Lewis was approached by Ikutaro Kakehashi, the president and founder of Ace Tone, who wanted to know how he had achieved the sounds using the Ace Tone machine.

He made extensive modifications to the Ace Tone drum machine, creating his own rhythms and wiring it through his organ's expression pedal to accent the percussion. Lewis was known for performances using electronic instruments he had modified, decades before the popularization of instrument hacking via circuit bending. In 1969, the Hammond Organ Company hired the American musician and engineer Don Lewis to demonstrate its products, including an electronic organ with a built-in drum machine designed by the Japanese company Ace Tone. They did not allow users to program rhythms, but instead offered preset patterns such as bossa nova. In the 1960s, drum machines were most often used to accompany home organs. Robert Henke, musician and co-creator of Ableton Live You look at the circuit diagram like you look at an orchestral score, you think, how on earth did they come up with this idea? It's brilliant, it's a masterpiece. If you have an idea of what is going on in the inside, if you look at the circuit diagram, and you see how the unknown Roland engineer was making the best out of super limited technology, it's unbelievable. It's engineering art, it's so beautifully made. Its sounds are included with music software and modern drum machines and it has inspired unlicensed recreations. Its popularity in hip hop has made it one of the most influential inventions in popular music, comparable to the Fender Stratocaster's impact on rock. The 808 was eventually used on more hit records than any other drum machine. It became a cornerstone of the emerging electronic, dance, and hip hop genres, popularized by early hits such as ' Planet Rock' by Afrika Bambaataa and the Soulsonic Force and ' Sexual Healing' by Marvin Gaye. Over the course of the 1980s, the 808 attracted a cult following among underground musicians for its affordability on the used market, ease of use and idiosyncratic sounds, particularly its deep, booming bass drum. After building approximately 12,000 units, Roland discontinued the 808 after its semiconductors became impossible to restock. Launched when electronic music had yet to become mainstream, the 808 was a commercial failure.

Unlike its nearest competitor at the time, the more expensive Linn LM-1, the 808 generates sounds using analog synthesis rather than by playing samples. It was one of the first drum machines to allow users to program rhythms instead of using preset patterns. The Roland TR-808 Rhythm Composer, commonly known as the 808, is a drum machine manufactured by Roland Corporation between 19. Individual level, tuning, attack, decay, and tone controls for some sounds

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