my first 303 clone

[guest]

ive had a lot of time on my hands lately, and decided to scan in a bunch of old slides. one of them had my very first diy synth project on it, a 303 clone. im sure thats not a super suprise to anyone. and it sounded nothing like a 303. all i had to go on was some schematics i pulled off of hyperreal.org.



it was just the VCF, and barely that. i swapped out the output stage with opamp diffamps, and im not sure what i was using for current control, as there arent enough transistors on there for the expo setup the 303 uses. i rolled my own VCO, VCA, and ADSR. i had a variable length gate i could produce at a variable tempo. all modifications were made with a precision screwdriver on the tiny trimpots on the board. i made my first electronic music piece with it using 2 tape decks and overdubbing.

http://www.openmusiclabs.com/files/303_98.mp3

at the very end you can hear a drop bass networks track start to mix in, and that was the initial inspiration for the piece, but it sounded nothing like it, really. but looking back, im glad about that, and that the tempos of the overlayed tracks phase in and out with one another as it seems a bit more interesting.

i wish i had a photo of the rev that came after this one. i built it into a two octave fisher price keyboard with speaker, and put some gold and silver knobs on it from amercian science and surplus. the entire top was nothing but knobs and switches, and it had an arpeggiator and random sequence generator with variable "randomness". it was a more faithful recreation of the original 303 and sounded much better. i used it a fair bit on the metropolis soundtrack i did a few years later.

[Picard]

Very lovely, guest!
That impressive piece of gear would be phat for playing life

[mome rath]

I also wish you had a photo for every stage of the prototype because hot DAMN

the x0xb0x changed my life--so grateful for your curiosity and all your work

you're a rock star

edit: and post the link to the metropolis youtube

[guest]

thanks all! im really horrible when it comes to documentation. id love to be able to see a schematic for that thing so i could shake my head in dispair. ive come a long way. heres the metropolis:



the really watery acid in the beginning is the interim 303. its that pesky filter warble to a super extreme. i tweaked it to enhance the warble.

[EDIT] its mostly remixed records. i was djing for a number of years before i got into synths as i felt sort of limited by the records.

[devinw1]

Love it. So is that 303_98 as in 1998? You've been at this a hot minute eh?!! (Label me completely not shocked at that fact if it is true due to your depth of knowledge!)

[guest]

i borrowed my first copy of horowitz and hill in 98, and pretended i knew electronics for a number of years afterwards. i feel like i didnt really get decent till the x0xb0x project circa 2005. and even then, i look back on those days and wonder "what was i thinking??". but i take that as a good thing. the moment i cant look back and think that, is the moment ive stopped learning. and there is always more to learn.

[htor]

i borrowed my first copy of horowitz and hill in 98, and pretended i knew electronics for a number of years afterwards.

H&H is not very good for learning electronics at a beginner level i've found out... so many elementary important concepts that are simply glossed over!! more of a handbook for real engineers.

[htor]

[EDIT] its mostly remixed records. i was djing for a number of years before i got into synths as i felt sort of limited by the records.

dude do you have a tracklist? would love to get a hold of some of these tracks if by any chance...

[htor]

i just hit subscribe on youtube and.... this number stood out..

Screen Shot 2021-01-13 at 13.32.38.png

[guest]

ha!! thats amazing, and so appropriate! thanks for sharing.

as for the tracklist, i will see what i can put together. i used to have a tracklist with all the transitions listed, but tossed it out years ago. at some points its four layers deep. i had 3 turntables, a synth, effects and tape loops.

[guest]

well, that was a backburner project from 8 years ago finally done. there were a few i couldnt identify as they were mostly background tracks. i think woody mcbride wins this playlist.

time - track, artist [album/label] {info}
-------------------------------------------------
0.00:00 - requiem for soprano, mezzo soprano, two mixed choirs and orchestra - gyorgi ligeti [2001: a space odyssey soundtrack / MGM] {played 1/10th speed}
0.03:03 - original synth track
0.04:29 - ?
0.07:21 - field recording of chimes through effects
0.07:48 - manana, gustav lamas [manana kom27 / kompakt] {very slow, possibly overdubbed}
0.09:03 - {i dont recall all the layers here, but a lot of random records were used}
0.10:55 - unearthly frquencies, dhayn moller [tonal warfare / drone muzic 001]
0.13.20 - relentless, justing berkovi [jeopardy part 2 / djax-up-beats]
0.15.43 - jovens, gustav lamas [manana kom27 / kompakt]
0.17.57 - friedrich [? other side says ekkehart / MAX 3 etched into inner wax]
0.24:32 - track D2, simon the exchange [DNLP6 D2 / downwardspromotion]
0.26:00 - originaly synth track
0.27.12 - track A1, simon the exchange [DNLP6 A1 / downwardspromotion]
0.29.47 - cunning stunt, special filter [? / torque004]
0.33:28 - prisoner, dj esp [bush1064]
0.38:08 - track D1, ? [ANLX LP07 D / electro-tunez]
0.42:26 - track A, dj tuttle [red connexion / one?]
0.44:25 - field recording of chimes through effects {plus some records played really slowly}
0.45:54 - ?
0.46.42 - ?
0.47:26 - being there (late), woody mcbride [bad acid no such thing - DBN03 / drop bass networks]
0.49:43 - serenity, jaya [PTN 10 / platoon]
0.57.45 - hospital, uplift [GL05 / global recordings]
1.00:51 - the sound device, matrix [oral access HOLZ43 / holzplatten]
1.04:00 - acid scream, skail [GL05 / global recordings]
1.05:45 - pling plong taxi, fredrik askerbis and tomas nordstrom [tsr, we are not sick men / invisible fish]
1.08:38 - hard times, clerance [do you copy PR04 / premier records]
1.09:20 - oscillator / tape loop delay
1.12:34 - ho one, clerance [do you copy PR04 / premier records]
1.14:52 - when good times turn sour, woody mcbride [bad acid no such thing - DBN03 / drop bass networks]
1.17:09 - health kick, woody mcbride [bad acid no such thing - DBN03 / drop bass networks]
1.20:10 - barnyard, carpark sounds [RIDE 005 / skyride records]
1.25:05 - ?
1.26:03 - when good times turn sour, woody mcbride [bad acid no such thing - DBN03 / drop bass networks] {remixed with itself to extend it}
1.31:33 - my tone, justing berkovi [jeopardy part 2 / djax-up-beats]
1.35:20 - DAT 11 track 4, brixton [volyoom too by twelve BBN045 / drop bass networks] {remixed with itself to extend it}
1.39:50 - cabbage, woody mcbride [bad acid no such thing - DBN03 / drop bass networks]
1.43:07 - kick it, the speed freak [slaughterhouse massacre vol. 1 DBN029 / drop bass networks]
1.47:10 - i'm the butcher, the speed freak [slaughterhouse massacre vol. 1 DBN029 / drop bass networks]
1.51.59 - ? [scream 01 / ?] {white label}
1.52:45 - DAT 2 track 4, brixton [volyoom too by twelve BBN045 / drop bass networks]
1.55:17 - resbala, gustav lamas [manana kom27 / kompakt]

[3hands]

Fantastic!

[htor]

well, that was a backburner project from 8 years ago finally done. there were a few i couldnt identify as they were mostly background tracks. i think woody mcbride wins this playlist.

time - track, artist [album/label] {info}
<list of awesome>

Thank You! woody mcbride indeed....
sounds fun!

[nologin]

It is the ancestor of the x0xb0x. I think the x0xb0x has changed the life of many people. Ah, ah, 303 subscribers, you don't have to subscribe anymore.

[mome rath]

It is the ancestor of the x0xb0x. I think the x0xb0x has changed the life of many people. Ah, ah, 303 subscribers, you don't have to subscribe anymore.

word