Hello people! I just sold Octatrack and wanted to know an answer to a super “clever” question - which digital or analog distortion is good for Roland TB-303 and similar to what I’ve heard in OT?
And yeah, I tried Analog Heat (which is good). But maybe there is some another alternatives?
This is a good place to start: https://www.acidvoice.com/tb_303_best_distortion_pedal.htm
Imo probably any distortion will sound good but there are different flavors. I have a Rat, a BD-2 and used to own a Metal Zone and I like them all with a x0xb0x at least. (Also Korg Monotron will drive it beautifully, https://youtu.be/B1NZcorZD1E)
Maybe also have a look at distortions designed for bass guitar, because many pedals made for guitar tend to suck the lower frequencies driven hard - a good thing for getting a lead line to come through in a rock mix, but I imagine not the best for TB-303 sounds. If you live near a store, take your acid box (if you own it) or at least some way of playing back samples of what you’re looking to process, then try a bunch of pedals out.
Edit: distortions that you can blend between the wet and dry signals can also help retain some bass elements/low end clarity much better
Thanks! This is very nice to see!
I really like my Analog Drive, versatile, can be used on drums. Found it better than AH for these duties.
Clean Boost example with xoxheart
Interesting. Why is it better than Heat?
Much higher gain, dirtier, thicker grain. AH better / cleaner as master.
I detailed more in that thread, from the beginning.
Analog Drive Test with Digitone, fx loop on bassline.
AD Big Dist
DN dry
Clean Boost overdrive.
Moog Subsequent 37 through AD=>very good. I have it in a bus insert, so I can route stuff though it if needed. I don’t like it for guitar that much. It doesn’t respond the way I like it and it’s pretty noisy on gutar. I drove some kick sounds through it and the result was pretty convincing. Worth a try.
I love the Proco Rat2 for this need.
It isn’t better in a general sense, because it lacks many of the sound shaping features the Heat has. It depends completely on your specific use case if it is “better”.
The differences in short: the Analog Drive is just a mono unit. It has no filter (just EQ), no LFO, no envelope follower, no graphical display …
Hmm. Sounds really different, even without eq/filter. I can’t tell what is the difference technically, but both can handle guitar or line levels, with very different results.
Feeling like AH has a limiter before distortion. I tryed it pushing it with harder inputs levels with really desapointing results, stucked distortion.
Much dirtier / normal distortion behavior with AD.
AD is much noisier, and I don’t think it’s just a gain thing. Different components? Harmonic Fuzz sounds really different from Round Fuzz, using the same OCTAVA FUZZ principle, easy to recognize with a guitar.
Using AH it as master fx wasn’t my goal.
Surprisingly with basic settings I found it better on guitar than the AD.
This is my all time favorite distortion for the x0xb0x:
https://electricdruid.net/digitech-pds-1550-distortion-pedal-analysis/
Inexpensive, and the HM-2 clone side of it sounds really good on 303 type stuff if you turn up the level and Q on the parametric EQ and use it like a second filter.
Also, Gwem (the developer of the MaxYMiser tracker) has a whole playlist of just distortion pedals paired with a 303, he’s up around 60-70 so far:
Ha-ha! Thank you! A very good demo. I did really forgot about AD exist! Will try it!