According to West, the fact that Hawaii's area code was '808' was coincidental, as he had already developed the album's title before being informed. He felt the characteristic of the sound was representative of his state of mind. West utilized the sounds created by the 808 and manipulated its pitch to produce a distorted, electronic sound, an effect he referred to as 'heartbreak'. Drawing inspiration from 1980s synthpop and electropop performers such as Phil Collins, Gary Numan, TJ Swan and Boy George, West felt that the 808 is a resourceful instrument that can be used to evoke emotion the concept was introduced to him by Jon Brion. As implied by its title, 808s & Heartbreak prominently features the Roland TR-808 drum machine. Recording sessions took place at Glenwood Studios in Burbank, California and at Avex Recording Studio in Honolulu, Hawaii.
The album was recorded over a span of approximately three weeks from September to October 2008.