Tiptop Audio BD808 Analog Bass Drum Module

Tiptop Audio BD808, is part of Tiptop Audio's drum module series that brings analog percussion into the modular synth world, instantly turning your system into a self-contained music machine. Its small size, minimalist design and modern production methods have allowed Tiptop Audio to bring the world's most famous bass drum sound generator back at a very low cost.

BD808 is Roland TR-808s bass drum circuit adapted for use in eurorack format and tuned to sound like a machine that comes fresh off the original 80s assembly line. The adaptation to modular format has allowed for some special features like independent accent levels, a high-powered gain stage, dual-input pulse-shaper and extended decay — all without compromising the signature sound of the TR-808.

A widely-used technique with TR-808 machines is to run the drum sounds through outboard amplifiers to add gain and then pass the sound through just about anything to generate additional harmonics caused by clipping and distortion. BD808 includes a high-powered output gain stage capable of producing signals up to 20Vpp, extending from the original palette of sounds and allowing you to get an assorted array of harmonized bass drums ranging from sharp attacks to crushed tones using this simple yet effective technique! For the inputs, Tiptop Audio designed a dual pulse-shaper circuit so you can trigger BD808 with trigger/gate signals from step sequencers, clock dividers or any other pulse/clock sources. This saves you the need to shape the pulses sent to the module and ensures the same stable sound at its peak power, regardless of differences in your pulse source.

All these little-but-unique features make integrating this legendary sound generator into your modular easy, unleashing the power of real analog drums and making those speaker cones shake!

• Module controls
• LEVEL knob: master output gain level
• TONE knob: cutoff frequency for low pass filter
• DECAY knob: decay time
• ACCENT knob: accent level control, affects loudness and attack levels
• Patch points
• ACCENT IN input: gate trigger input to trigger accent
• GATE IN input: gate trigger input to trigger bass drum sound
• BD OUT output: audio output
• Physical specifications
• Size: 4hp
• Module depth: 36mm
• Power usage: 13mA @ +12V, 6mA @ -12V