808 Day: The Best Free 808 Samples
The Roland TR-808 is the most iconic drum machine ever created. Yup – while the 909 came to define house music, the 808 has permeated all genres and styles and has become a true classic instrument. Its booming bass drum, snappy snares, pinging rimshot and piercing claps have been heard in countless records, while countless hardware and software clones – including Roland's own Boutique recreation – have tried to emulate a piece of the magic.
To celebrate 808 day (that's the 8th August by the way) we've gathered up a selection of over 1,000 808 samples, all for free! You can download them all below for significantly cheaper than the real thing.
With a total of 327 808 samples – an instrument that features 12 sounds – this collection may be all you need. Including hits and loops, it’s a bumper pack and it’s totally free. Grab it on the link above.
Goldbaby is one of the most popular sample makers out there, combining high-end kit with retro lofi processing for powerful sounds and unique textures. He’s also been nice enough to load up his website with a ton of free sounds, including an 808 recorded through a cassette tape, obviously.
One of the leaders in the sample game, Sample Magic also offer a host of free sounds from classic machines, including the beloved 808. There’s 107 sounds in total so plenty to get your teeth into on this special day.
Wave Alchemy have gone the extra mile and recorded 300 808 samples through a classic Studer tape machine, all for free, with clean and saturated versions of every sound. Nice of them – grab it here.
More lo-fi cassette goodness from Bedroom Producer Blog, this pack comes as a free Kontakt instrument with controls for extra FX like reverb and delay, as well as the sounds themselves.
