Roland TD-303 User manual

!~Roland
ComputerControlled
Bass Line
TD-303 OWNER'S MANUAL

CONTENTS
Page
BATTERY REPLACEMENT AND PRECAUTIONS ....................................... 2
INTRODUCTION
[I] BASS AND THE TB-303 .................................................................. 4
(2] THE BASIC IDEA BEHIND THE TB-303 ................................................ 4
BASIC COURSE
[I] CONNECTION AND INITIAL SETTINGS ................................................ 7
(2] WRITING AND PLAYING A BASS LINE (PART 1) ..................................... 9
INTERMEDIATE COURSE
[I] THE TONE CONTROL SECTION AND TUNING ..................................... 33
(2] WRITING THE LENGTH OF THE NOTES (ALTERNATIVE METHOD) .............. 35
[ill WRITING AND PLAYING A BASS LINE (PART 2) .................................... 38
@] TO WRITE YOUR OWN BASS LINES ................................................. 49
ADVANCED COURSE
[I] USEFUL FUNCTIONS OF THE TRACK ............................................... 69
(2] APPLIED METHOD OF THE TB-303 ................................................... 73
TROUBLE SHOOTING .................................................................. 81
SOUND RANGE TABLE .................................................................. 88
SPECIFICATIONS ........................................................................ 89
2

IMPORTANT NOTES
LOCATION:
• Operating the TB-303 near a neon or
fluorescent lamp may cause noise
interference. If
so, change the angle of the
TB-303.
• Avoid using the TB-303 in excessive heat
or humidity or where it may be affected by
direct sunlight or dust.
POWER SUPPLY:
• When using an AC adaptor, use only a
BOSS ACA120 or ACA220, 240 depending
on your country's voltage system.
CLEANING:
• Use a soft cloth and clean only with a
neutral detergent. DO NOT USE
SOLVENTS SUCH AS PAINT THINNER.
BATTERY
REPLACEMENT AND
PRECAUTIONS:
• Replace the batteries with a complete set
of new batteries when the BATIERY
CHECK indicator flashes, signalling a drop
in voltage, or if the sound becomes inferior.
• Replace with four 1.5v dry cell batteries.
• The TB-303 features a non-volatile memory,
which will retain patterns when switched
OFF. It relies on its batteries for a backup
circuit to protect these memories.
• If the batteries are changed within one
minute, the memory will hold the
DATA.
• Be sure to keep the batteries in the
housing, even when using an
AC adaptor.
Then, if the
AC adaptor is disconnected,
operation immediately changes to battery,
allowing continued performance.
3

4
TB-303 INTRODUCTION
The TB-303 is an automatic Bass machine
which can memorize the Bass line of a
musical piece and replay it automatically.
wBASS AND THE TB-303
A musical bass lline involves many complex
factors, such as different pitches and beats,
and consequently
it is a difficult thing to re-
produce automatically. It may vary depending
on the rhythm, chord progression, style of
music and the character of the musician.
Sometimes it can take the role of a low
melody, then
it might outline the chords or
• Bass line example:
c
@=t J ~ J 7 I J
.r J
[2JTHE BASIC IDEA
BEHIND THE TB-303
In order to memorize a Bass line, divide it
into each measure (pattern) and memorize
one pattern at a time.
Each "pattern" can remember various
musical factors, such as 'pitch', 'length of
note' and 'accent', individually. After
memorizing several patterns, these patterns
may
be joined in order to produce the Bass
.r I J
become a strong rhythmic influence in an
ensemble. But overall it is a very important
part of the rhythm section, following the
chord progression, mainly using the root and
fifth note.
(As shown below) Before you enter
the Basic Course, it
is necessary to under-
stnd the idea behind the TB-303
.rl J w"J .r&fi-
line of a musical piece. (Fig. 1 )
The following is a description only of the
operation of the TB-303. For precise
instructions refer to the Basic Course.

Fig.1· ~
i?=cp j v- dl CJ ~ ?r J Id
• •
I ?=c
1 I 2
•Pitch l
I?:c. •
• •
• The length of Note
~?=c n .J .r Jl
• Accents/Slides
i
l?=c J.J ~ ~ i
• •
I ?:c
1 I 2
A. PITCH
1. HOW TO MEMORIZE PITCH
Press the key switches on the panel, in
order, for one pattern.
2. KEY SWITCHES AND RANGE
The key switches have only one octave
on the panel, but actually you can play
four octaves by using the transpose
switches. Then by using these additional
switches, the TB-303 can easily cover
the essential range of
an electric or
acoustic bass.
B. THE LENGTH OF NOTE
• HOW TO MEMORIZE THE
LENGTH OF THE NOTES
By pressing the correct combination of
the switches
labelled} }and :; , the
rhythm for one pattern can
be
memorized.
The use of sixteenth notes ( } ) as the
basic writing tool allows highly technical
I
D
> I
.r
Jj., r
•
3
•
3 I
)p
bass lines to be written into memory,
while slower timings can be achieved by
using combinations of this basic unit
(e.g. J
=iffl ).
NOTE:
"Length of note" in this manual means
Timing Value.
C. ACCENT
After memorizing the pitch and length of
note (rhythm), particular features of BAss
instruments, like accent or portamento
(slide), can be written into memory where
needed.
• HOW TO MEMORIZE ACCENT
OR PORTAMENTO
Whilst calling back the memorized
pattern, place the accent or slide against
the required note by using the switches.
One complete Bass PATTERN has now
been written Into memory.
5

6
D. COMPLETING THE BASS
LINE
After memorizing several patterns,
complete the Bass line for a piece of
music by combining these patterns.
• HOW TO MEMORIZE THE
BASS LINE
To memorize the Bass line, simply select
each measure, in turn, and write them
into the memory. One pattern can
be
chosen several times, and can also be
transposed into any other key.
Consequently, if the Bass line is simply a
repetition
of· one pattern, or only a
transposition of that pattern, then you
only need to write one pattern into
memory (Fig.
2).
One complete Bass Line has now been
written Into memory.
Fig. 2 c
f):aJ
F, I
Memorize this parttem only.
• • • F
I
E. CREATING A SOUND
The TB-303 cannot memorize the tone
colour, but can make a Bass sound, just
like a synthesizer, by using the TONE
CONTROL SECTION. In this way, the
TB-303 can create an appropriate Bass
sound for the Bass line you have written.
F. HOW TO USE THIS
MANUAL
The switches and control knobs have
several functions, so operating the
TB-303 may seem a little complicated.
You may find difficulty using the TB-303
at first, because it is so different from a
Bass Guitar or a keyboard instrument.
Therefore, this manual includes a Basic,
Intermediate and Advanced Course to
help you understand these operations,
step by step. However, each individual
operation is quite simple, so take your
time and master each step.
I T I
• Shifting up a perfect
fourth
• Shifting up a perfect
fifth

BASIC COURSE
mCONNECTIONS AND INITIAL SETTINGS
A. CONNECTIONS
AC Adaptor Jack
•Connect an AC adaptor to this jack
euse only a BOSS ACA-100 or equivalent
Guitar Amplifier
SP Audio Amplifier SP
I
_ _j
Note:
(When using headphones, do not connect
anything to the output jack).
• Use stereo headphones (impedance
80-300)
Firstly, we should mention that when
monitoring a bass sound through head-
phones, quite often the pitch will appear
incorrect. This occurs whenever a bass
sound
is produced so close to the eardrum.
To avoid this you might try altering the TONE
CONTROLS, otherwise you will have to use a
loud speaker.
7

8
B. INITIAL SETTINGS
G) Complete the connections as instructed in
A CONNECTIONS on page 7.
@Turn on the POWER SWITCHNOLUME
CONTROL (clockwise).
One the SELECTOR
SWITCHES B to Ell
flashes.
@Set the cotrol knobs on the panel as shown below.
IMPORTANT NOTES
When pressing the button, do not fail to release
it once, and go on to the next operation, except
for the cases that it
is specifically instructed to
keep the button pressed.
(The TB-303 does not
function properly if you go
on to the next
operation without releasing the button.)
In some
cases the "Results" written
in the owner's
manual are not obtained when you press the
button, but it
is obtained as soon as you
release the button.

2 WRITING AND PLAYING A BASS LINE (Part 1}
A. Operation ...... Operate whilst looking at the Procedure Table
as an appendix.
The TB-303 can memorize the Bass line into
a computer memory by using switches, and
we call this process PATIERN WRITING.
c A,
Let's begin by writing the following simple
four bar Bass line.
/)'1'1
4'-;z
••
Sample
Score
?=c
J.
F'
F I
J.
J.
rI
r·
r·
r I
r· I
A
-c
I PITCH c E G
til
E
Writing Table~~ ====:=============~
TIME jeooooo eooooo eoooj jeooooo~eooooo:eoooj
Operation
Result
Operation Notes
Set the TB-303 according to the instructions Make sure the TB-303 is not
1
in INITIAL SETIINGS (page 8).
running. (the BATIERY CHECK/RUN
indicator button Q) is OFF).
Set the MODE SELECTOR @ to The TB-303 is now ready to write
PATIERN
WRITE.
a Bass pattern.
MODE
2
~-"'~
TRACK
• PLAY
• PLAY
WRITE}
PATTERN
9

Select GROUP I by using the
PATTERN GROUP SELECTOR @.
!TRACK! PATT.GROUP
3 ~~- ·rn:-~
~-~-~
Lffi·~
4
5
10
Select PATTERN SECTION A by
pressing the SELECTOR SWITCH @
marked A .
0 ~ 0
DCD
J'J')
L3.J
Iii
~
PATT SECTION
Select PATTERN 1 by pressing SELECT-
OR SWITCH @ marked- .
The indicator lights up.
The indicator starts
flashing.
Refer to "SELECTING THE
WRITING SWITCHES" on the
next page.
Refer to "SELECTING THE
WRITING SWITCHES" on the
next page.
Writing switches are selected from
the Selector switches @ • to Ill