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Subject: What do you think of the MAM MB33 MkII

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Original Message 1/24 07-Mar-00 @ 03:55 AM - What do you think of the MAM MB33 MkII

digression_factor

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What do you think of the MAM MB33 MkII? How is the 303 emulation? Is the distortion good? How stable is it, case and tuning wise? Are the pots nice? Do they stick? Or, do they take a while to send midi data? Would this be a good controller for software (knob wise)? How good is the input? Is there lot's of noise coming out of the unit? How much does it weigh, in kgs (shipping purposes)? Thanks.

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Message 2/24 07-Mar-00 @ 02:42 PM - RE: What do you think of the MAM MB33 MkII

druma

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hey hows it going dude, i'm looking at the same situation, i.e. 3o3 clone, I dunno on the model u r asking about MB33, but MAB has a one called MAB303 half rack box unit, has lfo and some other "xtras" the knobs don't send midi but I think it has patch memory, it has a led display at least...sounds exelent .. one of the best clones out, compare audio on the unofical TB303 site and u'll hear it has a great sound, slides r exelent, better that the original imo.. but I don't know were to find em.. MAB homepage anyone?

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Message 3/24 07-Mar-00 @ 09:15 PM - RE: What do you think of the MAM MB33 MkII

digression_factor

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Damn that 303, making me want one, it just sounds so good though. Any ways.

Yeah, it sounds good. But not too much like the 303 from those sounds on the unofficial tb-303 web site.

http://www.teknet.ch/tb-303/

Also, isn't it just a little expensive? And the knobs don't send midi, like the mb33 mkii. It looks nicer though, and it has a 7-seg display. Oh, and, the company that makes the mab303 is "will systems," not mab. But from what I've found out, from a german-language pdf file of the instruction manual, the mb33 sends cc's. Which is good for controlling software.

Also, the mb33 mkii is soooooo cheap. It has an 18db/oct filter. A sub osc. Pulsewidth mod from the env (though I don't know how this will sound). Built-in distortion. And the auto-slide switch is built on the unit.

There is a high quality picture and a demo mp3 at there web site:

http://www.mam-germany.de/index.html

the english section isn't up and running yet, though.

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Message 4/24 07-Mar-00 @ 10:07 PM - RE: What do you think of the MAM MB33 MkII

druma

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thanks for the info, had a listen 2 the demo, doesn't show to much, but it sounded really beefy '), didn't hear that TB tone, I'm not saying it can't produce it, they just didn't give us that sound xample, just a beefy sub and a screaming reso but both were TBish and I really diged the sound!!, isn't this the same company as F.A.T. and isn't this just a Freebase moudule with added xtras & MIDI, veary cool xtras> analouge distortion oohhyeah! so I guess the price is going 2 b low.. any idea on price or avalibility?

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Message 5/24 07-Mar-00 @ 11:22 PM - RE: What do you think of the MAM MB33 MkII

digresion_factor

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Actually, I think the fat freebass was a limited edition of the mki. It's also really ugly. The mab303, if I'm correct, is about $500? The mb33 mkii is about $220. And the mb33 (with no extras, like the fat freebass) is roughly $160. The price is more suited to me. Check out:

http://www.musicians-gear.com/

If you live outside of eurpoe, no vat, only some godawful ups price. About $30 to ship to me.

And about the 303 sound. It's close enough for me. It's going to be deep in the mix. Had a second listen to the mab303, it's actually pretty good.

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Message 6/24 07-Mar-00 @ 11:49 PM - RE: What do you think of the MAM MB33 MkII

digression_factor

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Oops... That was $102 for shipment. Grrrrr... It was about $30 through the mail. But I'd have to pay import fees.

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Message 7/24 08-Mar-00 @ 01:42 AM - RE: What do you think of the MAM MB33 MkII

druma

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U don't have to order them from Germany cos the MAM products r available in the US exclusively from Tracoman under the name Next! MB33mk2 called SuperBass4.4 , www.tracoman.com

they didn't list any prices but I found more audio on http://www.nextdj.com/index-non-flash.htm

3tracks, 1st trk sounds quite like the TB the other two do not, but r more domestraighting the unit ..it can scream with reso but not to much TB carachter, but it can sound like a 303 in some situations and does it quite well!

its quite inexpensif with MAM doing their littel promotional tricks every-where: MAM, FAT & Next, they promote heavily towards DJ's with the name Next..

good luck & let me know if u decide to get one i might follow if it can shine in a TB way.

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Message 8/24 08-Mar-00 @ 03:37 AM - RE: What do you think of the MAM MB33 MkII

digression_factor

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Praise be to druma! That's better than ordering from germany, and dealing with customs office. Come to think of it, I remember seeing that sampler in electronic musician magazine. And that the next synths WERE the mam synths. Hmmm. Thanks for the link. I'm downloading thos demos right now.

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Message 9/24 04-Apr-00 @ 02:56 PM - RE: What do you think of the MAM MB33 MkII

adamfritsche

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I purchased a Next Superbass 4.4 about a year ago. I had suspected that it was made by one of the other TB clone makers. I believe this model corresponds to the MB33-mk2. I haven't heard the MB33 but I can give some insight on the SB 4.4, but if they are the same thing......
As far as comparison to a TB-303, it does a fairly decent job of cloning the original. Some lines sounded almost identical, other lines sound quite a bit different between the two.
The distortion is nice but can be a bit much at times. I have gotten in to the habit of using a guitar stompbox distortion which gives a bit more control. The sub oscillator is also a nice addition and allows for some interesting layered sounds. Most of the knobs send and recieve midi. My only complaint is the volume knob neither sends nor recieves data. I have used the unit as a controller for rebirth as well as other synths and it works great.
Overall this is a cheap way to get close to the 303 sound.
I have been happy with mine and have very few complaints.

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Message 10/24 05-Apr-00 @ 01:40 AM - RE: What do you think of the MAM MB33 MkII

Phunkytek

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The reason the next Superbass does not emulate the 303 exactly is it's 24db filter:a problem with the Bass Station as well. The 303 has an 18db two pole low pass filter. Get a Syntechno teebee.Prodigy uses it for 303 lines. It's on the money 303 and if you need overdrive and want that josh wink devil fish sound just use an analog foot pedal. The teebee has midi to cv as well, and they lowered the price to $350.00 US. By the way. The Next! Superbass is made by Stanton Magnetic. When looking for a clone it should have the same controls and filter design. Check out the new analog monosynth section here on Dancetech and check out the well made Syntechno TeeBee. keep in mind the price has droped considerably since Kilo reviewed it a while bak when introduced.

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Message 11/24 05-Apr-00 @ 05:16 AM - RE: What do you think of the MAM MB33 MkII

digression_factor

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The Spacebass 3.3 has a 24db filter. The Spacebass 4.4 has an 18 db filter. It has the same controls. Here is a quote from an e-mail from next! reffering to if MAM, FAT and Next! are the same company.

"NO they are not the same company. MAM is the manufacturer, they make it for us in the USA under our brand name: next! They also make it for F.A.T in England. We do not have any SB 4.4 anymore, but one of our distributors does:

David White: (617) 868-1819

The SB 4.4 is exactly the same as the MB 33 MK2."

It's as good as a teebee. Minus the CV i/o.

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Message 12/24 05-Apr-00 @ 05:21 AM - RE: What do you think of the MAM MB33 MkII

digression_factor

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errrr..... ummmmmm...... the spacebass 3.3, and the SUPERbass 4.4........

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Message 13/24 06-Apr-00 @ 12:43 AM - RE: What do you think of the MAM MB33 MkII

phunkytek

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Stanton sells Next!, and if you go to the website www.stantonmagnetics.com and scroll down you will see the Next! logo and under it reads,"By:Stanton" now go to the remix gear section I was incorrect about the filter on the SB4.4. It has an 18db filter, but when i listened to the demo's with the resonance up it sounded more like my sh-101 than my 303. Cool synth but not an authentic recreation like the future rhetro 777. But i would still recomend the teebee. It's cheap and rack mountable, and is truely a professional piece. The Next! stuff sounds good , but it's not authentic in reproducing a 303.They do make one hell of a analog vocoder though. Syntechno offers a garentee that you can't tell an original from their's.I have a 303 and in my opinion they make the best rack for the job. Happy hunting-Brett

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Message 14/24 07-Apr-00 @ 03:51 AM - RE: What do you think of the MAM MB33 MkII

digression_factor

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Yes, Next! is by Stanton, but MAM makes some of their products. The vocoder, tb clones, filter bank, and resonater. Go to www.mam-germany.de to see MAM's product line. Also the price differance between a fr-777, a teebee, and an mb33mkii is huge! The fr-777 is $777, the teebee is (as you said) $350, and the mb33mkii is $220 (the mb33 is $160!)! But the teebee has that nice extra of cv i/o. And the fr-777 has that ever so nice sequencer. I'd actually prefer the fr-777.

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Message 15/24 09-Apr-00 @ 12:17 AM - RE: What do you think of the MAM MB33 MkII

Phunkytek

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The 777 is the closest thing to a real 303 out because of the sequencer, but according to the write up in Keyboard, none of the knobs transmit controller data. It is only note on/off info and midi clock for the sequencer, so from what I've read, all those knobs are simply realtime controls. That is the 777's only flaw.

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Message 16/24 09-Apr-00 @ 04:55 AM - RE: What do you think of the MAM MB33 MkII

JT Static

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I'd like to remind that the MB33 MKII has a sub oscillator and I think it was used in some of those demos that's why it didn't sound like the 303.. I think subosc is a nice option for those wierder sounds. I'm getting mine in a couple of days and I'm thinking about putting up a couple of mp3's demoing the machine on my website (I'll put up the address when it's time). At least tech wise it sounds like a great clone (even 18db filter like original 303 unlike MK I which had 24db filter) by the way infected mushroom has used the earlier version of MB33 (fat freebass) in their tracks.. some nice acid lines there.

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Message 17/24 10-Apr-00 @ 09:30 PM - RE: What do you think of the MAM MB33 MkII

Phunkytek

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Look fwrd to hearing the demos, but it was the filter that did not sound 303. it responded with that shreaking self oscilating resonance like the 24db filters on my juno-106 and my sh-101.I was suprised to find it was an 18db filter.Great sounding acid synth,and tech wise like you said, a good clone, but from what I've listened to,not a 303 substitute, Sorry! I will keep an eye out for those mp3's.

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Message 18/24 11-Apr-00 @ 02:01 PM - RE: What do you think of the MAM MB33 MkII

adamfritsche

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The amount of filter resonance is adjustable on these units. The SuperBass 4.4 has a small pot on the back panel. When I got mine the resonance was set way to high, but with a little tweaking I got it toned down a bit. There is quite a bit os adjustibility on the resonance.

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Message 19/24 13-Apr-00 @ 11:29 PM - RE: What do you think of the MAM MB33 MkII

Phunkytek

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So how much did you pay for the sb4.4, because the last I saw they were selling at Pro Sound Stage and Lighting last year for $349.00? Which is cheaper the sb4.4 or the mb33 mkII, and where would I find a dealer.

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Message 20/24 14-Apr-00 @ 05:53 AM - RE: What do you think of the MAM MB33 MkII

phunkytek

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Went to Mam's web site and downloaded their demo, and I was completely blown away. Very differant than the Next! demo on Stanton's web site. I'm sold. "wrap two up to go please!" .Sorry for being pessimistic. The mam does a great 303 line. I will definately be buying one. Glad this topic was touched upon. I originaly bought Rebirth to emulate my 303 because I was sick of take after take until I got it right. I needed automation. Now that I'm close to doing the live gigs, I need hardware pieces because quite frankly my 303 is just a sentimental piece of plastic I can't get rid of, but not studio freindly. But, I will use the Mam or an SB 4.4 from now on. Who is the best US dealer.

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Message 21/24 14-Apr-00 @ 09:42 AM - RE: What do you think of the MAM MB33 MkII

adamfritsche

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I got my SB 4.4 from Pro Sound/ Stage Lighting. I got a better deal on it because they had some "technical diffuculties" with my order. I paid 300 + shipping. I had two bad experiences from Pro Sound. The first occured when I ordered a Novation SuperBass Station from them. What they sent me was a used BassStation with the warranty card filled out by someone else. After I tried to return it they said I paid less than what I did. After 4 months and a call from my lawyer, the situation got resolved. I don't think Prosound is a bad company, but they didn't handle my orders very well.....Maybe they just don't like me?

I love my SB 4.4 but I also have my eyes on the Syntechno TeeBee. There is a U.S. distributor in CA now. Check out jupitersound.com, they are selling the TeeBee for 425 +shipping. Good price for a professional piece of gear. E-mail Nathan at jupiter sound, he will give you the info.

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Message 22/24 16-Apr-00 @ 09:22 AM - RE: What do you think of the MAM MB33 MkII

JT Static

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Ok, got my MB33 MKII on friday. I have to say that it does VERY good 303 plus a couple of different sounding bass lines too. On the downside it is quite noisy sometimes (in the mix it doesn't matter that much). Like stated earlier on this topic the resonance was set way too high (it was set at max setting at default) so I adjusted it in middle position and it still sings like a bird =) btw the sub osc is just an 1 oct lower pulse wave that you can mix with the master saw/pulse wave so it's nothing too great(I was hoping to at least select between saw/pulse), still it is nice to have for extra sounds. Once you get used to the controls you can actually get some 303 sounding patterns with this machine. There is an autoslide option so you can get it slide like old 303 without having to play with midi controls .. just play one note over another and it automatically slides to it. Well that's enough about it check out the demos I made - check the link above.

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Message 23/24 16-Apr-00 @ 12:35 PM - RE: What do you think of the MAM MB33 MkII

phunkytek

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Great sounding demos! Where did you buy your mb33 mkII, and what did it cost?

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Message 24/24 16-Apr-00 @ 02:01 PM - RE: What do you think of the MAM MB33 MkII

JT Static

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I bought it from germany (I live in europe so it was the natural choice). I believe it was about 300 USD + shipping (about 20 USD) these are not excact prices since the price was paid in DM and I don't know the correct translation tables for these currencies. If you live in US it's naturally best option to select the SB4.4 since it's the same product (although from different company). I don't even know if they sell the MB33 in the US?

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