A REAL $7000 808 vs the PLUGIN! 

Hardware snare sounds something wrong

You have to calibrate your 808, I have one and need to adjust the internal trims from time to time. Snare and clap are much better if you hit the right setting. Samples and plugins are good to, but you have to program them meticulously if you want to replicate what the accent does, also don’t forget about using the 3rd hihat version when both HH and OH is programmed on the same step.

It sounds as if the hardware is going through some heavy saturation. Especially the snare and hand clap.

I had an 808 in the 90s, it sounded really bright and pretty much like the plug-in. Yours sounds completely different to mine. Really dark, perhaps something is broken. The claps should not distort.

Hi Thomas good video

Great comparison...as always. To me the HW sounds much better and somehow more groovy. Keep up the good work. Greetings from Hamburg (Germany).

provides hardware kick and snare samples for us💯

Yes but.. Am I wrong, or are you sending the hardware through some superb analog gear, and are we listening to the plugin straight from you apollo? neve preamp, through a summing mixer, api preamp, all into SSL console. That will sound a lot more characteristic and colorful, and saturated... than the straight up digital plugin

$7000 for a 40 year old 808 .. certifiable 😮😂

It's rarely worth buying the hardware these days. Plugins are so good you can barely tell the difference and often the plugins do more. I keep getting G.a.s. and want to buy outboard and the remember I have 5 vsts that already make all those sounds and way more and the workflow is much better

So much bashing over here. Yes the snare is definitely not right- owning an 808 you know this (yes I own one). But let’s appreciate the fact that this video proves a point: hardware is not always in top notch condition and require maintenance. If you bought this hardware and the snare was like this you would have spent 7K and you would have to service the unit. I think this is a good experiment even though the comparison is not fair.

This hardware 808 unit is definitely broken

I actually prefer the plugin

I loved the 808 for a long time, until everyone started using it in everything, everywhere. Especially 2 note trap 808s with metal distortion thoroughly ruined it for me.

My hardware sounds more like your software, something's up...

OMG! 🤪 All that great gear and then it sounds so... OFF. How on earth can you make an 808 sound so weedy? Yes, some ppl here also pointed out that this 808 may not be properly calibrated or even needs some work. My hardware unit sounds way better (punchy, yet loads of pleasant presence) through a Mackie 1202. Not sure how it's even possible to get these strange results. But, it clearly shows that it's not the gear, instead it's the person using these tools. Strangest 808-comparison on RU-vid for sure 🏆

7k $ for 1k views. Is it worth it?

your 808 sounds waaaay off, you definitely need to calibrate the old lady

No wonder it sounded so different not even a fair comparison look at all that juice your giving the analog machine send the DAW thru some of that analog richness also don’t just give us the in the box mix 🤷🏾‍♂️

This hardware 808 doesn't sound good at all. In the 90's I had an 808 (and a 909) and it sounded similar to the plugin.

The hardware 808 is not broken.....you guys are just knocking it because you dont have 7000 but....the plugin....with and Acustica Audio Strip like....Cola, Navy or Honey....could match it about 90% not worth spening 7000 at that point...LOL