TB-303 Documentary - Bassline Baseline

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12 жыл бұрын

Bassline Baseline is a video essay that investigates the invention, failure and subsequent resurrection of the mythic Roland TB-303 Bass Line music machine in the last two decades of the 20th century. The narrative seeks to invite thoughts on technological mediation within product innovation and creative expression. The dead-panned 'documentary' video attempts to explore how and why creative tools fail and how increasingly more options, parameters or intermediaries devised during a tool's research and development phase don't necessarily lead to increased expressivity or virtuosity during the tool's lifetime of actual use, unless the super-structure of its cultural context is dramtically reconsidered.
Narrated by Nate Harrison (creator of then Amen Break documentary).

Пікірлер: 174

@fumihimu2286 9 жыл бұрын

Proudly narrated by a Roland TB-303.

@msfainefurstenfeld 8 жыл бұрын

+Fumi Himu Very robotic

@silviutudorescu8114 7 жыл бұрын

Fumi Himu hahahaha

@JOHNLOPEZ420 7 жыл бұрын

huh vines

@embassybeats6612 6 жыл бұрын

lol

@ChrisNova777 5 жыл бұрын

lol right?? wtf is wrong with this guy

@jayviperdj Жыл бұрын

Fascinating! The 303 is the seed that spawned multiple forms of dance music as we know it. Iconic like nothing else in the culture.

@JacksonKillroy 4 жыл бұрын

The stark emotionless narration is so perfect for this.

@LebiHarms 4 жыл бұрын

so glad no over emotional somebody is hype-screamin on this. just down to earth narration. I like the narration.

@space-skeleton 10 жыл бұрын

Just a correction the synth used for the Prodigy's Smack My Bitch Up is using a Korg Prophecy rather than a 303, although the preset used is called "303 Growler". It was also used in a lot of other places on that album.

@RussArteaga Жыл бұрын

The documentary that deserves at least 60 minutes.

@randlemcmurphy6809 7 жыл бұрын

What an awesome little doco! Thanks for the video mate. You had my absolute full attention for the entirety. Would love to see a 909 doco of a similar nature. Great work!

@xsquaredthemusician 2 жыл бұрын

ten years later (altho i think i first saw this in 2014) it becomes apparent why I loved JCS so much. The words of this documentary are presented so flatly, so "as they are" and there is so much mental space for the salience of the point being made to finally come thru. Its a real documentary!!! Perhaps JCS is indicative of how this aesthetic is inherently scary, but idk i really do find it to be much more than a tool for building suspense. It gives me space to think abt what the fuck I am actually watching. It feels bold n confident. 10/10 doc thank u Nate Harrison

@MilenaEtc 7 жыл бұрын

the way he says 'unquote' makes me feel the inexorable loneliness of humankind

@Zharen82 6 жыл бұрын

Despite the monotone narrating, I found this to be quite informative and somewhat inspiring. At least for the artists who took a machine intended to record electric bass guitar notes and spawned an entire subgenre with it through unconventional means. Sometimes, one achieves greatness through an unintentional approach.

@dannyhood4007 11 ай бұрын

I came here, cause the narrative on that ‘Roland 303 documentary vid’ sounded wuss. Irritating. This voice doesn’t bother me, yet. I never had problem with narrative before KZfaq.

@InfiniteRhombus 8 жыл бұрын

finally something worth watching on youtube

@jarrodbarrett4485 9 жыл бұрын

Awesome doc. Learned allot didn't think I could know anymore about the ole303... Thanks!

@lego5745 7 жыл бұрын

People need to preserve their 303s, it's a true piece of music history.

@TheScreamingFrog916 2 жыл бұрын

Behringer has released a great reissue of the TB-303, that is very affordable. I myself have a Korg Volca NuBass, that gets a very satisfying "Acid bass" sound, with a much more user friendly interface, and motion recording.

@richardspillers6282 11 ай бұрын

Would that korg be intuitive enough for a guitarist to pick up pretty quickly?

@freddykrueger5503 10 жыл бұрын

Great documentary. Thanks a lot.

@germanostein 7 жыл бұрын

I found the video very interesting and rich. Learned a lot with it, thanks!

@empireofbeats751 10 жыл бұрын

Excellent. Thank you for a very interesting and informative piece.

@UTUBESUCK666 9 жыл бұрын

I love narration that does not get in the way of the subject or the information.

@Eezapropageeza 10 жыл бұрын

What a nice, enjoyable documentary. I enjoyed that. 8o)

@SailfishSoundSystem 8 жыл бұрын

At 5:07 it should be sawtooth and square wave, not sine wave.

@0v_x0 8 жыл бұрын

Scrolled down to make sure someone pointed that out so I didn't have to, lol

@SailfishSoundSystem 8 жыл бұрын

Yeah sine waves suck anyway.

@tresporros 3 жыл бұрын

@@SailfishSoundSystem really ??? what about tr 808 kick mate?:)

@sophiacristina 2 жыл бұрын

@@SailfishSoundSystem WTF?!

@xsm5525 Жыл бұрын

technically it's not a square wave either, it's a pulse wave that is very slightly widened.

@jamescope767 9 жыл бұрын

I honestly can't tell if a human or computer is narrating this video.

@ozerik 2 жыл бұрын

The waveform switches between sawtooth and "square", not sine. The square wave is sloppy and underdriven, so it's not a true square, which is where some of the weird amazing sound comes from. Happy 303 day!!!

@xsm5525 Жыл бұрын

oh it's underdriven? I was under the impression it was actually a very slightly widened pulse width waveform. I think we can all agree it doesn't quite sound like a true square wave though.

@ozerik Жыл бұрын

@@xsm5525 I thiinnnnk it's the saw wave through one CMOS inverter gate (open loop).I haven't looked at that part of the schema... Okay I just looked. The square is just the triangle switching an NPN transistor on and off haha

@xsm5525 Жыл бұрын

@@ozerik interesting. that makes me wonder if behringer saw that before designing their clone.

@bobjary9382 3 ай бұрын

That is interesting ....i wonder if the implementation or otherwise of other functions on the 303 can affect the power going to waveform circuit and alter it further seeing as its hold on being a 'square' is so tenuous? It does feel like it has ' life ' A haunted box of switches

@Luraka1978 10 жыл бұрын

I loved the narration. Perfect !

@anotherwolff3650 4 жыл бұрын

what? narration total failure i would say

@SenorHertz 9 жыл бұрын

Very interesting facts. Thank you!

@DRYROT124 7 жыл бұрын

Nice work!

@HughWilsonMusic 11 жыл бұрын

Fantastic doco!

@djvar94 10 жыл бұрын

Also so much on Oldschool Acid Techno, Trance and Hard Trance and today also in Tech and Psy/Goa Trance :)

@Jay_Flippen 8 жыл бұрын

If I had one of these, I'd probably solidify my bass segments on a different instrument and then transfer them to the Roland TB-303. I think it has somewhat of a distinct texture.

@csrader 8 жыл бұрын

Very good documentary.

@j.u.kuberek6377 2 ай бұрын

just THANKS! Great!

@DepthAudio 7 жыл бұрын

Everybody does need a 303!!!!

@tyrellc303 12 жыл бұрын

thank you for this. i missed out on one of these in 97' in Osaka Japan by one day! he sold it. I had gone to the Osaka Castle and decided to go to the store the following. whoops! lol Great vid. :)

@teknomicron33 3 жыл бұрын

Fascinating !!

@djfraktal 10 жыл бұрын

thank you for agreeing. There was a ribbon controller on Prophecy, so I assume that Liam modulated "303 Growler" patch by rubbing with his finger. I mean wow-like effect.

@bluebagski 10 жыл бұрын

Fantastic info............

@manuelgonzales6483 Ай бұрын

How am I just now discovering this short documentary???🙀

@B1ggz13 2 ай бұрын

Great doco

@Vortecsmusic 12 жыл бұрын

Im missing one of the "303"-Stars: Vortecs!!!! The sound of this guys was the ultimate tune of the TB 303. You can find an example in my channel. The song is named Forget Rebirth

@morganhuggins6367 8 жыл бұрын

Extrmely informative

@digitalbeat666 8 жыл бұрын

Yes but there is also some mistakes too

@dimitriauer1901 7 жыл бұрын

Good speech synthesis. The narration sounds almost like a real human.

@djmajiktuch82 10 жыл бұрын

I knew that Jam On It 09:40 wasn't using a typical bass guitar to keep it's baseline a buddy of mine kept saying that they did but you can clearly hear the difference in sound I my self kept thinking they were using a keyboard to produce that awesome baseline I never thought that it was a TB 303.In the video of Jam On It it shows that they are using a typical bass guitar....

@TrickZ666 Жыл бұрын

I love this thing.. it is insanely good.

@Biophob 9 жыл бұрын

Sine wave? It's square wave dude

@MarshalArnold 5 жыл бұрын

Just noticed that, I was like did he just say Sine Wave? Wow, he did Haha. Oh well, other then that hiccup I love this docu, and love the 303!

@TheLunarnotes 10 ай бұрын

I hd the groovebox, it was my first piece of gear. It was crap. Although, Peaches and MIA managed to squeeze something out of it that sounded great, but that was because the vocals and lyrics were solid.

@xJoe90 2 жыл бұрын

filter cutoff does not change tune and the 303 does not produce sine waves?

@TheInternetDisease 10 жыл бұрын

This is fucking hilarious. I admire your sticktoitiveness.

@djvar94 Ай бұрын

@5.01 INCORRECT. There is no such sine wave anywhere nor on the original TB-303 nor on ANY OTHER CLONES OF IT! The TB-303 only has either a Sawtooth wave or a SQUARE wave!

@Max16032 6 жыл бұрын

And now we have the Boutique version

@anotherwolff3650 4 жыл бұрын

better then the original Behringer TD-3. and: i have both of them......no question

@Best..Clips4you 3 жыл бұрын

I have a homework on this 😭

@Ylylguru 3 жыл бұрын

Same. Full Sail?

@teeze65 4 жыл бұрын

Hey Robot guy! Where is “set you free” by Planet Soul??? It’s definitely worthy!!

@stormchaser465 3 жыл бұрын

5:06 "saw tooth, or sine wave" that's clearly a square wave

@JustinKahrs Жыл бұрын

used tb-303 selling for "upwards of $1000" sounds like a steal in 2022... ($3K is not unseen now)

@jarrodhroberson 12 жыл бұрын

compression artifacts are horrible on this, is there a better version on youtube somewhere?

@nemesis4go10 12 жыл бұрын

@subglitch Given the slope of that specific filter, is not possible to do what you suggest.

@subtension Жыл бұрын

Il y a aussi le mythique Acid Eifeil de CHOICE en 1993, un monument de la french touch! Ou bien aussi Modus vivendi "Modus vivendi vers 1992/92 ou la TB 303 semble pleuré...très émotif

@dizzythegreat 5 күн бұрын

Oh, it's the Amen Break Dubplate guy.

@TakeshiAndTheKid 12 жыл бұрын

Sine wave basses generally aren't a good idea anyway, when using a similar sound for a bassline it's best to use a Triangle wave. The NES used a triangle wave that was shaped slightly towards a saw wave.

@osmsolutions 8 жыл бұрын

Sawtooth or Square Wave (not Sine) at 5:07

@PseudomoniaProject 9 жыл бұрын

Thats not a sine wave, thats a pulse wave (or square)

@eternalblue2119 9 жыл бұрын

The narrators voice or the 303?

@matthollandsf 9 жыл бұрын

DEEEF=Pi a sign function would make a very useless audio signal, but i suspect you know this =p

@Imetalman2000 4 жыл бұрын

It’s the year 2020: Behringer has brought us the TD-3. It was the last amazing piece of gear to hit the market before the corona virus hit.

@uberd0gAlpha 4 жыл бұрын

MPC One? MC-707?

@senorchaos 12 жыл бұрын

Only 360p ?????

@z1rakz1gal 12 жыл бұрын

..then there was the 303 'devilfish' modulation that was done by an australian guy in the 90's. people from all over the globe sent 303's to him to be tweaked. i wont tell u who, but some of em were in the video!

@johnhatton5325 4 жыл бұрын

no mention of hardfloor ???

@subtension Жыл бұрын

Les papes de la 303

@digitalbeat666 8 жыл бұрын

There are some factual mistakes. In tb-303 there are saw wave and square wave. Not sine wave. Also there is no sine wave in Rebirth which was modeled before tb-303.

@RRKS69 12 жыл бұрын

best synthesizer of all time...

@RussArteaga Жыл бұрын

I’d say it’s more of a greatest groove box of all time.

@geroblacksmith 4 ай бұрын

Happy 303 day all!

@kaylarenay1155 2 жыл бұрын

Anybody here from Full Sail? 👀👀

@isaiahrhue2339 4 ай бұрын

😂😂😂

@patto2k 12 жыл бұрын

flow coma is a perfect acid track

@blonieamw2998 4 жыл бұрын

happy 303 day every1

@branchpizza 12 жыл бұрын

It's sawtooth and square wave not sine wave by the way, you could achieve a sine wave by turning the filter cutoff all the way down probably.

@Ylylguru 3 жыл бұрын

This video is so BOAAARRRING. Better than reading though!

@vansisto Жыл бұрын

You made a mistake. In the Prodigy's track it wasn't a 303. It was a Korg Prophecy

@zeldamenefee5008 Жыл бұрын

Acid will never die

@elissitdesign 7 жыл бұрын

I came here to read the comments.

@coreybkguy1372 7 жыл бұрын

shannon - let the music play .

@bluestorm239 10 жыл бұрын

*sawtooth & square

@rexmundi1570 9 жыл бұрын

well dont sound so thrilled about it Mr Narrator. :)

@waynerbudgen 10 жыл бұрын

True, it was the "303 Growler" preset on the Korg Prophecy. The same, sexy synth was also used for "Firestarter" and "Breathe". I remember playing on this at the Brighton Guitar, Keyboard and Amp Centre when it first came out, then being really disappointed that Liam Howlett used basic presets in "Firestarter". kzfaq.info/get/bejne/huCShNya2bmwpmg.html

@bubcentral23 2 жыл бұрын

The original mix of KLF what time is love doesn't either. What time is love is based on a song in the musical Jesus Christ Superstar too.

@matthollandsf 9 жыл бұрын

I rather liked the monotone narration, so there.

@GrimTransmission 9 жыл бұрын

matt holland Haha yeah, it's perfect for sampling and using in tracks because the monotone makes it easy to pitch-shift without it sounding weird.

@angelos808 7 жыл бұрын

lol

@tiespunkU 9 ай бұрын

the wave forms shown are saw and square, not sine...

@RRKS69 12 жыл бұрын

11:33

@dillonyakub3428 Жыл бұрын

🎶💥😎💥🎶

@miekwavesoundlab 2 жыл бұрын

5:06 sine wave ?!?

@johnnybagwash2456 9 жыл бұрын

voiceover man er he sounds automated like when you ring up to pay your electric bill over the phone

@screamingswifts 3 ай бұрын

over 6 minutes in, as good as no sound from the tb-303 - im logging out

@wheretheresawillcomputerse4459 2 жыл бұрын

My lawd this guy either puts me to sleep or in a deep depression .. Or both. Dude get u some coffee! Wow

@msfainefurstenfeld 8 жыл бұрын

Can not read any text in beginning...

@abstractmachine 8 жыл бұрын

see the original here: nkhstudio.com

@xxx7917 3 жыл бұрын

What about dj Pierre

@nolanfisher5497 11 жыл бұрын

I happen to know that madonna's ray of light is an ms-20 not tb 303

@tarkkasilma7380 9 жыл бұрын

Acidhouse!

@hannespi2886 8 жыл бұрын

17:55 So Today... Instruception

@andrewgalloway7344 7 жыл бұрын

16.55 .... william orbit !!!!!!!

@DoctorBlankenstein 5 жыл бұрын

P.L.U.R. :)

@mannyzagri7451 8 жыл бұрын

all this and nothing about hardware clones?

@axeman2638 7 жыл бұрын

Now where would the world be if documentary makers encouraged and enabled people to make their own, and learn how simple and cheap it actually is to do so? all these ripoff electronics companies would be out of business.