Imaginando has released TV3, a Roland TB-303 emulation, for macOS and Windows. It is free to download until December 1st (the free licenses don’t expire).
TV3 is available to download for free until December 1, 2024. Once the offer expires, TV3 will return to its original price of €10.
As a reminder, anyone who still wants to grab IK Multimedia’s SampleTank 4 MAX for just $30 has a few more days to do so – the offer ends on October 24.
Roland’s TB-303 arrived on the scene in 1981 and cost a few hundred dollars, although you could potentially pay over $1000 for one now.
By the late 1980s, the little bassline synth had become a staple in the production of acid music and had contributed to developing and defining the genre.
The TB-303 wasn’t exclusive to acid music, which means you may also find other uses for Imaginando’s TV3.
We can hear the sound of the TB-303 on tracks from Daft Punk, The KLF, and, more recently, Tame Impala.
The first charting release to use the TB-303 came from the Scottish new-wave group Orange Juice with 1982s Rip It Up.
Getting back on the acid track, groups like Phuture, with their release Acid Trax, established the TB-303s starring role in the world of acid music.
TV3 stays true to the original hardware with a single oscillator producing a sawtooth or square wave. You also get a sub-oscillator and various distortion types.
One of the common complaints about Roland’s TB-303, back in the 80s, is that the interface should have been more straightforward.
Phuture’s DJ Pierre even attributes the pioneering sound of Acid Trax to the fact that he didn’t really know how to work the TB-303.
Imaginando tackles this problem with an extremely user-friendly GUI that gives full access to complex sounds without the convoluted processes.
From left to right, the interface features the built-in pattern generator, a vintage TV that displays a familiar smiley face of the acid scene, and some parameter controls on the right.
The built-in pattern generator allows you to adjust the Complexity of the pattern, Length (number of beats), Scale, and Key.
It’s super simple to use, and the available scales go through the modes, with some additional pentatonic and stylized scales. Once you find a pattern you like, you can drag it straight onto the track in your DAW.
The vintage TV in the middle of the GUI will display the preset bank when open and provide access to the advanced controls.
The Advanced view is where you can change the waveform type for the oscillator and sub-oscillator, adjust tuning, and select the distortion type.
The parameter controls on the right of the GUI include the Cutoff, Resonance, Accent, Envelope Modulation, Decay, Drive, and a Dry/Wet mix knob.
Everything happens very fast with TV3; it never takes long to find the desired sound. A quick play with the Env. Mod and Decay, in most cases, nudge you toward that iconic Confusion bass sound, made famous by the movie Blade in the 1990s.
TV3 is precisely what it’s meant to be; it delivers the classic TB-303 sound with minimal effort. If you’re an acid fan or love electronic basslines in general, you should like TV3.
TV3 is available in 64-bit AU, VST, and VST3 formats for macOS (11.0 and higher) and Windows (10 and higher).
Download: TV3 (FREE until December 1st)
More:
