Hi, please excuse me for my ignorance. Everyone talks about 303's and how wicked they are fr making acid. I own a Rolands 303 groovebox, its got some wicked sounds but i was wondering if this is as good as the orginal 303, what is the difference?

When people talk about 303's for acid, they're usually talking about the TB-303, or the original 303. The tb is an actual analogue bassline synth that has an amazing filter that kindof distorts at high resonances. If you want the tb-303 sound, you'll have to buy one or use a software approximation like Rebirth. The mc-303 has some tb-ish samples in it, but unfortunately it sounds nothing like the original because it relies on samples, the filter is very different and it's completely digital.



303's sold for like $200 in the mid 80s, but once acid techno took off the price got higher and higher. You can get them on ebay for like $1000-$1500

I wouldn't buy one if I were you though, they're not MIDI, and the sequencer on them takes the piss to program.



Just get ReBirth and trigger it using your sequencer (Cubase, Logic, etc.)

Cheers people, i didnt fink the mc303 was that great but its ok. Have been considering reason for a while. Would you say reason is better that cubase and logic?

I could kill to get my hands on a real 303. Last time i tried ebay the deal close at 1200+ dollars.

Reason's fuckin awesome for writing songs, skeletons, but u'll still need cubase or logic to produce it. U can't use it for production.

Err, what do you mean production??

You mean mixing and mastering, yeah?

Compression and EQ? You can use a wave editor for those once you've dumped the song to wav, or even better, HARDWARE!

Yep, that's exactly what i meant.

Heh.. hardware's always the best option!

Yeah, in my opinion, it's not a good idea to change a sequencer unless it's too restrictive. It's a lot of effect to learn a new system.

So in reason does in come with a 303 on it or does that come with rebirth? With reason do u need recycle, rebirth ect?

Reason? Recycle? Rebirth? The three R's?



Hmm, maybe if I really do wanna make electronic music like I often tell myself I do.. then I should know what these things are.. :P



I think I want a 303.. because Fatboy said so.. :P



I think it would be fun to learn even if it's tough to program.. the word analog strikes a very lovely chord in my ears

wayno52 Escribi�:

Reason? Recycle? Rebirth? The three R's?



Hmm, maybe if I really do wanna make electronic music like I often tell myself I do.. then I should know what these things are.. :P



I think I want a 303.. because Fatboy said so.. :P



I think it would be fun to learn even if it's tough to program.. the word analog strikes a very lovely chord in my ears

Maybe an FBS would claim a 303 as the ultimate analog synth. However, a Chems fan should really consider an EMS as the ultimate analog synth. Without that, the Chems sound wouldn't exist.

EMS, huh? well, I could look it up, but... do you wanna tell me?

Check out www.vintagesynth.org.

Taken from the website:



" The Synthi A (pictured above) and AKS (below) are exactly the same as the VCS3 except that they are housed in a thin plastic briefcase for enhanced portability, with a small touchpad keyboard (activated by the 50 Hz-hum in our fingers). The Synthi A was also known as the "Portabella". The AKS model adds a 256 step on-board monophonic digital sequencer and a 30-note touchplate keyboard.



It has three oscillators, and a unique patch system. Instead of patch wires, the VCS3 uses a patchbay grid in which the synth components are laid out, and signal routing is accomplished by placing small pins into the appropriate slots. The VCS3 was, in actuality, a modular type synthesizer reduced down to an extremely portable size.



It generates familiar sci-fi sounds (Dr. Who) and other truly analog sounds. After ten minutes of warming up the oscillators become pretty stable. There's a Noise Generator, 2 Input Amplifiers, 1 Ring Modulator, 1 Voltage Controlled Low Pass Filter (VCF), 1 Trapezoid Envelope Generator, Joy-Stick Controller, Voltage Controlled Spring Reverb unit and 2 Stereo Output Amplifiers.



What is important about the portable line of EMS synths is that they were super miniaturized and fairly sophisticated for their time. The patching grid system made patching easier, and allowed the unit to take up a lot less space. Both were released in 1971, two years after the launch of the VCS3. It should be noted that the case mounting of the AKS can be very precarious. The mounting is prone to fail, and therefore any used units should be examined carefully to see if this common problem exists before buying.



EMS also produced the Synthi 100 (pictured above) in 1974. It is loosely based on 3 VCS3 systems combined into one major synth. It featured twelve VCOs, two keyboards and a 3-track 256-step monophonic digital sequencer. It also featured two massive 64 x 64 patch matrices. However, the Synthi 100 does not have the same sort of filtering as the VCS3 and/or A/AKS. The sound of the 100 is considerably thinner. Approximately 29 of these were built in the 1970s and early 80s, although EMS still states that you can have one as a special order. It sold for $25,000 originally, and probably still does today. Jack Dangers of Meat Beat Manifesto is said to have the only fully working unit in existence, which he used heavily on his album, "R.U.O.K?". Many of these EMS synth's have been used by Brian Eno, Pink Floyd, Stereolab, Yes, Aphex Twin, Autechre, Jean-Michel Jarre, Astral Projection, Vince Clarke, The Who, Todd Rundgren, Recoil, Freddy Fresh, and many more. "



And the Chems :)



P.S. Sorry for the length guys, but the website uses a stupid frame system, and I couldn't post a link directly to the page.

Wow, well, I think I'll probably invest a copy of one of those pieces of Software before I get my hands on one of those machines.. some day, perhaps :)

hmm, well, looks like those EMS synths sell now for 1600-1800 pounds.. yeah, still won't be buying..



http://www.ems-synthi.demon.co.uk/

So does reason have a tb303 on its system?

No, it's got a synth on it, but ReBirth is the product you want for the 303. It's got an 808 and 909 on it too.