The Behringer TD-3 is a Roland TB-303 Bassline clone that was released in the fall of 2019. It came out about three years after Roland released their own 303 reboot in the form of the the TB-03 Boutique, but with the notable difference in that the TD-3 was a true clone, albeit with a few added features, rather than utilizing a digital modeling technology like Roland’s Analog Circuit Behavior.
Where’s The Grease?
While Roland’s TB-03 does a commendable job in replicating the original 303’s acid flavor, as well as adding several features, most notably MIDI, CV/GATE and effects, including distortion and delay, it lacks the “greasy” nature of the original and is overall quite flat sounding. Pumping it up with additional effects and other sonic ingredients can certainly achieve pleasing acid lines, but it’s a pretty good example where ACB falls short.
Behringer, who is constantly berated for cloning other company’s musical instruments, saw this as an opportunity to deliver a true 303 clone, and offer it as a substantially cheaper price point. As of this writing, it’s less than a third of the cost of the Roland TB-03. The Behringer TD-3 also includes MIDI, CV/Gate and distortion, which is rumored to be lifted from their Boss DS-1 distortion pedal clone, and comes in pretty much as the same form factor as the original.
THAT Sound
The Behringer TD-3 does a better job of replicating the original 303’s sound, and has reinvigorated the Acid House movement on social media, since it delivers the famed acid sound in a much more affordable package. FutureMusic has been incorporating the original TB-303, the TB-03 and the TD-3 in a head-to-head comparison for the last few months and we have to salute Behringer for doing what Roland wouldn’t during Ikutaro Kakehashi’s tenure (aka “Mr. K” 1930-2017) as head of the concern. In fact, if Roland would have released something very similar to the TD-3 during the early nineties, not only would they have eliminated every single clone that emerged following the deficit in the marketplace, but they would have swelled their coffers, potentially fueling R&D into other music technologies.
While some electronic musicians have rolled their eyes at the re-emergence of the 303’s distinctive sound (“I’m so sick of the 303,” a cry often heard on music forums.), we’ve been hearing some inventive reinterpretations of acid music from new artists who are not tainted by the previous generation. You can probably thank boutique guitar pedal manufacturers for this, as well as producers employing new technologies and plug-ins that weren’t around during the 303’s initial heyday in the late 80’s / early 90’s. And who can deny that the slinky 303 sound isn’t responsible for the early popularity of techno and house music, nor its ability to get people moving? Respect!
In addition, we’ve been finding additional uses for the TD-3 during our test. The TD-3 can be used as a drum synth. Dialing in a pulsating sound with no decay can lead to some distinctive beats to complement your samples or drum machine. Using the built in sequencer and adding a dotted 8th note delay can also yield dynamic grooves an and unexpected polyrhythms. It can also be utilized to punch up your bass lines by layering the TD-3 underneath your main bass part. Thus, even if you’re not into acid music, the TD-3 can creatively complement your electronic music tracks in unexpected and awesome ways.
To meet this price point Behringer did have to cut some corners and it has been evident in our long-term test that the TD-3 is not one of those instruments that “will go the distance.” However, with new units currently selling at $109, if one dies, you can simply buy another one. You can even buy some spares and sock them away — and still have money left over as opposed to buying Roland’s TB-03.
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The TD-3’s Distortion is really nothing special and it doesn’t appear that much thought was put into truly elevating the signal path with this effect. It does add some grit and grime to the signal with three controls, Distortion Amount, Tone and Level, but its functionality is very limited and does end up eliminating much of the bass frequencies. It would have been interesting if Behringer incorporated some of Robin Whittle’s Devil Fish mods in their approach, but apparently Uli explored that avenue and it went horribly wrong.
Old School & New School Programming
Some will lament that Behringer kept the original 303’s programming methodology, which has been universally hammered over the years as “quite cumbersome.” However, it’s obvious that these same people have never tried to program the painful Moog Mother-32, which makes inputing a pattern in the TD-3 and TB-303 look effortless. That said, it’s really not that difficult to program once you get your arms around the process. Behringer did address this issue in a cool way by including a free TD-3 computer utility, dubbed Synth Tool, which allows you to program patterns in a Piano Roll and send them to the TD-3 via its USB connection. Not only can you send programs to the TD-3, but you can also backup your patterns from the unit to the software as well. Nice!
➤ Behringer TD-3 Specs:
- Monophonic Analog Bass Synthesizer VCO, VCF, VCA signal path design based on Roland TB-303
- Filter: 4-Pole low-pass filter with resonance
- VCF: envelope intensity and envelope decay adjustable
- Sequencer: 16-step, 7-track, 250 User Patterns
- Analog Inputs: One 1/8″ TS (Filter Input) for sound processing of external sources
- Analog Outputs: One 1/4″ TS (Line Out)
- Headphones: One 1/8″ Output
- MIDI In, Out/Thru DIN Connections / USB Type B
- Sync In / CV out/ Gate out
- Effects: Distortion With Amount / Tone / Level Controls
- Poly-chaining: Uup to 16 devices
- Software: Behringer Synth Tool Application (Mac: OS X 10.8.5 or later/ PC: Windows 7 SP1 or later)
- Height: 2.2″ x Width: 12″ x Depth: 6.5″
- Weight: 1.8 lbs.
- Power Supply 9 V DC Included
Conclusion
Should you get a Behringer TD-3? If you produce electronic music, don’t have a 303 or the multitude of clones that are already out there, and are intrigued with the acid sound, it’s an easy Yes. For the unfathomable price of $109, you can get your hands on something that’s so close to the original sound that most people will not be able to tell the difference. Although it’s not perfect, the addition of USB, MIDI, CV/Gate, the Synth Tool, filter input and even the limited Distortion effect makes it an exciting proposition for anyone producing electronic music, even if you hate Uli Behringer. Highly Recommended!
Rating: 95%
Cheers:
+ Value
+ True Analog
+ Faithful Recreation
+ Synth Tool Utility
+ MIDI In – Out/Thru
+ CV/Gate
+ Filter Input
+ Fun Color Options
Jeers:
– Distortion
– Build Quality
Behringer’s TD-3 costs between $109 – $129 and is available now.
The Future: If Behringer ever decides to debut a mkII version of the TD-3, we’d love to see the addition of battery power, a deeper and expanded effects section with more control and better quality effects that culminate in a stereo output. Including additional waveforms, as well as hybrids could be an intriguing proposition. Finally, we’d like to see Uli actually work it out with the Whittle’s for a Devil Fish version. It would certainly help repair the anti-semitic public relations nightmare from the Peter Kirn cork-sniffer blunder, and give back to an innovator who could use a few bucks for his creative take on this legendary silver box.
