Roland - TR-8S | Rhythm Performer

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 professional sound design.
The result? A forward-thinking, performance-tuned instrument unlike any other.
Build your dream kit from the most iconic drum sounds of all time,
plus the finest selection of samples from our vast library—or import 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 Drums,
Sampled Sounds, and Effects

The TR-8S comes loaded with the largest, most authentic collection of TR drum machines available. The powerful new processor gives our next-generation ACB models a whole new level of detail and nuance, giving you that classic Roland boom, snap, and sizzle. And now you can incorporate preset and custom samples, creating unique hybrid and layered kits, and enhance them with specialized effects that inject professional sound design into the TR formula.

Transistor Rhythms

The TR-8S has every sound from the most sought-after TR drum machines, with detailed circuit-models of the 808, 606, 909, 707, 727, and even several modified versions. These are not sound-alike sample-packs or mere recordings of TR drum sounds. Each machine is a detailed, down-to-the-circuit-model that sounds and behaves exactly like the original hardware. All these sounds are yours, at your fingertips, and ready to use in your own productions and performances.

ACB Meets Samples

Today’s rhythm tracks require a diverse set of sounds and production techniques, and it’s harder than ever to sound truly unique. While authentic TR sounds are vital for producing drum tracks, mixing and layering sounds opens a world of modern styles and the exciting potential to craft your own signature sound. Pull from the extensive collection of preset samples, or import your own mono or stereo sounds using the SD card slot. Like the TR sounds, you can deeply manipulate samples with immediate hands-on control. Adjust decay and tuning and alter sample start points, speed, and direction. You can create a kit entirely from samples or mix and match with TR sounds for genre-defying drum tracks that demand attention.

Drumatic Effects

The right effects can make a drum part stand out by creating depth and space. Whether it’s delay on a rim-shot, overdrive on a kick, filters on toms and cymbals, or just the right amount of reverb on select instruments, the TR-8S has percussion-tuned effects that simply 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, the snap of the snare, phaser depth, distortion amount—whatever parameter you need direct and immediate access to-can be assigned to the CTRL knob or Master FX knob and saved with the kit. Both Instrument and Master Effects, along with their precise settings, are also saved with each kit, making your productions always performance-ready.

Create Evolving Patterns with 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 and editing—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.

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-and patterns or variations can be triggered individually or chained together for evolving sequences. In performance situations, you can copy patterns on the fly 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 storage and flexibility to play an entire set without ever repeating a measure in the same way.

Filling In

Well-placed fills can create thrilling moments in a track or a live set. Each pattern in the TR-8S can contain two fills which you can customize or create from scratch. There’s also an adjustable “Scatter” fill which will 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. That’s where Auto-Fill comes in. Automating fills every 2, 4, 8, 16, or 32 measures keeps your hands free, but also adds interesting dynamics to your performances.

In Motion

Professional sounding drum 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 can give you everything from subtle movement to dramatic tonal shifts. Automate bass drum tuning, snare pitch, panning, effects…whatever you want. You can create melodies and bass lines, or change the sound of a kit for different song sections. Motion recording is immediate and effortless, and motion playback can be instantly enabled or disabled.

At Home in The Studio, Made for The Stage

For the last four years, we’ve heard feedback from enthusiastic TR-8 fans and artists from around the world. It left us with a pretty clear idea of how we could 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 24bit/96kHz 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 the TR-8S’s internal 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. Rim-shots 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.

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.

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
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
DELAY: DLY, PAN, TAPE ECHO
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
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

TR-8S Rhythm Performer OverviewStep-By-Step Instructions

These videos contain step-by-step instructions that will quickly introduce you to the TR-8S’ top features.Read more…

CB-BTRMX Black Series Instrument Bag

Custom carrying bag for the TR-8S, TR-8, and MX-1.
View Product

Downloads

Updates & Drivers

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 department by phone or email.
In addition, we have a library of Owner’s Manuals and Support Documents that you can download and reference.