Some of the 808's instruments/parts have trimmers, as mentioned below.
But generally for analog, component tolerances are either 1, 5, or 10%. 1% is pretty audible on oscillators, and 10% is pretty audible on filters.
So each instance of an untrimmed analog synth and drum machine will sound slightly different, even if they're coming off the same production line and using the same circuitry.
Component values also drift over time, so a contemporary 808 is not going to sound the same as it did when it was shipped in the 80s.
Basically analog's inaccuracies add character, detail, and interesting distortion. You can emulate them digitally, but emulating all of them accurately and convincingly is really quite hard.
But generally for analog, component tolerances are either 1, 5, or 10%. 1% is pretty audible on oscillators, and 10% is pretty audible on filters.
So each instance of an untrimmed analog synth and drum machine will sound slightly different, even if they're coming off the same production line and using the same circuitry.
Component values also drift over time, so a contemporary 808 is not going to sound the same as it did when it was shipped in the 80s.
Basically analog's inaccuracies add character, detail, and interesting distortion. You can emulate them digitally, but emulating all of them accurately and convincingly is really quite hard.