Still confused about the MX-1. Does it allow mixing and eq of individual channels from the TR-08/9 or is it only getting the main stereo bus over USB from the boutiques? How does one set it up?
The MX-1 takes the stereo bus only. I think the only way to do separate outs over USB with the MX-1 is to go out via Ableton, do the track assignments there, and back in with the MX-1 in DAW/external mixing mode. But youāll get latency.
Iāve not yet tried taking an assignable out from the TR-8 as an analogue input in combination with the USB audioā¦ that might workā¦ Not possible on the boutiques though.
Thanks. Even though I agree that itās a shame that the TR-09 only has a single analog stereo output, theyāre also sufficiently cheap to consider buying a second one simply to get more outputsā¦ 
Well I have the Rytm, A4 via OB (sync and audio) and the TB-03 over USB (sync and audio)
Iāve tried the TB both on its own and as an aggregate device paired with two different interfaces (MOTU and Focusrite). And tried clocking both ways. TB->Interface and Interface->TB
The aggregate device doesnāt make it any worse or better. It only adds a small amount of latency to what Iād normally be getting from either interface
It doesnāt seem to matter how I try to sync the TB (internally, externally, mid or trigger) the audio over the USB is about a 1/64th note later than audio from OB or any other VSTs I have running
I canāt jam the TB with my other gear unless I monitor the physical outputs.
What exactly is the timing option you mentioned? Iāve not heard of it before. But if itās there to make them feel āmore genuineā then itās definitely part of the ACB design
Interesting
http://airainfo.org/index.php/tr8/
In setup mode (switch on while holding PTN SELECT) itās toggled with pad number 7.
āTR-808 timingā is the default option. In this mode, any drum sounds that are sequenced on the same step are not triggered at exactly the same time. They are triggered one after another - very close to each other, but it does add a bit of movement to the rhythm, depending on how many sounds are sequenced on each step. If you switch it to āprecise timingā, all the drum sounds that are sequenced on one step will all trigger at exactly the same time, as you would expect on a modern sequencer.
ACB = Analogue Circuit Behaviour = Rolandās term for modelling the individual components in a circuit in order to more accurately replicate the behaviour of the whole circuit design (supposedly). I donāt think the TR-808 timing option has anything to do with modelling specific circuits, itās just a bit of code that delays the triggers by a small, specific amount of time.
1 Like
can anyone with a Roland boutique synth confirm/deny that the sequencer responds to external MIDI start/stop commands via the Elektron boxes?
1 Like
They definitely respond to start stop commands
Interesting. This is definitely part of ACB behaviour. The sequencer of the 808 was as analogue as the rest of it Iām sure. And here the behaviour of the sequencer has been modelled in code. Albeit optional code if you will. From another post I found about this with a video:
"Innerclock did their litmus on it and found that, by default:
āEven with Swing set at Centre/Zero the Tr-8 has a significant 16th swing - mostly very accurate but pushing and pulling by 50 samples (1.04ms) either way against a straight grid with a slight wobble at the Pattern A/Pattern B transition point.ā
They also tested the TR-808 (scroll down on the same page). Roland donāt kid around with emulations:
Internal sync, maximum variation between any two consecutive Sixteenth Event intervals:
TR-808 = 99 Samples [2.06ms]
Tr-8 = 101 Samples [2.10ms]
(External sync is different however: TR-808 gets tighter, Tr-8 remains as is, or worse in one of the cases)"
2 Likes
I was trying to find that video. 
Yeah, I donāt know if itās considered ACB or not, but itās there.
The loose clock that the ACB models is quite impressive to me. I used to be obsessed with old sequencers & their different grooves, and Iām a huge fan of humanization algorithms.
1 Like
Iām eyeing this more closely, and will try one out in the week now, as the dealerās getting a batch.
Iām looking at creating a micro rig now, with the SH01A and just a drummer to boost, which might be this one or it might be that Iāll return to the TanzbƤr (friendās got one, so I can borrow his for reference).
What I remembered from the TanzbƤr, when I had one, was apart from the fact that it sounds awesome, and very much has a character of its own, itās also a quite versatile tool for sound design. When you put a max decay on the maraccas and triggered it on all steps, you got a noise source, for example. And tuning the toms made for excellent bass tones, as well as high frequency leads and arpeggios. Not to mention the built-in reference tones for actual bass and lead, which could be used to great effect for emphasizing harmonies within the drums. And the implementation of p-locks, I actually prefer before Elektronās.
But itās not as direct, not as convenient in size, price and just fleshing out a track, and it doesnāt run on batteries, and while the 808 sound has been used to death, it still sounds spectacular when you place it right.
1 Like
You might also enjoy the Lite edition.
1 Like
Really? You tried it? I loved the original TanzbƤr and think I might miss a few of its features that I loved. But certainly, what Iām hearing from the Lite version is not bad, not bad at all.
So I picked this up yesterday, and have played with it a few hours. Iām surprised for reasons I wasnāt expecting. Note that Iāve never had my hands on a real 808 or 909, and am not familiar with the workflow of these instruments from before.
I didnāt expect to have to read the manual, just to get a track going. The basic interface remained totally incomprehensible to me, until Iāve read a page or two and got a grip of the basics.
I didnāt expect it to sound so damn good. I was expecting quality, of course. But it really sounds outstanding. Thereās so much nuance in this little thing.
I wasnāt expecting such an original sequencer (obviously, since I had trouble figuring it out). But once you get deeper with the relationships between the 1st and 2nd pattern sections, the fills, the sub-triggers and the individual step counts per section in a pattern, thereās a lot of things going on here that spawns new ideas.
Once you get into the interface, it pulls you in. I felt like a mad scientist, pulling all the switches, turning the knobs, tapping away. Thereās an oddly compelling balance between it all, where you push, twist and flip things around while the sequencerās jamming away. Itās not just buttons, or just knobs, or just whatever. Itās the mix of it all. And that also generates ideas.
The sound sculptingās a bit bleak, until you dive into the menu and find panning, decays, a small compressor on the kick and snare, and stuff like that. While I do miss the Tanzbar p-locks, what the TR-08 has going for it, makes up for it.
It works stupid well with the SH01A, both sonically and in terms of interface. I can def see why Rolandās pairing the two in their communication. With the SH01A in four voice mode and the TR-08 banging away, youāve got material for hours.
All in all, a very attractive little piece.
4 Likes
Yeah, thereās more to it than meets the eye. On the TR-8 though, most of that is available on the front panel (panning is a shift command in instrument select mode), which is one of the reasons itās such a good live instrument. You can do a lot with the gated reverb and delay too.
Sorry, Iāll stop going on about the TR-8 now. I do like the look of the -08, for some reason it appeals to me more than the -09 boutique did.
1 Like
IMHO, the most interesting feature of both the TR-08 as well as the TR-09 is that they replicated the human interface in all its details. Also, note that the sequencer on the TR-909/TR-09 is completely different than the one on the TR-808/TR-08 in terms of features and interface.
3 Likes
I was curious about this. No TR-09 for me, then. Never much cared for that sound anyway.
In fact, if I throw in an SE-02 into the mix and use the Deluge as the recorder and mastering unit with additional samples, fx and potential ambience to boost, I think Iāve got a nice little setup. The boutiques for composing and building the tracks, the Deluge for finishing them.
I owned the original large TanzbƤr for a while and I also had a Tanzmaus before the TR-09 took over its role. I much preferred the build quality and the aesthetics of the Tanzmaus, and I appreciated its compacter size compared to the big TanzbƤr.
Since the TanzbƤr Lite comes in the exact same case and has the same sequencer controls, I assume this will be the same for that box. You obviously do miss out on some of the features of the bigger one, of course.