Talk:Roland TB-303

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It is definitely sawtooth and square. Sawtooth is definitely the more popular of the two, at least for acid. Somebody mentioned that "production lasted only 18 months, resulting in 10,000 units" I find that very hard to believe that only 10,000 have been made. IT would seem that such a popular instrument would have been a bit more available at the time... Then again, I don't see many people toting their 808's either! --HL-SDK 19:03, 11 August 2006 (UTC)

I corrected (I believe) the fact that the oscillator could be switched between sawtooth and square waveforms. The previous version claimed cosine (?) and square (as a variation of sawtooth), but searching everywhere (including the unit's markings and user manual) seemed to only confirm that that the waveforms were sawtooth and square. Hoping my "correction" isn't an error... Ds13 08:16, 2004 Feb 25 (UTC)

Contents

[edit] Vote for removing the list of musicians

Do we need a list of musicians that use the TB-303? That's like listing all the musicians that use the electric guitar in their songs.

I too vote for removing the list of musicians having used the TB-303 since first of all it isn't very relevant, and second of all it isn't accurate. Many many more artists have used the TB-303.

  • I removed it. --Grm wnr 21:30, 3 Feb 2005 (UTC)

It's still there. Perhaps somebody re-animated it without taking a look at this talk-page. I vote for removing it too. I don't see the need for all of these massive and pointless lists. Not all information is relevant, interesting or helps understanding the subject, even if there's plenty of it :) --mie vaan 13:52, 3 Sep 2005 (UTC)

Remove it. --Robert Merkel 09:20, 4 September 2005 (UTC)

I am now removing it once again, adding a comment that people should consult the talk page before reinstating it. --Mereman 10:02, 23 November 2005 (UTC)

-I agree with this removal, even though it has already happened.--ДрakюлaTalk 03:30, 22 December 2005 (UTC)

It reappeared and I removed it again. -- Phlake 01:21, 30 May 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Example Sound

If there's anybody out there with one of these who can record an characteristic bassline with it, that would be a great addition to the page. --Robert Merkel 4 July 2005 06:31 (UTC)

That would be wonderful. If I had the instrument and the skill, what I'd add to the page myself is the following:
  • a melody line played "straight" on the 303
  • the same melody used as an "acidline" (is that the correct term?) where the effects are used in the characteristic style of acid house.
  • the above "acidline" in the context of a track (with drums and whatever other voices you might put over the top).
Also, note that a full-length track is quite unnecessary; 20-30 seconds is almost certainly more than enough to illustrate the point.
But, in any case, anything you feel like adding would be much, much better than nothing. --Robert Merkel 02:18, 5 October 2005 (UTC)
By the way, did you add links to those audio files you've already uploaded to the relevant articles? If they're not linked, nobody will find them :(--Robert Merkel 02:21, 5 October 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Rebirth

The long paragraph on Rebirth has no place in the TB-303 article. Won't somebody start a Rebirth article, so the paragraph can be reduced to a mere sentence with a link to the Rebirth article? Joyrex 20:12, 29 August 2005 (UTC)

  • Well, some of the information is valid IMHO as the RB338 sort of reanimated the style. And products like the Audiorealism Bassline plugin show that there's still demand for these sounds as Hardware gets rare.

A RB338 article is already here by the way: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ReBirth

Here's a suggestion:

1) Keep this information: "By 1997 software synthesisers were just starting to break into the music world with massive popularity at retail music stores around the world. One notable program at this time was made by Propellerhead Software called ReBirth. The software became very popular, as it provided a cheap and easy way for musicians to reproduce the classic 303, as well as 808 (and later 909) sounds."

2) Maybe the software clone section could continue mentioning Muon Tau and Audiorealism Bassline plugins for VST. Also Roland itself made an emulation available for the V-Synth.

3) Add the remaining information given in this article to RB338 article.

Sven --audioschotter.net 01:32, 5 October 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Artists

The section entitled "List of musicians who use the TB-303" is highly suspicious. Many of the names appear to be album titles, not musicians. Someone should go through them and remove unsubstantiated claims.

In my opinion there is no place in an encyclopedic article for speculation about what might have happened had someone released an unreleased record. Either it did influence the American House and Techno scene, or it didn't.

[edit] Merge from Acid machine

This following text from that article, to be merged in. Marasmusine 22:39, 14 September 2006 (UTC) Acid Machine - a colloquial term, used by musicians and listeners alike, for the Roland TB-303 Bassline which formed a large part of almost all early Acid House music. This 1980's instrument consisted of a small pushbutton keyboard and was intended to play pre-programmed basslines in conjunction with one of the variety of Roland drum machines of the time, as an accompaniment to more traditional instrumentation. However, it had two features that changed its usage forever. Firstly, because the 303 could not be played in the normal manner like a piano, but had to be 'step programmed' beforehand, it was possible to produce unusual repetative melodies. Secondly and most importantly, the selection of controls for altering the tone of the 303's sound could be adjusted live, while the programmed melody was replaying. This distinctive feature meant that a single melody line could be repeated endlessly and variations in the sonic tone would ensure that the sound kept mutating rather than staying the same in the traditional manner of a bassline. A well known emulator of the TB-303 is the Rebirth RB-338 software produced by Propellerheads. Original 303's are much sought-after by collectors and musicians.

[edit] number of units

Is there any reliable source on the number of units made? Most internet sources quote 20000 units rather than 10000 units. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 129.215.220.113 (talk) 15:13, 23 March 2007 (UTC).

[edit] Filter not that unusual

The filter circuit is in fact very similar to Moog's diode ladder circuit, except that transistors are used. The base and collectors of each are connected together, so they behave like diodes, conducting as soon as the voltage reaches a certain point. I never understood why they "wasted" more expensive transistors in this way, but possibly it was to get around patent issues. 213.173.165.130 15:32, 25 July 2007 (UTC)