Emu XL-7 & MP-7 User's Group

Has anyone created any convincing 303 acid lines with the XL-7? I've
tried and I just can't seem to get any squelchiness out of it. I've
tried all the preset filter settings and nothing....Please help. 

Thanks,
-dmn

Sigh. The TB303 sound. The holy grail of synthesis. Actually i'm pretty tired of it :)

However, most of the 303 sound is given by the way it's played rather than an esoteric feature of he sound. However we can make a 303 by defining its main characteristics:

1) It is a monophonic sound. Poliphonic 303s don't work at all.
2) You have to change the glide time. The 303 glides from one note to the other, making it sound organic.
3) Use only one layer with a saw wave, or a square wave if you like.
4) Some of the charm of the tb303 sound comes from the distortion. But the real tb303 didn't have any fx included. The XL7 distortion is pretty lame, but it could be useful for a start.
5) Some of the charm of the tb303 sound comes also from the delay. But again, the tb303 didn't have a delay feature. You can use the XL7 delay, that is pretty good.

The tb303 was a pretty simple machine. Keep it simple when you design it. Even a simple filter will do the trick if the rest is well done.

Jose


  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: David 
  To: xl7@yahoogroups.com 
  Sent: Tuesday, April 19, 2005 6:32 PM
  Subject: [xl7] TB-303 Sounds?



  Has anyone created any convincing 303 acid lines with the XL-7? I've
  tried and I just can't seem to get any squelchiness out of it. I've
  tried all the preset filter settings and nothing....Please help. 

  Thanks,
  -dmn





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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Hi
Just too add to your comments..

Read this description of the hardware of the 303 it gives a lot of 
clues on how to attack the challenge.

http://www.tb-303.org/info/history.asp

and 

http://secretstars.com/new/tbs-303.html

I had a 303 to repair once. When i finally got it going the sound out 
of it was amazing. Its really crude but does have a very mad tonal 
character.
The only thing that will sound like a 303 is a 303 at the end of the 
day.
You should be able to get close, but why not make something out of it 
thats your own creation?
The 303 has been taken to the end, but i still love it ;o)  

Have fun
Gonz


--- In xl7@yahoogroups.com, José Sáez <taliesin@t...> wrote:
> Sigh. The TB303 sound. The holy grail of synthesis. Actually i'm 
pretty tired of it :)
> 
> However, most of the 303 sound is given by the way it's played 
rather than an esoteric feature of he sound. However we can make a 
303 by defining its main characteristics:
> 
> 1) It is a monophonic sound. Poliphonic 303s don't work at all.
> 2) You have to change the glide time. The 303 glides from one note 
to the other, making it sound organic.
> 3) Use only one layer with a saw wave, or a square wave if you like.
> 4) Some of the charm of the tb303 sound comes from the distortion. 
But the real tb303 didn't have any fx included. The XL7 distortion is 
pretty lame, but it could be useful for a start.
> 5) Some of the charm of the tb303 sound comes also from the delay. 
But again, the tb303 didn't have a delay feature. You can use the XL7 
delay, that is pretty good.
> 
> The tb303 was a pretty simple machine. Keep it simple when you 
design it. Even a simple filter will do the trick if the rest is well 
done.
> 
> Jose
> 
> 
>   ----- Original Message ----- 
>   From: David 
>   To: xl7@yahoogroups.com 
>   Sent: Tuesday, April 19, 2005 6:32 PM
>   Subject: [xl7] TB-303 Sounds?
> 
> 
> 
>   Has anyone created any convincing 303 acid lines with the XL-7? 
I've
>   tried and I just can't seem to get any squelchiness out of it. 
I've
>   tried all the preset filter settings and nothing....Please help. 
> 
>   Thanks,
>   -dmn
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> --------------------------------------------------------------------
----------
>   Yahoo! Groups Links
> 
>     a.. To visit your group on the web, go to:
>     http://groups.yahoo.com/group/xl7/
>       
>     b.. To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
>     xl7-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
>       
>     c.. Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of 
Service. 
> 
> 
> 
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

SO you can create some good tb303 patternz?
IM really interested with some preset or patternz ,.
Coz i cant simulate the 303Accent in the CS itself...

any idea? thank you

--- In xl7@yahoogroups.com, "David" <lost_one95340@...> wrote:
>
> 
> Has anyone created any convincing 303 acid lines with the XL-7? I've
> tried and I just can't seem to get any squelchiness out of it. I've
> tried all the preset filter settings and nothing....Please help. 
> 
> Thanks,
> -dmn
>

Hmm- this might be an interesting "contest" if enough people are interested-

I've owned 2 actual 303s and while they were slightly different in their sound, my major surprise was how a 303 sounds when it's not doing its typical squelchy reso thing- it's got a lazy rolling meaty bass that is tough to match.
 
Leftfield Song Of Life is a good example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ic2Q-G0BEFQ

That said- the last of the EMU rompler platforms are the most capable in existence, and I feel like with the avenues allowed in things like the XL7, 303-like sounds could be achieved pretty easily- anyone interested?

-SS
--
NUNQUAM NON PARATUS
V: 408.718.6290


On Dec 9, 2010, at 10:17 AM, laszlozizics wrote:

> SO you can create some good tb303 patternz?
> IM really interested with some preset or patternz ,.
> Coz i cant simulate the 303Accent in the CS itself...
> 
> any idea? thank you
> 
> --- In xl7@yahoogroups.com, "David" <lost_one95340@...> wrote:
>> 
>> 
>> Has anyone created any convincing 303 acid lines with the XL-7? I've
>> tried and I just can't seem to get any squelchiness out of it. I've
>> tried all the preset filter settings and nothing....Please help. 
>> 
>> Thanks,
>> -dmn
>> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ------------------------------------
> 
> Yahoo! Groups Links
> 
> 
>

im interested coz i can't create nice 303 sound on my xl7 :D
--- In xl7@yahoogroups.com, Scott Solmonson <scosol@...> wrote:
>
> Hmm- this might be an interesting "contest" if enough people are interested-
> 
> I've owned 2 actual 303s and while they were slightly different in their sound, my major surprise was how a 303 sounds when it's not doing its typical squelchy reso thing- it's got a lazy rolling meaty bass that is tough to match.
>  
> Leftfield Song Of Life is a good example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ic2Q-G0BEFQ
> 
> That said- the last of the EMU rompler platforms are the most capable in existence, and I feel like with the avenues allowed in things like the XL7, 303-like sounds could be achieved pretty easily- anyone interested?
> 
> -SS
> --
> NUNQUAM NON PARATUS
> V: 408.718.6290
> 
> 
> On Dec 9, 2010, at 10:17 AM, laszlozizics wrote:
> 
> > SO you can create some good tb303 patternz?
> > IM really interested with some preset or patternz ,.
> > Coz i cant simulate the 303Accent in the CS itself...
> > 
> > any idea? thank you
> > 
> > --- In xl7@yahoogroups.com, "David" <lost_one95340@> wrote:
> >> 
> >> 
> >> Has anyone created any convincing 303 acid lines with the XL-7? I've
> >> tried and I just can't seem to get any squelchiness out of it. I've
> >> tried all the preset filter settings and nothing....Please help. 
> >> 
> >> Thanks,
> >> -dmn
> >> 
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > ------------------------------------
> > 
> > Yahoo! Groups Links
> > 
> > 
> >
>

On Wed, 22 Dec 2010, James Ulibarri wrote:

> Now if you're talking like a fake 303 screaming lead sound drenched in 
> plastic sounding reverb than maybe, and anything could be used I guess.

<<snip>>

> You can buy a TB-303 sampler CD and replicate the tones that way with a 
> sampler, but not from anything internally. 
===================

IMHO, the former is preferable to the latter. samples of classic drum 
machines are one thing... sampling a TB-303 just doesn't make any sense to 
me (unless it's to replicate multi-tracking).


-- 
         ...atom

  ________________________
  http://atom.smasher.org/
  762A 3B98 A3C3 96C9 C6B7 582A B88D 52E4 D9F5 7808
  -------------------------------------------------

 	"Pick battles important enough to fight
 	 and small enough to win."
 		-- Johnathan Kozol

Well, James- I pretty much agree, which is why I thought it would be a good sort of fun challenge.
Of course, it would have to be limited to one particular 303 sound, but whatever, nobody was really interested anyway :)

--
NUNQUAM NON PARATUS
V: 408.718.6290






On Dec 22, 2010, at 12:50 PM, James Ulibarri wrote:

> 
> 
> I am not saying I would do it either. What I was saying was that a TB-303 sampling CD would actually be better than trying to get convincible TB-303 tones out of the Command Station.  Which is 1000% impossible.  The only people would say that it "actually sounds like a real 303" would be the people who never have owned one or used one for an extended period of time.  Someone in their teens or early 20's.   They simply don't know.... they just think they know. 
> 
> 
> 
> On Wed, Dec 22, 2010 at 12:39 PM, Atom Smasher <atom@...> wrote:
>  
> 
> On Wed, 22 Dec 2010, James Ulibarri wrote:
> 
> > Now if you're talking like a fake 303 screaming lead sound drenched in 
> > plastic sounding reverb than maybe, and anything could be used I guess.
> 
> <<snip>>
> 
> 
> > You can buy a TB-303 sampler CD and replicate the tones that way with a 
> > sampler, but not from anything internally. 
> ===================
> 
> IMHO, the former is preferable to the latter. samples of classic drum 
> machines are one thing... sampling a TB-303 just doesn't make any sense to 
> me (unless it's to replicate multi-tracking).
> 
> -- 
> ...atom
> 
> ________________________
> http://atom.smasher.org/
> 762A 3B98 A3C3 96C9 C6B7 582A B88D 52E4 D9F5 7808
> -------------------------------------------------
> 
> "Pick battles important enough to fight
> and small enough to win."
> -- Johnathan Kozol
> 
> 
> 
>

2010/12/22 James Ulibarri <jamesulibarri@...>
> I honestly think with the LFO's and filters a person could get some pretty crazy stuff.
> I'm not saying it would be creamy sounding like a real 303, but there would be some crazy textures and modulation in there.

I'm afraid 303 is able to modulate the filter resonance in realtime,
while XL7 can do it only on Note On...

On Wed, 22 Dec 2010, Bruno wrote:

> I'm afraid 303 is able to modulate the filter resonance in realtime, 
> while XL7 can do it only on Note On...
==========

ha! that just makes it a more interesting challenge ;)


-- 
         ...atom

  ________________________
  http://atom.smasher.org/
  762A 3B98 A3C3 96C9 C6B7 582A B88D 52E4 D9F5 7808
  -------------------------------------------------

 	Orwell was an optimist.

Well, the Future Retro Revolution can do all that at a fraction of the going cost of the 303 but about twice the cost of a CS.  The CS can do the basic sound but not some those fun 303 modulation features.  But not every song needs step modulated resonance.  And isn't there a 303 type filter selection in the CS?

---- Original Message ----
From: "Bruno" <brunorc@...>
Reply-To: xl7@yahoogroups.com
Date: 12/22/10 5:28 PM
To: xl7@yahoogroups.com
Cc: 
Sub: Re: [xl7] Re: TB-303 Sounds?
2010/12/22 James Ulibarri <jamesulibarri@...>
> I honestly think with the LFO's and filters a person could get some pretty crazy stuff.
> I'm not saying it would be creamy sounding like a real 303, but there would be some crazy textures and modulation in there.

I'm afraid 303 is able to modulate the filter resonance in realtime,
while XL7 can do it only on Note On...

---- End Original Message ----

As the sound of an instrument is always complex and infinitely variable, I would say the best way would be to choose 5 songs that contain it and try to emulate the sounds in each.

Two of my favorites come to mind-
Acid Eiffel:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPuA-Zun4rk
Song of Life:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ic2Q-G0BEFQ

I'm sure everyone else has more-

--
NUNQUAM NON PARATUS
V: 408.718.6290

On Dec 30, 2010, at 10:18 PM, Jeremy Bolton wrote:

> 
> 
> E-mulating the TB303.
> 
> I agree. Just because a Proteus 2k series probably wont make any 303 sound that will fool a analogue fetishist, is no excuse not to try. The journey would be a lot more informative than the destination.
> 
> Seriously, when it comes to making a good tune- 99.99 percent of listeners don't care at all if its a real instrument or a nice fake.
> Ive never seen a real TB303, and the chances of getting to know one intimately are pretty slim for me.
> 
> Ive often heard that the 303 accent glide and general analogue character are hard to define let alone copy. Still of all the haredware I have the P2ks are the deepest in the modulation department. There could be some audio gold in them thar' hills.
> 
> I go off and do some research.
> 
> How would you propose doing a competition?
> 
> Cheers Futz
> 
> 
> 
> 
>

Not made on XL7, but on it's (much) older brother - E-mu Morpheus:

http://www.deepsonic.ch/deep/audio/e-mu_morpheus_acid.mp3

I'm not by any chance a TB-303 expert - I wouldn't recognize it even
if it bit my ass - but I'm surprised one can get something like this
out of Morpheus...

2010/12/9 laszlozizics <fantahs@...>:
> SO you can create some good tb303 patternz?
> IM really interested with some preset or patternz ,.
> Coz i cant simulate the 303Accent in the CS itself...
>
> any idea? thank you
>
> --- In xl7@yahoogroups.com, "David" <lost_one95340@...> wrote:
>>
>>
>> Has anyone created any convincing 303 acid lines with the XL-7? I've
>> tried and I just can't seem to get any squelchiness out of it. I've
>> tried all the preset filter settings and nothing....Please help.
>>
>> Thanks,
>> -dmn
>>
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>