Rebirth 338 is a program for Windows 95 / Windows NT which emulates
perfectly a Roland TR-808 drum machine, 2 TB-303 Bassline sequencers,
a distortion unit, a delay unit and a mixer.
The program was developed by Propellerheads and a demo version can
be downloaded from their Web Site :-
http://www.propellerheads.se/
This demo version has no save facilities and will time-out after 30
minutes of use. You may, however, load in demo songs, create your
own songs and generally mess about with every feature.
The emulation of the electronics in these devices has been executed
perfectly ! As well as sounding EXACTLY like their real-life
equivalents, the on-screen graphics look perfect, too. You could
almost believe you were twiddling knobs on a real 303.
As well as giving you the sequencing abilities of the original
equipment, the Rebirth 338 also lets you automate every knob movement
and all the effects and mixer settings. I wonder how much it would
cost you to get your hands on one genuine fully-automated TB-303,
never mind 2.
This program is a two-edged sword. On the one hand, it removes some
of the magic of techno tracks when you see how easy it is to quickly
knock up a couple of sequencer patterns and starting knobbing away
to your heart's content to get a fairly convincing dance track. On
the other hand though, whilst it's easy to come up with a track about
60% as good as anything out there, to achieve that extra 40% requires
real skill and talent, so your respect for the top artists in the
field increases.
Download this program NOW !
Reviewed by Grant Middleton.
(
geocities.com/sunsetstrip/lounge) (
geocities.com/sunsetstrip)