Bass drum
Level · Tone · Decay · ±12 st Tune
V80 16-voice circuit instrument
Voltage 80 turns circuit state into a drum hit
This complete drum machine is modelled on the Roland TR-808. Its 16 voices use resonators and shared noise. A 6-oscillator bank supplies the metallic sources; envelope circuits shape the result. Hardware recordings set the calibration.
Sixteen engine rendersHear every voice
Panel names and MIDI notesScan the full kit
Setup · MIDI · routingOpen the Voltage 80 guide
- Stereo main plus fourteen stereo individual buses
- Sixteen-step sequencer with internal or host clock
- Eight complete kits and twenty-four curated patterns
- Continuous ±12 semitone bass-drum tuning
- Optional chromatic kick performance on MIDI channel 16
01 The complete kit
The panel names all 16 voices
Each abbreviation matches the panel. The listed controls are the complete surface for that voice. Paired tom/conga and rim/claves voices share circuit sections; all audio is synthesized.
Snare drum
Level · Tone · Snappy · revision
Low tom
Level · Low tuning
Mid tom
Level · Mid tuning
High tom
Level · High tuning
Low conga
Level · Low tuning
Mid conga
Level · Mid tuning
High conga
Level · High tuning
Rimshot
Level
Handclap
Level
Cowbell
Level
Cymbal
Level · Tone · Decay
Open hat
Level · Decay
Closed hat
Level · open-hat choke
Maracas
Level
Claves
Level
Whole-machine controls: Master level and Accent depth. Accent changes the trigger voltage that drives each voice, and the audio path applies it before synthesis.
02 The low end
The kick rings for up to 3.69 seconds
The body is a loaded bridged-T resonator settled at 49.5 Hz. Its Decay law is fitted across five positions of a documented unit, from a tight 90 ms T60 to a 3.69 second boom.
The isolated calculation gives 45.7 Hz. Loading by the surrounding circuit moves it to the measured playing frequency.
The tail remains a live resonator.
A harder trigger drives the pulse shaper differently. The tone path also receives more voltage. Spectrum and level both change.
Two kick performance modes
Drum Map is the backward-compatible default. Chromatic Ch 16 keeps the drum map on MIDI channels 1–15 while notes 8–55 on channel 16 retune the synthesized kick. Note-off never cuts off the resonator tail.
03 Trigger In
Send it your kick. Get one tuned to it.
Route a channel to the plug-in's sidechain and Voltage 80 plays a chosen voice on each transient. For bass drum, MATCH measures the source after its attack and sets the synthesized resonator to the same settled frequency.
Transients become trigger voltage
Each detected hit enters the accent circuit used by the sequencer and MIDI. Velocity divides the hit peak by the loudest recent transient. The source dynamics carry through.
It measures the settled body
A kick starts with a pitch sweep. The analysis window opens 30 ms after onset and measures the body. Resonator coefficients change to meet that settled pitch. Audio is never pitch-shifted.
Two slots cover verse and chorus
MATCH writes into the armed slot, and the selector is automatable. New tuning applies at the next hit. A ringing tail stays intact.
Why Trigger In uses sidechain audio
Voltage 80 is an instrument in every format it ships in. An Audio Unit component carries exactly one type, and this one is a music device, so hosts will not place it on an audio track. A sidechain input accepts the same audio and routes in every supported host. Trigger In is off by default and applies to Voltage 80; the source is not passed through, because it is already in your mix on its own track.
04 Pattern and kit content
Program inside the plug-in or follow the host
The editable 16-step grid stores off, normal and accented hits. A session recalls the grid and clock mode. Tempo returns with swing; the Beat Library selection also comes back.
Clock mode has 3 positions
Internal runs from the panel. Host follows play and stop. Tempo comes from the host; a seek or loop repositions the pattern. Off keeps incoming MIDI active and generates 0 pattern hits.
Eight kits. Twenty-four patterns.
The kit selector applies a complete set of parameter values. All 24 patterns are original. They are cleared for release and recalled with the session.
Patterns import and export as MIDI
Import quantizes note-ons to the 16-step grid. Export preserves each note. Step positions remain exact, and normal/accent velocity classes survive the round trip.
05 In the host
The default drum map stays predictable
The default GM-flavoured drum map remains unchanged. Velocity drives the accent circuit, and the output layout keeps the complete mix on Main while exposing fourteen dry individual circuit buses for host processing.
- BD
- 35, 36
- SD
- 38, 40
- RS
- 37
- CP
- 39
- LT
- 41, 45
- MT
- 43, 47
- HT
- 48, 50
- LC / MC / HC
- 64 / 63 / 62
- CH
- 42, 44
- OH
- 46
- CY
- 49, 51, 57
- CB
- 56
- MA
- 69, 70
- CL
- 75
- Velocity → accent CV. Higher velocity increases circuit drive according to the measured law for that voice.
- CH → OH choke. A closed-hat trigger terminates the open-hat envelope. Note-off messages leave it alone. This matches the hardware choke circuit.
- Deterministic recall. Identical MIDI and audio input reproduce the same samples. Transport state and seed are part of that input contract.
- Main + fourteen. The complete stereo mix stays on Main. Fourteen stereo auxiliary buses carry dual-mono circuit taps. They sit after voice level and before Master.
INDIVIDUAL BUS ORDER
- Bass drum
- Snare drum
- Low tom
- Mid tom
- High tom
- Low conga
- Mid conga
- High conga
- Rimshot / claves
- Handclap
- Cowbell
- Cymbal
- Open / closed hats
- Maracas
06 Circuit instrument or sample folder?
The engine synthesizes each hit
Voltage 80 advances continuous circuit state between triggers. Shared noise and metallic oscillators keep running, which gives the voices a common electrical source.
Repeated hits keep moving
The sources free-run between triggers. Individual hits differ while the full performance remains reproducible.
A MIDI note selects one circuit voice
The note starts a dedicated voice at its authored tuning. A separate circuit path synthesizes each instrument.
The plug-in contains 0 audio samples
The installer carries the engine plus factory state.
07 Voltage 80 FAQ
Four direct answers.
Does Voltage 80 sound like the hardware?
Voltage 80 is modelled on the Roland TR-808. Documented hardware recordings cover its kick and snare. Separate measurements cover the tom/conga circuits. Cowbell has its own record; handclap and open-hat do too. Voltage 80 has no affiliation with Roland.
Can it make the long kick boom?
Yes. The kick is a synthesized 49.5 Hz loaded resonator, and its measured decay law reaches 3.69 seconds T60 at the top of the Decay control. That resonator generates the tail directly.
Can it be triggered by audio?
Yes. Route a channel to the plug-in sidechain and Trigger In plays a chosen voice on each detected transient. The detector derives velocity by comparing the hit peak against recent input. For bass drum, MATCH measures the settled source pitch and retunes the synthesized resonator. Two slots can hold separate verse and chorus settings. Trigger In is off by default.
Does it replace a sample pack?
For this 16-voice kit, it can. The engine synthesizes each hit at trigger time. Shared noise and metallic sources free-run between hits; the install contains 0 round-robin libraries. A sample pack remains a different tool when you want captured processing or a particular recorded unit.
Trademark notice. The Roland TR-808 is referenced only to identify the hardware studied and measured. Roland and TR-808 are trademarks of Roland Corporation. Voltage 80 and Voltage Drums are independent products, not affiliated with or endorsed by Roland.
08 Hear the engine
Trace all 16 voices
Play the fixed-seed engine renders. Selecting a voice reveals its complete signal path.
Machine · circuit · proofOpen the Voltage 80 tour