With its warm toned strip of colorful sequencing buttons and tweakable banks of knobs, the Roland TR-808 Rhythm Composer is quite possibly the most iconic drum machine of all time. Featuring a booming kick, sharp snare, tunable toms and a variety of percussion elements, the 808 is capable of creating and sequencing complete rhythm tracks. While Roland's initial hopes to create a realistic machine for emulating session drummers were dashed, generations of artists and producers have embraced and repurposed the 808's unique electronic tones, birthing entire genres based around its inimitable sounds.
