The Roland TB-303 is easily one of the most iconic and popular mono synths of all time, and also one of the most influential given the huge impact it had on electronic music, notably on the house and trance genres. Although there are some good efforts from reputable developers on recreating the classic “acid” sound - which we can also recreate to a certain extent with other software synths - the definitive version was yet to come. Enter the Arturia Acid-V, an emulation that not only recreates the original unit from the ground up but also expands upon it with an interesting feature set.

Arturia took no shortcuts here: the Acid-V models the TB-303 in its entirety with all original parameters and it adds a few “circuit-level” tweaks for bass boost, pulse width, accent attack, cutoff range, pitch tracking, noise level and clipping. These can be accessed on the top side of the interface but are entirely optional - they are small but meaningful tweaks but at the end of the day they’re still tweaks, hence placing them on the hideable top tab. The big new features are right on center: the added sub-oscillator with options for sine, square and saw, and the distortion unit, which offers fourteen different types ranging from subtle to extreme. These two features greatly extends the range of the Acid V, making it far more versatile than the original unit.

It doesn’t stop there: a highly flexible sequencer/arpegiator, three modulators and effects section are included to further our options. The sequencer/arpegiator section takes a few hints from Arturia’s own Microfreak and Pigments synthesizers, with the brand’s trademark generative features for easily getting interesting notes going on. The modulators are also derived from Pigments, featuring a free-form envelope generator with tempo-sync and loop options, with a drag-and-drop system for quickly assigning the mod sources to their destination. Lastly, the effects section brings fifteen effects from delays and reverbs to chorus, dynamics, a parametric EQ, saturation, bit-crushing and more.

The scores

Sound quality: Sonically speaking this is very impressive, not only capturing that gritty essence of the original unit but bringing all its little nuances as well. The basslines and screaming leads we expect from a 303 all come out quite easily, and I should say that it breaks up beautifully when the distortion is pushed, giving some extra edge without losing character. The filter envelope action is spot-on and the added sub oscillator and effects are the icing on the cake, making the Acid-V a true “hot rod” software version of the 303 that sounds lovely without the need for any other plug-ins down the chain.

Ease of use: In general, 303s are one of easiest synths to play with and it’s not different with the Acid-V. We have many extra options on top of the original feature set that will require some learning, but it shouldn’t take long to get acquainted with the effects, advanced tweaks panel and modulators - if you’re familiar with Arturia’s own Pigments, it will be effortless to get used to the modulation because the workflow is very similar. CPU-wise it’s a light plug-in that shouldn’t tax most modern systems. For those with Arturia MIDI keyboards the integration should be instant through the settings tab, and mapping it to other controllers should be pretty easy as well thanks to the “learn” function.

Features: Hands-down the best feature set on a virtual TB-303 right now, with some great additions on top of the original unit that makes it perfect for modern music production. My personal favorites were the many different types of distortions and also the sequencer, which makes the Acid-V a very fun instrument to play with.

Bang for buck: Arturia’s products are very sensibly priced overall, but at $199 (MSRP) this is a bit off the mark and feels a little too expensive for what it is. I’m not saying it isn’t worth it, I really enjoyed it and it delivered on its promise, but at the end of the day it’s a TB-303, not quite the hardest sound to get with other plug-ins, and for many the extra features such as the sequencer and effects are things they would rather handle elsewhere. I should mention that there’s an intro offer available (50% off/$99 until September 14th) and V-Collection owners usually benefit from progressive discounts based on their version, so perhaps waiting for the next installment could be a path. If the regular price was $99, it would certainly be a no-brainer.

Recommended for: electronic music producers looking for that authentic acid mono synth sound in the box or for a virtual 303 that far exceeds the capabilities of the original unit.

Pros:

• Easily the best sounding virtual TB-303 right now.
• Superb feature set with interesting and useful add-ons.
• Easy to use and light on CPU.
• Fun to play with!

Cons:

• Hardly any, but I wish the standalone app had proper send/receive MIDI clock for syncing external devices.
• Price is a bit on the high side.

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