As Fatboy Slim once said, “Everybody Needs a 303“. Unfortunately, this means that getting a used Roland TB303 is usually expensive or impossible. If you’re a DIY’er, though, Oakley Sound has announced the TM3030, a MIDI-controlled Roland TB303 bassline clone designed to sound good, be easy to build and use no really difficult to get… Read More Build Your Own TB303!
Electronica band SubAtomicGlue has a great step-by-step, blow-by-blow account of building and troubleshooting an x0xb0x kit. They call it the xoxl0g. If you’re not familiar with the x0xb0x, it’s a circuit-accurate recreation of the electronics of the popular TB-303 bassline synth, with an updated sequencer and some goodies like MIDI and USB connectivity. The blog… Read More Building an x0xb0x Synth
Propellerhead Software today announced the discontinuation of development and support of ReBirth, the first software synth emulation software. The legendary product will now be available for free. In addition, Propellerhead Software is creating a dedicated website for ReBirth, RebirthMuseum. It will include articles, interviews, historical information, the ReBirth song and Mod archives, a discussion forum,… Read More Propellerhead Rebirth Now Free
Future-Retro has announced that The Revolution, an innovative new analog synthesizer, is now in production. The Revolution is Future-Retro’s latest “concept synthesizer”. Future-Retro is best known for its killer 777 synthesizer. According to FR’s Jered Flickinger, The Revolution provides “an intuitive interface which we feel most accurately represents the principles of time and music. From… Read More Future Retro Revolution
Analog to Digital has realeased a set of virtual instruments for fans of both analog and digital synthesis. The Reincarnation series is a set of sample based synths which have the authentic solid analog feel. They allow the user to change the filter level with a keyboard mod wheel, and also to select resonance levels.… Read More Analog to Digital Releases Virtual Synths
Future Retro calls this analog beast the 777, but be warned! It should have been called the Future Retro 666, because its combination of sinful sounds and tempting knobs is highly addictive. The 777 seems innocent enough, until you find yourself wide awake at three in the morning, tweaking the perfect bassline in a cold… Read More Future Retro 777 – Evil Incarnate, or Just an Awesome Synth?
Disco never really died. Instead it mutated, and one of its mutant offshoots is House Music. House music retains much of the heavy regular beat of disco, but tends to be more electronic, with drum machine rhythms and synthesized basses. The music is song based, and draws on a variety of influences, including Latin, jazz,… Read More House Music
Techno music came out of Detroit in the 1980’s, and carried the influences of popular electronic music of the 1970’s to the dancefloors. The music features regular, pouding beats coupled with distorted synthesized sequences. The best known early techno producers are Juan Atkins, Derrick May, and Kevin Saunderson, sometimes known as the Belleville Three. They… Read More Techno Music
TB303.org – This site is a portal site devoted to the Roland TB-303, one of the most important instruments in electronic music over the last twenty years. It has 303 news, and 303 patterns for many types of electronica. See also the Synthtopia review of the Roland TB-303!
