The TR-808's sounds are fully synthesized via Web Audio API — no samples are used

The iO-808 recreation demonstrates that every TR-808 voice — bass drum, snare, hi-hats, cymbals, cowbell, etc. — can be replicated using the browser’s Web Audio API through synthesis rather than sample playback. The developer reconstructed each sound by studying Sound on Sound’s Synth Secrets series and the original TR-808 circuit block diagrams. The trade-off is that some voices (cymbal, rimshot) remain harder to match without samples, because their original circuits use analog noise and tonal characteristics that are difficult to model digitally with high fidelity. This establishes that 808-style drum sounds are synthesized percussion, not recordings.

Examples

All iO-808 voices use the Web Audio API with no audio files loaded. Compare: a bass drum is a sine wave with pitch envelope; hi-hats use filtered noise bursts.

Assessment

Name three TR-808 voices and sketch the synthesis approach (oscillator type, noise, envelope shape) that would approximate each. Explain why the cymbal is harder to match than the bass drum.