Erica Synths Bassline DB-01

If you are a lover of electronic music then the numbers 303 conjure images of white gloves, neon colours, strobe lights and sweaty smily people getting down to the analog rubber band sound of the TB, all reenforced by visceral rave sirens and stabs. If you are still with me and understand this reference, then please keep reading. If not, make a quick detour to YouTube first (the place for all such historical memories in Dance music) before moving on.

So, why the reference and what has this got to do with the Bassline DB-01? Well the DB-01, gets part of its name from the classic Roland TB 303. THAT machine which is still coveted today (the holy goddess of the rave only knows why!) and can cost up to 3000 euros in mint condition. However, the original TB 303 is a royal pain to program (so is the 150 euro Behringer TD-3 BTW), is the most expensive piece of flimsy plastic you could ever want to own but sounds AMAZING and has been used on countless dance records.

Fast forward to 2020 and there have been many many clones of the original TB 303 however almost every flavour of the classic silver box (maybe except the Avalon Bassline) has somehow rarely managed to escape the paradigm of being a one trick pony. A good pony, if you love Acid over life itself but I digress...

The DB-01 is different. Not just clone different but VERY different. Yes, it can do acid sequences but it is the type of OMG acid sequences that if you could time travel back to 1989 with the DB-01 and use it at a rave, Josh Winx and co would cordially take their silver boxes of chirpy bass lines back to the thrift shops where most of them were found! Don't get me wrong though, I love the TB bassline but now, in 2020, there is more on offer for the Acid connoisseur.

The DB-01 to my ears sounds like if Roland SH 101, a Roland TB 303 and a Polivoks were to connect (and then shrink) like Voltron into one compact device with slick programming (really updated for the 2020 musician), solid build and well thought out all black interface (yes, for all you “murked-out” design lovers out there!) In the space of a non stop 3 hour jam I could noodle with more sequences than I could care to dream about making on any 303 clone. You do need to read the manual to understand it fully but it is still VERY intuitive.At the moment there are a few videos floating around on YT but I think they really only scratch the surface of the potential of this black box.

In summary, I think this is the most accessible synth I have used in a while. Yes, it is slight more expensive than the clone competition but it really has a lot more "under the hood" features that make far more interesting sequences and sonically diverse results. I can only recommend saving the money and update your Acid lines from 90’s nostalgia to 2020 cool. I believe this is a future classic. It is more than just Acid.

Nuff Said!

Beste Investition der letzten Jahre.
Einfach super der SOUND!

Das Gehäuse, Knöpfe und die gesamte Haptik ist in gewohnt hochwertiger Form umgesetzt wie immer bei Erica Synths. An die Bedienung muss man sich allerdings erst mal gewöhnen. Soundtechnisch ist das Teil absolut genial und hat gegenüber anderen Baslines einen eigenen Charakter.

Der Sound ist fett, intuitive Bedienung, nach wenigen Sessions will man mehr….Verarbeitung ist so wie es sein sollte, mag die Knöppe…

R.I.P. 303 /// HALLO ERICA SYNTH DB-01 !!! ICH HABE JA VON ROLAND ÜBER KORG ALLES IN DIE FINGER BEKOMMEN , DOCH ZUKUNFTS ORIENTIERTE MUSIK BRAUCHT AUCH DEMENTSPRECHENDES WERKZEUG. DIE DB-01 IST IHRER ZEIT VORAUS IND WIRD DIE ALTE 303 SOUND TECHNISCH AB HEUTE FÜR IMMER IN DEN SCHATTEN STELLEN. FUTURISTISCHER SOUND , SUPER BEDIENER FREUNDLICH , GOOD GROOVES , KREATIVITÄT GEFRAGT , KEINE WERKS PATTERNS , IM OLD SCHOOL DESIGN. 10 von 10 sternen.