Programming a Roland TB-303 - Part 1 - Setting up

Programming a TB 303 can still sometimes be confusing and if you don't use it often, you can easily forget the details.
So I thought I'd add my 2 cents on how to program this silver box.

Setting up the TB-303

Before you begin anything, to need to decide if you are writing a track or a pattern.
A pattern is the basic sequencing unit. It can have up to 16 steps.
(In the manual patterns are also called measures).
You can create longer sequences by chaining patterns.
A track is like a song. It's a collection or chain of patterns

The Mode Switch  (on the right) has 4 settings.
1. Track Write
2. Track Play
3. Pattern Play
4. Pattern Write

The Track Patt.Group Switch on the left has 7 settings.
The tracks are highlighted in black.
It lets you choose:
1. one of the 7 tracks
2. one of the 4 pattern memories (I, II, III, IV).
     It's a bit confusing as there are 7 poles to the switch.
     Memory I = 1, 2.      Memory II = 3, 4.      Memory III = 5,6.     Memory IV = 7.
     Each of the four pattern memories are further divided into parts A & B
     Each part is again divided into 8 cells.
     In total, there are places for 64 patterns.

The 303 uses non-volatile memory.
In order to save any patterns when the 303 is turned off you need to insert batteries.
You can keep the batteries in the housing, even when using a AC adaptor.
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I'll update these notes over time.
Do let me know if there are any mistakes, or omissions.
Cheers jono

222e notes

Some notes regarding the 222e Kinesthetic Input Port.
Just getting this out of storage and reacquainting myself with this old friend.
It's a beautiful module and interface.

You will need either a 206e or 225e if you wish to memorise and recall any of your settings.
(Blue knob)

The "Thunder keyboard' is amazing. 
The 27 keys sense pressure and velocity.
You can generate pulses and control voltages with pressure and impact.
14 of the keys respond to location in one or two dimensions.

The 222e responds to 2 types of user movements .... touching the keyboard & the position of the user's hands in space. Don was all about seamlessly joining the musician to his creation.

The LCD display is how you program the module.

Note that on the left of the LCD, there are 2 grey buttons.

On the right is a DATA encoder.

The Page Button is important.

It lets you select between  the Pulse, Radio, CV, Contrast, Polyphony & Toggle pages

The Pulses, Radio & Control Voltages  pages are the best place to start.

These first 3 pages determine the type of voltages that exit jacks 1 to 14

Jacks 1 - 5 are pulse outputs

Jacks 6 - 9 are radio outputs

Jacks 10 - 14 are Control voltage outs.

The first page deals with pulses.

\Once you have chosen the PULSES  page, you can use the cursor to select the type of pulse.

Blank = normal .... a pulse is outputted upon touching a key
T = toggled response with alternate touches reversing the state.

In the pick above normal pulses exit jacks 1,2,3,4.

These jacks are linked to the  thunder keyboard pads a, b, c, d.

Pad e is a toggled pulse. It exits jack 5.

You select the actuating key by either turning the data wheel or pressing the desired key.
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Next we have the Radio State
There are 4 pages: 6,7,8,9.

It's named after old car radios.
You select the page with the DATA entry knob.
Ky= key.
Use the cursor button to get to the desired field.
You choose the keys just by touching the thunder keyboard.(or disable with a second touch).
To escape from this mode, cursor to the “ky” field and with the data entry knob, decapitalize it.

After the key, you select the type of voltage:
Loc =L = Location
Prs = Pressure
Imp = Impact

Below are the CV outputs .... set at zero volts in this instance.
CV ranges between 0 to 9.99V (decimal point is ignored)
The second voltage appears on the blue jacks. (these can also be used to present location)
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The bottom row of jacks provides access to Location, Pressure, or Impact from individual keys. 
It's called CV OUTS 
Select this group using the Page Button.

Use the Cursor button to move through each CV OUT  (the DATA field)... 10,11,12,13,14.
Use the data knob to select the data type.
Here we can see the data types for each field:

10 : Iv (I = Impact)
11 : Pw (P=Pressure)
12 :Px
13 :Py
14 : Pa
 The lower case letters are the keyboard keys
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The next page allows the display contrast to be adjusted for optimal viewing.
Pick a number between 0 and 7.

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Polyphony
This is achieved by "stealing" radio outputs

Use the data entry knob to select from two to four voices. The display will indicate which of the radio outputs have been “stolen” for application to polyphony.

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The final page allows us to determine the effect of the two small keys located on the upper left and the upper right corners of the keyboard.

The status of these keys determines whether the rings are engaged or not.
In this case, both these keys are lit.

The keys can be switched from the toggle to the sustain mode, and thus determine the effect of the rings. If the R (of rev) is capitalized, then the effect of the keys is reversed, with the left key controlling the right ring, and the right controlling the left.

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Spatial sensor

The red strap identifies the left ring; the green identifies the right (nautical conventions).
The rings are conveniently attached to the first knuckles of the index fingers, with the little windows facing away from the body. The buttons at the center are the switches for the rings.

The shape of the performance space is sort of a square cone radiating from the square widow on the front of the 222 control module. The range is from about 4” to around 5’, with a lateral and vertical space proportional to the distance.

An orange LED is illuminated whenever a ring is in the field.

Buchla Synth Timeline

A brief timeline of the Buchla Synthesizer

1937 ------------------- Don Buchla born in Southgate California

1959 ------------ Don Buchla received a degree in physics (University of California, Berkeley)

1962 ------------------Don became involved with the San Francisco Tape Music Center

1964 ------------------------ design of the 100 series Modular Electronic Music System started

1965 ----------------- The first 100 series is delivered to the SFTMC
                          (San Francisco Tape Music Center). The SFTMC eventually became
                          Mills College.

1967 --------------------- "Silver Apples Of The Moon"  released (Morton Subotnick)

1968/69 ----------- the Series 100 was sold to CBS Musical Instruments

1969 ------------------- Buffy Sainte Marie's album, Illuminations 

1970 -------------------------------------------  the 200 series Electric Music Box

1971 ------------------ 237/238  keyboard created (the first polyphonic modular controller keyboard)

1972 ------------- the 500 series, hybrid digitally controlled analog synthesizer announced.
                               It was designed over previous years.

1973 ------------------------- Buchla Music Easel

1976 ----------- the Series 300 (Don combined the Series 200 with microprocessors).
                    This was actually started in the Autumn of 1975, but 76 was when the
                    work was really done. 
                           
1978-1980 ------------------------------------------------ Touché

1978/9 -----------------  Sili-Con Cello (This was a performance based piece, not a product).

1982 ------------------------ Buchla 400

1986 ---------------------------------------------- the Buchla 700 with MIDI

1989 ---------------------------------------------------- Thunder controller

1991 --------------------------------------- Lightning controller

1995 ------------------ Oberheim OB-Mx

1996 ------------------------------------------------- Lightning II controller

1999 -------------------------  Marimba Lumina (gold edition)

2000 --------------------------------------------------- Marimba Lumina 3.5 (silver)

2002 ---------------------------- Marimba Lumina 2.5

2002 ------------------------------------- Piano Bar (Manufactured by Moog)

2002 ------------------------------------------- Barber Pole modules released.

2004 ---------------------- 200e series

2012 ------------------------------- BEMI formed

2013 ------------------------------------------- BEMI re-introduced the Music Easel.

2014 ------------------------ Don is forced out by BEMI

2014/5 ---------------------------------------------- 252e

2016 -------------------- Don Buchla passes at the age of 79 on September 14.

2017 ----------------------------------- BEMI released the Easel AUX Expander

2018 --------------- Buchla USA formed - BEMI takes on a partner & rebrands as Buchla USA



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Buchla 100 series

This synth was commissioned by Morton Subotnick and Ramon Sender in 1963 and funded by a $500 grant from the Rockefeller Foundation. The earliest modules have no company name on the front panel, or are labeled "San Francisco Tape Music Center." The 100 series company was sold to CBS in 1969. These later modules are labelled CBS musical instruments.

The original instrument was installed at the San Francisco Tape Music Center in 1965 and moved to Mills College in 1966.

Buchla 200 series

The Buchla 200 series Electric Music Box replaced the 100 series in 1970. This was a huge advance in technology with greater use of CVs (control voltages)

Buchla 500 series

The first hybrid synthesizer. A computer was now added to to a analog synthesizer aid the process of
music creation

Buchla 300 series (1976)

This system employed digitally controlled 200 modules.
It included a computer 
It's a Digital/Analogue Hybrid Music system . It used Patch IV software for routing control signals and inputting program data. The software was initially developed for 8080 & Z80 based machines

Touche (1978 - 1980)

Used a traditional 61 note keyboard. It was a hybrid digital computer married with analog circuitry.
8 voice polyphonic synth with 3 oscillators per voice.
It was controlled using a computer running FOIL (Far Out Instrument Language).
Apparently only four of these were ever made

400 Series (1982)

No patch chords!
6 voices of Digital oscillators.
Uses the MIDAS computer language to program the oscillators, filters, amps etc
Designed for film scoring ?

700 series (1987)

The first MIDI Buchla device. It also had CV/Gate, SMPTE, and two RS232 ports.
Almost all the controls are touch plate (apart from 5 pots).
12 voices with 4 digital oscillators per voice.... that's 48 oscillators
 6 modifiers per voice.
15 envelopes per voice. Each envelope can have up to 96 breakpoints.
It ran MIDAS VII software

Thunder (1989)

The first assignable MIDI controller based on ergonomics.
The human hand placement was foremost in its design.
Nothing like a standard keyboard.

Lightning 1991

It has two wands or sticks that are sensed by the main unit.

Marimba Lunina 1999

The mallets have radio transmitters in them.




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++++ the dates and info are as accurate as I can find ++++

++++ If there are any mistakes or omissions please shoot me and email +++++

Buchla rhythmic patches - 200e & 208

Finally getting a easel system together which combines the 208 with 200e.

I've had this beautiful 10U case (by Jason Butcher) for a few years now.

Was in a quandary as to which modules to put in. Should it be all 200/ 200& 100 combo
or 200e?

 As the case is a variation of the classic Music Easel case from the 1970s (Halliburton)
a 208 is obilgatory.

I've decided to go with 200e for now.
It's good to have something different to the standard easel configs.
Seems like a good combo.

Suzanne Ciani - SugarMountain 2017

Suzanne Ciani's Buchla concert - Melbourne, Australia, 21st Jan 2017
Sat. SugarMountain Music Festival.

A real pleasure  to hear this live.
Some snippets from the concert
Sorry for the shaky camera.

Setting up

Suzanne's 18 panel system seems to be Buchla 200e - mainly
Apart from the Control MARF - multiple function arbitary generator
Maybe a clone ??? possibly a 248r (not sure) or vintage ???
and I think a 291 filter  in row two???

top row:
248 MARF, 227e -system interface - spatial quad sound

middle row:
266e- Source of uncertainity
291 - dual filter ?
281e - quad function manager x 2
292e - quad dynamics manager x 2

Bottom row:
251e  - quad sequencer,
223e - tactile input port for keyboard
261e - Complex waveform generator -
210e - control & signal router
259e - VCO - twisted waveform generator - can set the waveshape
206e - mixer & preset manager

...

Seems that Suzanne is also using a Moog Animoog (ipad)

 and two Eventide H9 Harmonizer pedals.