TR-808

It sounded nothing like drums. That was the point.

Every sound in the 808 comes from analog circuits, not recordings. The kick is a decaying sine wave, the cowbell is two square waves, and the hi-hats are filtered noise. When it came out, critics called it unrealistic.

Production was short. The used units that turned up cheap afterwards were taken up by hip-hop, electro and dance producers, who made that long, booming kick part of the sound of modern music.

Sound generation: Fully analog
Sequencer: 16-step, programmable
Signature voice: Long-decay bass drum
Units made: ≈ 12,000