The Roland TB-303

In a world of software emulations and digital workstation, it’s hard to be impressed by a single oscillator monosynth, but few electronic musical instruments have made an impact as big as the TB-303. Several machines have entered electronic music history as pivotal artifacts of the culture. Released in 1982, Roland’s “Transistor Bass” unit was a sleeper hit that became an iconic piece of electronic music culture, analogous to the Stratocaster for rock and the MPC for hip-hop.

Created by Roland engineer Tadao Kikumoto, the box was largely written off as a failure after just 18 months of production. It was released alongside the TR-606 drum machine as an accompaniment for guitarists, but with unrealistic sounds and a difficult interface the box got little traction upon release. Roland stopped production in 1984, having sold only 10,000 units.While many of the 303’s early appearances made use of the box’s unconventional nature, the acid house sound did not come together until the late 80s. Due to its commercial failure, there were lots of these bass units available for a low price, making them an attractive buy for bedroom electronic producers.