The other bit of interesting news to come out of the 2020 NAMM Show is that the Roland TR-808 Rhythm Composer has now finally been inducted into the NAMM TECnology Hall of Fame. The TECnology Hall of Fame, which is presented by the NAMM Museum of Making Music, is reserved only for products that managed to advance audio technology in a significant manner. Engineers, authors, educators and other professionals make up the panel of 50+ audio experts who are tasked with selecting the inductees to the prestiges ranks of the TECnology Hall of Fame.

Before a product or innovation can even have a shot at being inducted, they must be at least 10 years old to qualify. Since the 808 is now already entering its fourth decade, it's about time that it joins the ranks of the Fender Rhodes Electric Piano, ARP 2600, Wurlitzer Electronic Piano, Roland RE-201 Space Echo, TASCAM 80-8 analog 8-track recorder and other classics.

Although the TR-808 was discontinued when its analog-synthesized percussion sounds fell out of favor compared to more realistic drum samples, it refused to disappear off the music scene. To this day the classic TR-808 kick drum can continue to be heard everywhere and the 808 sound is available in both hardware and software form from a variety of sources.

Check out the official TEC Awards site for more information on the inductees for 2020 as well as previous years.