I've listened to music featuring the Roland TB-303 for decades and I never tire of it. It is a wonderful and unique instrument, and forms the backbone of several entire genres. Is it the most fun synthesizer ever made, both for artists & listeners? I think so. And that means it's a Fact.

Despite (or because of?) the difficulty of sequencing it, the Roland TB-303 is a perfect fit for repetitive electronic music like techno and acid. The least difficult way to use it is with a single 16-step sequence repeating every bar to form an ostinato as the rest of the music evolves around it.

The Roland TB-303 is a nightmare to program. Note pitches and durations are entered separately--first all of the pitches, and then, all of the durations. If you screw up, it is very hard to return and fix. It's usually easier to either start over or just accept the result and enjoy the spontaneity.

Here is a picture of the Roland TB-303 that I stole from somewhere. The buttons on the bottom half are used to program the sequencer, and the knobs along the top edge tweak the sound. The sound can be adjusted while a sequence is playing. This is how many artists create interesting leads.

Because of its unique sound, the Roland TB-303 is a very popular instrument in some electronic music genres. One of the most well-known examples of the TB-303 as a lead instrument is in Josh Wink's "Higher State of Consciousness" from 1995. www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3hA...

The Roland TB-303 was released in 1981. About 10,000 units were produced by Roland before it was discontinued, which means they are rare today and sell for about $3,000.

Hello. This account will post facts about the Roland TB-303 Computer Controlled Bass Line synthesizer. The facts will be posted whenever I discover them or make them up. Thank you for reading.