View source for Tadao Kikumoto

{{Short description|Japanese industrial designer}}
{{nihongo|'''Tadao Kikumoto'''|菊本忠男|Kikumoto Tadao}} is [[Roland Corporation|Roland]]'s senior managing director and head of its [[research and development|R&D]] center.<ref name="believe">{{Cite book
  | last = Kakehashi
  | first = Ikutaro
  | author-link = Ikutaro Kakehashi
  | author2 = Robert Olsen
  | title = I Believe in Music
  | publisher = Hal Leonard
  | year = 2002
  | page = [https://archive.org/details/ibelieveinmusicl00kake/page/222 222]
  | isbn = 0-634-03783-8
  | url-access = registration
  | url = https://archive.org/details/ibelieveinmusicl00kake/page/222
  }}</ref> He was the chief engineer of the [[Roland TR-808]] (1980) [[drum machine]],<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |last=Wolbe |first=Trent |date=30 January 2013 |title=How the 808 drum machine got its cymbal, and other tales from music's geeky underbelly |url=https://www.theverge.com/2013/1/30/3932574/how-the-808-found-its-cymbal-musical-tales-namm-geeky-underbelly |access-date=16 January 2017 |website=The Verge}}</ref> and then designed the [[Roland TB-303|TB-303]] (1981) [[bass synthesizer]] and [[Roland TR-909|TR-909]] (1983) drum machine.<ref name="emusician">{{Cite web
 |last        = Hsieh
 |first       = Christine
 |title       = Electronic Musician: Tadao Kikumoto
 |url         = http://emusician.com/remixmag/artists_interviews/musicians/remix_tadao_kikumoto/
 |accessdate  = 2010-01-08
 |url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20100519132456/http://emusician.com/remixmag/artists_interviews/musicians/remix_tadao_kikumoto/
 |archive-date = 2010-05-19
}}</ref>

==Roland TR-808==
{{See|Roland TR-808}}

===Design===
The [[Roland TR-808]], a programmable drum machine, was launched in 1980. The TR-808 included unique artificial [[percussion]] sounds, such as “the [[Hum (sound)|hum]] [[Bass drum|kick]], the ticky [[Snare drum|snare]], the tishy [[Hi-hat (instrument)|hi-hats]] (open and closed) and the spacey [[Cowbell (instrument)|cowbell]].”<ref name="cbc_808">{{cite web|title=Slaves to the rhythm: Kanye West is the latest to pay tribute to a classic drum machine|date=November 28, 2008|author=Jason Anderson|publisher=[[CBC News]]|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/slaves-to-the-rhythm-1.771508|access-date=2011-05-29}}</ref>

The machine is particularly noted for its powerful booming [[bass drum]] sound, built from a combination of a bridged T-network [[Sine wave|sine]] oscillator, a [[low-pass filter]], and a [[voltage-controlled amplifier]].<ref name=":6">{{cite journal|last=Reid|first=Gordon|date=February 2002|title=Synth Secrets: Practical Bass Drum Synthesis|url=http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/Feb02/articles/synthsecrets0202.asp|journal=Sound on Sound|location=UK|publisher=SOS Publications Group|access-date=2015-11-25|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040215232500/http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/Feb02/articles/synthsecrets0202.asp|archive-date=2004-02-15}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine|url=http://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/the-808-heard-round-the-world|title=The 808 Heard Round the World|last=Norris|first=Chris|date=13 August 2015|magazine=The New Yorker|access-date=16 January 2017}}</ref> The bass drum decay control allows the user to lengthen the sound, creating uniquely low frequencies that [[Flat (music)|flatten]] slightly over long periods,<ref name=":6"/> which can be used to create [[bassline]]s<ref name=":10">{{Cite news|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/8-ways-the-808-drum-machine-changed-pop-music-w453714|title=8 Ways the 808 Drum Machine Changed Pop Music|last=Leight|first=Elias|date=6 December 2016|newspaper=Rolling Stone|access-date=16 January 2016}}</ref> or [[bass drop]]s.<ref name="spin">''[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]'', [https://books.google.com/books?id=DyfQMSWSrIcC&pg=PA24&lpg=PA24 February 1990, page 24]</ref> It was the first drum machine with the ability to program an entire percussion track of a song from beginning to end, complete with breaks and rolls.<ref name="keyboard">''[[Keyboard (magazine)|Contemporary Keyboard]]'', [https://books.google.com/books?id=JDpLAAAAYAAJ Volume 7, Issues 1-6], 1981: "''The Roland TR-808 will undoubtedly become the standard for rhythm machines of the future because it does what no rhythm machine of the past has ever done. Not only does the TR-808 allow programming of individual rhythm patterns, it can also program the entire percussion track of a song from beginning to end, complete with breaks, rolls, literally anything you can think of.''"</ref> The machine includes volume knobs for each voice, multiple audio outputs, and a [[DIN sync]] port (a precursor to [[MIDI]]) to synchronize with other devices via the [[Digital Control Bus]] (DCB) interface, considered groundbreaking at the time.<ref name=":15">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IbtJAgAAQBAJ&q=%22mark+vail%22+808&pg=PT72|title=Keyboard Presents the Evolution of Electronic Dance Music|last=Kirn|first=Peter|publisher=Backbeat Books|year=2011|isbn=978-1-61713-446-3|language=en}}</ref> The machine has three trigger outputs, used to synchronize/control [[synthesizer]]s and other equipment.<ref>[https://archive.org/stream/DB_Magazine_1982_07#page/n29/mode/2up ''db: The Sound Engineering Magazine'', July 1972, page 32]</ref><ref name=":15" />

===Impact===
The TR-808 would become a fixture of the burgeoning [[Underground dance music|underground dance]], [[electro music|electro]], [[house music|house]], [[techno]], [[contemporary R&B|R&B]] and [[Hip hop music|hip-hop]] genres, mainly because of their relatively low cost and the unique character of their analogue-generated sounds. It was first utilized by Japanese [[electronic music]] band [[Yellow Magic Orchestra]] in the year of its release, after which it would gain worldwide popularity with [[Marvin Gaye]]'s "[[Sexual Healing]]" and [[Afrikaa Bambaataa]]'s "[[Planet Rock (song)|Planet Rock]]" in 1982.<ref name="cbc_808"/>

The track informed the development of pop-oriented electronic music and of [[hip hop music]],<ref name=":13">{{Cite news|url=http://flavorwire.com/433944/10-great-songs-built-around-the-808/2|title=10 Great Songs Built Around the 808|last=Hawking|first=Tom|date=16 January 2014|newspaper=Flavorwire|language=en-US|access-date=16 January 2017|archive-date=2 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190702134547/http://flavorwire.com/433944/10-great-songs-built-around-the-808/2|url-status=dead}}</ref> and genres including [[Electro (music)|electro]],<ref>Russell Hartenberger (2016), [https://books.google.com/books?id=G2WSCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA87 ''The Cambridge Companion to Percussion'', page 87], [[Cambridge University Press]]</ref> [[Miami bass]], and [[Detroit techno]].<ref name=":5">{{Cite news|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/slaves-to-the-rhythm-1.771508|title=Slaves to the rhythm|last=Anderson|first=Jason|date=27 November 2008|newspaper=CBC News|access-date=16 January 2017}}</ref> The 808 was instrumental to the origins of [[House music|house]] and [[techno]], and remains a staple of [[electronic dance music]].<ref>[https://www.wired.com/2002/05/blackbox/ Six Machines That Changed The Music World], ''[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]'', May 2002</ref>

Producer [[Rick Rubin]] and hip hop group [[Original Concept]] popularized the technique of lengthening the bass drum decay and tuning it to different pitches to create [[bassline]]s.<ref name=":10"/> The technique was adopted by [[Miami bass]] producers,<ref name=":10"/> who also used the 808 to produce a [[bass drop]],<ref name="spin"/> which has since been incorporated into a number of hip hop and dance genres, either produced by an 808 or using a [[Sampling (music)|sample]] of an 808 bass drop.<ref name="808film">[[808 (film)|''808'' (documentary film)]]</ref> [[The Bomb Squad]] popularized the use of [[Sampler (musical instrument)|samplers]] to manipulate the 808 bass, which became common in hip hop music.<ref name="808film"/> Dynamix II popularized this technique in dance music, which has since used the 808 [[sub-bass]] extensively, in genres such as trap, [[deep house]] and [[drum and bass]].<ref>[http://www.musicradar.com/news/tech/the-top-10-dance-music-production-cliches-583096 The top 10 dance music production clichés], [[MusicRadar]], September 2, 2013</ref> 808 samples were the basis for [[Oldschool jungle|jungle]] and [[drum and bass]], which developed from British producers using samplers to manipulate 808 sounds.<ref name="808film"/>

The analogue-based [[Roland Corporation|Roland]] machines have endured over time. The beats of the TR-808 have since been widely featured in [[popular music]], and can be heard on countless recordings up to the present day.<ref name="cbc_808"/> Because of its bass and long decay, the kick drum from the TR-808 has also featured as a bass line in various genres such as hip hop and [[drum and bass]]. Since the mid-1980s, the TR-808 and TR-909 have been used on more hit records than any other drum machines,<ref>{{citation|title=A Beginner's Guide to Digital Video|author=Peter Wells|publisher=AVA Books|year=2004|isbn=2-88479-037-3|page=18|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=stvOCfhc_igC&pg=PA18|accessdate=2011-05-20}}</ref> attaining an iconic status within the [[music industry]].<ref name="cbc_808"/>

==Roland TR-909==
{{See|Roland TR-909}}

While the TR-808 was fully analogue synthesis-based, the [[Roland TR-909]] combined analogue synthesis with [[Digital synthesizer|digital]] [[Sampling (music)|sampling]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/embed/pXsMvTSCkuY?rel=0&amp;controls=0&amp;showinfo=0 |title=How Roland Came Up With 909 Sounds |author= Roland Corp |date= January 20, 2014  |publisher= Roland |accessdate=20 January 2014}}</ref> The TR-909 was also notable for being the first [[MIDI]]-equipped drum machine.<ref name="russ">{{cite book |title=Sound synthesis and sampling |author=Martin Russ |year=2004 |page=66 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=9780240516929 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_W9Ek2LmPNMC&q=roland%20TR-909&pg=PA66}}</ref><ref>Butler, Mark Jonathan. "Unlocking the Groove: Rhythm, Meter, and Musical Design in Electronic Dance Music". Indiana University Press, 2006. {{ISBN|0-2533-4662-2}}. p. 64</ref> In turn, the TR-909 was succeeded in 1984 by the [[Roland TR-707]], which was entirely based on digital sampling.<ref name="fact2016">{{cite web| url = http://www.factmag.com/2016/09/22/the-14-drum-machines-that-shaped-modern-music/ |title = The 14 drum machines that shaped modern music| date=22 September 2016 }}</ref>

The TR-909 eventually came to be held in reverence by [[music producer]]s, [[hip hop music]] [[DJs]] and beatmakers, and [[Techno (music)|techno]] and other [[electronic dance music]]-style DJs. Much like the TR-808's importance to [[hip hop]], the TR-909 holds a similar important for [[dance music]], such as [[techno]] and [[house music]].<ref>{{cite web| url = http://complex.com/music/2014/09/roland-tr-909-tracks/ |title = Nine Great Tracks That Use the Roland TR-909 {{!}} Complex|website = [[Complex Networks]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url = http://mixmag.net/feature/909-tracks-using-the-tr-909 |title = 9 of the best 909 tracks using the TR-909 - Features - Mixmag}}</ref>

==Roland TB-303==
{{See|Roland TB-303}}

Tadao Kikumoto's invention of the TB-303 in 1981 has been listed by ''[[The Guardian]]'' in 2011 as one of the 50 key events in the history of [[dance music]], for its key role in the foundation of [[acid house]]. The article described it as one of the "first boxes to define the sound of [[electronic dance music]]."<ref>{{cite web|last=Vine|first=Richard|title=Tadao Kikumoto invents the Roland TB-303|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/jun/15/tadao-kikumoto-roland|work=The Guardian |location=UK|date=July 15, 2011|accessdate=June 29, 2012}}</ref>

==References==
<references />

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{{Roland}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kikumoto, Tadao}}
[[Category:Japanese engineers]]
[[Category:Japanese industrial designers]]
[[Category:21st-century Japanese inventors]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]]