The best Roland TB 303 clone?!

You can get it circuit bent and it adds, among other things, a CV in to control the filter. It’s just great :slight_smile:

Have you adjusted the trimpots inside of the TT-303 mk2 to make it higher pitched/squelchier? It can get there.

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i’m not that bold or savvy with mods. i just got a Xoxbox instead

Nice, I sold my X0xb0x to move 8 years ago, but I loved the sound. It did do some ringing and hard resonant sounds that I can’t get on the TT.

On the TT, the trimpots are not mods, they are preinstalled and can be adjusted from the factory. You just have to open the case and turn some small knobs. (basically calibration knobs)

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Got a TT303 v1 modded with extended resonance range, 3 distortions/overdrive and a switchable HPF loaned by my friend here. Loving it! Great sound.

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Speaking of the sound…
I had an insight today to why we like the mid-range sound of a 303 so much.
With its many harmonics and melody jumping and sliding, it fulfils the role of a vocal or violin/fiddle line in many songs.

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It does. I’ve been obsessed with that idea for years lol.
Consecutive accents in the 303 dont sound the same, bc each one rises the envelope amount higher and higher. This sounds like a cry/wah with a really vocal quality, like it’s complaining about something.

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Btw, my favourite clon is the TD-3-MO. Yeah, it outranges the original 303, but it can sound like it quite easily, you just need to be a little more careful with the cutoff knob at the extreme values.
The sequencer is ACE, I’ve been using it to sequence all kind of synths, and all of them sound like real acid. Maybe not close to a 303 classic sound, but they all acquire some vocal quality to them with all the slides and accents and strange stuff that the 303 does.

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Is there a description of these up somewhere, or is it pretty obvious where they are and what they’re for once you open it up?

I’ve always had lots of fun with futureretro revolution

I feel like there used to be a description somewhere, but this is the best I can find now, some references on this page about mods: Bass Bot TT-303 MK2 Modifications – maffez synth mods

the orange trimpots are stock

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Boutique Roland TB03 Bass Line is super fun and sounds great! I love mine and it gets that squelchy acid bass I crave. I pair mine with my other Roland Boutiques TR-08 and JX-08 for tons of fun.

ELECTROBASE (a recent iOS app) is pretty nice (especially since 2.0) and includes a wave shape morpher from saw to square. That app GUI is also very space themed, so any elektronauts will likely love it!

Product video seems to be from a pre-2.0 edition of the app. Any here tried that app yet?

PS: There is also THE 404, although that has a formant oscillator. Sounds great at that pricing though!

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I should have come and updated this thread, I got myself an m303!

It’s amazing, honestly - instantly replaced my Bassline. My only gripe is that it’s a bit too good of a clone in that the octave range is a bit limited, I wish I could go higher as I quite like acid leads.

I won’t double-post my video as I dropped that in another thread but this is my latest jam it (I’m hitting the highest note it’ll track)

image

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That’s a nice jam!

What are u using to sequence the M303? I have no intention to go modular… But if I did, I could not resist a Stepper Acid.

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Thanks! It’s two sequences on an OT - I forget the specifics but I think one was a 21 step and the other a 16 step sequence to create a sort of polymeter vibe.

YES!
From the man who understands the 303 circuitry probably more than anyone alive, Robin Whittle:

Human listeners - and probably a few furry quadrupeds - interpret this
output of increasingly high pitched audio signals as sounding like
the cry of a living creature becoming increasingly distressed,
apparently in response to quickly repeated bursts of stimulus.
Whole essays could develop from this, in terms of how a few simple
passive components in the TB-303 mimic the distress cry of a living,
sentient creature. This is especially important in the context of
the effect happening more as the filter’s resonance is increased.
There could be speculation as to how this audio response to distress
evolved, both in nature and in the TB-303. From there, it is
relatively simple to postulate that humans and other intelligent
forms of life would evolve to develop an analagous emotional
response when hearing such sounds.

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Great track! Had to hunt down the video. :slight_smile:

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I had an interesting experience this evening.

I’ve had Dreadbox Nymphes connected to my Digitone for a while, and sat down at my desk for 15 minutes, doing nothing but noodling with sliders and presets.

I disconnected the Nymphes and reattached the MB-33, and instantly had a little melody going, with light FX, and then a Digitone chord, some drums.

The contrast of productivity was very interesting.

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I’m thinking of getting an analog clone… my only 2 requirements are:

  1. Sounds like a 303
  2. Filter cutoff can be controlled via MIDI CC or at least CV.

The only ones that I’ve found are the Avalon Bassline (too pricey), Erica Synth DB-01 (doesn’t sound like a 303 though it does sound nice), and the TD-3-MO…

My question is though, how close does the TD-3-MO get to the 303 sound, or is it completely off?

… or do I wait eons to be able to afford an Avalon?