Behringer RD-8

Sure, I agree with all that you’ve written. I think I was just pointing out a rather self-evident point in fact, so I probably shouldn’t have said anything at all - that worrying about 808 samples vs. 808 analog is icing. But hey, icing is delicious!

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and I wasn’t disagreeing with you , either, only expanding. :slight_smile:

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At the moment for most analog drum sounds I prefer samples, but it can change to just using analog drum machines (or digital) depending on what I’m doing, and then other times I might go through a phase of using loops from drum machines. The Octatrack is pretty amazing for working with samples and I think it lends itself well to working in a number of ways, like chains, sample locks and slices of loops, and then of course the realtime fun from invoking the scenes and crossfader.

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On one of the Moot Boxie videos from NAMM he says that you can automate via midi cc, which I was surprised about.

I imagine it’ll be one of the only sound sculpting parameter that is accessible via midi as they are making a point of saying you can make basslines with it (Rather than sample and use a sampler to play chromatically).

Exactly this - recording and chopping up DIY analog / acoustic drumloops! Something I’d love to do more often going forward.

But its not just the electronic music people that obsess over dynamic drumsound - the biggest complaint from my brother (who used to be a metalhead) wrt electronic music was “the drums sound too static and dull”… some Rockers seem to hate the robotic oneshot drum sample sound :nyan:

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This may put a wrinkle into Behringers planned release of the 808 next month.

You can trademark the look. I don’t think you can trademark the sound. (Harley Davidson tried; though i’m not sure if that would be the same thiing.) Don’t know if Roland might have any (enforcable) patents on the 808 either.

I guess the look trademark would also apply to software versions of the 808 that looks like an 808. (Any IP lawyers out there reading this?)

ADDED: I see there was a thread created for this:

I friend of me, a drumer, use to make fun of me when we were playing together, acting like he was a drum machine, but i never told him he actually sounds like an human trying to be funny and not like a drummachine.

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This is exactly why Propellorheads pulled their Rebirth RB-338 from the App Store in 2017.

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How do you guys think Behringer will act after this? Will they release it and risk a lawsuit or will they back off and don’t release it? Or will they just change the look of it?

The story of my teenage years in rural Scotland being the only chap who was excited by this fancy-dan new rave sound that was emerging… Anyway, maybe it says something about me that some of my favourite rock stuff is Big Black and Godflesh (especially the early stuff done with an HR16)…

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A ‘registered’ trademark is a legal phrase meaning that the trademark has been applied for - the article isn’t clear on whether the trademark has actually been granted. In theory Behringer (or anyone else) could challenge the application (i.e. object to the registration), or challenge the trademark in court if Roland attempt to enforce it once granted.

IMO Roland might have a tricky time registering the application (or enforcing a registered trademark) given the amount of time they’ve taken to register. If they’d taken out trademarks in the 1980s the story might be different, but as there’s been innumerable clones on the market (software like Rebirth in the 1990s and Pulse Code’s Boom 808 and 909 in the 2010’s; hardware like Cyclone and the numerous x0xb0x units), it could be argued that these clones have ‘diluted’ the ‘distinctiveness’ of the trademarks Roland is applying for (or attempting to enforce), making them ‘generic’ enough to be unenforceable.

Regardless, there’s a lot of money at stake so it will be very interesting to see Behringer’s reaction. Both companies have prior form - Roland sued Beheringer over the design of their stomp boxes which used similar colours and layout to Boss stomp pedals. They ended up settling:

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From what I understand, they may be able to avoid the (would be) trademark infringement by simply changing the color layout of the 16 step buttons.
Maybe Acidlab Miami style 2 color, or all one color.

Like @switchmode said, it’s gonna be interesting…

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Thanks for your answers @Switchmode and @AdamJay I’ve thought of this long before Roland made this move and thought that how can these companies that have made the original products just let Behringer clone their products without any argument. But it seems harder for companies to protect old products than I thought.

Personally, I hope that Behringer can release every clone they have announced because I think they are doing an amazing job at giving us accurate synth clones and drum machines for amazing prices. And I am happy to hear that that Rolands move should not be a problem for Behringer in releasing their 808 clone if they just change some of its appearance. But who knows, it’s going to be really interesting to follow this!

Behringer should change the appearance in any case. It gives their clones an unnecessary ‘fake imitation’ vibe. The clones aren’t the originals. Everyone knows that and most people are fine with that. I always thought it was kinda dumb to make them aesthetic clones with just different name etc. Like someone with a knock off t-shirt who’s hoping you don’t get close enough to see it’s not real deal…

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Prices could go sky high if they hit the market and then have to pull them. :thinking:

Has this been posted yet:

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Sounds damn good to me.

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All they gotta do is make the first and last step buttons grey and that should be a “different” looking machine. Also Acidlab didn’t get sued because their step buttons are round. I think yocto kit builders are ok because you build it yourself. Man, I need to fire up the yocto this weekend.

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I loved the YouTube comment where the guy said as soon as he heard it he jumped up and started body popping and then reminded himself he was just listening to a demo :rofl:

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All this talk about clones and Yoctos (plus seeing a Yocto in the latest XLR8R profile of Anthony Mother) had me look at the Yocto again.
I didn’t realize there was an additional percussion synth in the V2! Wow.

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