If you're looking for the best FREE 808 sub bass sample packs then I've got you covered!
Whether you're using Ableton, Cubase, FL Studio, or any other DAW, these free bass packs will help take your dubstep, hip hop, and trap productions to the next level.
Best 808 Sub Bass Sample Packs at a glance:
Best 808 Sub Bass Sample Packs
Free 808 Bass Samples for Trap and Hip Hop by BVKER
This freebie from BVKER contains 11 top-notch 808 sub bass samples taken from their premium 808s sample pack. Note that a Soundcloud repost and follow is required to activate the download.
12 Original 808 Bass Samples by Shawn Auf Beats
This pack from Shawn Auf Beats contains 12 original sick 808 bass samples. Checkout the video below to hear them in action. A YouTube sub is required to activate the download.
10 Free 808 Bass Samples by Cymatics
This 808 sample pack from Cymatics consists of 10 great 808 sub bass samples. Checkout the video below to watch YouTuber EdTalenti use them to cook up an absolute fire beat. You'll need to sign up to the Cymatics mailing list to download.
15 Free 808 Bass Sounds Pack by lhaksi
This awesome sample pack consists of 15 dope sounding 808 bass samples. It's a straightforward download with no email address or social follows required.
808 Megapack Demo by SynthHacker
This great demo sample pack contains 10 mix-ready 808 one-shot samples ready to use in your tracks. You need to subscribe to their mailing list to activate the download.
808 Trapster Volume 1 by TriSamples
This incredible free sample pack contains a generous 103 samples, giving you everything you need to start making 808 trap, hip hop, and future bass. No email address or social share is required to download.
Wheezy Type Drum Kit by BVKER
This huge free trap drum kit is filled with 102 drum one-shots as well as a bonus FLP (Fruity Loops Project File). Download for heavy 808s and crispy hats! A Soundcloud repost is required.
Free Trap/RNB Drum-kit by sxber
This generous offering is a complete free Trap/RNB drum-kit. It contains eleven 808s, as well as kick, clap, hats, and percussion samples. A YouTube sub is required to download.
Free 808 Trap Drum Kit Download by Diamond Style
This free 808 trap drum kit contains some awesome sounding 808s along with many more quality drum samples, loops, and FX. A YouTube sub is required to download.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an 808?
The term 808 is a reference to the classic Roland TR-808 drum machine released back in the early eighties. Modern 808 sounds are characterised by a distorted fuzzy impact followed by a long sustain in the sub frequencies below around 80 Hz. 808s are generally tuned to the key of the track.
Is an 808 a Bass or a Kick?
Modern 808s popularised by trap and hip-hop artists do not sound anything like the original kick-drum sound from the TR-808. The term '808' has evolved to describe only the bass frequencies despite their origins as a kick-drum sample. So if you hear the term '808' being used, it is likely they are referring to the bass.
How Do You Make an 808 Sub Bass?
Rather than relying on other people's samples, making your own unique 808 sub bass is pretty easy to do, either by using any VST synth or by shaping and processing an existing audio sample.
For the first method, check out the video below on how to make an 808 bass in FL Studio:
To see how to create an 808 sub bass from any sound, check out Andrew Huang's tutorial below:
How Do You Make Your 808s More Punchy?
Shape your Sound: Be sure you give your 808s the room they deserve in the mix by high-passing other elements such as the kick to remove unneeded low frequencies.
Distortion: Add a subtle amount of distortion or saturation with a tool such as Decapitator by Soundtoys. This will help create additional harmonics at higher frequencies that will make your 808s stand out more.
Reduce the Sustain: Avoid the temptation to have your 808s ring out for too long, as you may find them getting in the way of other elements such as the kick.
Side Chain to the Kick: Remove any clashing 808 transients when the kick hits, by side-chaining the higher frequencies of your 808 to your kick-drum. If you don't know how to side-chain then check out this post: What is Sidechain Compression?
Final Thoughts
I hope you found this list of the best 808 sub bass sample packs useful.
If you're looking to add a great sounding beat to go with your new 808 samples, check out this article: The Complete Guide to EDM Drum Programming.
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Have a great day.