Roland TR-707 & TB-303 Walkthrough
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- Опубліковано 17 січ 2025
- One final tutorial to round out this batch before I take a break. This time we're having a look at two classics; the Roland TR-707 and the Roland TB-303. This video gives you the basic principles to get started.
Along with the TR-727, TR-909, TR-808, SH-101 and MC-202, these machines played an integral part in dance music that emerged in the late 80s, most notably Acid and Techno.
Some references:
Phuture "Acid Trax" from 1987: • PHUTURE - ACID TRACKS ...
Armando "Land of Confusion" from 1988: • Armando Land of confusion
Download samples from my TR-707 for free: bit.ly/TR707
There's also a great (and free) html emulation of the TR-303 if you can't access an original unit or clone: errozero.co.uk/...
Thanks for watching!
I'm also on Facebook: / alexballmusic
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That was the most concise and easy to understand explanation of the 707 ive seen. This helps me so much. Thank you!
Excellent. Good to know!
i own a boxed 707 but don't use it much i prefer the 909 gabber sound but the acid house 707 kick is distinctive
When I was 16 in 1987, a guy gave me these machines, he was stationed in Japan and had other stuff that I didn't want..(808 cause it wasn't midi) so I played with these two machines...but I didn't like the sounds in the 707, and the 303 didn't have midi, so I gave them back to him. I've done some stupid things in my life. That was one of them. Getting married was the second.
LOL!
youre lucky thats it for stupid mistakes....
you were so lucky that you could get one of the original 808s I have a Korg volca Beats
@@xisotopex I bow to you : )
It makes me feel very bad
WTF people are talking about, these machines are the history together. 707 & 303 is CHICAGO JACKING HOUSE & ACID!
Your channel is increasingly becoming one of my faves.
Ah the memories! =) I spent hours and hours having fun with the TR-707 during the late eighties. Had the TB-303 at home too but never really liked its sound and certainly not the way it had to be programmed. Brought it back to the store. Thanks for sharing!
Yes, the 303 programming is very much of an era! Good for serendipity, but pretty painful for precise sequencing.
I've since had mine modded with midi in and out and that makes a huge difference.
There have been many sweaty club gigs on that 303, by the looks of it...
I never knew these two units sounded so great together. Always heard them seperate from each other.
Anyways, awesome video as always mate. Keep 'm coming!
Funnily enough, the previous owner bought it new and it wasn't gigged hard. They were never meant to be used this way, so they get scuffed up from the continuous modulation!
You're absolutely right - the plain, clicky tones of the 707 compliment the 303 perfectly, but aren't that great in isolation. A lesson in mixing and arranging right there!
@Xavier Radix Check out "Acid Trax" by Phuture for a great example of the 303 & 707 together :)
@@AlexBallMusic I agree - and remember my 707 adding what I can only describe as a 'midrange percussion breath of fresh air' into my tracks bitd, untuneable as the sounds are, it definitely has its place!
also thanks Alex for showing me that the words RHYTHM COMPOSER were truly valid - I just MIDI'd mine and rarely touched the machine itself...
amazing job on this tut, enjoyed also hearing the 808 epic track in the background
Cheers Woody!
This is such a great video. I think the best I have seen on these two boxes. Really enjoyed watching these. Thanks for your time and thanks for sharing.
Was totally bobbing my head to that tune at the end! :)) Nice one!
303 and 707 best sounded on Ceephax records so far...
analord?
Great video on great groovebox classics, thanks for the samples and links, God bless and thank you!!!
Great video! Entertaining, informative and inspirational, like all of your videos. You definitely deserve a break, but I certainly hope to see more videos like this in the near future. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you. Glad they're of use. Also giving viewers a break as there's been a run of them.
Got some exciting things in the pipeline for next year. Probably do some more tutorials too.
The TB-303 may have not caught on then but it has now. It comes alive when its overdriven.
Yes the accenting makes a big diffrence to the impact of a pattern.
Amazing video and links! Thank you!
Quite informative! 👍👍
Ta
I love the 707 too :-)
Pretty certain “Bizarre Love Triangle” and “Thieves Like Us” by New Order were done with a TR-707… and probably a handful of other tunes by them as well.
Sorry to be 'that guy', but Thieves Like Us was released in 1984 and the TR-707 was released in '85, so I'm thinking that it's probably not 707 on that track. Not sure about Bizarre Love Triangle, tho...
Think it was the oberhiem dmx.
your channel and content is awesome, where can I listen to your music ? Cheers from France :) Louis
Thanks Louis. I have an album on iTunes, Spotify etc titled "Filibuster". Or I've got bits and pieces on SoundCloud.
@@AlexBallMusic Thanks, did you ever do acid releases ? Your pop is really fine but I'm more into 303 love :p
Ah, I see. Not put out any acid tracks. Will have to do some at some point.
There's a video called "Push the accent" on my channel that's an Acid House spoof, but not sure if that's what you'd be after.
@@AlexBallMusic I watch push the accent ; it was really fun XD cheers :) :) :)
I bought my 707 today! Holy moly
Ah great! If you run it through an analogue mixer that lets you drive it hard it sounds absolutely awesome. I've now got mine hooked up that way.
I haven't got one yet but i will soon :)
More cowbell!
At the end, did you go back and overdub the effects?
Always need more cowbell.
Yes, just dropped those in for some atmos. They're just one shots from a rave loop library.
Really digging these videos... Wtih all the software and such, its fun seing old weird stuff, even if I don't have any intentions of buying what so ever. :P
I've got a separate section of a bigger video coming next year where I used the 606 and 303 as originally intended. They were supposed to be drum and bass guitar emulators. They sound hilariously nothing like either of those things!
I sequenced a 16 bar section and it took me 45 minutes. No wonder they got used for one bar loops instead!
looking forward to watch it
Hi Alex, thank you for your video. That has helped me managing my TR 7o7 as well as my 3o3 (.. clone .. it's a Behringer TD-3 MO Devil Fish kinda gear).
Do you know how to sync Roland TR-707 as a MIDI master (sending MIDI data, i.e. not receiving) to Ableton (i.e. not only start and stopp, but MIDI information e.g. hitting the Bass Drum button on the TR will generate a MIDI note in Ableton). The Roland TR-707 Manual is suggesting it..
Could you make a video about it?
Appreciation
The 707 toms are the best ones ever recorded imho :-)
Do you still have these samples?
The best line I heard about this which was probably detrimental but I found funny was that the 303 was the electronic equivalent of a man strangling a turkey. No matter how many acid house tracks I've owned or listened to, I now can't get that image out of my head.
How not to fall in love with these sounds...
with the seperate outs the 707 is a quite versatile machine,
not that boom of the 808 or the bang of the 909,
but still fun for some add. rhythms or house stuff.
din sync only works if the 707 is master though..
Definitely. Worth having if you can justify it. I've recorded with both the 808 and 909 and they're vastly superior, but 707 is still a great little unit that I'll always hang onto.
Great stuff'! 😀
Cheers
Love all your videos and your jams are top top notch! Question for you: I have the first version of the Oberheim DX and a 707 I haven't had any luck to sync the two together... The easiest way seemed to have the 707 as the master and send the rim shot out to the clock in on the DX. The DX was in slave mode and I used a patch cable (mono/ts) with a TS adapter on it plugged into the DX clock in.... No luck - I know you have both machines any advice??? Thanks in advanced!
Hey Chris. Has your DX got midi? Mine is DXa and has midi, so assuming it's the same I'd try sending midi out to the midi in of the 707. Then select sync mode on 707 as midi (so it's slaved) and hit play on the DX and see what happens.
I'll have to try that to see if it works.
The other work around is using a BeatStep Pro or equivalent and clocking them both from that. I often have one midi machine and one din sync running from the BSP at the same time.
There might be an issue with PPQN (pulses per quarter note) as different machines use different standards.
Alex Ball unfortunately no midi on mine! So it’s gotta be cv I believe and I don’t think the 707 takes cv in to my knowledge, so it’s gotta send it out and be the master. Thanks!
Thanks for this video. I got it the TR-707 working with the new launchpad pro mk3 sequencer and korg microkorg. Hopefully can get my skills up to something like this eventually. Hoping to get it into live sets but I'm not if i can get it work with the styles of music I make. Definitely looks the business though.
Hi Alex I've got a 707 and drum station and can't get it to trigger the drum station , is it possible to use to 707's sequencer to program drumstation ? Also got a td3 and can't get rhat to sync too , what mode does 707 need to be in to send midi data ? What buttons do I have to press . I've tried shit , instrument guide and midi channel and that just freezes 707 and it doesn't do anything .
All the best Ed
Thanks for rhe great videos
very nice!
oh man! love all your videos. you're going far. i'm gonna get in here early and ask a question before you are way way too popular to respond to comments: Are there any other drum machines / sequencers / synths with trigger out like the rim shot on the 707? I have a tb-03 with cv / gate out and I connect it to my sub37 to make awesome duophonic rhythms with weird accenting / slides. I was wondering if there are other combos like this? in my town (melbourne) there is a 707 and 606 for sale so I might buy it...
Hey. Glad you enjoy the videos.
606 has two trigger outs that will work with a step sequencer or arpeggiator on another instrument. The toms are the triggers basically.
Modern gear will have that too and be more flexible. 606 is great fun though. Limited, but fun.
PS - I multi sampled my 606 last year if you want to preview all the sounds before you buy one: www.dropbox.com/s/kxa6g4cpehzv9cs/TR606%20Alex%20Ball.zip?dl=0
@@AlexBallMusicwow! thanks for replying so fast, you are a gentlemen. I love the hats on the 606. love the toms as well and the fact they can trigger out but frustrating that i can't tune them (i could tune samples of course). i see now that the tr8s has multiple trigger outs... perhaps that is the way fwd. maybe the behringer 808 clone will have trigger outs! that is the dream
I've recorded 606, 808 and 909 and the 606 does lack because of the tuning. The 808 and 909 only have a limited tuning range too though, so still not totally flexible.
Guess the joy is the sound as you say, so you just go with it. Hi-hats on the 606 are possibly the best of all of them. The kick on the other hand...
For all Electro/Industrial lovers: Skinny Puppy used the TR-707 (and sometimes the TR-727, too) on their 1986 album "Mind: The perpetual intercourse"
-> One time one place: ua-cam.com/video/ypYFQBwQw9I/v-deo.html
The Klinik did it as well many times, for example on their 1987 LP "Plague" and their 1988 12" "Fever"
-> Murder: ua-cam.com/video/jZsVA4-4SKE/v-deo.html
-> Fever: ua-cam.com/video/MwftfgRFFAw/v-deo.html
Beside all this, the TR-707 and its little brother, the TR-505, were the ultimate rhythm machines for contemporary Post-Punk, EBM and Dark Wave music, you can hear it on so many classic records of the late 80ies and the early 90ies.
The Arch - Babsi ist tot: ua-cam.com/video/fyCWv1RNQcI/v-deo.html
Aimless Device - Hyena: ua-cam.com/video/EwA7RyJm0Rs/v-deo.html
The Legendary Pink Dots - Under glass: ua-cam.com/video/GmFzXI2tKfQ/v-deo.html
The Neon Judgement - Awful day: ua-cam.com/video/myLb7cZiFJM/v-deo.html
The Cassandra Complex - Motherad: ua-cam.com/video/vwbKQLFlaAM/v-deo.html
And so on...
Hardfloor signature sound.. 😊
Why does the fancy-shmancy newer unit leave out the 909?
Thank you!
Metronome!!! :O Live mode EXIST! Thank you!!!
If I were to buy an original used TB-303, Could I still get parts for it if it breaks?...
Don't think they're problematic but I'd have to double check with my tech.
Usually it's instruments with bespoke chips or potted modules that are difficult to maintain and I don't think that's the case with the 303.
Alex Ball Is it worth the arm and a leg for an original in the first place? Or am I better off with a clone?
@@J.A.C.619 That's a question only you can answer. ;)
Alex Ball Thank you.
Yes. Google DinSync RE-303
Nice demo can you give us the sample of FX sound we here in your track please ? Like zap, sweep and horn thank you !
Yes, they're from this sample pack.
www.samplemagic.com/details/347/warehouse-rave
Just the intro made me like this video.
Is your 303 goes one octave up when You tuning up ? where is the trick ?
The tuning knob shifts the pitch up or down by one octave (or anything in between).
Minute 17:30 took me back to 4:30am at a rave in 99 and things got weird as the drugs kicked in overdrive 😂
You mentioned I could change the time signature to 5/4 or 7. How do you change it?
You can use the "last step" button to change the length of a pattern. It can be anything from 1 step to 16 steps.
If you want a bar of semiquaver steps that's larger than 4/4 then you have to chain patterns of different lengths together. For example, 4/4 (16 steps) + 1/4 (4 steps) alternating would give you 5/4 time.
It's in the manual that should be freely available online.
@@AlexBallMusic appreciate it
Is this your own composition on the very beggining or an actual song? I want to hear a full version of this!
Yep. From 17:25 there's a longer version. But I didn't record a full length song as it was just to demonstrate the 303 and 707.
@@AlexBallMusic Oh what a pity...but thanks for answer, I really like this tune :)
Cheers :)
@@AlexBallMusic Hey, I have an Idea. Would you mind if I could sample it?
@@nixavixadj Sure, why not. If you send me a message through my website I'll send you the audio.
do you have to go on the SYNC mode on the 707 and select 'S-d' for this ? or 'S-n' ?
S-d = DIN sync with 707 as slave.
S-t = Tape sync with 707 as slave.
S-n = MIDI sync with 707 as slave.
Normal tempo mode, the 707 is the master so you can clock other instruments from it (303, 606, 808, 909 etc).
I have the tb-303 and a tr-707, I only have a OneControl® Midi cable, when I insert into each of the din syncs the tb-303 won't play. I have the headphone outs of each going into a mixing board, and I am in normal temp mode. What else do I need to do? I have a Bassline programmed and it plays when I unlink the cable. Advise?
Hi friend, I do not know how to use accent from the roland 707 mu could you help me? thank you
Yep. Press "Instrument / guide" as usual and then the big button next to the tempo dial with "enter / cartridge" written above and "accent" written below it. :)
@@AlexBallMusic thankxxx friend!!!
Large! Cheers. :)
Really enjoying the video! Background music has sent me to the 80s playlist. Sorry 🤷♀️
Just curious but what artists made good use of the 707? I hear it in very little of the mainstream '80s stuff (the biggest single I know of with it being Michael McDonald's "Sweet Freedom") so how about more underground dance artists? Euro stuff? Of all the makes out there (Linn, Oberheim, Sequential Circuits, Roland's 808 and 909, Yamaha RXs) this one seems to have not gained much traction.
Most early Chicago and Acid House used the 707 through the early to late 80s. Acid House started with the 303 and 707. See Acid Tracks, and anything on the Trax label. Eg Mr Fingers
Modern synthwave uses lots of 707.
@@dzod Yeah I hear it in synthwave but I'm more interested in its usage in the 1980s. Thanks though.
Very good question. Definitely the Chicago house / acid of the late 80s. There's two links in the video description that are 707.
As for pop songs, I'm not actually sure. Especially as they would layer and process them so much.
@@AlexBallMusic Ok will definitely check out some more Chicago house, although I feel like by '89 or so the 707 was rarely in use and the 909 took over as the fashionable sound.
And one thing I would say about drum processing in 1980s music is that the cymbals rarely got effected, in which case you can get a reliable read on what drum machine is being used by focusing on the hihats and crash. For instance, even though Stock Aitken Waterman used many different drum samples, you'll hear the same exact unprocessed Linn 9000 hihats on 99% of their tracks.
Bummer = the 707 samples are deleted
Very informative and entertaining video, like always ... now I need some cash ... 😂
Or I use the classic mode on my TB-03 ... 😉
Yes, shame the supply/demand is so heavily influenced by the 303 being discontinued by 1983 and then posthumously becoming famous.
TB-03 is still great fun. The ACB is pretty impressive as much as we're reluctant to admit it!
Alex Ball Who would have ever known that some groovy guys from Chicago lifted a treasure which outlived all past decades of music styles and is still there! I‘m 46 years now and will not even think about to let go my passion for this style of music ... you can see that in my profile pic ... 😉
Yes, the accidental creation of a unit perfectly suited for something entirely unintended! Years ahead of its time.
Have you heard Charanjit Singh's 10 Ragas to a Disco beat?
Acid before there was Acid: ua-cam.com/video/NUqnPYwoiF4/v-deo.html
Hell yeah, never heard of him, thx for open my mind 😉
The history books have to be rewritten I think, sounds very cool and light years ahead
@@hightower196X Yeah, I'd never heard of him until recently. A real outlier!
He was interviewed in more recent years before he died and seemingly had no comprehension that he'd strayed into acid territory long before anyone else. It was just one of many projects he did in his musical life.
how do i save on batteries on the 707?
Use a power supply?
I can’t find an empty pattern
Fantastic video Alex. However I do think having a real 707 still beats a sampled machine in various ways. The less obvious is sound, but I still prefer the dirty thump of the original. The sequencer also has some unique things about it like the flam and shuffle preset settings that always work great. As an added bonus all those individual outs instantly beat the modern TRs and if you happen to have some other Dinsync thingies it’s even more useful, as you say. Looking around enough you can grab one for around 300€ which is probably one of the last vintage drum machine bargains (with a few more I prefer not to talk about too much 😉). Once again, impeccable video. Congrats.
Yes, realised afterwards I'd forgotten to mention shuffle and flam, which are unique to the machine as you say!
It's definitely fun to work on and use with other Roland stuff, absolutely. Very easy to use.
Think the only other decent vintage programmable Rolands are the 606, 626 and CR-8000. Your profile pic suggests you're a fan of the latter?
@@AlexBallMusic oh yeah, definitely the CR-8000 is a weapon of choice for me, specially when used along the 606 (favorite snare and hats). The CR-8000 is like a smoother, soothing version of the 808 combined with the improvisational interface of the CR machines (combine preset and custom patterns, preset arrangements, custom and preset fill-ins). The circuits are basically those of the 808 with different envelopes (the clap is longer, nicer imo while the snare is more muffled). But overall, a flavor that hasn't been as exploited as the other famous ones and keeps it low priced.
Very interesting. From the samples I have it sounds similar to the 808, but obviously a bit different as you say. Think the fact it looks like a preset machine keeps the prices down, but it has programmability and mixing / combos up its sleeve.
Been reading Gordon Reid's articles on exactly how the 808 sounds were synthesized and he talks about the 8000 too as there's a fair bit of crossover.
Alex Ball yeah, I mean you can look at the service manuals and compare the circuits. Basically same noise sources with envelope differences. It’s a chilled out 808 soundwise. Programmability and studio use is far better on the 808 obviously, but that’s 10x what I payed for the CR.
That's interesting. I've bid on a CR-8000 but not won the bids. One was modded with individual outs, which would have been amazing. Hopefully pick one up at some point.
I actually only use it in the kick drum, in the other instruments I can not
☻ I♥ACID ☻
i die inside when i hear £300 with the modern prices today
Man I'm early
lol budget in the naught pounds....
all the tb303's that i have been fortunate to spend time with all seem to be a little bit different.... this instrument almost seems to be alive, each with its own seperate personality...
Now punch that 303 thru a distortion pedal
aciiiiiiied
Oh man look how dirty that 303 is. Truly an acid warrior.
Hell yeah!