TB-03 accent/slide "bug"??

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Manic
Posts: 183
Joined: 10:09, 18 January 2017

TB-03 accent/slide "bug"??

Post by Manic »

I read a lot of people are complaining about some kind of 'bug' that the TB-03 sounds very different than the original TB-303 when it plays multiple accents rapidly following eachother. Additionally, some people claim thay when sliding towards an accented note it sounds weird. Others claim that this actually IS the authentic sound, although undesirably (??).

Can anyone confirm/debunk this and please provide some audio examples?
iixorb
Posts: 138
Joined: 15:57, 1 December 2015

Re: TB-03 accent/slide "bug"??

Post by iixorb »

I've owned a real 303 and an Aira TB3 in the past, and currently own a Boutique TB03, a mk1 Bassbot TT303 and ABL3 Vst ( I think this is what its called).

I have not noticed anything lacking or unusual in the TB03 against these other systems.

I am not claiming that the TB03 captures every nuance of the TB303 100% perfectly - because it doesn't.

However it is very close and does have a nice authentic feel to using it and personally I really like it. It delivers the 'woahh' characteristics better than my 100% analog Bassbot can.
Manic
Posts: 183
Joined: 10:09, 18 January 2017

Re: TB-03 accent/slide "bug"??

Post by Manic »

Thank you, thats good to hear :)
iixorb
Posts: 138
Joined: 15:57, 1 December 2015

Re: TB-03 accent/slide "bug"??

Post by iixorb »

iixorb wrote:
I am not claiming that the TB03 captures every nuance of the TB303 100% perfectly - because it doesn't.

However it is very close and does have a nice authentic feel to using it and personally I really like it. It delivers the 'woahh' characteristics better than my 100% analog Bassbot can.

I just want to add further comment to my own quote above.

When played on its own, dry, no effects or any other instruments playing, the original Roland TB-303 has a certain 'something' which I am yet to hear accurately captured or replicated by anything else - be it a digital clone / analog clone / VST. I owned one for 15 years.

But in the mix, with effects added if necessary or through a good distortion pedal ( for higher states of consciousness if required :-) ), I really don't think it matters that some of the better clones are not quite there against a dry TB-303. I don't think this will be apparent in a mix because how often would the 303 be dry anyway?? ( Bassbot TT-303, Aira TB-3, ABL3 and Roland TB-03 are the ones I know).

I think the experience you get from programming and playing with the Boutique TB-03 is satisfyingly close to the original - and I hope people are not put off by all the analog purists claiming the TB-03 is rubbish. It isn't rubbish, and it IS great fun and more than authentic enough.... In 10-20 years time, how many 303's, 808's and 909's will still be running? I think the Boutique concept is an excellent budget friendly way of keeping their legacy alive, well beyond when the originals have all succumbed to age....
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