RePro and the others... or the obvious filter question

[david.beholder]

Finally someone spoke out what i never dare to say... i get that it's a very famous synth, and especially popular in some genres, but, frankly, it wasn't Roland's top technical achievement, mildly spoken. Well, a Fiat 500 also got very famous for example.

Right. Some tiny but important addition -- in late 80ths producers were more or less in search of sounds of the future and artificially sounding X0X synths were fitting their concepts really well. But that times are long gone.

[moscom_electronics]

Oh yeah 303 filter is utterly crappy as well as metal guitar amps from 80ths - but they are more than famous they are.

Finally someone spoke out what i never dare to say... i get that it's a very famous synth, and especially popular in some genres, but, frankly, it wasn't Roland's top technical achievement, mildly spoken. Well, a Fiat 500 also got very famous for example.

It is not really a secret that it was crappy. It is actually waht is funny with it: a crappy piece of gear that became an icon of a musical genre...

[david.beholder]

It is not really a secret that it was crappy. It is actually waht is funny with it: a crappy piece of gear that became an icon of a musical genre...

It has started years before synth mania -- with Les Pauls and Plastic Saxophones.

[moscom_electronics]

Finally someone spoke out what i never dare to say... i get that it's a very famous synth, and especially popular in some genres, but, frankly, it wasn't Roland's top technical achievement, mildly spoken. Well, a Fiat 500 also got very famous for example.

Right. Some tiny but important addition -- in late 80ths producers were more or less in search of sounds of the future and artificially sounding X0X synths were fitting their concepts really well. But that times are long gone.

If you are talking about acid, that is really not the story. The 303 was dead cheap at that time, that is a huge parameter in the story. Nothing to do with looking for the sound of the future, which was more a Detroit thing inspired by Kraftwerk. The Chicagoans just wanted to produce disco at a cheap price. And we all know Phuture's story then. And again, the 303 is a crappy device, no one is hiding this fact.

And I do not follow your rationale regarding the fact that we are not looking anymore for the sounds of the future. I think that many people are. Maybe it is the sound per se, but how you manipulate it. I don't know. It all depends on the definiton of the future at a given time.

Anyway, this discussion takes us off topic. Let's move back on topic. Me want Balck Magic setting in all U-He synths!

[zerocrossing]

Oh yeah 303 filter is utterly crappy as well as metal guitar amps from 80ths - but they are more than famous they are.

Finally someone spoke out what i never dare to say... i get that it's a very famous synth, and especially popular in some genres, but, frankly, it wasn't Roland's top technical achievement, mildly spoken. Well, a Fiat 500 also got very famous for example.

Define "crappy." The Stratocaster was designed to be a low cost alternative to what Gibson was making at the time. It fueled a musical revolution and is still held in wide regard today, even though there are higher quality instruments. People are over the moon for the new Minilogue, which I personally don't think sounds all that great, especially as a polyphonic synth.

But the TB303 wasn't just it's filter, it was a set of characteristics that came together in the right way at the right time. Also, I have a 303 emulation on my ATC-X and I think it sounds great for some things.

[chk071]

Oh yeah 303 filter is utterly crappy as well as metal guitar amps from 80ths - but they are more than famous they are.

Finally someone spoke out what i never dare to say... i get that it's a very famous synth, and especially popular in some genres, but, frankly, it wasn't Roland's top technical achievement, mildly spoken. Well, a Fiat 500 also got very famous for example.

Define "crappy." The Stratocaster was designed to be a low cost alternative to what Gibson was making at the time. It fueled a musical revolution and is still held in wide regard today, even though there are higher quality instruments. People are over the moon for the new Minilogue, which I personally don't think sounds all that great, especially as a polyphonic synth.

But the TB303 wasn't just it's filter, it was a set of characteristics that came together in the right way at the right time. Also, I have a 303 emulation on my ATC-X and I think it sounds great for some things.

Of course, if you like "that" sound, there's really no point in discussing about it. For me, also in the context of the times, it's a pretty low-fi, cheapo synth, which does exactly one thing, those acidy "bass" lines. Actually it's not even really good at bass sounds, unless you want a simple, cheap sound you can also achieve with any other synth with one oscillator. As moscom wrote, it has become an icon of a musical genre, basically due to its one purpose (and probably also to a large degree due to its whackiness). I believe the comparison with a (classic) Fiat 500 is quite appropriate, it has very small horsepower, you can hardly fit 4 persons, or an averagely big driver in it, it gets rusty quicker than you get from A to B with it, yet it's somehow iconic.

[david.beholder]

If you are talking about acid, that is really not the story. The 303 was dead cheap at that time, that is a huge parameter in the story.

Lot of analogs were cheap by that time because of FM/LASS synths craze. There are even documentaries about it. But X0X has sequencers - and it was important factor before age of DAW.

Nothing to do with looking for the sound of the future, which was more a Detroit thing inspired by Kraftwerk. The Chicagoans just wanted to produce disco at a cheap price. And we all know Phuture's story then. And again, the 303 is a crappy device, no one is hiding this fact.

Belleville Trio and lot of others has mentioned in interviews that 303, 808 and 909 were unpopular because of unrealistic sound in comparison with Linn, DMX, Moog etc -- that's exactly why there were cheap. And then early techno producers just find out technique how to turn this in advantage i.e. they've concentrated on production with sound bassy minimal and more futuristic in comparison even with Kraftwerk - which still were singing pop band with synths. No there were no other Drum Machine on market that could produce 5 seconds of 50hz bass drum except 808.

And I do not follow your rationale regarding the fact that we are not looking anymore for the sounds of the future. I think that many people are. Maybe it is the sound per se, but how you manipulate it. I don't know. It all depends on the definiton of the future at a given time.

Well following is quite personal thing. But no future doesn't lay in "OMG we need to have 1:1 copy of 303 filter". Future music is sounding like NI Massive but not like RePro-1. It's neither good or bad, it is. And I'm really happy that there are new unique synths like U-he Bazille or Korg Minilogue - that are modern.

[zerocrossing]

Oh yeah 303 filter is utterly crappy as well as metal guitar amps from 80ths - but they are more than famous they are.

Finally someone spoke out what i never dare to say... i get that it's a very famous synth, and especially popular in some genres, but, frankly, it wasn't Roland's top technical achievement, mildly spoken. Well, a Fiat 500 also got very famous for example.

Define "crappy." The Stratocaster was designed to be a low cost alternative to what Gibson was making at the time. It fueled a musical revolution and is still held in wide regard today, even though there are higher quality instruments. People are over the moon for the new Minilogue, which I personally don't think sounds all that great, especially as a polyphonic synth.

But the TB303 wasn't just it's filter, it was a set of characteristics that came together in the right way at the right time. Also, I have a 303 emulation on my ATC-X and I think it sounds great for some things.

Of course, if you like "that" sound, there's really no point in discussing about it. For me, also in the context of the times, it's a pretty low-fi, cheapo synth, which does exactly one thing, those acidy "bass" lines. Actually it's not even really good at bass sounds, unless you want a simple, cheap sound you can also achieve with any other synth with one oscillator. As moscom wrote, it has become an icon of a musical genre, basically due to its one purpose (and probably also to a large degree due to its whackiness). I believe the comparison with a (classic) Fiat 500 is quite appropriate, it has very small horsepower, you can hardly fit 4 persons, or an averagely big driver in it, it gets rusty quicker than you get from A to B with it, yet it's somehow iconic.

Trust me. Put that 303 filter in a quality instrument and you'll soon realize the filter isn't the TB303's problem.

https://soundcloud.com/studio-electroni ... o-capretta

[david.beholder]

Trust me. Put that 303 filter in a quality instrument and you'll soon realize the filter isn't the TB303's problem.

[lectrixboogaloo]

Trust me. Put that 303 filter in a quality instrument and you'll soon realize the filter isn't the TB303's problem.

Are you going to solder with that???