INSTRUCTIONS FOR MIDI INTERFACE ROLAND
TR-808 DRUM MACHINE
USING THE MIDI INTERFACE
Your TR-808 drum is now equipped to send and receive MIDI information. When turned on the machine will
function normally, sending out and receiving MIDI note & velocity information on the channels set in memory. The
factory channel settings are: receive chan 10 omni off transmit chan 10 and Stop/start TX/RX enabled Clock
information is always sent and Start/stop information is sent and received if enabled. (Not channel sensitive)
YOU CAN RETURN TO THE FACTORY MIDI SETTINGS BY SWITCHING THE MACHINE ON WHILST
HOLDING THE RED BUTTON PRESSED (hold for a couple of seconds)
With the rear panel switch set to normal (up) the TR-808 drum will run from its own internal clock and will send out
MIDI timing information at a rate determined by the tempo control. With the rear panel switch in the down position
however, it will run from MIDI sync at the rate set by the MIDI device connected. If no MIDI timing information is
present then the TR-808 drum will not run.
Some drum machines/sequencers may not send start/stop codes, in this case pressing the start switch on the TR-
808, will make it wait until MIDI clock/sync is present.
You can make the TR-808 ignore start/stop codes by selecting it from the programming mode described in the next
paragraph, when set to disable the TR-808 will neither respond to, nor send start/stop codes - when enabled (the
default condition) start/stop codes will be both sent and received.
RED PUSH BUTTON
Two modes are available by pushing the red push button. Before you do press the red button however, make sure
the TR-808 drum is not playing, otherwise the results may be unpredictable.
1) SET-UP MODE
- Setting MIDI channels and assignments (start-stop etc)
Give the red push button a short press (half a second) - then release. Follow this with a note or sequence of notes
(on the remote keyboard) as detailed on page 2. After selecting a channel you will be automatically returned to
playing mode but after making assignments you will need to press the ENTER key (Top C) to return to playing
mode. (N.B. set-ups are stored in non volatile memory).
2) MAPPING MODE
- assigning MIDI notes to sounds
Press the red button hold for about six seconds - then release. Follow this (on the remote keyboard) with a program
change number, then any MIDI note. The drum sound specified by that program change number will be mapped to
the key you pressed. You may keep assigning drum sounds to keys in the same fashion (program then key). When
you have assigned all the sounds that you want to, press any invalid program change number (12 and above), you
will then be automatically returned to normal play mode. On page 3 is a list of which program numbers correspond
to what drum sounds.
N.B. The red button can be "pressed via MIDI - see last page.
