The Roland Boutique series emulation of the classic TB-303 bassline.

The battery-powered TB-03 is a direct descendant of the famous TB-303 Bass Line Synth. The layout and controls are unchanged, so it works just like the original. It sounds like it too, thanks to Roland’s advanced ACB technology that recreates the hypnotic liquid grooves of the magic silver box. But the new TB-03 goes even further, with several enhancements not found on the original model. The four-digit LED display makes programming easier and more accurate, while overdrive and delay effects let you unleash a twisted, tribal wall of sound to send the crowd into a frenzy. Back in the studio, the TB-03 can send control information via MIDI or its USB port, the latter of which also functions as a audio interface.

So says the Roland website... and for a while, along with the AIRA series TB-3, Roland had two modelling emulations of the TB-303 which were both good - offering slightly different additional features - and both functioning as a USB audio interface albeit with Line-level input only & no Mic pre-amp/s. But then Behringer came along and released a 100% analog, circuit-accurate TB-303 clone for way less money which also included CV & Gate OUT & semi-modular Filter & Sync inputs and in some ways ruined it all for Roland. Yes their TB-03 runs off batteries but Behringer's all-analog 303 clone is just so cheap it's hard for Roland to compete.

I summary in any buyers-guide type situation, we'd say go for the Behringer clone, but remember the Roland TB-03 does also give you a line input only USB audio interface.

The K-25m keyboard unit

Like all the Boutique range, the TB-03 can be used as a tabletop module triggered from any 3rd party MIDI keyboard controller or directly from any DAW external MIDI track. Obviously as the TB-03 copies the TB-303 Bassline, its patterns can be created using the built-in step sequencer with its classic Slide and other step functions, and most people will use the TB-03 that way or trigger it from a DAW track. However a further option is to add the optional K-25m keyboard unit which connects to any of the Boutique modules using an included ribbon cable & then you have the option to play the TB-03 from dedicated keys if required.

The K-25m is a 25-key, velocity sensitive keyboard designed for use with the Roland Boutique series. Measuring less than 12″ across, the K-25m acts as a dock for any Roland Boutique module, and once in place the module can be tilted at two different angles for easier viewing and sound programming, or can be laid completely flat.

The K-25m retails at around £95 from most music tech suppliers.

Category:

Products » Synthesisers » Modeling synthesisers »

Added: 24 November 2023
New price: £330
S/H price: £200 - £250
Company: ROLAND UK

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This product is part of
Roland's
Boutique series

JD-08

JP-08

JU-06

JU-06A

JX-03

JX-08

SH-01A

TB-03

2015 saw Roland debut a new series of modelled synth modules & drum machines derived from their old classics catalog and delivered in a portable, mains or battery powered, table-top sized format.

Initially offering emulations of the Jupiter-8 (JP-08), Juno-106 (JU-06) & JX-3P (JX-03), Roland went on to add further models from 2016 onwards until the full range included emulations of the TB-303, Juno-60, SH-101, D-50, VP-330 Vocoder, JX-8P & JD-800, as well as their TR-808, TR-909 & TR-606 drum machines.

All these modules comprise what Roland calls its Boutique series.

The Boutique series is related to the over-arching Roland AIRA collection of products which included the AIRA hardware units & related Plug-OUT software emulations. Like most of the AIRA series hardware, all these Boutique series modules can connect to a host computer via USB allowing saving & management of patches while they also function as a 24-bit 44.1kHz USB audio i/o interface which includes USB streaming of the module's audio output IN to the end user's DAW & in most models also included streaming of a physical stereo audio input from the unit to the DAW, albeit line level only with no mic' pre-amp included.

For initial Boutique models Roland used a DSP technology they called Analog Circuit Behaviour (ACB) to model the sound of the instruments and they are rated as very accurate. The downside is a reduced 4 note polyphony with the first three models. They do however have a technology built-in which allows more than one unit to be chained together, so you can have two or three JP-08's for example chained together to get a super-accurate 8 or 12 note emulation of the Jupiter-8 and the slave unit/s sync to the master allowing you to edit & control the overall synth patch via one master unit. Later 2022 Boutique series models like the JD-08 & JX-08 are less accurate in terms of absolutely emulating the original's synth engine & use a newer system-on-a-chip modelling which Roland calls Behavior Modeling Core (BMC).

All the synths in the Boutique series run off battery or mains & even include a small built-in speaker. All the synth modules can work with the optional K-25m plastic keyboard mount. The synth modules clip into the keyboard unit and can be angled at different degrees and then played via the small 2-octave keyboard.

With the K-25m keyboard/stand & the built-in little speaker, any of the Boutique synths can be played on location with no other equipment in a rudimentary way if required.

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The Roland Boutique range is a major range of modelling emulations of classic old hardware products and therefore - like the Behringer analog synths section above - we're giving them their own mini-section here so you can see the possible range, albeit you'll only be able to get some of these products secondhand now from the free ads or Ebay.