In recent years, producers have been stretching the limits of 808s and using distortion, saturation, eq, and compression to shape them into sounds very different from the original Roland 808 drum sample. Even if it isn’t a direct sample from the original 808 drum machine, most people refer to any sine wave in the sub frequency range as an “808”. These days, the 808 drum kit is still used everywhere and especially in modern hip hop music. The original Roland 808 drum machine was introduced in 1980, and ever since, the 808 kick sound has become arguably one of the most iconic and widely recognized sounds in music production
