I think I need to aFdjust my resonant frequency

I've spent many hours over the years looking at the TB-303 service notes and only recently noticed this typo :-)

This has to be one of the best things to happen for the TB-303 in a long time

Social Entropy have just officially announced their TB-303 CPU replacement called Quicksilver. Now while the list of features is very impressive the single best thing about this is that we now have the chance to keep TB-303's going for years to come.

The single most unbobtanium part of the TB is the CPU, and now that problem is now solved.

great work guys!!!

you can see the details here

http://www.socialentropy.com/quicksilver/

now we just need the same for the 808 and 909 ;-)

EDIT:

Ripe909 just sent me the official press info, so here it is.

Dallas, TX, April 04, 2012 - After months of testing and development, Social Entropy is releasing the Quicksilver 303 CPU Upgrade. Quicksilver 303 is a complete replacement CPU for the classic TB-303 BassLine Synthesizer. It uses a completely rewritten operating system that enhances and extends both pattern and track modes. All operations can be carried out while the sequencer continues playback. We have strived to maintain the classic feel of the sequencer, while removing the frustration.

Many features have been added to the operating system, with a focus on realtime performance and tweaking.

The sequencer engine supports standard step entry in pitch and time modes, while a new realtime record capability allows patterns to be entered live with the 303 keyboard or a MIDI controller. Editing of pattern information is now simple, with the ability to move forwards and backwards within a sequence while the pattern continues playback. A new chase LED makes it easy to visualize the location of notes in the pattern.

Functions like copy and paste, randomize, extend, rotate and reverse can be applied to pitch or time information independently. Patterns can be transposed in octaves or semitones in both pattern write and play modes. The transpose amount is stored with each pattern.

In pattern play mode, up to eight patterns can be chained for playback. A pattern restart and clock resync function makes sure that the music never stops during live performance!

The extended track mode allows for complete songs to be constructed using patterns. Each track step has settings for pattern transposition, multiple repeats or pattern chains.

Changing between modes can be performed without stopping the sequencer and all data is stored in EEPROM memory, eliminating the need for batteries.

Enhanced MIDI connectivity provides synchronization, sequencer input and output, as well as a new "MIDI Control Mode" which allows the buttons of the TB-303 to be controlled remotely by any device that can send MIDI note messages. Full MIDI System Exclusive support means that pattern and track data to be dumped to external devices for backup or sharing.

USB connectivity is used for easy operating system upgrades.

The Quicksilver 303 is available for immediate purchase. Price for the base CPU is $275 USD, with free installation for a limited time.

For more information, please visit http://www.socialentropy.com/quicksilver

"Acid Tracks" in 5 mins Redux

After chatting last week with Dylab from http://acidboxblues.blogspot.com about getting Phuture's Acid Tracks transcribed properly he sent me this picture.



This one was transcribed by Shaggie, and it would seem he nailed it, so I thought it could be fun to do another Acid Tracks in 5 mins. (Ok it's not actually 5 mins, more like 4 and a half)

Anyway, what you hear is the TR-707. TR-727 and the TB-303. As per the original everything is drenched in reverb and I added a very slight tube distortion on the TB-303 since on the original recording it sounds a little driven.

Sure this jam is not 100% perfect but certainly very close, enjoy!

Buchla Bongos on Acid

Just a bit of fun, here's the details.

DinSync.info TB-303 Special Edition
MPC1000 TR-707 kick
Bongo #1 Doepfer A-111-5 fm'd internally -> Makenoise QMMG Ch4,
Bongo #2 DinSync.info OSC303 fm'd by Makenoise Maths -> Makenoise QMMG Ch3
Hats Doepfer A-117 -> Doepfer A-106-5
Cowbells Doepfer A-117 -> Doepfer A-106-1
Additional drums Boss DR-110
FX Boss RE-20 Space Echo, Boss PH-3, Behringer VD400

Roland TB-303 DinSync.info Special Edition

This has been a while in the making, I'll post up a video with some audio when I get a chance, meantime here's some 303 porn.

p.s. it's not for sale ;)

Citric Acid OSC303 jam

Just got this from Citric Acid who received his OSC303 in the mail today, really nice to see (and hear) and I figured i'd share it here.

OSC303 starting to ship

The first units are now shipping, if you are on the waiting list and you didn't receive a notification email you should be getting one within a few days (if not already). If you think you should already have one perhaps check your spam folder or feel free to drop me a line to check if you made it to the top of the list yet.

It'll be a few days until I've completed the list and yes again there are still some places available so you know what to do if you want one of this batch ;-)



The burn in test for the modules before calibration.



and here's whats going out the door this week.

OSC303 build well under way

As you can see I'm on schedule for the planned February release of OSC303. Since this module is limited edition it will begin shipping next week for those already on the waiting/reminder list, the demand for which has been quite high. Once the list is completed I'll announce it for general release.

There are still places left so as mentioned in the previous post, if you want to get on the list just drop me an email if you want to be sure of getting one of this batch.

Getting closer

The panels have arrived finally, here's a little teaser pic of the final design. The CCCP one is a future module that wont be released just yet. Basically CCCP is OSC303 built with alternative parts, it sounds just as good but obviously it's not as authentic.

Since OSC303 is a 1:1 clone of the TB-303 oscillator getting the correct parts is difficult, so essentially it will be a limited edition. When supplys start to run low CCCP will phase it out.

If you want to get on the reminder list drop me an email on info@dinsync.info and you'll get an email when one is available.

If all goes well the first units should begin shipping next week!

A quick look at things to come

Now you probably saw this post where I did a small demonstration of OSC303 and VCF303. Anyway I just received this picture from Pro-Modular who are making the panels for OSC303 so I thought I'd share it with you.

There will be a few subtle revisions but for the most part this is what the first dinsync.info eurorack module will look like.

This should be shipping at the start of next month, more details and specifications soon.

Watch this TB-303 video very carefully

It's worth watching until the end, it'll make more sense then.

TB-303 Button programming reference

Came across this rather nice page by tinyloops that might be of interest to some of you, its a reference to programming the TB-303, here's a quick quote from the site.

"This "quick button reference" is meant to be exhaustive. This reference only makes sense reading after you have read the manual, especially pages 49-63 which explain about the beauty of mixing different step modes into one track. This reference does not cover that. I'm trying to give some insight on what buttons to press to achieve something in the process of programming the sequencer. The approach is an effort to bring some logic in the combination of workflow and button arrangement."

you can visit the site here

happy tweeking

Synth Drum Percussion

The inspiration for this little jam came from the cool poly mode on the Mono/Poly. When it's set to poly mode and the arpeggiator is running each oscillator is triggered one after the other. Combine that with some x-mod and you can get some nice synth percussion.

I then added an SH-101 bass drum, an MC-202 snare (noise patched in from the SH-101) and additional percussion from the A-100 modular. The A-115-5 is used for the synth bell tones and I'm also using the A-106-1 with self oscillation for a few blips.

The modular was triggered from the TR-606, though this is only used for triggers and not any sounds. All the drums are synthesized.

All that was left was to add a bassline from the TB-303 and record a little jam.

I'm using touchOSC and osculator to control Logic.

TB-303 Pattern Sheet

Here's a really nice pdf pattern sheet which I got from Dylab, you can download and print out. It has room for all your patch data so you can backup all your favorite basslines, very nice indeed.

Be sure to visit DyLab's blog for more TB-303 related topics.

The sheet was orignally designed by DanG who visits here and had this to add.

I designed those many years ago in Visio and gave them away to peff to distribute. I'm glad someone still finds them useful. :)

You can find the original posting along with a 4 pattern per page version at the bottom of peff's Synthesis Archive page here:

How to use tap mode on a Roland MC-202, TB-303 and TR-606

Since I've had a few requests about tap mode I figured I'd make a video showing how to do this on the MC-202, TB-303 and TR-606. All in all it's quite simple to do as you can see. If you are wondering about the weird hand directions when I'm working on the 606 it's because of the camera tripod in the way ;-)

A quick jam on the Roland TB-303, TR-606, TR-808 and TR-909

Just a bit of fun (we all need some fun sometimes huh). Here's a live jam featuring the Roland TB-303, TR-606. TR-808 and TR-909. Recorded in to Logic 9.

How to program tracks on a Roland TB-303

I hope you are having a nice easter. I am, except for the slight cold I have. So appologies if I sound a bit snotty ;-) Anyway this has been requested a few times so here's how to program tracks on a TB-303. It's a relatively simple operation when you know how.

The mystery deepens

It's common knowledge that Roland used different transistors in the production run of TB-303's. But the general consensus was that the transistors in question were 2SC536 and 2SC945, but today I came across this image on the x0xb0x forums posted up by Ripe909 of Social Entropy fame. Here's what he said.

"Just to add to this, I have an original 303 with a different part used: C1685" ... "the solder joints look original and the same part is used throughout the machine."

This is very intriguing indeed.

The Definitive Roland TB-303 vs Adafruit x0xb0x shootout

I hope you have your flame resistant suits on because here we have it, the definitive Roland TB-303 vs Adafruit x0xb0x shootout.

Is there a difference? yes.

Is it really noticable? no.

To be quite frank, if the x0xb0x is built well with the right components then the differences are subtle. In my ears it's something to do with the resonance, the 303 seems to be a little more squelchy and dare I say it a bit warmer, with a little more groove. The x0xb0x gets 99% of the way there and overall feels a little more stiff.

But don't take my word for it, check out the video, decide for yourself and leave a comment with your opinion. But don't forget, no two 303's sound exactly the same, so stands to reason my 303 will sound different to my x0xb0x.

Perhaps this will end the debate?

unlikely...

Let the flames begin.

TB-303 reference recordings for x0xb0x builders

When I built my first x0xb0x I didn't have the tb-303, and what I really missed was a set of recordings I could use to reference my build.

So now that I have a 303 I thought it might be a nice idea to record some knob positions so that any future builders or current x0xb0x owners could use these as reference when tweaking the internals in order to get a more faithful sound.

So here you have it, a large collection of knob positions so you can reference to your hearts content. Some of the recordings are a little quiet. This was done on purpose, since I didn't want to adjust levels between non accented and accented sounds. So you get the full dymanic range from soft to loud. You can always normalise the files if you need them louder.

DOWNLOAD 73mb

Here's a chart showing the knob positions for the sets.

Each position has 4 notes to it and the notes are all C, thats the low C on the keypad without any transpose shifts.

Each set has 16 notes recorded. So on the chart position 1 relates to notes 1-4, position 2 to notes 5-8, position 3 to notes 9-12 and position 4 to notes 13-16.

For example:

position 1:
1st note: C unaccented saw
2nd note: C accented saw
3rd note: C unaccented square
4th note: C accented sqaure

position2:
5tht note: C unaccented saw
6th note: C accented saw
7th note: C unaccented square
8thnote: C accented sqaure

position3:
9th note: C unaccented saw
10th note: C accented saw
11th note: C unaccented square
12th note: C accented sqaure

position4:
13th note: C unaccented saw
14th note: C accented saw
15th note: C unaccented square
16th note: C accented sqaure

so the 12th note (position 3) heard in SET-A1 would be an accented square with these knob positions,

CUTOFF: 75%
RESONANCE: 0%
ENV MOD: 0%
DECAY: 0%
ACCENT: 0%

All the knob positions are aproximate (hey these are analog knobs not digital after all).

SET-A1.wav

position 1 25% 0% 0% 0% 0%
position 2 50% 0% 0% 0% 0%
position 3 75% 0% 0% 0% 0%
position 4 100% 0% 0% 0% 0%


SET-A2.wav

position 1 0% 25% 0% 0% 0%
position 2 0% 50% 0% 0% 0%
position 3 0% 75% 0% 0% 0%
position 4 0% 100% 0% 0% 0%


SET-A3.wav

position 1 0% 0% 25% 0% 0%
position 2 0% 0% 50% 0% 0%
position 3 0% 0% 75% 0% 0%
position 4 0% 0% 100% 0% 0%


SET-A4.wav

position 1 0% 0% 0% 25% 0%
position 2 0% 0% 0% 50% 0%
position 3 0% 0% 0% 75% 0%
position 4 0% 0% 0% 100% 0%


SET-A5.wav

position 1 0% 0% 0% 0% 25%
position 2 0% 0% 0% 0% 50%
position 3 0% 0% 0% 0% 75%
position 4 0% 0% 0% 0% 100%


SET-B1.wav

position 1 25% 25% 25% 25% 25%
position 2 50% 25% 25% 25% 25%
position 3 75% 25% 25% 25% 25%
position 4 100% 25% 25% 25% 25%


SET-B2.wav

position 1 25% 25% 25% 25% 25%
position 2 25% 50% 25% 25% 25%
position 3 25% 75% 25% 25% 25%
position 4 25% 100% 25% 25% 25%


SET-B3.wav

position 1 25% 25% 25% 25% 25%
position 2 25% 25% 50% 25% 25%
position 3 25% 25% 75% 25% 25%
position 4 25% 25% 100% 25% 25%


SET-B4.wav

position 1 25% 25% 25% 25% 25%
position 2 25% 25% 25% 50% 25%
position 3 25% 25% 25% 75% 25%
position 4 25% 25% 25% 100% 25%


SET-B5.wav

position 1 25% 25% 25% 25% 25%
position 2 25% 25% 25% 25% 50%
position 3 25% 25% 25% 25% 75%
position 4 25% 25% 25% 25% 100%


SET-C1.wav

position 1 25% 50% 50% 50% 50%
position 2 50% 50% 50% 50% 50%
position 3 75% 50% 50% 50% 50%
position 4 100% 50% 50% 50% 50%


SET-C2.wav

position 1 50% 25% 50% 50% 50%
position 2 50% 50% 50% 50% 50%
position 3 50% 75% 50% 50% 50%
position 4 50% 100% 50% 50% 50%


SET-C3.wav

position 1 50% 50% 25% 50% 50%
position 2 50% 50% 50% 50% 50%
position 3 50% 50% 75% 50% 50%
position 4 50% 50% 100% 50% 50%


SET-C4.wav

position 1 50% 50% 50% 25% 50%
position 2 50% 50% 50% 50% 50%
position 3 50% 50% 50% 75% 50%
position 4 50% 50% 50% 100% 50%


SET-C5.wav

position 1 50% 50% 50% 50% 25%
position 2 50% 50% 50% 50% 50%
position 3 50% 50% 50% 50% 75%
position 4 50% 50% 50% 50% 100%


SET-D1.wav

position 1 25% 75% 75% 75% 75%
position 2 50% 75% 75% 75% 75%
position 3 75% 75% 75% 75% 75%
position 4 100% 75% 75% 75% 75%


SET-D2.wav

position 1 75% 25% 75% 75% 75%
position 2 75% 50% 75% 75% 75%
position 3 75% 75% 75% 75% 75%
position 4 75% 100% 75% 75% 75%


SET-D3.wav

position 1 75% 75% 25% 75% 75%
position 2 75% 75% 50% 75% 75%
position 3 75% 75% 75% 75% 75%
position 4 75% 75% 100% 75% 75%


SET-D4.wav

position 1 75% 75% 75% 25% 75%
position 2 75% 75% 75% 50% 75%
position 3 75% 75% 75% 75% 75%
position 4 75% 75% 75% 100% 75%


SET-D5.wav

position 1 75% 75% 75% 75% 25%
position 2 75% 75% 75% 75% 50%
position 3 75% 75% 75% 75% 75%
position 4 75% 75% 75% 75% 100%


SET-E1.wav

position 1 25% 100% 100% 100% 100%
position 2 50% 100% 100% 100% 100%
position 3 75% 100% 100% 100% 100%
position 4 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%


SET-E2.wav

position 1 100% 25% 100% 100% 100%
position 2 100% 50% 100% 100% 100%
position 3 100% 75% 100% 100% 100%
position 4 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%


SET-E3.wav

position 1 100% 100% 25% 100% 100%
position 2 100% 100% 50% 100% 100%
position 3 100% 100% 75% 100% 100%
position 4 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%


SET-E4.wav

position 1 100% 100% 100% 25% 100%
position 2 100% 100% 100% 50% 100%
position 3 100% 100% 100% 75% 100%
position 4 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%


SET-E5.wav

position 1 100% 100% 100% 100% 25%
position 2 100% 100% 100% 100% 50%
position 3 100% 100% 100% 100% 75%
position 4 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%