Acidlab Bassline

The Bassline 1 has a kinda awkward way of programming: you have to go through every step of the 16 or 32 note sequence, and enter the note data: Pitch (the note to be played), Slide (if you've ever heard the TB-303, you know what this is; made to re-create sliding on a guitar/bass, but does so in a very cool way :), Accent (adds a little "punch" to the note where accent is selected. Also, there is an Octave + knob, altering the pitch of the note up one octave.

sound good? it is, but you need to be careful when you program, as you can't make mistakes and simply go back one step. you need to go through every step before you can even hear what the sequence will sound like.. But, there are patch sheets on www.acidlab.de, that are good to use in case you make a mistake and want to alter the sequence.

after programming the thing, it's as easy as it can be: press play and tunr the knobs :)

-1 oscillator
-100% analog

-Cutoff, Resonance, Env Mod, Decay and Accent knobs for tweaking during playback

-Tune knob to get it in tune (can be a little tricky if you're using it with other synths)

-Tempo knob
-Volume knob
-Pattern selector knob (chooses between 2 sets of 12 patterns)
-Pitch knob (the "Keyboard" used to program notes)
-Group switches to choose between patterns 1-12 A and 1-12 B (24 total)
-"X1-X2" switch chooses the amount of steps of the pattern: 16 or 32 notes is possibly the most common use
-Lenght swithces choose the length of the pattern. great for that 3/4 effect we all love in acid music :)
-Waveform switch lets you select Sawtooth or Square wave
-Tune swithc chooses the octave for the entore sequence. set to 2, it's one octave higher than if set to 1..
-Play/Write switch chooses between playback and write modes.

-Midi in for external clock.
-SYNC out and in

-CV out
-Gate out
-Output
-Headphone out

-Slot for adapter. MUST be used with the adapter it is shipped with
no on/off button, it turns on when you connect the adapter.

the Bassline is made to recreate the famous TB-303, and does so very well. accent is a little different from the original 303, making the bassline just a little less liquid and more agressive sounding than the 303. Other than that, it sounds fantastic, and 99 out of 100 people could never tell it's not a real 303 :)
bass is deep, slide sounds very good, and the range of sounds is big enough for what it is :)

add a little FX and you're ready to rave :)

tuning could be a problem live, other than that, it's built like a tank and looks like it can last for a long time if the owner takes care of it.

Klaus is by far the most friendly person I'd ever have to deal with in terms of customer support. after sending some mails, he told me first that the bassline 1 was sold out and that he wouldn't make new ones (as he's making the improved bassline 2 now), then some time later, he told me I could have the last blue one that he had been using himself :)
he was very helpful with all my questions, and the bassline arrived within a week after payment was sent :)

for the price, this is your new 303.
sounds brilliant, and even though programming seems very time consuming, it will be with it :)
I'd get a bassline 2 if anything (god forbid) ever happens to mine, as the price is right and the sound too. an xoxbox would probably be the best choice within the same price range, but they are much harder to come by, and prices have gone up a lot lately anyway.

oh, and everything the bassle 1 lacks (easier programming etc), the bassline 2 has. Only reason I got a bassline 1 instead was my limited budget. But I'm as happy as I can be :)

Really easy to use it, just turn the knobs or switch from a waveform to another to change the sound .Is a totally analog monosynth that use just 1 oscillator.
There is no really need for the manual anyway is available on the website to download , is an ONE-PAGE manual...and this says it all.

IT Is a mono synth in a small box , so no keyboard .. you have to programme
it via the small on-board sequencer that is simple but is enough for what it has to do, it is a 303 clone also in this aspect ,not the best way to programme ( as the real 303 ) but to be honest I like it so much.
It has midi in and din sync as well, plus cv gate (out).

The sound is ,in one word , great. It's very warm , analog ,is deep and soft.
The filter is very good , it is sweet and has the typcal acid sound we love .
I had a 303 , so I can say it is the best clone ever heard .. with its own character.You must listen to it.

Very well built, nothing to say.

Never need it for the moment , naver had a problem.. Anyway I met the builder , he was very friendly and disposable for any problem.

If it were lost or stolen I would buy it again, that's for shure. I choose it for the sound , for the price and, why not, for the good looking.But first of all for its ACID sound.
One thing it was useful to have is the "step-back" button in case of a note entered by mistake .I own a minimoog voyager and I have to say that the bassline sound is the same high quality of the moog .
Let's check on the website.

This is a TB-303 clone. No Presets. Editing is easy since every knob has just one singe function.

As a little drawback the editing of a pattern is much like on the TB-303 : you have to enter the write-mode and then you go through every single step. At every step you can enter note, accent, glide and octave up. With "octave up" the note will be played one octave higher. With the write button you advance one step.
This is a bit tedious. You really have to use the pattern-sheet which you can download at the webpage. You cant step back. If you make a mistake, then you have to re-enter all notes. But under circumstance this takes you to these "erroneous" patterns which may sound better then wanted. Editing during play is not possible.

There is a little manual (german/english) at the acidlab webpage which explains the knobs, syncing and the pattern editing with a few words.

This is a monophonic synthesizer. One voice, nothing more, nothing less. There are no effects.
The Acidlab Bassline has one mono output (1/8"), phones (1/8"), DIN-Sync (Roland-Sync, e.g. syncs nicely to a TR-606 I tried it myself), MIDI in, CV/Gate output (both 1/8", 1V/Octave).

You have the usual knobs every TB-clone has, cutoff, resonance, env mod, decay and accent.

The Bassline works in a usual DAW enviroment. I use the Bassline together with Cubase and it works perfect. Since it has a CV/Gate output you can use its sequencer with other synthesizers with a CV/Gate input like modular systems or older synths.

As all other TB-303 clones, the Bassline will be compared to its old Roland grandfather.
No realism here : this is meant for Acid or any other musical genre which uses deep, bouncy, basslines.
Its real analog. No digital emulation. I heard myself the ML-303 (a DIY project), I own a FR Revolution and heard many different original TBs). In my opinion the Bassline is one of the best sounding TB-clones actually out there.
Compared to the TB it may sound a bit brighter and harsher at higher resonance, so be careful live tweaking the resonance knob. You may overdo it. :)
Its generel sound is sweet like so many other analog gear. Deep, soft, booming basses are easy made and youre going to like it.
It makes a lot of fun just tweaking the knobs.

I have the Bassline just a couple of months, but I use it live and have no fear about it. Its metal case looks and feels reliable. It never went down on me and am I am sure it never will.

The maker of the Bassline reacts to e-mails usually within one or two days. I had some problems using midi-sync (which was my fault, as it turned out) and he helped me with patience.

Yes, I would definitively buy it again. I love the sweet acid sound it makes. I use for three months now.

As I said erlier, I compared it to other clones and I does good on it. Its a bargain to get a synth which makes this specific strange acid sound.

Some people belief that this is a DIY project. This is not the case. You only can order it ready-built from the maker.