Stumbled across this thing I saw in Mylar Melodies Mavis demo:
The site also points to a whole bunch of circuit PDFs and boards/schematics available on github.
6 Likes
Paul Barker a/k/a DinSync has been pursuing the open source project to bring all the authentic sound of Roland TR-808 to anyone wanting to build a replica.
Their third case pre-order is concluding by next week.
-Fumu / Esopus
6 Likes
Yeah - I’ve had my eye on that stuff for a while but never pulled the trigger. Also, while the build guides etc all seem quite detailed and useful, I’m not sure I’ve seen any boards or schematics available for the DinSync projects.
1 Like
Did I misread the price of the 880? $995 seems excessive for a Eurorack-format 808 clone, considering you can just buy an RD808 or something similar for a much more reasonable price.
It’s Facebook again so all I get at your link is their hard sell login/register page. Sound on Sound interviewed Paul from DinSync (I assume this is the same Paul) about the company’s clone, RE808, at Superbooth last month.
Because of the strategy Dinsync has adopted, anybody who wants to clone a TR 808 in Eurorack, Kosmo or whatever format can do so.
The 880 is much nicer, sounds better (especially the clap, which is nigh unusable on the Behringer, and manufactured in very limited quantities. The price is high, but it is between an RD-8 and a TR-808, which seems fair for what it is. That said, I’m not exactly looking to buy one at that price 
2 Likes
I’m not even the kind of person who understands why drums are so important. I grew up on German electronica like Tangerine Dream, which was a welcome relief from the martial 4/4 time of most pop and rock. Why is the 808 so expensive when samplers and sequencers will do the same job more competently without the need to raid your piggy bank?
1 Like
Don’t ask me, I struggle just to understand why people want exactly the same sounds as what other people have been using for three decades rather than something uniquely their own.
4 Likes
Shhh, these are things to ponder but never to say. 
Say nothing or we’ll flooded with magic orange caps for that Hendrix tone at $100 a pop.
1 Like
Pft. I never hear anyone say that and make any new sounds.
-Fumu / Esopus
I’m doubting DinSync is trying to compete with big b at delivering a product to the market. They’ve not even got a nice website like System80 because it’s a small operation. I’ve understood it’s the idea that many TR-808 are aging the the point that some of the replication are perfect for getting them working again. And when you know how to replicate any part of a vintage fine instrument well then why not replicate all of it. To go with the RE-303 and so on is to not have to focus on the market value. In the process it does recquire getting a lot of not cheap through hole parts but you don’t have to spend 7,000 or 8,000 USD so I’m sure it’s a lot cheaper to get something that functions like a fine old sound that’s not failed in many music ventures.
-Fumu / Esopus
The Paul Barker in DinSync is always talking about 303’s, 909’s, 808’s and Jupiters.
The Paul Barker in Malekko Heavy Industries is the bassist from Ministry and a different guy.
That’s actually confusing!
-Fumu / Esopus
For sure - but having access to classic circuits as a way to first understand, and then perhaps extend is what I like about the whole DIY (and open source) thing. I think the same thing goes for all the Practical Electronics twin-t circuits etc floating about here.
Personally, I still want a decent DIY drum machine, but am leaning more towards modelling drums digitally, however it’s hard to model something you don’t understand, and having these circuits available surely helps.
Cheers
1 Like
No one said it’s an easy thing to do. Worthwhile goals rarely are.
5 Likes
Ah, I think I’m getting somewhere now. An article about the original TR 808 mentions Afrika Bambaataa’s Planet Rock.
Imagine my surprise when, on listening to this 1982 track, I recognised the familiar sounds of Trans-Europa Express by Kraftwerk.
This Kraftwerk piece is originally from 1977 and obviously predated the Roland TR 808. In New York at the time this Kraftwerk track got a lot of airplay, inspiring the formation of Hip Hop. This is all public history, but I’ve been too close to Kraftwerk and the European schools of electronic music to really take notice. But certainly the hypnotic railway sound of that track is one of Kraftwerk’s most popular so it’s not too surprising to hear this homage.
Kraftwerk’s percussion sounds during that era are believed to have been produced using a Maestro Rhythm King, though I think it could have been almost any other analogue drum machine of the time, such as the Rhythm Ace used by Arthur Brown’s Kingdom Come on the Journey album. I mention this because of the curious coincidence that Ace Tone, which produced the Rhythm Ace, was founded in 1960 by Ikutaro Kakehashi, who would go on to found Roland Corporation in 1972.
3 Likes
Yes, yes you are. 
3 Likes
Here is the official page of Yocto v2 : Yocto v2.0 Kit - e-licktronic
With all the build info, and PCB files (although .brd files, that’s Eagle I think)
3 Likes
Really nice thank you !!
2 Likes
https://electro-music.com/forum/viewtopic.php?highlight=808+stripboard&t=54826
I built mine completely out of these schems, midified with MidiMuso CV-12, with a lot of mods, sounds terrific !
10 Likes