Social Entropy has introduced Quicksilver 303 – a CPU upgrade for the Roland TB-303 bassline synthesizer.

The Quicksilver 303 is a complete drop-in replacement for the TB-303 CPU. It includes a completely rewritten operating system that extends and improves both PATTERN and TRACK modes.

More Than MIDI

The Quicksilver 303 CPU can be used with or without MIDI. So, you can benefit from the new features of the CPU without drilling any holes in your TB-303.

But there are also great new MIDI capabilities, such as “MIDI Control mode” which allows the 303 to be “remotely controlled” from any device that can send MIDI note messages. The sequencer can send and receive MIDI notes and MIDI clock and you can also record incoming MIDI to patterns in realtime.

All functions of the Quicksilver 303 are available while the sequencer is running, this includes entering patterns, changing modes and new live performance functions like “ALL ACCENT” or “CHOP”.

Entering new patterns is now interactive, with the capability to hear changes as the pattern plays, and the ability to move forwards and backwards to edit specific notes.

The Quicksilver 303 is also equipped with USB connectivity. This means that it’s easy to update the operating system as new features are added.

Because all data is stored into internal EEPROM, batteries are no longer required to maintain memory. All internal memory can also be dumped using MIDI sysex messages for sharing or backup.

Here’s a video overview of the new features:

The video shows system exclusive loading of pattern data, setting the pattern length, pattern copy/paste, pattern rotation, randomize and reverse. It also looks at how pitch or time information can be entered in step mode.

The QuickSilver 303 CPU upgrade for the TB-303 sells for US $275. Installation is currently free with purchase.

See the Social Entropy site for details.