I've had a lot of fun playing with the new Dtronics DT-303 that I bought a few months ago.
The Dtronics DT-303 is a small analog distortion and overdrive desktop unit (non-eurorack) made by Dutch company Dtronics.
The DT-303 changes your sound by adding distortion and overdrive .You can make it sound a little rough, or very dirty and aggressive, depending on the settings.
If you want your acid lines to sound more dirty, loud, or punchy, this box can help.
The unit itself is small and strong, with it's metal case and rubber feet it sits sturdy on flat surfaces. Mono In- and Output are on the backside. The unit comes with a 9V power supply.
The unit itself is small and strong, with it's metal case and rubber feet it sits sturdy on flat surfaces. Mono In- and Output are on the backside. The unit comes with a 9V power supply.
It only has a few knobs and buttons that feel sturdier than the ones on my TB-303.
3 buttons to select types of distortion Classic / Turbo / Overdrive or Bypass.
1 Bypass button allows you to switch back to the original sound quickly.
It also has 3 knobs for Distortion level, Filter cutoff and Volume
...al in a very cool looking TB-303 aesthetic
The sound is warm and full and doesn’t make the bass disappear like some cheaper distortion boxes do.
The sound is warm and full and doesn’t make the bass disappear like some cheaper distortion boxes do.
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| My own TB-303/DT-303 Combo |
"On a rainy Sunday in January 2023 we were brainstorming about new products.
Until then, we had mainly made programmers for synthesizers. examples of this are the DT7, DT-300 and DT-200.
We thought it would be nice to broaden it and see if we could create a distortion.
While we were talking, we came up with the idea of a distortion that could adjust the nuances and that would fit well with the appearance of the 303.
We were also bothered by variants where the connections were not at the back, causing the wires to run over the instrument.
Step by step the project became clearer and took more shape. We have been busy fine-tuning the parameters so that it matches our expectations as closely as possible.
We also enlisted the help of several good friends who have a lot of knowledge and expertise in the field of distortions and of course experience with the Roland TB-303."
"We started designing the hardware and the casing. An important part was the recognizability and the connection to the Roland TB-303. We used custom buttons and pots for this.
This is how the first prototypes of the DT-303 were created."
Funding was realized within a month via Kickstarter. The first modules were shipped in early 2024
Funding was realized within a month via Kickstarter. The first modules were shipped in early 2024
and there are still units available via: SynthCity.NL
Basically the Dtronics DT-303 is a simple but effective box.
If you like acid music or 303-style basslines, it’s a great way to get that extra drive and grit.
It only works in mono, but for what it’s made to do, it does an excellent job.
If you like acid music or 303-style basslines, it’s a great way to get that extra drive and grit.
It only works in mono, but for what it’s made to do, it does an excellent job.
I didn't have the right state of mind to make an original short video of this FX module, but I will try to feature it in upcoming video's. The Dtronics website has enough interesting videos about it anyway....
There is/was still a free Aux send on my mixing desk, so now I can also send 909 Bassdrums and other synths through this box... I love it!
