Roland TR-1000 compared to OG TR-808 TR-909

video upload by Antony Fewster

"Quick compare of the new Roland TR-1000 to the TR-808 and TR-909. Not intended to be a shootout, more so side by side examples of how the engines compare.

The TR-1000's 808 engines are all analog in this example. The TR-1000's 909 kick and clap are analog, the hats are ACB.

Recorded from main outs on all machines into Apollo x8 into Logic. Normalized audio, exported uncompressed to AIFF. Finally degraded by imovie and youtube."

Update: some additional info via Antony:

"In trying to match the levels (tuning etc), something that was really apparent was that there originals had nowhere left to go - both the 808 and 909 were set to max on the available settings (other than tone for the 808 was was around 12 o’clock). The TR-1000 had headroom for days across every parameter - decay, tuning etc before you even get to the extended parameters, effects, filter etc

I find in the same room the TR-1000 is crisper, clearer, heavier, punchier. I imagine most folks will be dialing things back to sit in the mix vs adding stuff (i.e. when compared to the originals) to make them do their thing.

I know the originals do what they do, but having played the TR-1000 I find myself wondering why the tuing stops ‘here’, or why I can’t add a delay to the hats, and a compressor to the kick as I’m in the flow with the machine - vs going back to the daw, or having to use separate outs into outboard stuff - it’s all very immediate."