Behringer TD-3 GP

The Behringer TD-3 is a clone of the famous Roland TB-303 bass synthesizer, whose bubbling and screaming sound has captivated generations of musicians, DJs and revelers. Probably the most frequently used sound in electronic music, it manages with surprisingly few controls and really comes to life with its internal sequencer. An oscillator with two waveforms, the legendary acid filter, a decay envelope and the accent parameter; that's all it takes to create the legendary sound. Compared to the original from 1982, a distortion effect for analogue sound generation and a directly accessible randomize function for the sequencer have been added to the TD-3.

History & hype

Originally, the TB-303, together with the TR-606 drum machine (both from Roland), was intended to replace drums and Bass in the solo entertainer context and enable musicians to practice without band members present. However, as this target group did not feel addressed, the TB-303 ended up with disco house, DJs and producers, who combined this bass machine with a drum computer and thus created countless legendary tracks then and still are today.

In the 90s, with the emerging techno wave, many producers wanted to call a "303" their own, which was unfortunately reserved for only a few due to the already rising second-hand market prices and low availability. As a result, numerous manufacturers took up the cause and released a considerable number of clones in soft and Hardware. Sometimes the sequencer was successful, sometimes the sound generation. Many times, however, the result was so independent that it was many things but not a 303.

As Fatboy Slim put it so simply and aptly: "Everybody needs a 303!"