PEAVEY PC1600
For people without 303 or even without 303 clone: use your Peavey PC1600 to
emulate the 303 on your 64-voice-16Mb-of-built-in-waveform-huge-LCD-workstation
synth!
I obtained some *very* nice results (OK, it's still worse than my clone but
better than anything else I have heard on a workstation) using a modern ROM
based synth module. But you have to be familiar with SysEx. (You can also use
the MIDI manager in Cubase instead of a PC1600)
Use a saw (the sharper, the better) or pulse wave.
Assign the first fader on your PC1600 to filter cutoff (if your synth allows
midi controller data for this, that's fine. Else you've got to use sysex)
The 2nd should be assigned to resonance (probably you have to use sysex)
Now here comes the big trick: the 3th and 4th fader!
Set 3th fader to control the initial level of the VCF envelope (SysEx!).
If your synth has multi-stage-envelope then set all other levels to the same
"sustain" level.
Moving this fader now has an effect similar to the (unique) "Env mod" knob on
the real 303. If your synth has a simple VCF envelope section, try assigning
the fader to "envelope depth" or "sustain level" or whatever it is called.
Set the 4th fader to control the decay (again: SysEx!). If your synth has a
nice multi-stage envelope, assign the fader to set the rate of the 1st stage in
the envelope. Set all other "rates" to zero.
Try adjusting the "other" envelope parameters until moving the faders in a
303-style manner while playing back a 303-style sequencer sounds.... er....
303-ish!
This way of emulating a 303 sounds much better than "just" changing the cutoff,
as it allows tweaking the whole filter section in a very 303-ish way! Even if
the filter itself doesn't sound very 303 you can get good results using this
method.
BTW 1 try changing the range that the PC1600 outputs for the several parameters
until it sounds right
BTW 2 use portamento in your sequence, together with the portamento on/off
controller, to emulate slides.
good luck
Ernest202@sda.wlink.nl