somebody FINALLY did it... [Donner B1 review and tutorial]

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look, there are plenty of TB-303 emulations, both software and hardware, on the market. it is, after all, 40+ years old and cheap technology. only 2 oscillators, 2 envelopes and a filter!
and yet... for years we couldn't get a good sounding, fully analog, affordable 303. then the TD-3 came around. and it sounded, at least to my ears, pretty indistinguishable from the real 303. the problem is... it has the same impossible sequencer as the original one.
so the question became... is anybody ever gonna make a good sounding, fully analog, affordable 303 but with a decent sequencer this time?
it turns out that yes - a company actually did it: Donner did it! so in this video I'm reviewing the Donner B1 Syn Bass. Donner sent me this unit for free, but they have no say in the contents of this video.
so is the Donner B1 Syn Bass finally the one to solve all of our problems providing us with the ULTIMATE 303 experience?
let's find out together!
00:00 intro
02:05 the sequencer
06:22 a really cool new feature!
07:25 song mode
09:12 formal feature request! (pretty please)
10:21 blind test: comparing the Donner B1 to the Behringer TD-3
14:48 demo jam
16:32 conclusions
if you like this synth and want to buy it, make sure that you click on an affiliate link so that I can get 10% with every purchase! thank you ❤️
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#Donnermusic #Donnerb1

[@BIGUMAMI]

what is up greedy guts? I have a Discord server! come and chat about samplers, software, and leave some suggestions on what videos you want to see next: discord.gg/DMntZNBX

[@BloodyChunX]

I paid £89 from Amazon. I bought it for the sequencer, it was worth the money for that alone. The fact that it is also an awesome chirpy analogue 303 clone is a massive bonus. It's so much fun and is a lot more capable than it has any right being. I am hoping that Donner will drop more firmware updates in the future.

[@ImmaculateEric]

I bought one before I watched your video. This thing is pretty cool

[@JuanRodriguez-rb6zm]

Just found your channel and you got a nice voice and nice presentation. Really enjoyed this video. Thank you!

[@EasyHeat]

Just found your channel via a Volca Sample 2 wormhole. Ha! Really dig your content! Immediately subscribed and rang the bell. I'm by trade traditionally a rock/punk musician (bass, drums, guitar, vocals), but I've always had an interest in electronic music. Mainly stuff like 80's Synthwave, Akai MPC based hip hop stuff like DJ Shadow, Nine Inch Nails, Crystal Method, Chemical Brothers, DJ Icey, as well as Technical Itch, late 90's-early 00's Rick West Florida Breaks Flavor Beats, and same era Jungle, and DnB tracks. I remember way back in the day using stuff like Steinberg's Rebirth on my iMac, and Jester interactive's MTV Music Generator on the Playstation to casually experiment with sounds, but my curiosities have now got me neck deep in way too many VST plugins that I'm wanting to break out towards favoring more hardware options. My current G.A.S. list includes: Volca Sample 2 Behringer TD-3 Behringer JT-4000 Micro Behringer K-2 Cheers!

[@BIGUMAMI]

ahaha we have maaaaany things in common then! Steinberg Rebirth... now THAT'S a blast from the past!

[@Nick-zq6tx]

A pretty comprehensive ,accurate ,well balanced review. Matches my experiences with the Donner so far .Thanks Umami.

[@BIGUMAMI]

that's such a positive comment, thank you, I'm so glad you enjoyed it!

[@Wagoo]

Behringer's thing is going for accurate recreations and sometimes supersets of the originals, so the results don't really surprise me. But having a wide variety of synths suited for acid is also a great thing, so well done Donner. The Korg NubAss and Monologue also seem pretty good acid machines

[@BIGUMAMI]

agree with everything!

[@leftmono1016]

I had a MK2 TT303 and it was really good. You could use traditional 303 style sequencing or a couple of simpler options. Sold it and miss it now. But the original sequencing mode is the best by far, it’s happy accident heaven!!!

[@BIGUMAMI]

yeah the bass bot! almost as legendary as the original thing aha, and definitely a better sequencer... I understand that the "happy accidents" style of composing on this machine is still many people's favourite, but I've never been a fan... I prefer when the writing feels more deliberate and takes advantage of all the sound modifiers (slides, accents etc) at the right steps in the right way! So I'm always welcoming new ways of improving what is, let's face it, 40+ yrs old technology ahaha (as long as it's got slides, accents and all the things that made the original sequencer good, of course)

[@leftmono1016]

@@BIGUMAMI - each to their own in terms of sequencing 😀👍 I always felt that the original sequencer was a great source of inspiration when new ideas were thin on the ground! Keep up the good work 👍

[@djjuno106]

Having owned a real 303/td3 the td3 is very very close to the original but also better in many ways..such as connectivity. The donner does sound really good has a better sequencer and looks more modern but too me sounds more like the korg volca tube bass but that’s not a bad thing. I think it would compliment the td3 or volca tube just don’t use it for acid bass but either high pass it so your using it for subs or use it for arps..great vid❤

[@BIGUMAMI]

this sums up exactly how I feel about it! except for the fact that I'd still use it for acid style bass lines. but also I do have a very different opinion on how the 303 should be used in a song... opinion that's verging on "hot take" territory... I might make a video about it in the next few weeks!

[@Lazer_puppy]

I hope this leads to more synths from Donner. I'd love their take on some classics like the SH 101 or the Mini Moog

[@jumpingman8160]

Essential D1 and a nameless synth are on their way

[@Lazer_puppy]

@@jumpingman8160 Where can I find info on the new synth?

[@old_romans]

I had TD-3-MO then sold it because I realized I got caught up in GAS and that the ACID sound has gone the way of the wah-wah pedal.

[@BIGUMAMI]

ahaha I have a similar take but your way of putting it is funniera than mine. I guess traditional acid music is dead yeas, but there are plenty of genres in which the 303 fits great. Also there is a world in which we could've used the 303 differently, to achieve much different results... more on that in a video I'm writing now and hopefully will come out in the next few months or weeks.

[@crnkmnky]

That's pretty much how I felt about my B1 before watching this video. I haven't even bother trying to sequence it yet. 😅

[@kgreggbruce1552]

Looks at my wahwah pedal, cries…

[@surrealchemist]

The one gripe I have with it is the USB could be better used. They could have put USB-C or at least let you power the device with USB. It’s a pain having to plug in the power adapter and then run USB to your computer just to update it.

[@BIGUMAMI]

mine has a USB-C for sure! did you get an earlier version somehow?

[@koalemos1679]

The price went down too. Seems like a steal for 303 nerds.

[@BIGUMAMI]

it is definitely a well thought out product intended to steal some of the market share currently occupied by the TD3 and to a veeeery lesser extent the volca nuBass... As I said, the sequencer is pretty f***in dope...

[@cobaiamarcelo6712]

awesome review! I have a b3 and a volca sample too. could you make a video using both? love your channel!

[@BIGUMAMI]

that's not in the works as of now, but hey why not! could be good. I'll put it in my to-do list!

[@cooksoni.a]

i clocked which one was the td 3 right away. it definitely sounds better to my ears. but it really doesnt matter. i mean even software emulations sound perfectly fine in a mix

[@BIGUMAMI]

yep! I agree

[@JulianLuckeeSouth]

Nice Benn Jordan callout :D

[@BIGUMAMI]

the dude to me is a standard bearer for morality and backbone and stubborness. also is an MMA fan (and practitioner too?) like myself. two things that rarely go together ahaha oh and by the way he's also a pretty goddamn good musician. I mean. what else can you ask for?

[@Michael-xr5yx]

ABL3 from Audio Realism is one of only two software emulations of classic hardware I would actually recommend based on sound (other being Uhe Repro-1). It sounds extremely, EXTREMELY realistic. To the point that I don't really have an interest in analog tb303 clones, unless I was doing a live acid set or something.

[@BIGUMAMI]

agreed, ABL3 is soooooo good! I use it all the time too. but yeah, if you do have some hardware, a 303 is always nice to have at hand

[@leewightman8619]

Iv got the t8 thought it was more bang for the buck with having the drums and the 303 its a pretty basic not quite the devil fish but it does the job and easy to sequence but the donner looks pretty cool with the classic 303 programming style

[@BIGUMAMI]

yeah man, it is much easier to program (the donner is)

[@MarcusMakesBeats1]

BIG UMAMI YOU THE MAN

[@BIGUMAMI]

NAH YOU DA MAN ♥️

[@markashley6859]

Even better, use the donner to sequence the td3. Pretty sure the midi is transmitted 👍

[@BIGUMAMI]

that's not a bad idea...

[@gru_day]

Two osc acid monster, yeah!

[@TJ-hs1qm]

have you figured how shortening a pattern is done?

[@BIGUMAMI]

I think it's definitely possible - I remember reading about it, I didn't use it in this video in particular!

[@BIGUMAMI]

Wait, you mean live or while writing?

[@TJ-hs1qm]

@@BIGUMAMI yes got it, "End Step" aka stop+pad was added with the last 1.0.1 FW google blogs buying-guides donner-essential-b1-firmware-update-2023-q3

[@kenniferlopez1]

Rad Sir!

[@BIGUMAMI]

thanks mlord!