I fell in love with that sound long before I knew what it was. Never was very interested in electronic music production, until I saw a live set at a small club. Standing up by the booth, I could see what that thing was, that sounded so cool. And I saw that the musician who played it had the most fun of everyone in the club. So I went home and ordered a behringer TD-3... One thing led to another, and I now own enough gear to annoy the whole neighbourhood, wich I do on a daily basis.
i've played "classic" instruments (guitar, bass, keys, drums) for some 20 odd years. a little over 3 years ago i found out about daw-less electronic and have since basically sold all my guitars and basses in order to afford my new love for electronic music .. first thing bought was a (still in the box) used Novatio Circuit Tracks for half the retail-price and the Behringer TD-3 .. last week i played my first gig at a private party using my Soundcraft mixingboard for added effects
What do you think of music software like ‘audiotool’? I discovered 303 on audiotool. It’s got old synths 60s early 70s up till late 80s. Its free. You make account your password. Start plugging in they effect are guitar pedal. You start from scratch piano roll just dry notes no sustain until you start manipulating synth, dialing sound help added from effects pedals. Audiotool users listen to your music. After a recording. The option if you allow it. Audiotool is much harder to get sound. It’s advanced unless I use presets samples.
I sold a 303 in 1992 for £100. Still haunts me to this day. I was going over a Computer Music Mag from 1989 that I had in storage, going through the second-hand adverts you could've got a 808 for £200, 909 for £170. 303 for £240.00.
Cyclone TT303 is 300 bucks right now, which won't be far from 100 GBP in 1992 money. It's a proper 1:1 hardware clone. So TB303 is missed only if you want to own the original box.
Right there with you man I remember them going for less than 30 quid apiece in charity shops by the pile in various states including boxed untouched mint- I also remember Juno’s 808,909 is et cetera going for practically peanuts- Crazy times
Yo man your SSX soundtrack was INCREDIBLE -- I don't know how many hours I spent playing Tricky when I was a kid, but I can tell you that one of the reasons I played it over and over was the music. Epic. Thank you.
Thank you for introducing to Charanjit Singh's "Ten Ragas ..." album - it's brilliant. Legend has it that Phuture enhanced the sound of their 303 by passing it through the filter of another synth. As for distortion on a 303, that was a common trick already in the UK scene of the late 80s, and the kick drum of the 606 was often treated this way as well once separate voice outputs were fitted. I did the latter on my 606 in the very early 90s to get a massive, punchy kick sound.
Rebirth was AMAZING especially for a broke tenth grader to tinker around with in the late 90s. I never managed to come to fame and fortune with my own electronic music experiments but still remember those days quite fondly. And things have only gotten better since, to the point where anyone with a decent PC and a basic license for a DAW software package can create outstanding tracks using only virtual instruments like Dexed, TyrellN6, or the Native Instruments Komplete Start bundle. Add an entry-level MIDI controller keyboard to this and you have a solid range of affordable and easy-to.use tools for getting a head start in electronic music production. Myself, I'm keeping busy with other things these days but I very much enjoy videos like yours that bring back the nostalgia. Keep it up!
Amazing video, I wanna add, in the early 90 this bass synth made its way into lots of trance producers at that era since nobody wanted it and it made this synth very available. Thus shaping the sound of the genre at the time
this instrument has always been a favorite of mine, but you cant ignore the fact that behringer has single handedly revived this synth and put it back into the mainstream as well as introduced millions of musicians to the sound who had previously been unaware. I would even go so far as to say that behringer may even be inadvertently responsible for this video coming out in 2022. I think the TD-03 has also out sold the original tb-303 by many many thousands, if not close to a million sales.
This just shows how good you are, Johnny. I actually said out loud "sweet bro, you are actually doing THAT!" Probs one of the most revered instuments of all time. 👍👍👍👍
I've been hooked on the Roland TB 303 since way back when. I have The ABLX3 Virtual emulator, I have been using it in my latest tracks. It moves my soul.
Really good video. There were several really good TB-303 tracks before Phuture, but DJ Pierre was the first twisting the knobs while it was playing. Charanjit Singh's "10 Ragas to a Disco Beat" album is amazing. Though, I strongly disagree with people saying that he invented Acid House. Even though he uses a TB-303 and with a four to the floor beat on his album, he did not twist the knobs of the TB-303 while it was playing. He was doing this at live performances, way later. Still, he is a amazing musician and an important figure in the history of the TB-303. I am glad that you mentioned "Acperience 1" by Hardfloor, which is among the best Acid tracks out there. Though, I think that layering multiple 303s has been done before "Acperience 1" with "Flow Coma" (1988) by 808 State. Are you sure that Josh Wink was the first using an overdrive behind a TB-303 on "Higher State of Consciousness"? The track was released in 1995, but there were already several Acid Techno tracks, like "Ego Acid" by Pump Panel (1994), "Lost In The Silverbox" by Hardfloor (1993) or "Von Unten" by BassXPansion (1994), Lost In The Silverbox by Hardfloor featuring distorted TB-303s. Though Josh Wink's "Higher State of Consciousness" was the first music video with a distorted TB-303 I can recall. "Confusion (Pump Panel Reconstruction Mix)" by New Order also used a distorted TB-303. It was released in the same Year as "Higher State of Consciousness". "Confusion (Pump Panel Reconstruction Mix)" exposed the distorted TB-303 to an even wider audience, because it was played in the "Blood Rave" scene of the Movie Blade (1998). Roland had several unlucky attempts bringing the TB-303 sound back in their music gear (usually groove boxes like the MC-303 mentioned in the video) before switching to ACB (Analog Circuit Behavior) technology. The best attempt during that time might have been the MC-09 Phrase Lab. Anyways, before Roland introduced the Boutique TB-03 (shown in this video), they released the Aira TB-3. Their first TB-303 clone based on ACB, and their first TB-303 emulation, which actually sounded close to the original. I am a little disappointed not to see my favorite TB-303 cone, the Avalon Bassline by Abstrakt Instruments, mentioned in the video. It preserves the TB-303's sound while adding more features and a better user interface. For this and the superior built quality, I would even call it "the better TB-303" or "TB-303 2.0". I like that you show the Behringer TD-3. It's the most affordable clone out there, but the programming is like the original. Which may be frustrating to some, but also leads to these happy accidents. There are other clones with better user interfaces. On the software side you mention RB-338, which is abandoned by the vendor and there might be challenges when it comes to legally obtain the software and installing it on modern PCs. I recommend to look into the following VST TB-303 emulations, which integrate better in todays DAW workflow: - ABL3 (Mac, Win) by audioRealism - That's my personal favorite. - Phoscyon (Mac, Win) by D16 - Version 2 is about to be released. - Roland's Cloud TB-303 (Mac, Win) - Uses also ACB technology. - Venom VB-303 (Win) by Anton Savov - It's free and only for Windows. You'll need JBridge when using it in DAWs which only support 64 bit plugins. - Bass Matrix (Win) by Witech - It's free and only for Windows. You need a DAW with VST3 support. - Acid Devil by RS-Met (Win, Mac) - Acid Devil is hidden in the free RS-MET Toolchain. It's quite challenging to set it up properly. To this day, I didn't manage to synch it's sequencer to my DAW. Btw., there is a website with many audio comparisons of TB-303 clones and VSTs with the original: AcidVoice.com (I am not affiliated with them, but I like the content a lot.)
Thanks for all this info Engineer. I agree with all of your points - in the case of Josh Wink, distortion and overdrive were of course being used long before, but I think the way he used it was notable as he just got more out of it with a track that was so memorable. So many clones to list as well, and yes - the Avalon is amazing I shoudl probably have mentioned it as I agree it's like a 2.0 for sure.
Have you heard of the astonishing RE303? I have one - it IS a real 303, same transistors, with the circuit board cad scanned for authenticity. It's a beast.
@@JackAcid Yes. The RE-303 is a replica and is listed on AcidVoice, also. Great choice! Have you heard of the Abstrakt Instruments Avalon? It's close to a replica, they added features and a more convenient UI. It's a TB-303 V2.0 in my Opinion and the best clone I have in my Acid arsenal.
thank you mate!!! you joined up awful lot of dots in quarter of an hour! and cleaned up some question marks for me too-- i love the shout out to the big beat boutique! skint records brought me here!! love your work mate!
Aww man thanks for the lesson on all these Jam-boxes! I love Roland products since I was old enuff to buy them at 20yrs young back in '89! I never got to see the DAW used from 1980 on into the 90's. Would love to see a tut on how studios used the 1st DAW in the 80 & 90's and how and when it was finally made for the home studio 🎙! Bring more lessons like this one very inspiring!
Great video on the TB303, I remember seeing these at between around £200 second hand in music shops and music magazines for sale ad’s here in London back in the 80’s, amazing how much it’s worth today !!
Finally someone who says it right: Josh Wink used a normal TB303 (there are actually two TB303s) for the track Higher State... and not, as 80% of people claim, a TB303 with Devilfish Mod. Greetings from Germany
First real capture of a live 303 was live at the infamous Global Village rave parties in Melbourne Australia specifically pure flow 3 with Dr Fernando from Belgium he blew that place apart mindblowing never seen a 303 scream like that since that partt was easily best done to existence been to many but that was the one. Long live the 303🤟😊🤟
Online prices are insane. I remember finding an ex school/ ex council Korg Delta at Cash Converters in Bolton for £50. Pretty terrible synth all told, but costs 10x that on eBay now
Great video! Love my Behringer TD-3s (have two). For a treat, I hook the MIDI out, from TD-3, to MIDI in, on Roland FA-07 Keyboard. Then the baseline from the TD-3, plays a patch on the FA-07. Layer that together with the output from the TD-3, and sounds so fat-liscious.
@@voraciousfred Yes, you can play monophonic notes, from the synth in the TD-3, using an external keyboard, plugged into the TD-3 MIDI IN. You could use an external sequencer to trigger the notes. You could also use a computer, or iPad, to trigger notes, using the USB port. You can not change the sounds (the things controlled by knobs), from external MIDI. Have fun experimenting.
holy shit! John Morgan!!!! dude i love SSX 2000 and the tracks you made were absolutely amazing! I didnt even realize it was you until you started talking about ssx lolllllll
Rebirth rb338 was my first intro into making music. I got my first hardware around that time and learned how to sequence and sync gear and how to sample, etc. I think my bedroom setup back then was an asr-x, mc303, yamaha cs1x, juno 106, and a foster 4 track.
I had a demo copy in high school and could only use it for 20 minutes. I remember being able to write drum and bass and techno tunes with a stopwatch because of that time limitation.
@@VincentsVideoVisions I was a noob and didn’t know where to look in 1996. I was scared of getting viruses. But hey I got the behringer RD-9, TD-3, and the yocto 808. So I can make a poor man’s Voltron
Worth mention Armando from Chicago RIP who for me was the Acid house pioneer! FUSE Substance Abuse and Final Exposure Vortex …both by Richie Hawtin in 90/91 for filtering and using more than one 303 together… UR Acid Rain ep 92 taking to next level and Aphex Twin Red Label release 92…! Saw Cj Bolland Orbit 1st birthday July 92…live PA with Steve Cop…just a 303 and 909 together at beginning….dancefloor speakers must have been size of a double wardrobe each and there was 4 in a line next to each other….the 909 BD thump was brutal (😁) but that 303 sound just blew my mind !! (🤯😁)
Got a KingKorg with several VA filter emulations. It does 303 pretty well, as p5, oberheim and even Moog ladder. In a mix hard pressed to notice difference between VA and original. Nord A1 is also very nice.
@@johnnymorgansynthdreams yes, i absolutely agree. A track that really blew my mind was "lost in the silver box" where you can really hear their use of various 303s in one song. I wonder what the original creator of the 303 thinks about the artists using this instrument in such non-conventional ways.
If you are interested in a super simple acid bass synth in the style of the 303 and fits in the palm of your hand, check out the amazing Paripi Destroyer!!! Very simple and awesome acid bass sound. Combine it with a pocket operator or a Korg NTS-1 and away you go!!!!
@@johnnymorgansynthdreams I couldn't believe my luck when the seller was desperate to get rid of it and I barely hid my excitement when I asked them what they wanted for it after he told me he wanted to get rid of it. When he said $200 I instinctively gave him the cash before he changed his mind! It was in mint condition in its case with original power supply! It would have looked suss for me to sell so quickly after buying it so I waited for 3 years when they were even more valuable as vintage gear and advertised it for $2000. I got a lot of offers for around $1000-1200 but then I got that one call from a buyer who offered $1700 cash and travelled 3 hours to pick it up! He was a very happy buyer and I was a very happy seller! 👍👍😀😀
Back in 1982 or so, I was in my local music store looking for a cheap drum machine. The owner showed my the Drumatix and Bassline. Neither of us had any idea how to use them, and I ended up buying a Mattel Synsonics. I stopped in there couple of years later, and the still had those 303s and 606s...three of each. But now they were trying to blow them out for $395.00... for the pair! Again, I passed. *sigh*
I have two of the Behringer 303 clones and I love them, use them all the time, together they make great dance partners. I would love to pick up one of the recently released Donner clones, they sound exceptionally greasy!
10:53 The synth on the hips of this guy is the Future Retro 777 - also a badass synth which clones the TB-303 and goes far beyond and includes a switchable 18 dB/42 dB LP-Filter. The FR-777 is also a very rare synth due to the small batch around 600 units and is a real beast.
@@Analoque444 I sold it about 10 years ago and I really regret it, as I used it for so many songs, especially with my band Unit:187 for our Capital Punishment album.. I ordered mine direct from Jared when they first came out and used it almost every day. Very cool you have 2 of them - lots of possibilities there! Ok Cheers!
@@johnnymorgansynthdreams Thanks for your video btw. I remember the band, cool to meet you here. How time passes :D ... I ordered my 777´s from a shop in Berlin which contacted Jared and after 6 months waiting time I got them. I love them and will never give them away. Everybody who sold it regrets it xD xD I know because I talked to many ex-owners during the years. I am sad about the Future Retro company, they are out of business. Wish you the best and keep on going.
Hi Johnny and thanks for the video. It would have been nice to mention the Norand Mono as one of the latest TB-303 children and not only Roland and Behringer ones which are maybe too close to the original where the Mono pushes the 303 spirit and sound into the future. Like Roland did back in the days with the TB-303.
Awesome video. My only complaint is that it was 14 minutes long. I'd have happily sat and watched this format for two solid hours, which would allow longer track clips, deep dives into the endless subgenres and underground scenes which grew out of rave culture, and possibly even considered the extent to which that glorious little silver box inadvertently influenced the kind of tectonic shifts in the cultural and societal landscape that Included changes to laws and other institutional impacts that we all live with today.
Yes, would be great to even see many little seperate mini documentarys like this one dedicated in more detail/history to the: beginings, Chicago/DJ Pierre scene, Danny Rampling & friends, UK scene, acid house, techno, trance, acid techno scene like chris Liberator etc, acid w/psy trance, tb 303 clones w/differences deep dive. Also on ACB, VST’s, Hardware/Modules etc, your Best & worst TB 303 videos Top 10’s etc and explain WHY? , maybe group them into top 10 lists of vintage hardware, ACB’s, VST’s, keyboard Synths w/303 capable, and best value list, best cheap list, best middle range 4intermediate, best pro or high end versions etc? Would be a great mini series that could be done slowly over time as you can fit it in etc. No pressure, just a nice idea! 👍
You can get a decent emulsion of the Roland 303 bassline on you Android device called Rockrelay Bassline. 303 Basline was first emulsion in software was software called Rebirth.
I just got the Roland t8 as iv always had a thing for the 303 was gonna get the behringer clone but i saw the t8 has the drum machine and bassline synth on it for a few pound more
I'm surprised that you mentioned the music you made for SSX and didn't mentioned "Downtime" - That tune was all 303's, super-funky... Still remember rockin' to it on my PS2
I just happened to see this video on my recommended and when you mentioned you made Gin & Sin I looked at your profile and recognized the name immediately. :D How exactly did you program it? I have a TD-3 myself and I'd love to try and replicate it! Would it be possible for you to show us, John?
It's still pretty magical the way the 303 can do a normal bassline, an acid bassline, or super expansive atmospheric stuff so easily. The TB-3 is pretty underrated. It's got that ridiculous squishy touchscreen keyboard and it's digital, but I'd rather have a TB-3 than the boutique TB-03 any day. They did a good ACB recreation of the 303 and dramatically improved the sequencer. They must be getting more popular, because six months ago you could still find them for $200 on Reverb, and you could find new-old stock ones for $300. I wish they'd make a TB-3 with normal buttons for the keyboard.
