There was never a studio version recorded because it would’ve taken away from the realness of the song, where Kanye touches on his imperfections and disconnect from the real world, which coincided with the LP’s theme. It wasn’t planned to be a part of the album until Beyonce fell in love with the raw recording of the track, which really made it special, audience shrieks included. Honestly, I haven't been into hip hop since I was a teenager but listening to 808s again reminded me just how fucking good Ye is.The cathartic “Pinocchio Story” was first performed in Singapore as a freestyle before 808s & Heartbreak was even released. Then seems to have this choir patch sing the main melody, then sort of double (with some variation) Mr Hudson and Williams and then there is one final part below that just filling some of the gaps in the harmony.

If you cut the centre in Amazing, you can hear those two singing with one being deepened and also some kind of tape string sound playing the little melody the piano and soprano voice also play on the hook. He has Mr Hudson and Tony Williams back up the sort of tenor range voices and digitally drops one of their voices by an octave in SYW and Amazing I think to make those really deep parts. Obviously he has a fairly unrealistic choir patch on something which he uses in Say You Will, Amazing and I think it's really subtly there in See You In My Nightmares. Just take WTHB, you've got a synth lead near the end and two different synth basslines along with the cello and 808s.

I know he owns a few Moog monophonic synths but he definitely had a lot of polys in there so, not sure exactly what but ye. You can hear some vintage analogue synths in in too. Pretty sure he used something like an R8 for the toms in Say You Will. I think the guy ended up using a TR-707 or 727 (Welcome To Heartbreak), an RC-78 (Welcome To Heartbreak),TR-808 and TR-909 (Paranoid) as well as Japanese Taiko drums (Amazing, Love Lockdown, Coldest Winter), one example of a drum sample (Bad News).

Who is 808s and heartbreak about