Roland TB-303 vs TT-303 vs TB-3 vs TB-03

RE303 is the closest to the OG soundwise

You’re one of those people who thinks anyone who makes a statement needs to store up evidence in order to prove it to would-be doubters on the internet, aren’t you? If you cared to know, you’d research it. I don’t keep copies of data to backup everything I read or say. I don’t have the specific “source” for that information but if you care to know, 5 minutes on Google and you’ll find it if you know what you’re doing. Regardless of my lack of evidence it’s a fact and Roland has made statements about the fact that they upgraded the ACB technology from the AIRA for the Boutique line. Specifically the ACB for the TR-08, 09 and the TB-03…

From the guidelines

remember to criticize ideas, not people

keep it civil, even when disagreeing, otherwise the tone plummets

Look, I’m doing your work for you:

The modeling parameters have been updated, apparently. The modeling engine is still ACB. Sonic differences are minute. Not much point in debating this issue, don’t you think? Have a nice day.

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Soundwise i like the TB-3 very much. I even accepted the touch screen interface. BUT it’s basically a preset machine. As such you get good results very fast and it’s very easy to use.
The knobs are not tight enough, something I truly hate. This leads to a worse overall picture.
That’s a pity, since the TB-3 can really sound very good.

Anyone tried the Doepfer 303 filter?

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I wonder if Roland would have said from the beginning that these boxes sound nothing like the original but are super fun and creative, would people stop being so critical?

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yes. Sounds good but you have to recreate yourself all the interaction between accent, filter, envelope and vca which is surprisingly more complicated that I thought. I have the x0x heart euro module too and it’s obviously much easier to achieve a proper acid sound with it. It’s got its own sound, definitely acid but I wouln’t call it a clone. With good modulation it can go where no 303 ever will.

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i think the criticism came them people expecting it to be an accurate representation of a 303 , roland claimed to have accurately modelled each component … leading many to expect that it would sound the same.

same with the boutique .
they’ll claim the same if they ever do another 303 clone . and try to use the same disclaimer of ‘its old , not all 303’s sound the same blah blah blah’ .

if they’d tried to market it as a ‘classic acid style bass machine’ , they might not have got the interest in it that using the tb name has , but they could’ve at least avoided the embarrassing obvious failure of ‘accurately’ emulating the analog stuff.
and i think the green + touch screen might have put more people off.

theyre quite cheap these days , i just wish they’d also implemented easier/more widely used midi cc’s instead of sysex , its a pain to program fx and i usually had issues trying to get the free/paid for editors working… i got some things changing in midi designer pro but it wasnt worth the effort.

Different circuitry, different sound; indi outs and outboard processing make it apparent.

TB-03 and TB-3 seem to be good enough for DJ Pierre and/or what’s left of Phuture. To each his own…

Not sure it’s a selling point though, but yeah, to each his own :wink:

Thanks for the quick answer! Yes it’s more complex as i expected. I just tried to patch a complete 303, found out i need a logic module to switch between glide on and off. (:thinking: maybe I should use the A4 for doing the glides…).
I don’t try to emulate a perfect 303. I have read different opinions about the doepfer 18 dB Filter. You think it’s worth to buy one?

The x0x heart as a gate input for slides. I don’t use it however since my sequencer (pico sequencer) can do slides already.

It’s worth buying the A103 if you don’t already have many filters because it’s very cheap and useful (and well built), but I think you can achieve a TB-like sound with a classic 24db filter. I like the MI ripples too for this.

to give a (maybe) more interesting response, I had both (tb3 and tb03). I found the tb03 more faithful to the tb303, especially with accented notes.

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Sounds ok to me - I’ve no problem with what he’s doing.

Like you said… to each his own. I have a totally different opinion.

Yes that’s why I asked. I got a Ripples Filter too! Absolutely lovely, and no volumen drop if resonance increases. Also a very powerful source for bass drums, especially if resonance is high enough that it self-oscillates. The other filter i got is the Morpheus, which is awesome, but sometimes almost to complex. But I definitely want another relatively simple filter, so I can use the Morpheus for the real complex sound.

to give a (maybe) more interesting response, I had both (tb3 and tb03). I found the tb03 more faithful to the tb303, especially with accented notes.

That’s good to know. The tb03 is very tempting, but 400€ is kind of overpriced. If I see one for a fair price i will grab one.

the ripples tracks perfectly when self-oscillating, so you can actually use it as a sine oscillator too :slight_smile:

Fair enough. I’d prefer the TB-03 to the TB-3 for the looks and lower cost. I think that vid you posted was made before he got his TB-03.

DJ Pierre comes across as somebody whose priority is get out there and get asses moving on the dance floor, and not sweat the details of the gear so much. I feel the same way - can’t relate the fighting going on a bit earlier in the thread.

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Another point in favor of the tb03: interface ! no knobs are missing like on the tb3.

I didn’t read the whole thread so I don’t know what you refer to about the fighting, though I can imagine since this subject is usually very polarizing. Despite my user name, I’m certainly no 303 purist. I’ve made acid-like sounds with almost anything from clones to samplers to modular synth. Heck, I even make acid bass lines on my novation ks5 :slight_smile: