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If you love the Roland TR-808, then you will have to be someone who is  going to consider splashing out on the company’s latest piece of drum machine-related merch.

To celebrate 808 day 2021 – it seems to come around quicker every year – the design gurus at Roland’s Lifestyle arm have come up with an 808-themed bomber jacket, priced at  $808 .The price is heavier than an 808 kick (you can try the TR-808 plugin for free, though).

This is a strictly limited-edition piece of clothing; only 88 of the handmade jackets will be available to purchase, with each numbered for authenticity. They’ve been designed and manufactured in Los Angeles, and feature “rich satin and heavy embroidery”, as well as the obligatory 808 branding.

If the jacket is not to your taste – either in financial or fashion terms – then you might be more interested in Roland’s other 808 day promo, which sees the company offering a free test drive of its TR-808 plugin for the whole of August. All you have to do is just sign up for a free Roland account on the Roland Cloud website and you will be good to go.

Orders for the 808 bomber jacket, meanwhile, can be placed from 8:08AM PDT on 8 August 2021, via the Roland Lifetsyle website.

The BOSS RC-505 was launched way back in 2013, is a multitrack looper aimed at beatboxers, singers and other vocal performers. Now the company is teasing a new version of this tabletop, hand-operated device, which is set to be released in the fourth quarter of 2021.

The new RC-505mk11 offers five simultaneous ‘phrase tracks’ with dedicated controls and independent volume faders. These are now more durable, with longer throw for more precise adjustment. There are Input and Track FX sections, each with four simultaneous effects and four quick-access banks, as well. Both FX sections have customisable buttons for each track.

With 49 Input FX types and 53 Track FX types – including several new ones – the potential for vocal manipulation looks set to be large.

In addition, the RC-505mkII offers 99 memories, each containing five phrase tracks, custom effects and playback settings, control assignments, and more. Loops can be synced to more than 200 built-in rhythm patterns and 16 drum kits. Another addition is the Mark Back button, for greater undo/redo flexibility when performing.

On the connectivity front, you get two XLR mic inputs with phantom power, two stereo line input pairs, and three stereo line output pairs. There are two external control jacks, each of which can support up to two footswitches or an expression pedal. MIDI control is also an option.

The USB port, meanwhile, can be used for data backup, phrase import/export with BOSS Tone Studio, and pattern import with the RC Rhythm Converter.

To build anticipation before release, the RC-505mkII will be showcased in a special SBX KIckback Battle, taking place on Swissbeatbox. Competitors will use prototypes of the new model, and audiences will be able to see it in action.

The RC-505mkII cost $600. Find out more and stay in the – ahem – loop on the BOSS website.

Synth-Werk has introduced the SW 1630 Bode Frequency Shifter, a third-party clone of the rare Moog 1630 module.

A frequency shifter is an audio signal modifier which shifts the entire frequency spectrum of the applied signal by a given amount. It delivers completely different effects than speeding up/slowing down audio or digital pitch-shifting, because frequency shifting changes the ratios between the frequency components of the audio. This can create effects ranging from subtle chorusing to complex, clangorous tones.

The Model SW 1630 Bode Frequency Shifter allows the amount of shift to be controlled over a span of -5000 Hz to +5000 Hz, utilizing voltage and/or manual control.

Synth-Werk makes a line of full-size Moog module clones, using the original designs and hand-assembly. The modules are built by hand-stuffing and hand-soldering components to circuit boards, using traditional wiring methods. The faceplates are etched, as the original Moog modules.

Their modules follow the Moog format (5U industry standard), but use modern Synthesizers.com connections, so they can be easily integrated with “Dotcom-compatible’ systems. The modules can also be modified to work with Moog power supplies.

The SW 1630 Bode Frequency Shifter is available for 1.950,00 Euro. A rack-mount version, the SW 735 Bode Frequency Shifter, is available for 2.250,00 Euro.