808 Emergency Help

[NYJ]

I love listening to 808's but working with them is the hardest thing ever.I got a track that is in A Major, so I got the 808 tuned and playing in A4, I tried every eq trick, different levels, compressors and it just will not sound right when I play it in the car, So the only other two things I can think of,is changing the pitch or playing in a different key but I was taught that I am suppose to stay in the same key, so I am lost, when I take the kick down to A3 it sounds more current, but it does not fit the song, So bottom line is can I change the pitch but stay in the same key or can I just change the key but stay in the same scale.Please Help

[BeatGenerals]

Post up the track, not sure why it wouldnt sound right if its the same key.

[officiallito]

should sound right. maybe its your ear hehe

[BeatGenerals]

Yeah im thinking youre either not pitching them right or just got a different sound youre expecting in your head.

[AddictiveBeats]

Maybe the 808 you used wasn't 'mapped' correctly so that the 'A4' you use is in reality another note for the 808. I'm not sure if that's clear.. but it hapenned to me with a kit i downloaded not long ago. Open a simple piano vst, play a note, and try to find the matching note with the 808. Then transpose your 808 pattern in your song.

[BristolMusicTech]

1) use a tuner plugin to help tune it.
2) try a different octave (can be easier to hear problems in higher scale)
3) synth an 808. sine wave, quick attack, 24semitone pitch envelope. you can make it fit the track easier if you synth one. saturation is vital to bring out the harmonics to get it fatter sounding.

[Simteks]

How far are you transposing the sample? Sometimes transposing samples that have been saturated with tape or tube distortion can bring out a sort of 'sour' sound in the sample...

[hollandturbine]

Assuming that your samples are from an actual 808.....There is no knob for tuning the Bass Drum on the control panel of a stock TR-808, instead there is a trim pot inside the 808 for tuning the Bass Drum and it's quite possible that the tuning was ignored when it was sampled.

[Kevindurant]

Are you sure its in the key of A?. Even if its tuned, it should sound right if its truly in the right key.

[hollandturbine]

The TR 808 service manual says the BD should be calibrated to be 56 Hz so the root of the sample will most likely be around A or G#.