The Roland TB-303

It’s issue 303 of Computer Music so there really was only one feature that we could lead with – one comparing and contrasting the attributes of a hardware 303 with its many software counterparts. It’s time, then, to explore the finest pieces of software inspired by the legendary Roland TB-303…

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To those who know, the TB-303 is more than just an electronic instrument in a small silver box. It’s an era-defining synthesiser and sequencer, which at the point of release in 1981/82, came equipped with a fashionable vinyl carry case; a must for all fashionistas! Why equip a little silver box with such a faux carry case? That has everything to do with the market for which it was designed to cater. The 303, as it is colloquially known to its friends, was offered as a solution for the discerning gigging guitarist, who didn’t have any bass-playing friends to jam with. Acquiring a 303 for a mere £200 or so, you could plug up to a suitable amp, and heypresto; bass magic! Thanks to its onboard sequencer, you could store patterns and songs, making it perfect for pub gigs and the odd bit of karaoke, which was something of a national obsession in Japan. If you were also lacking drums, the Roland TR-606 was the near-identical drum machine twin, providing a rather beautiful set of analogue drum sounds, alongside the analogue synth architecture of the 303.

Accidental happenings If we were being a tad unkind, but entirely accurate, the 303 has been associated with many happy accidents over its lifetime. While Roland hoped that it would be embraced as a bass-line-generating synth on a budget, there are relatively few instances of this engagement. One such outing during the 80s, came from the British band Imagination, who utilised the identifiable 303 traits on a host of hits. Just an Illusion and