Tubbutec TR-8oh8 is an upcoming hardware mod that supercharges your Roland TR-808 and Din Sync RE-808 with tons of new features.
Happy 808 Day. It’s that time of year again when the music production world celebrates the legendary Roland TR-808 drum machine from 1980. Roland is celebrating the day with several events and a 66% discount on the TR-808 plugin until August 31, 2026.
In Germany, they celebrate differently. The Berlin-based developer Tubbutec has announced the TR-8oh8, an upcoming hardware mod that turns your vintage TR-808 into an almost new instrument.
Tubbutec TR-8oh8
The TR-8oh8 is an upcoming hardware mod for the Roland TR-808 drum machine. This mod includes a new CPU for the TR-808 and MIDI ports.
Since the Din Sync RE-808 is a 1:1 replica of the vintage hardware, Tobi of Tubbutec states that the new TR-8oh8 mod is also compatible with it.
Once these components are installed, you essentially have a new TR-808 in front of you, supercharged with new features. The good news: you can revert the upgrade at any time.
As already mentioned, the TR-8oh8 introduces MIDI and gives the TR-808 MIDI compatibility with an input and output socket with velocity sensitivity for the drums.
Then there’s a huge list of completely new features and improvements to existing ones. First, the mod introduces 11 additional instruments that are accessible via the I/F variation switch:
- alternative bass drum, two snares (one is a clicky snare), tom noise, and you can trigger maracas and hand-claps at the same time
- muted rimshots (muted claves), second clap, and a second cowbell that is fully adjustable in tune and spread of the oscillators and playable via MIDI like an instrument
- additional cymbals and a click head
With the pattern variation slider, you can switch between the A and B instrument modes and can instantly compare the different instruments on the fly.
A Whole New Pattern Programming Experience
Compared to today’s drum machines, the Roland TR-808 had a rather limited sequencer feature set. The Tubbutec TR-8oh8 mod changes that in an impressive way by implementing the DNA of modern drum machines into the TR-808.
The upgrade allows you to add steps with four different dynamic levels (aka velocity), which can be selected with the scale switch on the left side. You can not only add this step by step but also select multiple steps at the same time.
Then, it features new play direction modes which Tobi hasn’t shown yet. You can clear steps more easily by pressing Clear + Tap. The longer you press, the more steps are deleted.
A massive evolution has occurred in manual play mode. The whole track programming is basically now in manual play.
This change allows the developer to free up the rhythm track and compose positions for other new features. Tubbutec showcased tons of new features in the demo, but also omitted many others. Some are not yet fully implemented.
For example, you can now easily switch between patterns by simply pressing the steps. And if you press one button and then others, you can also program songs very easily. The ability to program fill patterns and to manually trigger fills remains with this upgrade.
Via the highlight function, it’s also now possible to modify a pattern while another pattern is playing. When highlighted, you can also easily copy a pattern to another slot.
Pattern Generation & Effects
Buyers of a TR-808 in the 80s could only dream of features like automatic pattern generators. Today, this is standard in many drum machines, and now also available in the TR-808.
The new TR-8oh8 mod introduces a pattern generator that can be launched with a step button + tap. And the instrument selector knob lets you choose between 12 different styles of the generated pattern.
That’s not all. The Tubbutec TR-8oh8 also injects on-the-fly pattern effects in the TR-808 that are selectable with the instrument selection knob. You get:
- mute, reslicer, repetition with eight different modes (8 buttons) with recordable automation with the white buttons
- arpeggiator lets you record little sequences on the fly + Euclidean arpeggiator mode
- Probability and dynamic settings.
Further, there is a new flam mode and flam instrument track with behavior settings and a custom mode. Plus, you can copy and paste patterns, and much more.
According to Tobi, there are many more new features he hasn’t shown yet. So this was just a preview.
Tubbutec TR-8oh8 First Impression
Tobi from Tubbutec has added many new features to vintage instruments that many could only dream of. It’s always amazing what the developer can achieve with just a CPU upgrade.
Take the MC-2oh2 project, for example, which transformed the Roland MC-202 into an almost completely new instrument. It’s no different here. The new CPU brings a wealth of new features that can take the vintage TR-808 and RE-808 to a whole new level.
An awesome upgrade in my opinion, and I’m sure that many TR-808 users will buy this upgrade. Yes, the controls become more complex, and you have to relearn how to use them, but as a reward, you get a new TR-808.
Tubbutec TR-8oh8 will be available in 1-2 months. Price is TBA.
More information will follow here: Tubbutec
This CPU turns the 808 into a super 808. The analog sound of the 808 is already really cool as standard. But with the TR-8oh8, the true nature of the beast emerges. Would something like this also be in development for the 909 and 303, or are there plans for it? It now exists for the 101 as well.
I don’t care what it takes, the only thing the OG 808 is missing is kick drum tuning. Without this as a feature to the upgrade, why ruin a good thing.