The basic TD-3 has good distortion built in. It is simple, but it gets me close to the 303 sound that I prefer. The MO’s overdrive doesn’t sound as good, but there are more things to play with and thus more variation available. I have both, and am glad I didn’t try to dump my TD-3 for a small amount of cash when I bought the MO.
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Have you considered the Cyclone Analogic Bass bot 2?
Great 303 sound and filter cv in.
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It is a little bit of work to get the MO to sound like a regular 303. But if you study the devilfish manual its not that hard. I love the sound of the MO. As long as you stay in the sweetspots. Its easy to make it sound bad. And since the range of several parameters are larger than original it sometimes doesnt make a sound. Like if you close the filter too much with no envelope on the filter.
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I’m just wanting a close-to-303 sound with MIDI CC for the filter… I have a Pro Co RAT 2 waiting to be fed in that sweet acid 
Hmm… interesting. No, I totally forgot about that one. But just checking the website, it looks like that it’s CV IN is to use the filter on the signal rather than control the cutoff frequency?
Anyone tried the Rarewaves Hydronium?
https://rarewaves.net/products/hydronium/
Quite a few patch-points (including Filter CV In @alfiedotwtf).
I like the form factor, features (fx loop!), some of the colours but no clue how close to the 303 it gets.
Just my opinion, YMMV:
I couldn’t stand the sound of the TD3-MO.
I had it for a while as a 2nd acid box, next to my modded MB-33 (circuitbenders.co.uk). There’s just something lacking about the sound.
Next to the MB-33 it sounded bad.
That said, it can do acid, it can get some of the way to a 303.
I had a TB-3 a few years ago, I think that actually sounds better than the TD3-MO, if you avoid the very edges of the range where the emulation goes weird.
Anyway, just my opinion and personal taste. Best of luck in your search!
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Exactly…
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I love my x0xb0x, TD3 and TD3-MO. Modded the TD-3 (filter calibration trimpot, square wave mod) so that it sound pretty much 1:1 with my x0xb0x. Classic acid all day.
The MO has a much greater range, a bunch of weird sweetspots where it sounds very much unlike the 303, but still squelchy and acid-y as all hell. Between the two separate filter decays, the filter tracking and the accent you can find a lot of formanty, expressive and liquid goodness. The sub oscillator has some really nice weight and squareness to it.
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I recommend trying the Bass Bott TT-303. Pair that with your Rat and you’re in acid heaven.
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No external filter control sadly.
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I use a cheap behringer TD3 and send it midi from the Rozetta Bassline app, it responds well to incoming midi slides, for $100. couldn’t ask for more, close enough to bang on for my ears…
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Dangerous visiting that shop
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I think most people would agree that the TD3 isn’t very close. Even a certain large music site which is filled with Behringer “plants” say that the td3 is one of the most inaccurate behringer clones.
This is the first time I’ve heard this claim. Most of what I read is that the TD-3 is close enough to a sort of average 303 sound and the distortion was well chosen. To my ears, the basic TD-3 sounds damn good.
You can get the silver one for $110 on the US Amazon site right now, so it’s really not worth arguing. If you are seriously considering buying one, then just get one and find out. If you have an objection to B* products, then don’t.
Edit: you can buy 25-30 TD-3s for what OG 303s are asking on Reverb right now.
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i been listening to acid house type music since 1994, and i can not tell if i am not looking at the box, when a TD3 vs 303 is playing. some uber nerds might claim something about how a transient isn’t the same, blah blah blah. It’s like arguing distortion tones from different pedals. Doesn’t matter if a clone is perfect, as long as you can get some funky acid out of it, you win!
I will say, i think the built-in distortion on TD3 is horrible garbage, better off using literally anything than the distortion built in. It just makes it sound annoying, to me. but that’s the same as saying, i don’t like X Y or Z guitar pedal tone…
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Ha ha yes it certainly is!
I got them to bend my Kaoss Pad 1 too, its so nuts!
They’ve recently added the KP2 as well, I’m tempted to get one then keep the one I prefer.
I’ve also discussed with them about building a ‘mega micro-tonic’, with CV control, using multiple PO32’s as voice cards!
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Ehh? First time I’m hearing this. Most people say the opposite: that it comes really close to the OG.
You can easily mod the TD-3 distortion to make it much much better:
Just remove 2 diodes: D19 and D20.
See
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In your opinion, what is the best clone for achieving a clean, dreamy 303 sound (no resonance) ?