TB303 is a synthesizer mistake. It was doomed to be forgotten. Roland marketed it as a replacement for the bass guitar. It performed terribly in this function, and the purchased machines ended up in second-hand shops at throwaway prices. It was then noticed by electronic music producers and turned into a legend.
“Talk to Me” is my fresh track built around an acid line. It’s melodic techno, put together in FL Studio. The main role in it is given to Transistor Bass, which is responsible for the sound “like the TB303.” The track is available on streaming platforms (alternative link) and Boosty.
I don’t want to wander around second-hand shops looking for the “legendary 303,” especially now that the price will be astronomical. I don’t want any more gear at all: the two I have are enough for me.
Emulating the sound of the 303 is quite simple in any subtractive synthesizer with a filter and envelopes. The signature acid sound of the TB303 comes from the filter’s high resonance. In Vital, such an acid sound would look something like this.
I took a blend of saw and square waves from the Classic Fade table, added a high-pass Ladder filter, gave it some drive, and set a fairly high resonance. I added a short envelope: it controls the filter frequency. Additionally, I added velocity modulation to the filter frequency to mimic accents in the style of the 303.
This is how the main riff from the track “Talk to Me” will sound.
Transistor Bass in FL Studio outperforms Vital not by accurately replicating the TB303 sound, but by its simple interface resembling the TB303. Vital has an overloaded interface. In Transistor Bass, obtaining the desired sound is easier and faster. This specialized synthesizer has fewer parameters.
The task of Transistor Bass is to emulate the TB303, and it does it well. Working with it is convenient. You can’t get a variety of sounds out of it, but Transistor Bass immediately delivers specific acid sounds.
The range of “acidicity” in the synthesizer is decent. For the track “Talk to Me,” I opted for a rather soft sound. The 303 part in the track provides the foundation but doesn’t take the forefront. If you try the standard presets, the synthesizer is ready to deliver a bright, aggressive sound for the leading part in Acid Techno.
Transistor Bass comes in the fattest delivery option for FL Studio. If in your version it is only available in Trial mode, save the part from the piano roll to a file.
Adjust the sound and save the track to a file through export or via Consolidate track. If you’re adding effects to the track or enabling them in the synthesizer, save two duplicates of the track. Then trim the first half, and use the second one in the project.
After that, you can delete the track with the synthesizer from the project.
You can listen to “Talk to Me” on streaming platforms (alternative link). You can download it from Boosty for a small fee until October 11, 2024, and absolutely free after.
You can use the downloaded track in your DJ sets, video games, videos, presentations, and other projects without any additional charge. Make sure to credit the author. If possible, include a link to this website.