Finally: Venom VB-303 v1.00

[Ch00rD]

I'm sure the people who really know about 303s will insist on using the internal sequencer. It just wouldn't be right otherwise :O

+1

+ 302.

[Ichad.c]

I'm sure the people who really know about 303s will insist on using the internal sequencer. It just wouldn't be right otherwise :O

Quirks is what makes hardware so fun/rewarding to work with. The authentic sequencer is great - thanks!

[Z3R0T0N1N]

I am so very pleased to see this released
The squencer is unbelievably good!

I really do feel that if you want to play this with a normal piano roll sequencer, you are better off with Muon Tau, or one of the many other 303ish VAs.
The Venom deserves to be played properly With a quirky, difficult beast of a step sequencer. Put in the effort, you will not be disappointed. If it's not what you're after, you may not actually be after a 303.

Brilliant work, Antto!

[Kiiika]

I suggest one more rear page with some similar, user friendly "internal sequencer".

Yes, something like that would be a good (additional) sequencer for VB-303.
At a single glance, you know how to use it and what to do.
And literally in seconds you can create and edit patterns.

Come on antto, at least take away the silly midiplay unlocking in the next update. Pretty pleeeeaaase!

I actually have worked with the internal sequencer in the last few hours pretty much exclusively, I'm beginning to appreciate it more.
But not having to jump through hoops if I want to commit blasphemie and use midiplay is a reasonable request. Please think about it

[Jbravo]

sounds great! I think I need to do a few evening classes to figure out how to use it though

[antto]

You're obviously a diehard 303 freak, antto. I'll give you one more tiny little nitpick challenge, just for fun: make the batteries leak acid when the plug-in is not used for a few months.

there is a little something, not exactly what you said, but i won't tell a word ;]

[antto]

someone asked for shuffle.. there's no internal shuffle
however, i got this experimental midisync generator plugin
http://www.box.com/s/tbadr1gqd2pm682cg4s7 (AS_XC2)
route the midi output from XC2 to VB-303 (this might be difficult in some host, some host might filter-out midisync messages..)
then set VB-303 to MIDISYNC24 - if it works, you'll notice the TEMPO display "jittering"
now, to start/stop the thing - hold a midi note (any) on the XC2 plugin
then you can play with the shuffle ;P~

[recursive one]

You're obviously a diehard 303 freak, antto. I'll give you one more tiny little nitpick challenge, just for fun: make the batteries leak acid when the plug-in is not used for a few months.

there is a little something, not exactly what you said, but i won't tell a word ;]

Isn't it that when a pattern rereats several times the cutoff frequency starts to randomly creep? (Just a wild guess, i read somewhere that real TBs behave like that due to certain quirks in the circuitry)

[damoog]

i cant install,im getting repeated 'cant load module' pages when trying to load in live 9

[kritikon]

Late to the party as usual - just noticed this thread. Many thanks Antto!


My 2c-worth. I agree with already stated opinions - if it's a 303 you want get over it and use the sequencer. Stop bombarding the thread with silly wishlists - this is a 303 emu, not anything else. It was part of what was such fun (and gnashing of teeth) with real 303s (and 202s). I hope this is a good 'un. I'm sure it will be going by Antto's past track record. I get days off from Wednesday, so I look forward to using it in anger.

[Ingonator]

Hi antto,

many thanks for the tutorial video.

after checking MIDi play yesterday i now found out how to program, save and play patterns with the sequencer. I also managed to use my MIDi keyboard for that now.

I have printed the page from the manual with the layout for the MIDi keyboard as sometimes i forget the functions. After working with it for a while i should remember those.
It's also cool that you could clear, edit, write and play the pattern from the MIDi keyboard. It's also helpful that the current note is played when you enter it to the pattern

I hope i'll also manage to create more complex patterns with e.g. time mode, slide and accent. I already found how to transpose one octave up or down while i enter a note (with holding e.g. the key for "up" before pressing the key for the note).

It's also fun to record and play knob movements with my DAW while the pattern is playing. This also works with the "internal" mode. In Ableton Live you could store different clips with different knob movements and start those while playing the pattern.


Ingo

[Ch00rD]

someone asked for shuffle.. there's no internal shuffle
however, i got this experimental midisync generator plugin
http://www.box.com/s/tbadr1gqd2pm682cg4s7 (AS_XC2)
route the midi output from XC2 to VB-303 (this might be difficult in some host, some host might filter-out midisync messages..)
then set VB-303 to MIDISYNC24 - if it works, you'll notice the TEMPO display "jittering"
now, to start/stop the thing - hold a midi note (any) on the XC2 plugin
then you can play with the shuffle ;P~

That's a favorite trick of mine with real TB's. E.g. alternating between 100 BPM and 150 BPM every 32th note, and you get a nice 50% swing at 120 BPM.

Ideally, you'd have the entire host/sequencer/DAW running at such a swinging clock, so all tempo-synced stuff swings along in the same groove (beware messing up delays that can't elegantly handle it, though), while you can still edit, quantize etc. everything on a straight grid ('old school groove quantize' ). While there aren't many DAWs that can have their main clock *slaved* to a MIDI clock this way in my experience (in fact, most do not even include the function of slaving to a MIDI Clock; Live does, but averages the incoming clock pulses over an entire measure to keep a steady BPM, which is well beyond what is needed to account for jitter - thus, a bug, imho). It works quite well though in several applications when you use automation of the main sequencer tempo, and that probably also works very well with VB-303.

[Ch00rD]

You're obviously a diehard 303 freak, antto. I'll give you one more tiny little nitpick challenge, just for fun: make the batteries leak acid when the plug-in is not used for a few months.

there is a little something, not exactly what you said, but i won't tell a word ;]

Isn't it that when a pattern rereats several times the cutoff frequency starts to randomly creep? (Just a wild guess, i read somewhere that real TBs behave like that due to certain quirks in the circuitry)

@antto: epic! Of course, I wouldn't even *want* to know... much like I don't want to hear mortality rate calculations for TB-303 chips. Shit happens. Acid happens. You win some, you lose some. It's all in the game.

@recursive one: I have never heard that happen on real TB-303s, nor have I heard that story (or should we just say 'rumour'?). Perhaps (also just a wild guess) you may have heard a sloppy explanation of how accents work: when triggering several successive accents (rapidly enough), the accents build up a bit, i.e. the volume and cut-off frequency are slightly different, while all the knob positions remain exactly the same. This may be a bit counter-intuitive, and imho is an essential part of why the 303 sounds 'alive'.

To *very* loosely paraphrase Robin Whittle: if you would poke a chicken in its butt with a stick, it goes "pok!". Do it again a minute or so later, and again, it says "pok!". However, do it quickly two times in a row, and the chicken will be more stressed and go "pok! POK!". Do it three times, and it will go "pok! POK! POOK!!" At some point you will fail to stress the chicken even further, so it would go "pok! POK! POOK!! POOK!! POOK!!". Careful timing to give the chicken a bit of time to recover between successive series of pokes is the key here.

DO NOT HARM ANY ANIMALS. DO NOT PRACTICE ACID PATTERNS WITH REAL CHICKENS OR OTHER ANIMALS. PLEASE USE A TB-303 OR A DECENT EMULATION.

[recursive one]

@Ch00rD

>> you may have heard a sloppy explanation of how accents work

Most probably yes

>> DO NOT PRACTICE ACID PATTERNS WITH REAL CHICKENS OR OTHER ANIMALS.

Am I allowed to use cats, though? They make some cute noises when have their tails pulled (however, this may be more relevant to dubstep than to classic acid)

[antto]

Isn't it that when a pattern rereats several times the cutoff frequency starts to randomly creep? (Just a wild guess, i read somewhere that real TBs behave like that due to certain quirks in the circuitry)

the cutoff envelope doesn't have quite enough time to "fully" charge up when retriggered

..the accents build up a bit, i.e. the volume and cut-off frequency are slightly different..

no, the volume envelope doesn't "build-up"