mmmh, ok. August and exclusive…could be a sign of a new production run (and hopefully a new bugfree os)
What were the bugs that most troubled you? I’m considering buying a second-hand unit.
- Chaining two or more patterns in bank 2 upwards
- forgetting sequences sometimes irregulary after powering down
nothing fundamental - i love mine and its sound. I live with the above since i got it.
But there was rumour about a new bugfix update (research about Abstrakt customer support and aupdate policy) long story which stinks a bit
I’m not doubting that advert, but about a month ago I reached out to Abstrakt support and asked about availability here in Australia. Received this reply:
Most dealers are out of stock.
New stock is scheduled to arrive in Mid-September.
I had no issues with loss if sequences.
There are issues with chain/song mode
Turning off program change didn’t seem to work , but I was trying it with digitakt , I used it with din sync to avoid it.
I never felt the need for micro timing ( I use micro timing for percussion though) ,it has many swing and timing options , playback directions.
I think it’s very small company , takes time to make them .
Yes, the loss of sequences is narrowed down to dinsync i think…When i stop the multiclock ad master, and turn off the avalon the sequence is lost. When i switch off multiclock First and then avalon.nothing is lost.
This Thing is great here a very noisy 8 Step Sem FilterTest but you got the Idea how it can Sound…Its my 2 Second Video i ever made Video & Sound is not in SYNC a lot Room Sound & my Blabla recorded with a Zoom H4nPro
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Considered getting one, but not worth the price, considering a TB-03 (not the Aira one) was highly rated by Acid Voice.
I sold mine , now use tt303 / mam mb33 retro and abl3 plug-in .
I ussually render/sample 16/32 bars , chop them up and filter sweep on the octatrack etc .
But my ‘music’ isn’t focused on 303 (even though I have multiple 303 boxes) , i’d Probably try boutique tb-03 at the moment as it has lots of midi cc .even the aira one can sound fine and has a wider range of sounds.
Or get an re303 , I think price , once built , comes in at similar price to Avalon if you can find one.
For £800ish there are a lot of more varied options , the nord4r has a 303 filter and the Moog 37 can do 303 ish , but it’s be worth finding examples.
I find the RE303 from dinsync and the Avalon the only 303 clones that are really really close to the OG. I own the Avalon and am super happy with it. Build quality is superb and the sequencer super nice. With the sub-osc and a SEM-filter Card it’s the ultimate bass machine. The extra modulation envelope brings a lot of movement into to acid patterns.
For me is the king of the 303. if you really want pure 303-experience the Re303 is the way.
Both are excellent, but I would prefer the Avalon with all the bells
And whistles .
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If anyone knows of anyone selling Avalon, I will buy it in a heartbeat!! Feel free to point me in the direction. Abstrakt will not be shipping any for some time 
I’ve seen some people saying the Avalon has essentially no tech support, so if you run into problems, you’re ****ed.
New OS coming next week! The high C is coming back!
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Absolutely love the Avalon. And I was never a TB-303 junkie or aficionado nor do I like the pure ‘acid’ sound, but appreciate a good groove. The sequencer is what does it… just so much fun to play and program unlike any other software or hardware clone I’ve tried. After having had it for a few months now I’ve gotten all of the filter cartridges after hunting them down. It’s just a really cool machine.
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What’s your favorite filters ? I got the SEM and love it, but usually keep the original one…
There are not that many demos of these cartridges, that would be pretty cool to show the same pattern with the different filters…
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I want the R:OTA
I have the ladder and SEM
Usually just use it as standard and the SEM for when I want extra grit
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I think you and I have been chasing the R:OTA (I’m on the Facebook group too) until I recently snagged one. I got lucky (sort of), but I really did pay a premium for it which is fine. In the big picture it’s not a lot of money. I talked a seller on Reverb who was trying to sell all three together into breaking them up individually, but I definitely made it worth his while. Keep hunting!
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It’s actually not a straightforward answer… for me anyway, but I’ll try to answer.
In order for pure sound:
SEM
R:OTA
(default)
Ladder
The SEM just has oomph and low end to it (ridiculous with the sub OSC) . That’d be my favorite and I just love the character. The R:OTA is similar (sort of), but more refined and polished? A bit less low end grunt and more tame, but still solid ‘round’ and full sound to it. A little harder to control the peaks though from the bit I’ve played with it. The Ladder is OK… not ‘bad’ by any means? Just different.
Now all that said is just pure sound and character. I actually think the built in TB filter is the ‘best’ in terms of sitting in a mix and not having to make a bunch of other EQ cuts and compromises. With the SEM or R:OTA I can see having to make those focal point and star of the track rather than an accent that sits more in the back of the mix. I guess it depends on what you’re going after?
That’s what one of the things that really drew me to the Avalon is that flexibility. I entirely slept on this synth when it released and up until this year. It wasn’t until a saw a YouTube video where it really clicked and saw the sequencing. I had an ‘OMG’ moment and completely went down a rabbit hole with it… I knew I had to track one down. I’ve had a ton of gear since I started this hobby in 1996 and I can honestly say the Avalon + Digitakt is some of the most fun and enjoyment I’ve ever had. I can sit down with those two and just get lost for hours. Rytm and MachineDrum pairing with it are right up there as well.
Good times.
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It’s scary how I could have made this exact post almost word for word!
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On the abstrakt instruments site they mention a final run of the bassline in July. Is that current, as in this year? Or an old thing never cleared?
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