It feels like Behringer has a million and one vintage hardware clones in the pipeline, but few are as eagerly anticipated as its emulation of Roland’s TR-808 drum machine. Now, after what seems like years of teasing, it’s available for pre-order.
One thing to note is that the final production model is known as the RD-8 - up until recently, it was being referred to as the RD-808 - but there remains little doubt which machine inspired it. We don’t know the reasons behind the name change, but we can certainly take a guess.
This is an analogue drum machine with individual outputs for each of its 16 sounds. There’s a 64-step sequencer, and MIDI/USB connectivity.
We got a chance to play with the RD-8 at Superbooth. Here it is in action:
The Behringer RD-8 is being listed at £299/€299 - we're assuming that the US price will be $299 - which undercuts Roland’s own TR-08 and TR-09 by a significant margin. Some retailers are suggesting that stock will be with them within four to five weeks, while others estimate the shipping date as November.
