How to make 808 slides (glide) in any DAW

Turn on glide (also called portamento or slide) in your 808 sampler or synth, set it to mono or legato, then make two notes overlap a little. The 808 bends from the first pitch to the second. The overlap is what triggers the slide, and the glide time sets how fast it bends.

How to do it

1. Load your 808 in a sampler or synth and set it to mono or legato.
2. Turn on glide or portamento and start with a glide time around 50 to 100 ms.
3. In the piano roll, stretch the first note so it overlaps the start of the next one.
4. Slide into notes a fifth or an octave away for the classic bend.
5. Only slide into a few notes per loop, so the slides stand out.

Why it works

Two separate notes jump from one pitch to the other. With glide, the pitch moves smoothly between them, which gives trap and drill 808s that sliding, vocal-like bend.