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-- x0xb0x - TB303 clone

x0xb0x - TB303 clone

I just built one of these TB303 clones... http://www.ladyada.net/make/x0xb0x/

It's pretty nice, it sounds great and has a lot of features (pretty much all the features of an original plus more)

Anyway, check it out if you're interested. The kit is $300 and you have to build it yourself, so some electronics knowledges is helpful (there's over 500 parts!), but I think it's a good deal compared to an original.

There's a waiting list and they're only doing 100 at a time, so get on it now if you want one (the next run of 100 may be the last)

Awesome! Any mp3 demos?

hate to be a jacka$$ but did you even click on the link above??? No, ok, here's one below for your lazy butt:

http://www.ladyada.net/make/x0xb0x/samples.html



cool product btw, but I'd personaly buy a future-retro for $600 (which does a lot more) and not have to tinker with electronics. but if you're into this kind of stuff and have all the free time on your hands and want to learn electronics (instead of playing your synth) - use that.

I honestly think 303 sound is overused. I'd rather use some other synth to get acid line - AN1x comes to mind... or Supernova... or even bunch of software 303 clones. of course, if you want real 303 - get a real deal.

oh, and btw - for $300 you can get an1x - which is a superb and highly underrated synth that not only has one of the most fantastic key feel but also sounds phenomenal.

cheers.

quote:

Originally posted by emc^2 hate to be a jacka$$ but did you even click on the link above??? No, ok, here's one below for your lazy butt: http://www.ladyada.net/make/x0xb0x/samples.html cool product btw, but I'd personaly buy a future-retro for $600 (which does a lot more) and not have to tinker with electronics. but if you're into this kind of stuff and have all the free time on your hands and want to learn electronics (instead of playing your synth) - use that. I honestly think 303 sound is overused. I'd rather use some other synth to get acid line - AN1x comes to mind... or Supernova... or even bunch of software 303 clones. of course, if you want real 303 - get a real deal.

This IS the real deal. They reversed engineered the original and used exacly the same components.
Same circutry ,same potentiometres, Same parts.
It took them months and months of harasing people on the phone to get the info.
And now we got the aciiiiiiid.
''Just as acid as can be we don't need no 303''

quote:

Originally posted by emc^2 cool product btw, but I'd personaly buy a future-retro for $600 (which does a lot more) and not have to tinker with electronics. but if you're into this kind of stuff and have all the free time on your hands and want to learn electronics (instead of playing your synth) - use that.

just what i was thinking...

i was looking @ DIY projects online, i know enough about electronics to do this.

and there's this thing called "chipamp" or "gainclone" amplifier. apparently it sounds exelent.

i could get started on some of these projects and go absolutley fucking crazy.

fuck that, id rather make some muzac

quote:

Originally posted by emc^2 hate to be a jacka$$ but did you even click on the link above??? No, ok, here's one below for your lazy butt: http://www.ladyada.net/make/x0xb0x/samples.html cool product btw, but I'd personaly buy a future-retro for $600 (which does a lot more) and not have to tinker with electronics. but if you're into this kind of stuff and have all the free time on your hands and want to learn electronics (instead of playing your synth) - use that. I honestly think 303 sound is overused. I'd rather use some other synth to get acid line - AN1x comes to mind... or Supernova... or even bunch of software 303 clones. of course, if you want real 303 - get a real deal. oh, and btw - for $300 you can get an1x - which is a superb and highly underrated synth that not only has one of the most fantastic key feel but also sounds phenomenal. cheers.

I saw the link, yes. But any mp3 file from his x0xb0x? or.. meh, they all sound exact same.

Hey. This is truely a good clone. But I do have a bone to pick. Its really hard to call what they did reverse engineering. A simple search on google for schematics returns 16000+ matches. Sorry for the offtopic bit but I dont like companies overhyping there shit to get interest in an already interesting product .

Cheers,
Zac

quote:

Originally posted by IDarkISwordI Hey. This is truely a good clone. But I do have a bone to pick. Its really hard to call what they did reverse engineering. A simple search on google for schematics returns 16000+ matches. Sorry for the offtopic bit but I dont like companies overhyping there shit to get interest in an already interesting product . Cheers, Zac

But there is the chance that they did still open up an original 303 and do it themselfs... just because someone else has done it doesnt mean they didnt.

quote:

Originally posted by harriz This IS the real deal. They reversed engineered the original and used exacly the same components. Same circutry ,same potentiometres, Same parts. It took them months and months of harasing people on the phone to get the info. And now we got the aciiiiiiid. ''Just as acid as can be we don't need no 303''

not enough, it sounds different. (less low freqs, the examples on the page are prooving it)
but, nice clone

quote:

Originally posted by -_1_--Ben--_1_- not enough, it sounds different. (less low freqs, the examples on the page are prooving it) but, nice clone

L.Frqcies ...Dude it's a mp3 file

quote:

Originally posted by harriz L.Frqcies ...Dude it's a mp3 file

aren`t they all ?

i suppose they are all recorded in the same way.


sorry, but if you don`t hear the difference between the next two files
you`ll have a hearing problem.

tb 303

xoxbox

samples taken from the xoxbox site

i have some question marks about the way of recording, don`t think it`s entirely hounestly done, the white noise produced in the slidy line example isn`t from the tb 303.
and in the same xoxbox example the noise `s gone.

There is way too much difference, yes. I doesn't sound the same at all. Plus the x0xb0x mp3 file is 1 semitone up. Perhaps it's just bad synthing?

quote:

Originally posted by harriz L.Frqcies ...Dude it's a mp3 file

It's a wav, actually. Pay attention.

quote:

i have some question marks about the way of recording, don`t think it`s entirely hounestly done, the white noise produced in the slidy line example isn`t from the tb 303.

Yeh, I definitely noticed some differences in recording quality there. Personally, I'm sticking with Audiorealism until I can afford a real 303.

Roland needs to remake them.

I mean really remake tham.

xoxbox is a decent clone, but it ain't the real deal. But then again who really cares what you use for acidlines? Not me anyway.

I had to work about 8 days to pay for my TB, so I bought one. Before it I used MC-202 and MAM MB-33 II for acid basslines. After running any of them through my Electro Harmonix Hot Tubes or Boss MT-2 they sounded suitable for my sound (hard acid/-style/-techno). Main difference now is that I can say to people that I own one and make their dicks shrink

I'll be honest, I'm more of a techie engineer guy than a musical guy so I mostly did this for the satisfaction of building it myself. So I haven't recorded anything yet. I need to take a music theory class or something...

Anyway, a few other points...

They DID reverse engineer it:

quote:

We have two--count 'em, two--analog electrical engineers with too much time on their hands working on this project. An original TB-303 was diassembled and reverse-engineered to verify the schematic. The original transistors were analysed using big expensive curve-tracers to determine their characteristics. We measured every waveform and counted every cycle to give you the best sound...its just like the original because it IS the original.

And if it doesn't sound enough like an original (it's good enough for me, I don't think those WAVs are fair comparisons) there are several simple modifications such as replacing the BA6110 amplifier chip with an original (but very rare) BA662 chip or replacing several key transistors with higher gain versions. Also pretty much any mod that will work on the original will work on a x0x (bass or resonance boosting, etc)


The ladyada.net site is more of community than a company, I don't think they're making that much money off this considering the number of parts and labor, plus all the information is available for free.


But yeah I'd only really recommend the x0xb0x if you've got some electronics experience and want to dedicate a couple days to building it. I enjoy the satisfaction of having built something like this, so it was worth it for me, even if it's not the best choice for a synth.

Hey. I'm working toward both, a computer and an electrical engineering degree myself actually . Just because they claim to have done it doesnt necessarily mean they truely did it and if they did, it was absolutely pointless. The reason schematics are made is so engineers have a guide to work off of to build circuits. Much of it could be loaded up into a circuit designing app and printed out onto a sheet of transfer paper or could also be printed straight onto the copper plating. Another reason its pointless is because proper schematics provide all of the information on which components are to be used. So by getting the schematics, you are getting everything you need to recreate the TB303, which is just plain production duplication, no reverse engineering needed.

Cheers,
Zac

If your interested in building clones, here's a 909 clone...
http://www.introspectiv.eclipse.co.uk/

quote:

Originally posted by IDarkISwordI Hey. I'm working toward both, a computer and an electrical engineering degree myself actually . Just because they claim to have done it doesnt necessarily mean they truely did it and if they did, it was absolutely pointless. The reason schematics are made is so engineers have a guide to work off of to build circuits. Much of it could be loaded up into a circuit designing app and printed out onto a sheet of transfer paper or could also be printed straight onto the copper plating. Another reason its pointless is because proper schematics provide all of the information on which components are to be used. So by getting the schematics, you are getting everything you need to recreate the TB303, which is just plain production duplication, no reverse engineering needed. Cheers, Zac

Well, first of all, the x0xb0x isn't identical to the original 303, especially the digital section.

Several of the components (transistors mainly) are very rare and hard if not impossible to find, so they had to find similar enough replacements, hence the curve-tracer.

Like I said, they're probably not making a lot of money off this, I don't think they would lie.

Either way it's a fun project if you're into that kind of thing...

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