Roland AIRA TB-3 Touch Bassline Performance Synthesizer

Description

Based on the wildly influential TB-303, the TB-3 Touch Bassline is a performance-ready bass synth with meticulously authentic sound and intuitive controls engineered to play.

Nobody could have anticipated what would happen to the world of dance music when Roland’s now-legendary TB-303 was embraced by inventive musicians on both sides of the Atlantic, and has been a staple of electronic music since the 1980’s. It is the defining sound of Acid House and has since been the marquis instrument on an array of groundbreaking electronic dance tracks. It’s not only been used to write songs, but it has songs written about it. In fact, the release of the TB-303 has been heralded as one the key events in the history of dance music.

The Sound
Launched in 1981, the TB-303 continues to be an indispensable bass synth for dance music. Roland has meticulously analyzed the circuitry of the TB-303 piece-by-piece and down to the individual circuit behavior.

Using Analog Circuit Behavior technology Roland was able to fully reproduce both the saw-tooth and square wave oscillators as well as the -18dB/octave ladder low pass filter used in the original TB-303, capturing that unmistakable cutoff and resonance character. In addition to the faithful reproductions of classic TB tones, the TB-3 is packed with 134 sounds that live and breathe. Bubbling synth basses, hard distortion basses, trippy delay sounds and drippy effects. They’re all here – and then some.

The Feel
A TB bass line not only sounds unique, but it has its own trademark feel as well. The TB pulses, drives, bubbles and percolates. Roland worked hard to faithfully recreate the Accent, Slide, and Step Sequencer behavior of the original unit. The truth is, the step entry on the original TB-303 was difficult to use, the keyboard was difficult to play, and special maneuvers were required for the shuffle functions. So Roland has enhanced the features on the TB-3 to overcome these challenges and have created the optimal TB interface.

FEATURES

• Meticulously crafted using an original TB-303 unit and spec sheet
• ACB technology models every aspect of the original TB-303 sound
• Faithful recreation of the original saw and square oscillator waveforms
• Authentic filter behavior with smooth response and authentic sound
• Pressure sensitive Touch Pad
• 134 captivating sounds including effects-processed waveforms.
• Dedicated Tempo control with Shuffle and Tap Tempo
• Control built-in effects with smooth, responsive knobs
• 7-segment, 3-character LED display
• Seamless switch between pattern creation and performance
• 16-step indicator lights to aid in pattern creation
• Pattern support for up to 32 steps
• Easy access to Shuffle control for bass lines that groove
• Enter steps manually or record realtime on the Touch Pad
• Change Step Count during playback to create different length phrases
• Random pattern generation and pattern modification
• Pattern copy
• Shuffle
• Integrates seamlessly with other AIRA series products