The difference between an 808 and a kick drum is that an 808 refers to just the low-end bass sounds that emanate from the kick, but not the attack of the kick drum. In other words, an 808 is the bass – the sound and frequency – whereas the kick refers to the actual kick drum or VST.
What does 808 mean in musical terms?
As such, 808 has become slang for a “beat” or “track.” The phrase “heart beating like an 808” is especially common in pop songs. Because of its prevalence in lyrics, people who aren’t musicians or producers may still understand the reference to the 808 as a drum sound.
What note is an 808 kick?
1. The first step is to determine which tones you need. For example, if you are working on a beat consisting of the chords G minor, F minor, and C minor, you know that you will need an 808 kick in the tones of G, F, and C. 2.
What is an 808 in hip hop?
808s are a type of electronic percussion sample that originates from the Roland TR-808 drum machine. They’re characterized by a punchy low-end subby-ness that is easily tunable to different pitches.
Why is bass called 808?
The 808 was no different. Many know an ‘808’ nowadays to be a booming bass drum sound, frequent in almost all modern hip hop music. But the term 808 came from a drum machine that Roland produced in 1980: the TR-808 Rhythm Composer.
Is 808 a kick or bass?
The difference between an 808 and a kick drum is that an 808 refers to just the low-end bass sounds that emanate from the kick, but not the attack of the kick drum. In other words, an 808 is the bass – the sound and frequency – whereas the kick refers to the actual kick drum or VST.
Why do 808s sound so good?
“The TR-808’s kick drum sound is made using a resonating trigger pulse, similar in behaviour to the way that a drum head vibrates when hit. When a drum head is hit multiple times in succession, even using the same force, the way the sound resonates will change depending on the state of vibration from the drum head.
Is an 808 A sub bass?
Listen to the radio today and you’ll hear booming 808 bass on tracks by the likes of Beyoncé, The Weeknd, Travis Scott and Future. The fat sub bass sounds we now associate the 808 with are a world away from its original use as a programmable replacement for a live drummer.
What key should 808s be in?
Basically, say you picked the key of D major to build your music in. For all you know, that 808 could be a note OUTSIDE of D major, and/or it may not be the root, D, but it sounds good because of the thump it’s giving off.
Did Kanye make 808s popular?
Closely tied with this idea of vulnerability, West revolutionized the structure of rap songs with “808s & Heartbreak.” As opposed to spitting over a beat for the entirety of a song, West added more melodic, singing elements.
Who popularized 808s in rap?
His name was Afrika Bambaataa, and his 1982 masterstroke “Planet Rock” is widely believed to be the first hip-hop single to utilize the 808.
Is an 808 a drum?
The Roland TR-808 Rhythm Composer, commonly known as the 808, is a drum machine manufactured by the Roland Corporation between 1980 and 1983. It was one of the first drum machines to allow users to program rhythms instead of using preset patterns.
What bass do rappers use?
Creating and Programming 808s. Whatever it is, modern hip-hop is dominated by 808s. We use the term loosely, but 808s reference the historic long bass drum sound first made popular by Roland’s TR-808 drum machine. In today’s production world, it’s hard to find a big hip-hop hit without an 808 or sub bass.
What frequency is an 808 kick?
between 30Hz and 60Hz
Ideally, the fundamental frequency of your 808 should lie somewhere between 30Hz and 60Hz . You might have a bassline and kick in your mix too, which also occupy that frequency range. If that’s the case, you’ll need to perform some puzzle-piece EQing to gel everything together.
Does 808 replace the kick?
Like if you use 808 as a substitute for the word kick drum. If you wanted a boom bap sound, you’ll never find the “808” that gives you that. You can find the kick drum that gives you that, but the 808 kick drum that gives you that literally doesn’t exist. Bass is just a frequency range.
Should the bass follow the kick?
In very general terms, the bass should follow the kick, and that can mean anything from the two sounds literally landing at the same time, note for note, to the bassline weaving around the kick drum, each one filling the low-frequency void created when the other isn’t present, to a combination of the two.
Is a kick a bass?
Kick drums are also known as bass drums—but they’re distinct from the type of bass drums used in classical music ensembles. Orchestral bass drums tend to be far larger than drum kit bass drums.
Do people still use 808s?
Trap producers Metro Boomin and Sonny Digital also rely heavily on the 808 sound, and they’re responsible for 90 percent of today’s most popular Migos and Future records — “Mask Off” being the most recent.
Why do people use 808s?
Initially, producers focused on the 808 as a source of percussion. But by tuning the drum sound to full decay, Rick Rubin discovered that the 808 could be used to create bass lines. This technique was taken to new levels by the rap group Original Concept, and then by Miami Bass producers.
Why is it called 909?
What is a 909? 909s are a set of drum sounds that originate from the TR-909 drum machine released by Roland in the 1980s. The 909 is characterized by its subtle yet punchy sound that’s well-suited for house, techno, disco, pop and other electronic dance music.
Can you have a bass and 808?
I love 808s, both as kick drums and for creating bass lines. They’re great for everything from straight up pop to hip hop, trap, drum & bass, even house music. Harmonics in 808s are really important, as are the pitch envelope and transients.
