Tiptop RS808 User Manual

Introduction.

The RS808 is Roland's TR-808 Rimshot/Clavs sound generator adapted for modular
synthesizer use. The front panel contains all of the controls found on the original
TR-808 drum machine, allowing you full control over the sound’s volume levels to
mix with other drums, and accent levels. In addition to that, the RS808 includes a
Pitch control knob, Snap control knob, and two switches for selecting between
four different sounds.

Let’s get started.

To start using the RS808, plug a gate signal into the GATE IN and plug the
RS OUT to your sound system, set the LEVEL half way, set the two switches down,
set SNAP to about 30% and PITCH to 50%. You should hear the classic 808
Rimshot sound. Flip the two switches upward and you will hear the 808 Clavs sound.

Four sounds to chose from.

The two switches allow 4 different positions, both up are Clavs, both down is the
Rimshot, Left up, Right down is a nonlinear mix of Clavs and Rimshot, Left down,
Right up is a short “click” sound.

Controls.

SNAP Explained:

SNAP controls the height of the internal envelope generator. It has a different subtle
effect with each sound setting but in general will go from silence to maximum snap.
This control was not available on the original 808 machine and adds more variation
to experiment with.

PITCH Explained:

PITCH lets you set the frequency of the sound so it can be played in harmony
with other sounds. It also give you the ability to shape the sound together with the
SNAP control, creating new sounds. This control was not available on the original
808 machine and adds more variation to experiment with.

2