
Other: SIDE CHAIN (for EXT IN), SCATTER (as one of AUTO FILL IN function)
Display
16 characters, 2 line (backlit LCD)
7 segments, 4 characters (LED)
External Storage
SD Card (SDHC supported) for backup/restore function and import sample data
Connectors
PHONES jack: Stereo 1/4-inch phone type
MIX OUT (L/MONO, R) jacks: 1/4-inch TRS phone type
ASSIGNABLE OUT/TRIGGER OUT (1 – 6) jacks: 1/4-inch phone type
EXT IN (L/MONO, R) jacks: 1/4-inch phone type
TRIGGER OUT jack: Miniature phone type
MIDI (IN, OUT) connectors
USB port: USB type B (Audio, MIDI)
DC IN jack
Power Supply
AC adaptor
Current Draw
2,000 mA
Accessories
AC adaptor
Owner's manual
Leaflet “USING THE UNIT SAFELY”
Size and Weight
Width
409 mm
16-1/8 inches
Depth
263 mm
10-3/8 inches
Height
58 mm
2-5/16 inches
Weight
2.1 kg
4 lbs. 11 oz.

Video Library

A Few Minutes with Hannah Holland

A Few Minutes with Hannah Holland

Following the release of the soundtrack to Bruce LaBruce's film The Visitor, Hannah Holland examines the path from club kid to DJ to music producer.Read more…

A Few Minutes with Junior Simba

A Few Minutes with Junior Simba

From Africa to the United Kingdom, eclectic dance star Junior Simba shares his passion for infusing ethnic sounds into his songcraft.Read more…

Hands-On: Foundations of Live Electronic Music Performance

Hands-On: Foundations of Live Electronic Music Performance

Live electronic music performance creates a unique interaction between performer and listener. Discover how it is both exciting and transformative.Read more…

Scene Report: Reykjavik’s Live Electronic Performers

Scene Report: Reykjavik’s Live Electronic Performers

A group of eclectic Icelandic artists offer unique perspectives on electronic music performance, their home country, and more.Read more…

Roland Engineering: Designing GAIA 2

Roland Engineering: Designing GAIA 2

GAIA 2 boasts a powerful hybrid engine combining wavetable and virtual analog synthesis. Its designers shed light on this dynamic instrument.Read more…

A Few Minutes with Octave One

A Few Minutes with Octave One

Octave One’s Lenny Burden reveals the tools and techniques behind the duo’s tactile, electrifying live sets.Read more…

CR-78: The Whole Story

CR-78: The Whole Story

Before the TR-808 and TR-909 changed hip-hop and dance, the CR-78 changed pop. Here's the story of the last Roland organ-top rhythm machine.Read more…

Crafting the Perfect TR-8S Kit: Pro Results with Samples

Crafting the Perfect TR-8S Kit: Pro Results with Samples

A professional sound designer guides you through creating custom drum kits for the TR-8S.Read more…

TR-8S Rhythm Performer Overview

TR-8S Rhythm Performer OverviewStep-by-step instructions

These Videos contain step-by-step instructions that will quickly introduce you to its major features.Read more…

Support

If you have questions about operating your Roland product, please check our Knowledge Base for answers to the most common questions.
You can also contact our Product Support through Roland Backstage.
In addition, we have a library of Owner’s Manuals and Support Documents that you can download and reference.

Owner's Manuals

Support Documents