While we may never really understand why the sound makes people want to dance, there is no denying its power, influence, and unwavering ability to get a party started. It just works, even after all this time. And to everyone keeping the spirit alive — happy day.
Back in , the tools used to create electronic music were fewer, and less evolved, than those used today. The technologies used in electronic musical instruments were primarily analog circuits that generated its sound. Digital technology was just starting to make an appearance in instrument design which sparked the beginning of a new era of innovation and experimentation.
At the time, Roland was less than 10 years old, and still based in Osaka, Japan. It was a monosynth: meaning that it only made one sound at a time, compared to a piano which plays several notes simultaneously if you press several keys at once.
The TB used analog components to produce the sound with the digital revolution still a few years away. Using the best technology available at the time, the development team worked hard to recreate a typical bass guitar sound. The arrangement of these buttons in a format that resembles a piano seven white keys and five black keys gave a familiar musical interface for the musician.
In the same way that a drum machines plays patterns of different sound sounds, the needed to do the same thing but with basslines. Using the keyboard to enter the correct note and its length, the user could program a bassline one note at a time which would then play along in time with the drum beat. This is known as a step sequencer and provided an innovative way to create patterns of melody or basslines where chaining patterns together could make an accompaniment for an entire song.
Six rotary dials let the user manipulate the tone of the TB, so they could tweak the sound to suit their personal taste. Although seeming to offer an excessive amount of control for the time, these dials—especially the cut-off and resonance knobs—would become very important half a decade later, on the other side of the world.
It was only years later, with the advent of sample-based technology, that electronic instruments could convincingly replicate their acoustic brethren. So, after launching in , the TB was discontinued less than two years later, with around 10, units being made. And usually, that would be the end of the story Along with partners Spanky and Herb J, the trio wanted to get into music production and had formed a group called Phuture but they needed an angle.
They scoured the local stores looking for interesting pieces of music equipment, figuring out how to get the best from their limited studio and eventually release a record. One fortuitous day, they found a cut-price TB Club Night. Event Coverage. Travel Camping. Home Music. Get Magnetic Ad-Free for 30 Days. Join Today. By Ryan Middleton. By David Ireland. This channel provides instructions of the Roland's electronic musical instruments and equipment. With an unmistakable sonic signature brimming with warmth, energy, and character, the Roland TB Bass Line defined the acid house movement of the late s.
Widely misunderstood when launched in , the true revolution began several years later when electronic music producers rediscovered the quirky box, unleashing the hypnotic, liquid sound that captivated a generation.
Some instruments are so groundbreaking they create entire musical genres. Later on, inventive electronic musicians discovered the , often on the secondhand market, and found new uses for its recognizably fluid low end.
Using the in new ways, DJ Pierre and Phuture pioneered what came to be known as acid. The TB Software Synthesizer takes the classic instrument to the next level. Utilizing Analog Circuit Behavior modeling the virtual TB captures the hypnotic tone of the original hardware and forms the perfect complement to the TR and other classic Roland instruments.
The iconic interface and signature crunch and squelch of the original are perfectly reproduced, while adding new features which surely would have turned heads back in the day:.
For the first time, you can create and edit patterns with a visual interface. With the ability to see the DNA of a preset pattern, you can edit a variation, or start from scratch then step-edit a new pattern, using up to six octaves with user-defined scales, accents, slides, pitch manipulation, and more.
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