Roland TR-8 Walkthrough 

Sadly no, the Tr-8 can only play chained patterns in a simple manner but you can play all of them to create a big sequence. I explain it in this video Roland TR-8 : Song moderu-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-5Qj3g1BjTFQ.html

No they do not. They can receive MIDI in real time from a sequencer, but that is it.

I have not used it yet.

If I understand correctly, you are using your TR-8 as a MIDI interface. It is connected to your MAC. In Garage Band you only see the TR-8. That is normal. The TR-8 act as you only MIDI interface and you audio interface. Then the next step is to control the MIDI performance of the TR-8 separately from your keyboard. You have to assign different MIDI channels to the different sounds you can play. For exemple the TR-8 is by default on MIDI channel 10. In your keyboard you should deactivate the MIDI Channel 10. Or even better, find in your keyboard a function called Local control and turn it off. The controllers section of your keyboard will be deconnected from the synth generator. The synth generator will only playback notes coming in it's MIDI IN. If your generator is on MIDI channel 1 let's say, you should be able to select channel one in Garage Band and trigger the sound of the synth generator without triggering the TR-8. Hope this helps!

I have the firmware update that add the 606 sounds + the 7x7 expansion for even more sounds. The expansion is 99U$ and available in the Roland Cloud

@@Nu-trix thats obscenely expensive

Hello Duke, you like the TR8? I am owner of the TR8 for a few weeks. It looks better than the TR8s, i love the green design. Some people say you have both with theTR8, the TR-08 and Tr-09 from the beginning in just one machine. I am little confused now because I only can choose the BS (Bass Drum) from either the 808 or 909. I want to play both together. And I actually wanted to get lot of stuff from 808 and 909 and more together in a pattern but have only to chose either this or that. Do I really have to buy two TR8 or more and connect them together for that then it would be better to buy instead a Tr-08 and TR-09, they say these both sounding a little bit better and you have more possibilities... what do you think?

The TR-8 cannot play 2 kick sounds à the same time. Each track is assigned to a specific family of sounds. The only exception is when the expansion is installed and you have access to the 606 and 747 and ... it also offer some kicks sounds in the Tom section.

If you really want to have a 909 kick than a 808 kick then 909 snare and 808 snare you will need the TR-8s. Each track can be assigned any sound.

@@Nu-trix Thank you, I wish Roland had invested more time in this machine. So actually people think you can get both but there are the limitations to choose only one of them. I wanted play of course both together. I would really like you have several layers as pattern, so this would really makes more sense than this now. I would like to give every pattern step an individual loudness, tune, decay. Then I have for example a reverb on step 1. This reverb do I have on EVERY sound which lays on step 1... it´s really confusing. I am new to drum machines and I must say after I have purchased this a few weeks ago new (one of the last TR8 from an online store i think) I have learned that this machine has limitations I don´t like. Thanks for your answer but I really don´t understand these limitations in times when they could do so much better stuff, I have now a TR8, 2 System 1 and 1 TB3 and not sure if I really want to work further with it, at the moment I am really dissappointed. Thanks for your quick reply anyway.

Winston it is possible to assign the reverb to only one sound. Check out this video for more info : Hidden features of the Roland TR-8 ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-_XiwBftP5gA.html. Or this one for the differences between tr-8 and TR-8S. TR-8S VS TR-8 - what are the differences? ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-3802vuk8ji0.html

The 606 comes with the firmware update if I remember well.

I don’t know Cumbia style. Can you suggest a link to a playlist or exemple?

Go out of midi thru. That’s a reflection of midi in, but without midi out info

@@oscargoldman85 I mean that i use ableton as daw and tr8 as audio and midi interface. If i make a beat in Tr8 and press play, Tr8 will send notes after ableton. So i am asking how can i make the midi out work as midi through. I cant find it it in settings. Thanks

@@lucaslaboudes2919 Let Me know if this is any help.Im not sure what you midi master is (ie which one is defining the tempo) let me know if this message is not followed by a link...

rolandcorp.com.au/blog/ultimate-guide-aira-tr-8#tr8tip24

@@oscargoldman85 At 1st I really appreciate trying to help here! Though my issue has nothing to do with master tempo which works fine. I use ableton as master , I make a rythm in my TR8 and i use midi out to ocnnect my juno 106 (which i want to receive notes only from ableton). If i press play juno receives notes both from ableton and tr8. maybe i ll try to upload a video.

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How do I match my tr8 to my controller?

@user-gt9qt4kl8h if you are asking how to control the tr-8 sounds from another controller, connect the MIDI out from the controller to the MIDI in of the TR-8. Assign the MIDI channel for both devices to the same MIDI channel. Play the right notes on the controller.

None on mine, they were pretty focused on it just being drums, since the other kit in Aira range meshes to build a performance setup. I've a fairly large gripe with the System-1 from the set though, it has too few patches (8 in total) and can take a long time to go from fresh sound to anything really usable if playing live, unlike everything else I have from the Aira range.