Roland AIRA TB3 Touch Bass Line - Review

[@christopherfarrell-artist3557]

Each to their own..but.. I have owned one of these for 3 weeks now.....there is a learning curve with the ENV/MOD touch screen. I can tell you it sounds great! Very deep bass. It's not analogue, it doesn't matter as VA is very good. The original TB-303 needs additional effects to get that real acid feel and the ones pre-set sound authentic, Roland have spent time on this, there are some sounds that sound like they're filling, the ones that matter really kick. Seriously, demo one, you will be surprised if you are in doubt.

[@MPBassonMusic]

I think it sounds wonderful.

[@Psychlist1972]

As with the drum machine, I'm actually surprised at how good this sounds. Effects seem pretty usable as well.

[@lacherlichcateaster4538]

Oh and by the way - said this before (and as you can see, I'm now watching this review for the second time in 24 hours) I LOVE Sonicstates reviews. You are a star.

[@E4RLIES]

7 years late the party but your review really helped thx man! 🤩🙌🏼

[@waynesilverman3048]

I was as well when you watched it and still am

[@TomZentra]

Fantastic improvement over the old TB 303. I am pre-ordering the TB3 today. I am really anxious to see what this unit can do. Roland really did it right!

[@newignis]

In the mean time, it has been discovered there is actually a full blown monophonic synth under the hood with three effects sections, fully controllable via sysex. Roland did not document this, but others found out. It changes this already good sounding synth in a very affordable acid machine.

[@ElectronicazMusic]

Despite all the negativity I'll take one. Put it on my tab.

[@HAXXORAUDIO]

Well - I tried very hard to hate it, but actually this machine looks and sounds fantastic.. It's inventive, innovative, and there's no wrist cramp from tweaking tiny little cutoff knobs. My advice - get a Volca bass AND a tb-03...

[@incompetentlogistics]

The TB3 sounds great, but I just can't get my head around why the touchscreen has such awful graphics. It looks worse than shifty free synth apps for your iPhone.

[@evr8308]

So true!!!

[@incompetentlogistics]

***** Sure, but it's still possible to have better styling, I'm certain. I mean, look at the buttons, they look like they belong on a late 90s website.

[@mitchellross6357]

Those don't even count as graphics

[@GB3770]

main criticism for me is price - i dont mind the limited features - in a live setting the limitations are prolly a good thing - 2 of these and a drum machine and you could play for a few hours no probs...

[@DNGMaestro]

Sounds great!

[@dcashley303]

The lack of fine-tuning for the BPM is a real shame and I don't really understand the need for a touchpad. The 303 sounds seem pretty nice but will anyone ever use any of the other sounds??

[@thisissami]

Is there any way to record the key changes so that they loop over time? I'm curious if it'd be possible to have a sequence of 4 keys (full loop for each one), which I could then jam over without having to keep triggering the key changes myself.

[@georgemichael3078]

Roland knows offers an official TB-303 software version, and you can get a 30 day free demo to try it out. Was considering buying this hardware (June 2019), but personally I just want the sound, and my desk is already filling up with gear. So getting the software in a free demo is miracle.

[@F-Andre]

the funny thing in this is: roland says its the new state of the art, the evolution of the 303 aaaaannnd... they get rid off 50% of the controls ;D

[@TheFesta01]

i know right? where is the decay? Morons seriously!! it really is ridiculous the amount of time people have been waiting for decent affordable replicas or alternates of these machines - all they need to do is just listen to what the consumer wants - yet again they get it wrong - So disappointing : (

[@Cools2009]

The Festa "When I first saw the TB-3, apart from being intrigued, my first thought was 'what have they done with the decay knob?'. The decay parameter was an essential part of messing around with that acid sound, so its apparent omission was something that I was secretly very concerned about. However, I was soon pleasantly surprised to find that the decay could also been controlled using the touchpad, at the same time as controlling the envelope modulation. This allows you to control, for example, the envelope modulation, decay and filter cutoff (using the dedicated knob) all at the same time, for highly expressive performances (much more so than was possible with the original TB-303)." www.absolutemusic.co.uk/community/entries/roland-aira-tb-3-review

[@barryjenkins1179]

Cools2009 p

[@incendium_9965]

FINAALLYY a review that pointed out how to step sequence!!!

[@meldmagic]

Okay so sound edits can't be saved internally, but can the TB-3 module transmit sound edit data as MIDI CC or SysEX so that you can save/automate/morph sound edits from a DAW or external sequencer?

[@lotek1514]

I'd like to try it but I also think that this machine is another error from Roland. It could at least have been a VA emulation of the whole TB303 but no, they had to suppress some of the major parameter which make the 303 tweaking so intense. Obviously they don't seem to try to listen to customer's wishes.

[@antfactor]

Wow... Sounds/looks like super-fun! cheers. My only concern: That membrane panel's potential life-span... 🤫

[@efmvii]

Does this have pattern shifting? A very useful feature when coming up with acid lines, getting the pattern to match the beat better.

[@MarctheDarc]

Must say, given the lack of actual polyphony, i think with this unit they'd been well to actually make it analogue. But then again, i suppose that would be counter productive to the overall image of the Aira rollout, particularly when perfectly workable and decent sound emulation is achieved. While i certainly love, and ultimately prefer, the sound of analogue. I must admit, that i also love these analogue emulations that come so close to the real deal. Some of them run in the computer, thus saving me valuable space, while others like this give the joy and immediacy of hardware, at lower cost than the true analogue counterparts, while adding features real analogue can't. Development like this helps all but perhaps those who can afford a true and full analogue studio, and even they will often have some pieces of VA hard-/software. When bashing the "preset" nature of the sounds available, do consider that this appears to have over 100 different voicings, where the original had "just" 2, a saw wave and a square wave. How many true analogue synth boasts over 100 possible waveforms? The only real omissions are the envelope control, and an input to process external sources through the quite nice sounding filter. To my mind anyways. GJ!

[@Synthematix]

Tbh the output stage on the tb3 will sound better than the original, plus the fact this isn't sample based, every component inside is an identical copy of the original 303 but without the analog hassle

[@rolandbudin]

I really like the sound of TB 303. But I expected more form this box. Come one classics are classics and lets use those sounds in production but lets move on with new sounds and possibilities.

[@spidos1000]

Hi! I'm not very familiar with MIDI so you have to bare with me!I have a Maschine and was wandering if it is possible to connect this TB3 to the back of it? I don't want to record what the TB3 does I just want it to be in sync with what ever I'm doing on Maschine so I can play on the fly. If this isn't possible, how can I get these 303 sounds out of Komplete 9? It's doing my head in!

[@TheGreatUtopiaCat]

i don't understand where the rhythm is coming from in the first place though....and why do I need this when I can just put an actual non monophonic synth through a step sequencer with fx?

[@Synthematix]

Must admit it does sound REALLY nice

[@SendyTheEndless]

Ok, the 303 emulation sounds pretty authentic, but I'm not sure it's any better than Audiorealism's ABL2, which is... quite old now and may actually sound a bit better. And was certainly cheaper, and doesn't take up any space, and can be instantiated multiple times at once, and can... well, you get the point. EDIT: No synth voice editing? Not even with the computer rigged up? Pshh...

[@GiuseppeCdH]

can i easily connect it to an easy speaker with aux cable? Thanks,!

[@nativeVS]

Looks like it is an updated MC303 with a touchpad.

[@Sm2n]

Thanks Nick for the demo and review.

[@mogpog7710]

does anyone know if the sequencer can sequence other synths through midi? not just the gate/note, but also slides/velocity?

[@wildfunker]

Everybody wanted a "new" 303 and here it is! And no, your Volca Bass, Monotribe and ABL2 does NOT sound the same! So stop hating and comparing.

[@caleb4369]

Of course the Volca won’t sound the same it’s like 300 aud

[@Leonodelagarza]

This is actually the first thing I'm liking from Roland in a very very long time.

[@simmonsfitzgerald5783]

the tb sounds are not very convincing, though i really like some of what i heard in bank c. i am not looking at this as a 303 clone or emulator, resonance sounds much better at peak than the majority of digital resonances i have heard. i think this is a cool instrument with a lot of possibilities, i feel like a lot of people might pass it up since it is marketed to be a 303 clone but it doesn't do the greatest job of it, as a different synth that is meant for live use i feel the price is not bad and it could actually be a lot of fun. i didn't catch if it happens to send midi notes out as well, that could be a handy plus

[@michaelschack]

Great instrument. It also blends nicely with a live playing drummer - so inspiring! Jammin' 1 with the TB-3 ( #Aira meets #V-Drums )

[@DubElementMusic]

absolute love mine

[@atarikid]

i like it, because you don't have to use it as a classic 303. but the number of other sounds is extremly limited. so, we have to decide if it's worth spending money to this little box. i would love to use it as a simple step sequencer for external midi-equipment :)

[@LeelooHere]

So, what would be the advantage of this over using the sequencer on any competent analog synth?

[@spoooner94]

Can anyone tell me where the 'time mode' is like on 303 or this not possible ?

[@sawtooth808]

I don't know if I would purchase this over other similar items (cough *Korg Monotribe* cough cough), but Roland missed an opportunity to add an extra input to mangle other audio signals through the TB 3's filters, and effects because the TB 3's touchscreen does look cool. However with the TB 3 missing the ability to process incoming audio, and the price which is $245, I'll pass.

[@liverawkstar]

303 is quite useful beyond just typical acid dance and what have you: the Orb and Ultramarine from the early 90's actually used one and did not use it like typical acid... you dont to use the typical squelchy stuff.... the great musical feature of the 303 is the slide in my opinion ( done the traditional 303 way, and not as a standard portamento function... im definitely getting one of these:

[@greeeenmachine]

you guys really think this sounds better than the MC? i think its probably the best non-clone emulator on the market. not having an envelope is really a buzzkill though, as well as no real editing capability. however its MIDI, and would fit pretty damn well in my setup. the closest i have found is the ABL2 VSTi, but pretty much sounds like this. having MIDI I/O, the FX and the price i will most likely get this.

[@nutelina]

Seeing all comments about authenticity, I rebuild a '303' using Logic's ES2, I had a great time and I was surprised by the great acid sound + working with the piano roll was like 10x better dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/2963766/acid-attack.mp3

[@mosai6950]

259 uk is like 300€.... That ridicules for a preset 303 machine, 100 bucks more and you've got a full featured bass station 2! Roland's gotta drop the price!!!

[@wildfunker]

But does the BS2 sound like a 303? No. Never.

[@mosai6950]

but doesn't audiorealism abl2 sound like a 303 for 89 bucks? *oopsie*

[@wildfunker]

Mint Trax You compared the TB3 with a stupid BS2 and now come up with a software synth? :)

[@mosai6950]

Yes mate please the tb3 is a software synth in a box with knobs on it.

[@wildfunker]

Mint Trax Is it a BS2? No. Is it a ABL2? No. Does it sound like one of them? No.

[@Rosso456MGT]

I think the TR8 is great because it adds control to the classic roland rhythm machines and is like a 'best of' 707/727/808/909 so control-wise is better. This seems to be less in terms on control over the TB/TT boxes so I think they missed something here. Meanwhile korg will re-issue an true analogue ARP :-)

[@randomaztec2208]

It finally happened

[@gazfunk]

Cool, re-live granddads party days with yesterdays sounds today.

[@johntiris312]

Hello,I have a problem connecting and syncing my tr8 with my tb3.i have connected both via midi ( midi out from tr8 to midi in to tb3 ) but for some reason tb3 is not playing along.although the step sequencer is lightning up,there is no sound coming out of it..if anyone could give me any idea i would be greatful.maybe it has something to do with the settings?

[@feelmytool]

john tiris don't know if you figured it out but some aira videos about the updates to these two say you can adjust if the sequencers start from midi or not. Might be the problem.

[@adenozin]

So no envelop control ? wtf ! edit : my bad. It seems to be done with the touch thingy. Still not sure about this one. Will have to test

[@MrGueseable]

Roland has decided to remake the Original TB 303 in a digital format! Personally they should,of done this ages ago, early nineties,when the Basstation and other clones were trying to emulate the TB 303 and they did this in an ANALOG FORMAT,look i love most of Roland's vintage gear and I too would love to try out this NEW TOY TB 3

[@lacherlichcateaster4538]

I think Kinklabe has a point, although it's all about the programming. I don't think the 303, or the TB3, or the Korg Volca Bass NEED to sound like "Acid". It's all about how you use the thing. I mean, if everyone thought a Fender could only sound like Hank Marvin, then that guitar would have died years ago..

[@Opomax]

Josh wink was on the mc-202...

[@vdeferens]

Thanks Capt. Pedantic. He said "Josh Wink style", not "Josh Wink made all his tunes on a 303"

[@Opomax]

HAHAH

[@PerAnkh418]

Can you run this through the Aira sampler?

[@Goth108]

Sounds as 303 as a Korg Monotribe with the right tricks does, as in: this emulation sucks exactly as I expected it to do. Nice remake of the MCx0x series though -.-

[@F-Andre]

yeah you get that sound of an esx or emx from korg ;) as well

[@wildfunker]

A Korg Monotribe isn't a 303.

[@Goth108]

Wildfunk hence my point, but with some diy fun or other tricks it gets close, and sounds better than this video even

[@wildfunker]

Goth108 I don't want a "close" sound or "better" (than what?) sound, i want instant 303 sound! And that's what the TB3 is for! ;)

[@Goth108]

when he opens the filter cutoff the 303 sound is gone, not really usefull if you ask me

[@ObscureMachines]

00:54 - 00:58 I loled at the tiny baby whale that died.

[@BastiaanvandeWerk]

Not sure about the interface yet, but this thing sounds quite balsy to me.

[@rhampton1914]

Does this unit have built in effects like Delay or Reverb?

[@Yourveryowncarrot]

Had the opportunity to buy this, I bought the volca bass. Just, buy the bass, trust me.

[@alexwest909]

Yourveryowncarrot Not that this is good, but volca bass kinda blows. Can't even control volume per VCO? Fucking ludicrous.

[@NickSBailey]

and tb303 only has one VCO, so not really a good criticism in this context

[@clamsnake5401]

lmao i would actual prefer this than my volca bass which i am currently selling

[@agedefiant-heteromundane-s6943]

lol no

[@Mr_ToR]

I have a real TB-303 and this does not at all seem like a progression. However, there is a relatively recent OS / CPU upgrade for TB-303 by socialentropy, which gives modern functions without touching the original analog synth circuitry, now that is a real progression. I don't know what this is. Roland has lost it or gone crazy. I think the recently released exact one-to-one rebuild of Korg MS-20 kit by Korg is a great product and it also shows Korg's ability to understand their customers, consumers or fans expectations. Unfortunately Roland is not doing anything for me for a long time.

[@pcuimac]

You are getting old and sentimental man. Everything from the past begins to sound and look better. Buy a brand new Moog Sub 37 insted of that grisly Korg crap.

[@Mr_ToR]

I have the subphatty, i will get the sub 37 for sure at some point, probably exchange with the sub i have, but i'm saving money for a real TR-808 :-) i'm not sure if i would buy the ms20 really bec. it will actually be redundant with what i already have. The main idea is that what korg is doing is right :-) i know i don't need that ms20 but i want it :-)

[@pcuimac]

Tonguç Endem ".. but i want it :-)" Yeah! I know how that feels. :-) Have fun with your gear!

[@Mr_ToR]

No, it actually helps. 17 year old rebirth software, which basically does a perfect emulation of 303, 808 and 909 is free. There is nothing special about these AIRA crap. Roland could easily have made real remakes at cheaper prices. These definately are not a progression for anyone. Ok, as for their appereance i dont care too much if they look like a chinese whorehouse but let's not forget they are not real instruments, they are a hardware running a software emulating a real instrument which pretty much distributed freely on the internet. Cheap imitations of great machines where the brand name is being taken adventage of. Really, there is nothing significant that Roland did these so called remakes. Free rebirth is much better.

[@Mr_ToR]

Believe me money spent on a Real TB-303 is not a waste since they only get more valuable in time. However, money spent on these AIRA stuff definitaly will be a waste and there will not be a resell value for them. You'll see in time. This is not the first time Roland took advantage of the xox brand value. Check out MC303. It was advertised as 303, 808 and 909 combined, however back then post-analog-digital-hype was still in effect and emulation or virtual synthesis was not really around.

[@shookstylez]

PLEASE review the System 01, I am getting pretty interested whoah! Good job Nick awesome review as always.

[@EverettDudgeon138]

Can you program how many time each pattern repeats when chaining sequences together?

[@whormongrmuzik]

never been a huge 303 fan - the touch panel is kinda cool though - I would like to see it on a non 303 cloneish thing

[@zgrebocina]

so sad there's no pulse width

[@djjuno106]

i use the d16 vsts for acid sounds which is the best emulator out there but I still may buy this for live gigs .the whole point of the aria range is for djs too integrate hardware into there sets ..what I want too see is how well the gear integrates with daws such as Cubase /abelton . on the specs it says it can transmit and receive audio which can then be processed with the filters on the tb-3 ..now that is a feature which will lots of producers will love. a deffinate buy for me though is the system-1 and VT-3 and the fa-06 im going to be broke this summer lol

[@jasoncorganbrown]

Why would roland make an emulation? Why not real analog? We have tons of great software emulations already

[@juanky19]

if you want a digital 303, 808 and 909 you can get REBIRTH 338 and a midi controller.... it's cheaper! and you can use other VSTs with the same unit!

[@THVWLS_hamilton]

I think I'd get this. My EMX is dying and my official view towards laptops is "never on stage." Aesthetically they do not appeal to me. So this could be a decent piece of gear for the music I make.

[@spencerholmes1047]

This instrument is far more exciting than the demo shows. I don't think he spent enough time with it to show case it properly. So it seems crappy from what you see here. This is a much better performance Roland AIRA TB-3 Touch Bassline Synthesizer Demo - Sweetwater Sound

[@MrGueseable]

What makes me laugh is that the original TB 303 was not made for this kind of sound? Some guys from Detroit andChicago (you know who u r) messed about with a cheap silver box at the time,1986 and created ACID HOUSE

[@deepmoo82]

Solid review on this, much appreciated!

[@me000]

I'm upset that people think that this is on the same level as emulation software that has come out years ago just because it isn't analog.

[@lacrne2893]

Any alternative suggestions anyone?

[@soupforare]

Touchpad makes me wonder if this really began as some sort of Korg KP clone and got re-purposed. At least they've given up on the d-beam.

[@dinogoldie9716]

Just got my hands on a TB3. I love the sound but don't love the interface. The Aira range is crying out for a Shift/Function key. The TB3's key combos make absolutely no sense and are bloody difficult to memorise. Yes ASDR controls are also sorely lacking. Not blown away by the touchpad (The Volcas have multiple touch capability and instant access to more than one octave). The main advantage over the Volca Bass is storage of far more patterns and double pattern length. The huge disadvantage when compared with the Volca Bass is the lack of Automation and knob twiddle recording. Scatter is good but if you extend the pattern to 32 steps, it only appears to work on the irst 16 steps.

[@GigiDAmico]

is it possible to change patterns via midi? if so, how?

[@mitchellross6357]

If it is all you gotta do is plug in a midi sequencer into the midi in.

[@GigiDAmico]

But what kind of program change? Because it just change the sound but not the pattern,

[@GigiDAmico]

Mitchell Ross Roland just confirm me that is not possible, probably in a future software update, big limitation imho

[@mmattcisterna5591]

Hi! Great video.. Is it like a kaossilator??

[@eebangpromotions]

Well now it's obvious. He hasn't aged in 8 years.... Vampire.

[@twzstudio139]

It sounds pretty good, but it really seems like a preset player, not an instrument. It would be fun if it were inexpensive, but at this price I will pass.

[@Marc_Angel]

why two outputs if it's mono ?

[@Mtaalas]

Because it has stereo effects built in...

[@jseppersoninstereo]

Effects are in stereo. Reverb, Delay, etc.

[@604scend]

I will stick with ReBirth on my Ipad for now, no offense.

[@ElectronicazMusic]

Rebirth is so old now.... But still kicks ass!

[@mrbreaker101]

even the iPad app is five years old

[@MAMware]

neutrik? amphenol?

[@aksen303]

it's bad enough that there's no dedicated knob for env mod (so i can't tweak env mod AND scatter at the same time, or tweak env mod while changing patterns? stupid), but WHERE'S THE BLOODY DECAY KNOB?!?! having owned a 303 in the past, and currently owning a x0xb0x and future retro revolution, decay is essential (and the accent decay feature on the future retro is a brilliant extension). so unless it's part of the env mod touch-screen (which would be silly), it's an odd oversight. if you're totally hardware based and do no computer-based editing (like myself, other than final mastering), the scatter function could actually be a bit useful for spicing up the pattern. the oddest thing in my opinion is the cost. it's too expensive. for about the same money you can get a volca bass or a microbrute, both of which are analogue and offer more synthesis. for only a small bit more you can get an x0xb0x, which is basically a 303. the tt-303 is not much more either. the tb3 is too much for what it offers. get rid of the touch screen, add dedicated knobs for env mod, decay, and scatter, knock 25% off the price, and while i still wouldn't buy it, it would be competitive.

[@BaseMosquito]

303 ''Hijacked and abused by the dance community'' - absolutely right!

[@marike1100]

Working in a DAW with hardware synths, an audio interface is essential. Not sure why the reviewer doesn't recognize that most DAWs don't keep track of patches so the ability to record straight to audio is a HUGE bonus. My Yamaha MX49 synth has a built in audio interface and it make working in Ableton Live an absolute pleasure. It's great that the TB3 offers the ability to record straight to audio.

[@ShadowBoxerDNB]

I got one the other day, I love it. I was looking for a TB 303 clone for just the basic 2 waveforms for Psy Trance / Acid trance type stuff. Its not the same as the original but it does deliver the goods. Saying its just a preset machine is correct but then so was the original.

[@richardscriven3750]

Great video and very informative.? I have 1 question. Can you use this with a Behringer RD 808 drum machine? and if so how. I look foward to your reply. Once again great video.

[@Crackykun]

Why don't they just make the original analog TB-303 again since everybody wants it so bad? (with a few alterations like adding midi/usb) TR-8 seemed a lot more useful and true to the originals than this thing.

[@EricSitulo]

that's what they have done, but they just modernised it

[@hedcas]

agreed, the tb-3 should have at least looked a little like the 303- i think this is a cool machine but i also think its ugly.

[@EricSitulo]

+Elijah Brown still serves its purpose

[@hedcas]

oh, dont worry- im buying one

[@EricSitulo]

+Elijah Brown haha me too brother

[@Skizzzzyyyyy]

Note hold?

[@LordHando]

TB-3, THE GREATEST SYNTH OF ALL TIME

[@kierenmoore3236]

*TD-3, y’meant … ?!

[@H4NDCRAFTED]

'Clones upward of a grand' ? You can get a x0xb0x from a reliable makers or a VA bassbot for £500. Give me d16s Vst anyday, but for performing this could be fun, I could see Octave One using this live. I actually like the touch screen interface, but yes is over priced, I'd give them £175.00 max for this. Not interested at all.

[@jasonwoodman6554]

"Give me d16s Vst anyday" yup, my goto 99% of listeners wouldn't hear the difference anyway.

[@krishna34674]

"lets go through a few presets" FUCK THIS.

[@dagoblinn2350]

If you put this through a neve Mono Compressor and a old muff pedal!

[@calmroadrecords]

what grynhelix said

[@markchristopher2signal2]

Thankuuu. Got one.

[@cubdukat]

I'm really not sure how to look at the entire Aira line. Yes, it's a cheap way to get into a 303 and 808 (even if it's not true analog). but who's it aimed at? Obviously not the purists, if any of the posts I've seen about it are any indication. Personally, I don't have that hangup about it (I never had much use for either instrument; I'm more of a LinnDrum kinda guy). but would it have killed Roland to make a true analog 808 or 303? That would really take the air out of the used market. Not to mention that for at least once in recent history, Roland wouldn't be capitalizing on the name of a legendary instrument by carelessly slapping it on mediocre gear (Jupiter/Juno series, anyone?)

[@samurairj]

Just go on eBay and buy a MC-303 for $100, you get almost the same thing but with some more options. I love my MC-303, and it seems to me that I'd much rather keep mine than buy this.

[@minrinom]

if roland remake the tb 303 than is it big money for them also whit the 909 808 new stuff is not always better korg is remaking the oddessy and have remake the ms 20 its mini but its sounds great come on roland make the gear for us i am waiting whe want knobs

[@mCKENIC]

Thanks Nick! Ooh err! Quite interested in this although as mentioned for €100 less Id buy one instantly. I guess I'll wait for a used one. The Env Mod as a touch param seems a little strange to me but one thing Nick - can finger movements be recorded (internally) as part of the pattern? BRILLIANT stuff as always Sonic State! Many thanks!

[@Timbalo0]

No envmod knob? wtf?

[@AmericanIsraeliJew]

Outstanding demo! Thanks

[@bmmcwhirt]

I disagree. The X0XB0X is damn near identical to the original 303. The TB3 is fuller and just not the same. You might think 'well isn't that better?' No, not if you want the original 303 sound. That said it's pretty awesome and has a lot more to it than a pure 303 clone but purists will want to avoid this. If you cant afford the TB-303 used and want the most accurate sound I'd have to say the x0xb0x is the best bet for price. If you want the 303 sound but are not a purist this thing is pretty good. It's currently going for the same price as an x0xb0x kit(means you have to solder and build it) so it has that going for it. For a return to the 303 from Roland I have to say good job, and about time!