Roland R-8 versus R-70 | A Drum Machine Comparison 

Both are sick

I once started making a comparative layout of all roland's drum machines in an ableton project. The TR-505+ TR-626 shared many of the TR-707/727 samples but without the snappy envelopes contained in the earlier units. It was all quite interesting. Many of the R-8s sounds are two samples and the Nuance function is like a crossfade between the two samples creating a living motion. Examining the Roland percussion library cd roms will also reveal some sounds from the same sources but usually shorter. Procrastination can be kind of productive I guess.

I own the R8mkii and will never get rid of it. My only regret is not loading up on the cards. Although, I haven’t used it in decades, occasionally I’ll pull it out and sample from it.

r8

Great video! ❤️❤️

I prefer the R-8 out of the 2 because it was used on many music productions in the 90s including TV programs like Minder and Nick Berry's cover version of Heartbeat plus the R-8 also has very unique filtering that allows you to modify how the drums sound. The R-8 also works better with a Roland U-220 as it's from that same era. The R-70's drums were used in many Roland instruments throughout the 90s including the stock drums in the JV/XP/XV synths and some of the R-70's drums were also used on the JV expansion cards incuding the SOPCM Rock Drums card and the Super SRJV expansion board and the Roland SC-88/88vl's drum kits also use many R-70 samples. If I did want a drum machine like the R-70 I would go for a smaller Boss drum machine.

Would be great having both playing the same programmed pattern and also compared to a third drum machine, the boss dr660 ;) thanks for sharing

Thanks for this post very helpful

I have the R70 but really like the R8 fat snare here. Thanks for sharing.

what sound is at 2:31?? Some sort of tamborine from the r8?

Thanks!

Do the sounds really matter? It's the way these machines can be programmed that make them unique.

It's not the converters. The R-8 samples have the compressed/gated sound of the late 80's. The R-70 samples are just an update to reflect the less processed drum sound of the early 90's. I have a TD-7. I sold my R-8m because the TD-7 covered all of it's bases and offered more samples and editing. I'm wondering if the sample set in the TD-7 is the same as the R-70, since they came out about the same time?

Have they been recapped by chance?

Had the R70 years ago and still own a R8 and two R5's

Probably the most conspicuous sample is the China. You'll hear that Roland China through out music of the late 80s through the 90s.

R70

Thats why Sade used a R 8.....and Sade is a Goodess!!!

For sound quality, R-70 wins. But which drum machine sounds that finally set the signature to General MIDI standard and becoming Roland Sound Canvas drum sounds? The choice goes to R-8!

i had owned both the r-5 and the r-70...that roland sample sound is a hard thing to mask if that is your intention.

I have a r8m.

both sound very different, the R8 is much darker and the better sounding of the 2

Сравни R70 и RY30

The R-5 would be neat to compare too.

R70 ka koi comparison nahi hai

Yamaha RY30 best drum machine.