Behringer RD-8 Review | V2 firmware + everything you need to know
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- Опубликовано: 1 авг 2024
- Our review of the Behringer RD-8 drum machine with the newest firmware 2.0.6.
Featured example drum patterns:
Whitney Houston - I Wanna Dance With Somebody
Daft Punk - Revolution 808
Gorillaz - Clint Eastwood
Check out our Patreon / captainpikant
► Easy to read transcriptions of all the patterns from the video
► RD-8 cheat sheet
► RD-8 sample pack
Maffez Synth Mod Page
► maffez.com/
#drummachine #behringer #rd8 #review
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Table of contents:
0:00 Introduction
0:37 Build Quality
1:03 Layout
1:19 Connectivity
2:22 Sounds
7:44 Example Patterns
9:04 Making Patterns
10:43 Accent
10:57 Substeps
12:55 Swing
13:14 Microtiming
13:22 Automation
13:48 Tempo
15:07 Convenience
16:10 Performance
20:25 Bugs
21:39 Blinkiness
21:48 Price & Verdict
Produced by Jean-Claude Dirckx and Sophie Hoppstädter 
Видеоклипы
Hello everyone! We have a free drum pattern transcription for you! Russ Arteaga made me very curious with his comment about the TR-808 trigger out sync click being used as an instrument in The Egyptian Lover's "Egypt, Egypt" (1984) so I transcribed the whole thing and programmed it on the RD-8. It worked pretty well! Take a listen to it on our Patreon patreon.com/captainpikant where you can also download the pattern for free.
musical equivalent of the Wilhelm scream lol spot on, subscribed
I've had my RD-8 for about 9 months now and you've increased my appreciation for the device with your video. Especially the 'hold' functions for copying, auto/manual save and extending pattern pages with existing notes are really convenient. I completely agree with your assessment of the lack of autofill in song mode as well as using the led color to display used patterns. Thanks for the clear demo!
Excellent! I get so little time with my RD-8 that I forget that it has a lot of advanced features like probability, Polymeter, etc. This makes me want to get to know it a little better!
Thanks a lot for this video, extremely clear and nice to learn about all the quirks and possibilities!
Only had my RD-8 for a few days but came back to this since it arrived and learned a lot, thank you 👍
So glad it was helpful to you!
A very nice review! I will certainly get one of these at some point in my life... All the best to you!
Nice analog, thank you so much for your high end videos. Thanks for supporting analog products.
I really like that one. Thank you for you video, I had missed the new firmware.
Simply the best RD-8 review I saw so far!
I wish you could make one on Analog Rytm.
This is a great video. A really clear explanation. Thanks for sharing. It helped push me to get one!
Superb review!
Great review.
This video essentially put me over the edge of deciding "Yeah, I want that one." Just got it today and spent 4 hours jamming with it! Greatest purchase ever!
And thanks captain. You have some real good videos here!
How do you like it pass the honeymoon?
@@javiceres I still love it. It's a great addition to my little bedroom studio.
@@hogbowlbeats That sounds interesting
Very good review, will get one someday.
Thanks for an awesome review.
To me, the extra loud rimshot is just as iconic as the cowbell... Those hats are super recognizable... That ride cymbal.... That snare...
Hello everyone! If you don't hear any difference during the sounds segment at 2:22, try using headphones for this part. Is there anything you'd like to know about the RD-8? Let us know here in the comments!
Well since you asked, a friend of mine got it for a week. He wants to sequence it with the MC303, so not trigger/sync the pattern/loops from the RD8, but play the RD8 sounds from the MC303, like it was a module, so far so good, but you only hear 4 drumsounds spread out over 1 octave, all upper & lower octaves don't trigger any sounds from the RD8, any thoughts on this?
Are they set to a different midi channel perhaps?
@@XHALE303 As far as I know you can only set the RD-8 to a single MIDI channel. You can assign individual MIDI notes to the instruments in the RD-8 settings, so make sure these are correct. And of course install the newest firmware. I have no experience with the MC303, but I'd double check on there if the note and channel assignments are correct and there isn't some mapping going on.
@@CaptainPikant Thanx, i'll tell him. 😊 According to some vids the RD8 has a weird mapping of itself.
@@XHALE303 In case it helps you this is the default mapping on the RD-8 after a factory reset:
BD: 36
SD: 40
LT: 45
MT: 47
HT: 50
RS: 37
CP: 39
CB: 56
CY: 51
OH: 46
CH: 42
@@CaptainPikant Thanx, somehow he only got a 2 page starters manual with it. So any details are unclear.
excellent job. thanks!
Very classy and stylish video production. Fun as well 8)
ich lieb den kanal! mach weiter bitte! das is sooo gut
Is this a new RUclips Channel? Nice production, great info: have subscribed. --GG
Quality upload thank you 👍
nicely done
Great explanation 👍🏻 what I still miss is that is indicated by a light which instrument is active e.g. the select button :)
Same
I suggested it to Behringer in our RD-8 2.1.2 firmware update video, but apparently more blinkiness isn't on the menu for Behringer 😅
Plugged mine back up last night & instantly made a formerly of stripped down synth song complete.
Subtract that "of"
Your videos are better than asmr, so relaxing.
your intro is so funny :D love it
I would give you gold medal for this.
Wow! nice review indeed! I wish I saw this video before buying my RD-8...but anyway, it seems to be a good choice for 808 lover like me even though it has some bugs. I wish I could see how you mix & record multitrack RD-8 to different environments (DAW or MPC).
I instantly subbed when you played Pneuma
I love individual midi in, out, thru and dedicated instrument outs!😌
Great, thanks
Waiting anxiously for the RD-9, it's taking forever
gonna be an insta-buy for me 100%
I think the RD-9 gonna be an “instabuy” for a lot of people that have the money when it comes out.
They are taking a bit longer over the RD-9, which is good.. it will be a huge seller for them if they get it right
This
Guy really knows how to do a professional review of this device
Fantastic
I'm feeling that 80Amen 👍
Awesome
I don't understand how much better the mkii could be.... This is... very good.
I'm also curious how much the sound has really changed. When we receive the RD-8 MKII we'll make a detailed comparison.
Pretty great but I wish they'd bring an MO edition that expands on the sound design functionality. An 909 envelope for the BD would be great for example.
Didn't know about the 'fix' for the over loud Rimshot tone, cheers for that! (as obviously got an early one 😁 ) 😎👍🎹🎶🍻
Nice video... I have the RD-8 but struggle to get time to use it.... then I forget how to do all the stuff. I don't even know how to programme the autofill's. I definitely need to spend more time with these beast of a drum machine
Auto Fill patterns are just like any other pattern, just place them on the red pattern slots (13-16). As long as they are shorter than the main pattern, they will piggyback onto the active pattern's end when launched with the "Auto Fill" button. But I get it, every time I don't touch a drum machine for a month I forget so many things about it, that's why I started making those cheat sheets :D
@@CaptainPikant thanks will play again tomorrow 🙂
Oh my lord that fuzz pedal is no joke 😳😳
Thank you for the correct pronunciation!
I like acid techno music, so this is helpful for me :) Please introduce TD3.
Props for Pneuma! Danny would be proud!
"The musical equivalent of the Wilhelm Scream." Hilarious! Are you Austrian? According to Christoph Waltz (and as evidenced by the scatological jokes of one W.A. Mozart), the Austrian sense of humor is rather developed in comparison to...other cultures who will remain nameless. Love your videos!
Not Austrian but we do love Christoph Waltz! 😉
I'm looking at getting an rd8 so I can have a go at triggering my beringer monopoly arpeggiator using the rd8. Is it TRS cable from the behringer trigger outs?
It’s gonna be the closest I’ll ever get to owning a 808 so I’m good with it!!!!! The 808 is a classic drum machine but it really doesn’t have to function of a Elektron MD, or the Rhythm 8 sequencer or sound design!!!!
It is very nice yes
I wish they would of gave the RD 8 MIDI CC’s!!!! It would be nice to be able to record automation
Enough already!! It's been 3 years!! When will it be available and how much will it cost? I want to feel safe in the techno music terror that I will create!
Aaah the Adventure Time ost getting some love at 07:33
Hi Thalassophobia, that was actually a pattern I improvised on the very first day I got the RD-8 - it happened to work really well with the fuzz pedal. But I love Adventure Time! Could you tell me which song you mean?
@@CaptainPikant that was like half the interludes and intros lmao but i loved the video :)
@@comfy_21771 😂 Obviously I underestimated the influence that show had on me... Thanks so much for the comment!
Thanks for the review. What kind of hardware do you need to output the sound? Would a guitar amplifier work? And what cables are best?
Any amplification system should do, but since a guitar amp is not full range your mileage may vary (I suspect the amp will at least eat the bottom end of the bass drum and some highs from the hats and cymbal). The RD-8 is connected with a 1/4 inch mono audio cable, so you can just use your guitar cable.
Great and thorough review! One thing I wish every drummachine had is a mode in which written notes aren't altered audibly but visually when switching to a different scale. When switching from a sixteenths scale to thirtysecondths notes (two bars per measure), written notes are played back twice as fast which usually makes you clear out everything and start out new. Inserting triplets into a beat that was initially written as a 4/4 also isn't possible this way. I wish the RD 8 could be set in a mode that works like the old Roland MC sequencers (MC-303, 505...) which convert the notes visually, not changing the result you hear for written notes. It also irritates me that sixteen steps are always filled out per bar even when writing in triplet scales that need only 12 steps per bar. This means writing a pattern with two bars with a total of 24 steps cannot be done with 12 steps for each of the two bars but using 16 steps on the first and only 8 steps in the second (two thirds of a measure) bar which makes writing triplet beats very confusing. Also I wish flam wasn't automatically applied to every step for every instrument when turning up its level. I wish they changed that to selecting and activating it for single notes. And finally I wish repeats were not implemented as 2, 4 or 8 hits per step but 2, 3 or 4... why did they leave out three hits and only doubled the even numbers? But it's a great machine none the less and I hope they still keep improving it!
You're absolutely right, the vast majority of sequencers don't make it easy for you if you want to break away from 16th notes or 4/4 rhythms. The Cyclone Analogic TT-78 goes a step into the right direction (more on that in a video that's coming soon) but the one sequencer that really blew my mind was the Synthstrom Audible Deluge. It can instantly switch between normal and triplet scale views, you can zoom in to place substeps and you can freely split steps into however substeps you want without zooming in. I will feature it in some of the upcoming Drum Machine 101 episodes.
Oh and regarding flam: In the newest firmware version you no longer have the problem that every step is marked as flam and probability by default. You now have to manually select the steps that should be affected (which makes way more sense). But that doesn't change your existing patterns or the empty patterns in the drum machine that were present before the update - you'll have to erase patterns or whole banks to "format" them to the new default.
@@CaptainPikant Ahh... that explains it! I was quite surprized to check and see that I had the newest version already loaded in my RD 8 but all the time I didn't notice unwritten patterns don't have flam and probability pre-activated by default. Great they changed that! And what you said about the Deluge and Cyclone sounds very interesting, thanks for the nice response!
The Arturia drum machines have a much more intuitive programmer, but this sounds so good it is difficult to resist
RD9 + Beatstep Pro?
Never rush a product. Especially not when trying to do an emulation.
Sounds PHAT
Sounds boring. Listening to this demo made me realize the 808 sound is just done. Overplayed, outdated. I'll put my TR-08 on a shelf for display in commemoration of the "old days" and move on.
One issue I have i that the RD8 is the master in my set up, and I have MAP set to zero on all channels. For some reason, when I play the sequencers from my Crave, TD3, Odyssey, the RD8 drops the note value to C#1 and sounds horrible. I tried changing the midi channels etc etc and making sure the MAP notes were zero on all channels. How do I get the RD8 from dropping the note value on the other sequencers? HELP! Thanks for your time and understanding!
Now I can use my RD-8, TD-3, Pro 1, Model D and UB-Xa together .. only UB-Xa is still missing .. :(
I got mine too early and to fix the different volumes of clave/RS will have to learn surgery and add a component i guess... (got the model D too early too and the FW will not update, but at least the Pro-1 update worked)
For the model d firmware update not working, you should be able to return it under warranty!
Did the new firmware address the bug that made it impossible to use the time divisions using cv sync in real time?
2:04 that's actually pretty neat, did the original do that too?
Yes, that behaviour is the same on the TR-808. So useful!
Thank you for a good and entertaining review. I have a sync question. Let's say I want to slave an original TB-303 or TR-606 from to the RD-8.
Does the shuffle/swing setting affect any of the sync out?
Thanks! That's a really good question. If no one here knows an answer, I'll check the sync outs when I'm in the studio next week and get back to you.
@@CaptainPikant I've gone through the RD-8 manual but it doesn't specify anything about it so if you could check that would be very kind, cheers!
@@larsnetzel I've just tested the sync out: It is only affected by swing if the analog clock is set to 1PPS (this setting was added in the newest firmware update).
Thanks for checking! 1PPS ey, how does that affect equipment that would slave to it? I mean, the original TB-303 listens to din- sync 24 which is 24 PPS I guess?
I have trouble with syncing the rd-8 to ableton. The tempo of the rd-8 goes off randomly when ableton is master. When the rd-8 is master there's no problem. I would prefer to use ableton as master, does somebody know how to solve this?
My audio output and headphones Jack failed only individual outs work. I have to ship it back for repair. Only had a few hours of use 😐 I really enjoyed programming and the performance capabilities.
☹ Hope you get a replacement soon!
Hi, love the videos. So, yes, you don't actually erase live data. But i can't seem to erase saved data either. What am i doing wrong? By the way, is there way to copy the patterns from one song bank to another?
Does anyone else's Low Pass filter bleed highs when its fully on ?
Generally how many individual outs would it be good to use to process drums? I'd need an audio interface with about 20 ins if I was going to use them all. I guess you want to separate the kick from the main mix and maybe the toms. I guess you could do it in terms of separating out the hi mid and low sounds.
It depends on what the song needs. Having the Kick as a separate signal is always a good idea for sidechaining :)
Like👍🏼
One question, can it record velocity when the sounds are triggered with an external MiDi controller?
No it can't record velocity. The sequencer just differentiates between off and on without individual accents.
@@CaptainPikant Oh... I see, that’s a bit of a let down for me... I’m used to the mfb Tanzmaus which has 4 velocity/accent levels available for each note of each instrument.
Do you/your team/the intern create the graphic designs yourselves? Or do you commission them? They're really impressive and accurate to the hardware
Thank you so much for noticing :) Yes The Intern and I do all the graphic designs ourselves.
There is one thing which I found annoying in the new firmware. When the sequence is running and a certain instrument is muted, it wil still sound when you record a new sequence with the trigger button. This is annoying because during a performance I like to mute an instrument, record a new sequence by playing and then unmute the instrument. Do you know if there is a way to get the old behaviour back?
Sorry, I looked but I couldn't find any way to change that behaviour. Did you try contacting Behringer about this? As a workaround you'd probably have to turn down the instrument's volume while recording.
6:19 sounds like the homes brothers drum break haha
It's actually The Winstons' "Amen Brother" break :)
yeah I found it to be quite large too! But worth its size. But yo I was also thrown off by that line too! Not marked in groups of four !?!?
Can you control it by external pads? Like maschine MK3 or analog rytm? Thanks
This will work if these pads send MIDI notes. On the RD-8 you can even configure the MIDI notes for each instrument.
Hello, I have bought the RD8 recently and when I connect it to my pc I find that it does not have the mythical sounds of the 808. I'm very new to this so I don't know how to introduce those sounds into each of the channels. Can someone explain it to me as if I were stupid? Thank you
❤
🙏❤
The thing this appears to be lacking is the “transpose” dial. I have the Roland MC-303 which allows you to change the octaves of the entire loop. Is there an option to do this on this model?
There's no transpose function but you won't need it because you can't program melodies, it's strictly a drum machine.
I recent bought a Mk-1 RD-8 from eBay and like it a lot - this video is like the manual Behringer should have produced themselves, so thanks. (Patreon -> subscribed)
Silly question: what is the sticking-out thing on the back panel next to the power socket? (RD-9 has the same.) Is it a strain-relief thing for the power cable, or maybe an earth point? Surely not an anchor point for a security cable since you could just unscrew it. The official manual doesn't mention it at all.
Thanks! Yes I think it's a strain relief. You're supposed to loop the power cord around it to avoid it being accidentally yanked out.
Q. on the Rd-6 if you place a hit with close AND open hi ht on same step you get a '3rd' sound.... what about the RD-8?
The RD-8 has that 3rd hi-hat sound, too. It's for example heavily used in Marvin Gaye's 808 classic "Sexual Healing".
@@CaptainPikant excellent, thank you for replying.
Dear Captain Pikant, thanks for your helpful tutorials. One question: in 11:52 you record subs live. How did you do that? When I try it on my TR8 it plays the subs but it doesn't record it. Do I have to change something in the settings? Would be happy if you (or somebody who reads this) could help me out!
Hi there, if you follow the steps in the video it should work. Are you on the newest firmware version?
Thanks so much for the quick response! I think my problem is that I have the first version of the RD8, not the MK2. My latest update is 1.3.5 and I guess I can't update to 2.1.2...
@@st.johannis-harvestehudebe646 oh you definitely can! In this video we actually use the MK1. Just download the newest version of the Synthtribe app and use it to update the machine via USB :)
Have you tried the RD9? Its killer and suits my house music jams🤘
Sure, we even made a review on it :)
thats a basic explanation of the RD8 outputs most ppl don't talk about it because they don't know what it is for, but I think it's important to explain what are the 3 trigger outputs for and what type of connection cable most be used. TRS or TS , Insert cables etc, get deep into it
Im with ya
"Sign here twice, mail the envelope" 😂😂😂
Can you record in stereo? Is it just mono?
Main complaint that it is very short power cord... (and it is huge, not a con, but think twice if you have limited space)
Next? Oberheim's DMX, Linn Drum, SP-1200 E-mu, 909.....
Hello. Is there a way to use a dummy MIDI clip (say in Ableton) to change patterns (ie change from pattern 4 to pattern 9) in the RD-8? Usually you can do this with synth patches but it doesn't seem to work or work the same way with the RD8. Thanks.
Hello there! I don't think so, the RD-8 doesn't support program change messages.
@@CaptainPikant Thanks for that. Yeah, i managed to speak with a few Berhinger workers who confirmed the same. Ah well.
When did they add the sound triggering of an instrument when you select it? Can you still select it without playing the sound?
That was probably added in one of the last updates. But it won't interfere with your performance, the sounds are only triggered when the sequencer is stopped.
909 has manual play mode. i guess it was added to the firmware to emulate that feature as RD-8 and RD-9 share the software.
Holy Lord! Mine must be on firmware version 0.0 🤷♂️
Is there a fix for the Clock Problem? All of my Behringer gear aren‘t able to play notes tight to other non-Behringer master clock..
Damn, do you still have the clock problem ???, I own a microkorg, monologue and Volca Fm, I was using a Po 12 as a rythm machine, and I wanted to Buy this machine, but if You still have that problem, i would look to another machine
is it possible to Automate the filter in song mode? it would be great!!!
Hi Nazareno, the filter automation can be saved per pattern (I think that feature has been added in one of the recent firmware updates), so connecting the patterns via song mode should give you that automation.
If I saved my "patterns" as "songs", can i copy and paste them back into "patterns" so i can go back and chain them together as "songs"?? Would the process be easier from within synthtribe app ?
Songs are just containers of 16 patterns - on other machines they would be called "banks". At the same time, a song contains a playlist of its own patterns, which can be fired off in "pattern mode" with record turned on. In "song mode" you can chain these songs/pattern playlists together. The copy function allows you to copy patterns across songs. The synthtribe app helps with managing the patterns, but to be honest it's lacking quite a bit in terms of usabiliy...
Can i directly connect it to a speaker with full jack via mono out? Or sound interface is a must?
As long as that speaker is powered (either by a built-in or an external amp) you can connect it directly to the drum machine.
@@CaptainPikant thanks 4 ur response
I am deciding between RD8 and Drumbrute Impact. I don't like the sound of 808 kick, but man the other sounds are great. And the looks also.
I have both and I hate the Impact Kick. The RD8 kick is deep, big and fat. Impact is a good Add-On, the distorted sounds compliment the RD8 - together they stomp 🔥
If I had to choose just one, RD8 all the way - but if you want to make some weird music the impact should be nice.
Sounds aside, I'd say the DrumBrute Impact has an edge over the RD-8 regarding usability. I found it to be very intuitive and refined. The sounds are of course a matter of taste but let's say I was pleasantly surprised when we used the DrumBrute Impact for our "Daft Punk - Da Funk" cover.
@@CaptainPikant thats true 👍
The DBI is a fantastic performative drum machine, really unexplored I think--but the sounds are like 8/10 for me. I have considered buying the RD-8 and then sequence it from the DBI. I'd love to see Captain Pikant take on the DBI.
When I sent my Rd8 for service, the music store borrowed me Drumbrute impact for about a month.. The building quality and playbility is superior to Rd8.. Now what about the sounds.. The kick of Impact is something between 909 and 808..Sometimes I liked it sometimes not.. It is more for techno stuff.. Snare, and clap are my favourite sounds and my some of my favourite percussive synthetic sounds ever.. They give nice energy in the groove and have a nice texture.. Toms are a bit,.. Hmmm..Muffled I can say... Now the bad sounds.. Hats were unacceptable for me.. Especially when you open their decay.. They have a default gritty/saturated flavor that dont let them shine like Rd8.. Too cheap sounding.. Cowbell.. Its ok.. Almost never use this..
Fm drum, which is the last sound, has interest when you hear it alone, but most of the times I couldnt fit it to the groove... In general I found the sounds not pairing harmonically... What is better in impact compared to rd8 is that the kick cuts through the mix with ease and make better 4 on the floor.. 808 type kicks are gorgeous sounding alone but I find difficult especially in 4 on the floor and full open decay to stand in the mix....For break beat, electro bouncing patterns is the best.. Also when I turn on distortion in Td3,for instance, the Rd8 cant fit good.. All these I stated above are my personall experience and my taste, you can check your own, hear demos and make, if you dont already made, a choice.
Cheers!
Big Question here! Is there any difference to record from the Main Output or from Individual output?
The old MK1 version inverts the phase of instruments under certain circumstances. If you need to avoid that you have to use the individual outs. Other than that I didn't detect any differences.
@@CaptainPikant Can I just invert the phase on the digital mixer of my soundcard MOTU and take the sound from the Main? Thanks to reply
Don't know if this is an error or not, but my RD8 you can't hear the FX through the headphone socket, only the main output?!
He mentions in the review that the headphone output is dry, i.e. not affected by FX. Seems annoying.
Does this drum box contain any linn drum snare sounds or 80's simmons drum sounds?🤔
No, it's a clone of the Roland TR-808.
where do you get the sheet music for the drum patterns of famous songs? what are they called exactly?
Hi Shannon, I made these myself. I transcribe the patterns and put them up on our Patreon. You can download a few free ones without a pledge as well.
@@CaptainPikant Thanks, I also just saw your envelope, Patterns on Patreon second time round.