TR 808, TR 909, TR 606, SH 101

I currently have and use 808, 909, 606 and 101 — classic Roland boxes. 

I am wondering if we / I still need these boxes; I have a deep emotional connection to them, not easy to sell them as I used so much in the past and in many records I did but also wondering, do we REALLY need at this day and age? 

Electronic music, I don't even know where we at with current sounds and avant-garde techniques to be honest

I'll take them if you don't want them anymore lol.

do we need guitars

I'm keeping mine

But I respect all the talented people using airas and volcas

not interested in replicas at all — my question is: do we need 808 and 909 sounds in 2019?

even with modern fx I think they still sound dated

  On 11/20/2018 at 3:27 PM, TheBro said:

I'll take them if you don't want them anymore lol.

I can sell them :)

Do we need them? No.

Are they fun to play with? Yes. 

It really depends on your end goal. You want to jam and enjoy making tracks with a basic but cool setup? Keep them. 

You want to make mind bending music with new sounds* that takes the listener to another world? You might want to sell them and do something else. 

*Some people may still be able to make amazing new music with this hardware but 99% of people couldn't. 

They're 40 years old. Move on.

If they're what you love to use, and they inspire you every time you use them, in the same way a nice vintage guitar might inspire, then I wouldn't really want to tell you to get rid of them. If I had a 909 I'd probably keep it, but the temptation would always be there to sell it and buy a bunch of other gear, simply because I don't like drum machines where I'm locked in to a very specific bunch of sounds.

101s are fucking wicked. Doubt I'll ever get rid of mine. Might be selling my 202 tho...need the cash. Also thinking of selling a couple other Roland X0X drum things. Might replace all of them with a TR8S or something, and pocket the difference. Well, actually pay off some credit cards is more likely.

But I don't think they're needed necessarily anymore. If you want those sounds there's so many ways to get them - plugins, sample packs, multiple hardware options.

They're not guitars. If they were, they'd be Gibsons: good back in the 60's-80's, but newer ones are overpriced shit quality. The only way they stay relevant is to have some old fart musician from that era come back during a live concert and make some marketing off that and show it off to everyone. TR series should be left alongside all of the records they've produced that are currently in the disco and house 1$ bin at tge record shop. Speaking of pulling out old fart musicians for marketing 

  On 11/21/2018 at 1:05 AM, Entorwellian said:

They're not guitars.

Yeah, but I was simply comparing for the sake of mentioning that something can have an unquantifiable "inspiration" that comes from laying hands on it; I've certainly had that from old guitars, synths and drum machines.. but I also get that from new instruments as well. 

I totally believe that we should move on from 808/909 sounds, but sometimes the machines themselves can just be nice to use, you know?

That's definitely fair enough. If it's a user-interface thing, I can see that and agree.

I've only owned a 606. It was definitely cool but I sincerely preferred the Electribe ER-1mkI when I had it, and I like the Pocket Operators more now.

Don't have any love for the others although I wouldn't turn down a 101. 202 seems way cooler, though.

I don't know how true this may be for drum machines particularly, but I don't think it's fair to say any instrument is outdated. I can understand that personally for me a thing may become exhausted or boring if it does not inspire to create unique stuff anymore, but it does not mean that someone else somewhere can't wizard up a whole other genre with the same thing. 

Sure there's some pieces of gear that get you to the results you want faster because of better feel/workflow, but in the end it's just a tool that you channel your inner creativity with.

I say put the machines in a box and try out something else for a while, fight it until you are happy with the results, then take the machines out again and re-discover them with your newfound mad skillz.

I had TR606 for like a week and then got rid of it stupidly when I should of kept it!! I own a TR505 though which I gotta say I prefer soundwise although many will disagree lol.

I haven't had my hands on a 101 in about 15 years and I've never had an of the others (used a 707 occasionally and owned a 505 for years, that's the closest I've been) I've been using the x0xb0x (with n0nx0x firmware, so essentially a clone of the 303 workflow) for actual non-acid bass guitar style bass lines lately.  I guess some people find original 303 style sequencing confusing but I love it, it's fast and intuitive and fun.  The sound is good, too, but it's the sequencer that really makes it for me.

But a lot of the most compelling sounds I've heard people getting recently have come out of either the Kurzweil K2500 or the Axoloti.

  On 11/21/2018 at 6:26 AM, thawkins said:

I say put the machines in a box and try out something else for a while, fight it until you are happy with the results, then take the machines out again and re-discover them with your newfound mad skillz.

Good idea !