How to program a TD-3 / TB-303 | The 303 sequencer EXPLAINED | Tutorial

I have the TD-3 Modded Out version. It has an angry face, which is more accurate

Your light is flashing, mine is not and I cannot for the life of me figure out why 😅. I have all my knobs set exactly like yours.

I used to play with this thing all the time... Then I let it sit for 3 years. I have forgotten everything. I might need to download the manual

Can you imagine purchasing one of these units from a pawn shop dirt cheap in Detroit, late 80's, no manual, no internet, and having to figure it out? The pioneers of techno had their work cut out for them.

I have been programming and jamming with TB-303's since the very late 80s and have owned many. The behringer clones, especially the modded out td-3 is almost identical. Roland just hate it that they have been outdone by a product far cheaper and practically the same as their own boutique version which is way overpriced. Behringer are killing it with some very cool retro "re-releases" such as the td series and their prophet clones. I have the pro 1 and its feckin brilliant. It has real guts. Can't wait for the CS-80 clone later this year. Saw the video about its design and current manufacture plans. Defo on my shopping list. It supposedly bang on the money.

The end jam shows that even if you only know the basics you can still get pretty good sounds, if you take the time to learn how to use it you get even better results. I don't think the design was bad on purpose, they didn't even knew what they were building, this was supposed to replace bass guitars, for some reason.

I believe I'm enjoying this a lot more than you had making it, but clearly some aspects of this educational documentary had you lol a few times

Thanks for the tutorial! Great!

👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

I thought my modern machine jam was tricky, but this is a whole nother level of fuckery

Wonderful! now I know why I boggled at this. Sub'd. (and LOL)

Cringe

Bad gear sent me

for the price of Td3 I have no complains

I mean you are not wrong with anything you say about the synth, but comparing it to very expensive clones makes not sense for me.. the Bassline erica synth is about 600€ and the cyclone about 350€
For that price you could buy both a td3 and the MO whose sound engine is really powerful.

Ich denke, der TD-3 soll so nah wie möglich am original gehalten werden, somit auch die Programmierung und der verkorkste Timing Mode 😊😊

I hate this way or programming to. it's weird! I am used to the Rebirth 303 as my first introduction to 303 programming way back when, something that carries over well to for example the audiorealism 303 vst, ABL3... so it's funny and ironic in way aint it that i'll program the software vst 303 as a hardware 303 kind of, but my hardware td-3 i use in midi mode and draw midi notes for instead as you would most vst instruments... ! :)


I mean, should it not be the other way around ? :) whatever works tho!

I was so psyched about getting a td-3! I put it on my Christmas list! I had realized that joining the ranks of acid bass groove masters was my calling!!.. until I saw your video. Pht. Now I'm F'ing bummed. FUCK! Oh well I guess the truth hurts, huh.

Some how this guys voice sounds like the synth

As it's currently "Black Week" and my favourite music store had a TD-3 on offer, I couldn't help myself. I just had to get one, despite the scum of the earth company that makes them. I will never be able to afford an original TB-303, and this is the closest I'm likely to ever get. I can't wait to put myself through hours of pain trying to get comfortable with the sequencer.

I feel like the reason Behringer did not adopt a TT-303's approach to the sequencing was because the original TB-303 was painful to program, therefore to stay "true" to the original, Behringer kept some of its awful and annoying flaws. However, the TD-3/TB-303's painful to use sequencers can lead to some unique "accidents" since it forces you to program sequences you may not have programmed if the sequencer were more intuitive. It's also probably why so much of Acid House was repetitive since programming sequences was such a pain, making the genre's interesting components not necessarily composition but improvising with tweaking the knobs and resonance to make the songs interesting from a timbre pov.

I love how he shreds it to pieces and then jams hard on it afterwards 😂

LOL at the ow ow ow ow ow ow :)

🤣🤘 man this video made me laugh sooo many times!! THANK YOU. Its not really fair to pick on the 303 sequencing becuz it was invented in the early 80s. Now I TOTALLY GET why clones like this behringer td3 are getting trashed becuz in the world of today, this style doesn't make sense anymore. But if you come at programming this thing from a love of nostalgia, then it is what it is! You get a pretty close, if not better classic beloved sound we all love and cherish. The stupidity of the OG 303 sequencer I THINK is what gives the 303 that distinct, rubbery sound! Just my opinion

Das Pattern zum Abschluss hätte ich gerne nachgebaut, ging aber leider zu schnell... :(

The TB3 is no better lol

How to program the TD-3 sequencer:
don't.
use an external sequencer/DAW.
there are sequencers that are miles better for acid bass

(bonus tip: if you're on Ableton you have sting64 which is a m4l generative acid bass sequencer you literally press 1 button and it acids)

Ha ha I’ve just brought one but I’m a total beginner of music in general but I love Techno so wish me luck… thanks for the video very helpful mate 👊🏻

What about bypassing the sequencer altogether, I have a MPC live and MPC 4000 , how’s the sound and rest of the features?

Amazing, thankyou for this walkthrough, especially the visuals.
You have helped me no end 👌

Hello, I have a question. How to return to factory settings?

Acid and everything else of value that has come out of the 303 would never have happened if it had a more reasonable sequencer. The sound and the way the sequencer is programmed are equally important pieces of the equation.

Thx for this video….. ❤ but i am at home by the TT-303 😇

I have the td-3 and 2 Future Retro Revolutions. The Rev really went off script with the design, and it is just a better workflow(for me) and is much easier for my neurodivergent brain when writing music. And within certain confines of pitch and modulation, you would need an oscilloscope to identify which synth is playing... so CAN it.. with the bullshit comments about "onlY tHe OrIgInAl tB-303 sOuNdS aCcEpTaBlE tO mY sOpHiStIcAtED cUnTfAcEd ExPeCtAtIoNs" yeah sure the OG was a gamechanger for the world of electronic music, but it can't even begin to compete with the new synths on the market that have so many levels of control at their disposal. The original can't even daydream about wiping the Future Retros ass.

While this is a cool and classic box, there as so many other bass sequencers out there that do not make you have to go through hoops to generate a decent line. This thing is obsolete as far as I am concerned. If you are enamored with the sound, I get it. So I keep mine around in case someone needs it. But I will always control it with something else. No point in wasting time in programming this thing. It's a joke.

I actually like the sequencer. I never get exactly what I wanted with it but since I seldom know what I want anyhow, it always spits something out that surprises me. And btw the thing was not meant to be a live synth, it was meant to be a cheap bass box for guitarists to practice at home without their band. And I guess not many guitarists figured out how to program it correctly which could be one reason why this was a flop and was discontinued after just two years. That lead to many of these being on the street-market for cheap and that was where DJ Pierre picked one up and without knowing what he was doing, programmed a bassline with it that completely blew away the pepople and started the whole Acid House hype in the late 80s. Who knows what path music history would have taken if that thing had a proper sequencer to begin with...

Holy shit, I’m fed up with this thing half way through the video.

Him literally button mashing the sh*t out of this little device just to get a 303 type beat sounding so similar to daft punk it could be a daft punk type beat ngl

Your a dog, go back to whatever crevice you crawled out of and and service your mother she’s been waiting. 303 is god ya maggot, think about what your saying before you put out a video slandering the most influential synthesiser of all edm

Watching you program this thing makes me glad that I don't own one!

The 303 clones w better sequencers are more expensive tho 👀 right?

Experimentation, not music theory for this autistic beast. It is a clunker I use the sequencer app it hurts my brain/ego less 😘

I love it lol. It's why I want to sell it back for my old Roland TB3. I can't believe I sold it for a 303 clone.. sequencer really stinks . Basically I rely on happy accidents on that 303 clone.

the way he gets angry with the calmest voice ever its so funny. great content man!

Mon Capitain, I have watched this video 6 times and believe I now have a rudimentary understanding of the sequencer. In doing so, it's persuaded me that I don't really want to work this way, so have gone back to my Deluge, which handily has just returned after its screen retro-fit! Thank you for your excellent efforts though, I'm not entirely done with it yet!

Sadly I’m told by Behringer there is no way to reset to original settings so once you mess with a sequence the original is gone. I will probably pick a couple I’m not thrilled about and use them to make new ones and then clear those to use again.

There's no way that people who listen to techno know what any of this means 😂

Having tried both the Behringer and the Roland clones, I prefer the Roland TB-03 (the boutique version, not that touchscreen one) for programming. The Roland may be more expensive and a digital copy, but there is an additional programming mode that simplifies the process significantly. I bought my Roland about a year before the Behringer one released, then tried a friend's Behringer when he got one some time after. They're both awkward for sure, but the Roland beats the Behringer, and mind you I LOVE some of Behringer's new gear. My Neutron is one of my favorite toys.

Yeah thanks for this. The price and candy colors almost tricked me.

Haha,...the voice at 10,10 is from the "AtomicHeart" Game. Cool. The TD3 is a joke.