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F.A.T FB-383

19-Mar-2024

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F.A.T FB-383



Category:  Products / synthesisers / analog synthesisers

Added: 17-Dec-98  |  Author: admin

New price: £129 (only from Turnkey in the UK)  |   S/H price: £100 ish


F.A.T FB-383



Well, here's another midi/analog monosynth in the 303 imitator posse. Advertised as the only authentic TB 303 clone (er, don't they all ?!).... it's fairly close, at least it's more squelchy than the Deep Bass 9 (check the review), but of course, nothing sounds like a real TB.... But.... It does a 303 type sound as do all the others.



The main difference with this module, is that the waveform is variable between Sawtooth & Square wave, so if the Select Wave control is at 12 O'clock then you get a mix, which sounds quite interesting.



Like the Deep Bass 9, this Freebass unit has an external input, so you can process external signals.



All the controls of the original 303 are duplicated: Cutoff, Resonance, Envelope Mod'., Accent (accent is switched in for midi notes with velocity over 100), Tune & decay... also, like the DB9, this unit DOESN'T have a potamento switch on the unit (groan !) so it's midi control number 64 if you want to add "Slide" to the sound. NONE of the controls are controllable via midi, and this unit outputs NO controller data via midi either.... I just had to double check that... originally the Distributor told me it did recieve data, but apparently not.



Well, there's not alot more to say.... This unit again doesn't really get the 303 sound...but it comes pretty close.... closer than the DB9, especially for the top end stuff.... in a mix it is very convincing, especially when you remember the price you paid



I would say that it sounds better for the Square wave stuff, (it sounds pretty hollow)......but again...no way it cuts through you like a 303.... Also the Freebass has the variable waveform selector, so it's more versatile soundwise than the DB9.... Best check it for yourself. See, these units are set in the factory to an optimum setting for the filter & resonance master settings... So you can usually get inside them, and get tweaking with a screwdriver to tune into just the filter range you want.



All in all an excellent value for money unit given the further reduced, measley price of £129 inc. vat... They should be an even better bargain if you can find one second-hand.



 













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User Comments

Product:  F.A.T - FB-383
Name: Kilo
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Professional
Date: 20-Jan-99

Excellent cheap little synth for analog style bass/synth lines etc....

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Product:  F.A.T - FB-383
Name: TheBaA!
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Professional
Date: 20-Jan-99

...like this better than the 303, honestly...

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Product:  F.A.T - FB-383
Name: kilo
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Professional
Date: 20-Jan-99

yup.... I was over visiting 'Time & Space', and Hamish uses it alot and was really raving about how good it was.....He does alot of remixing, and says it's great....he also said that the 303 emulation was pretty good in the context of a mix...

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Product:  F.A.T - FB-383
Name: rob..
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Hobby-ist
Date: 20-Jan-99

hi...

i see turnkey is parting with these for

£129 at the moment; thumbs up, (get it?) or

thumbs down, (keep saving!)

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Product:  F.A.T - FB-383
Name: steve griffiths
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: part-timer
Date: 20-Jan-99

I`ve owned my freebass for about 3 days now...absolutely blinding...a lot of people give it about 3 out of 5 for 303 emulation...I`ve been d.j.`ing / listening to 303 based music for about 9 years and for the price I`d say this deserves 10 out of 10 !



Overdrive the output a bit and it sounds even better !

Great "hands on approach"...love it !



Write a bass line, sample it..then overlay another ad infinitum !



Thanks to Turnkey for their excellent assistance.



Stevie [speedy] G.

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Product:  F.A.T - FB-383
Name: Rod
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Hobby-ist
Date: 20-Jan-99

Does it sound as real as Rebirth??



Should I buy a multi-IO sound card and a faster PC so I can run Rebirth and Cubase simultaneously, or get one of these babies??



Rod.

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Product:  F.A.T - FB-383
Name: BUDDA-X
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Hobby-ist
Date: 20-Jan-99

Well... i just bourght a FB-383, and it sounds pretty good ( for its price ), but we all know how to turn the knobs, so lets take a look on the DCF external input, try to plugin you toy keyboard and give it all analoug filtering!

( Fucking JUNO 106 sound! )

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Product:  F.A.T - FB-383
Name: Mark Bower
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Professional
Date: 20-Jan-99

This little silver box is pretty damn close to the original (I've both) and if you drive it 'properly' (i.e. pretend you're programming a real 303 with its nasty little user interface in your Logic/Cubase/Whatever editor) it can sound exactly like a real 303 - bearing in mind that not many 'real' 303's sound the same anyhow - I had two 'real' ones before that sounded completly different (different filter rates, slide speed, bass response etc).



To correct some points in the review though: Slide is actived for legato notes (not controller 64). ie. overlapping notes which makes it a doddle to add slides to a riff, and Notes over velocity 120 trigger accent (meaning you can easily program accents, and more importantly, slid accents).

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Product:  F.A.T - FB-383
Name: Minister
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: part-timer
Date: 20-Jan-99

The higher notes sound fucking GREAT! Exactly like the real 303.

The deep notes on the other lacks some bass, i think.

Still, its a great bass, especially considering the price.

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Product:  F.A.T - FB-383
Name: Crashforce
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Professional
Date: 20-Jan-99

Pretty good. I use it all the time on my records.

Does anybody know how to tune up the resonance more ie has

anybody don it yet?

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Product:  F.A.T - FB-383
Name: DaveD
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Hobby-ist
Date: 20-Jan-99

Great bit of gear ... just add distortion!

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Product:  F.A.T - FB-383
Name: Niall Coghlan
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: part-timer
Date: 20-Jan-99

I just bought one of these things and despite what people may say you can get a VERY convincing 303 impression out of it. One thing which is absolutely vital though is a decent distotion pedal for that real spine-tingling gritty sweep.Top marks!

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Product:  F.A.T - FB-383
Name: neil (skinny puppy)
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: part-timer
Date: 20-Jan-99

I've been after the 303 sound for ages. My MC505 couldn't do it (silly Roland, have they heard Rebirth? Everyone's making the 303 sound better than them) despite being a superb little workstation.

Then I saw this. £129?! For sounds this good?! Complete fudging bargain! Bloody close to being authentic too.



Oh yeah, definitely use a distortion pedal.



Anyone got it open and arsed about with the filter settings yet?

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Product:  F.A.T - FB-383
Name: DEAN HERNANDEZ
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Professional
Date: 20-Jan-99

VERY GOOD AND INEXSPENSIVE PRODUCT HAD IT NOW FOR OVER A YEAR VERY PLEASED BUT WOULD KIE MIDI CONTROL OVER THE FILTER AND ENVELOPE.WOULD

CONSIDER BUYING A PRODUCT BY YOURSELVES THAT WOULD FACILITATE THIS.THANKS

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Product:  F.A.T - FB-383
Name: DEAN HERNANDEZ
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Professional
Date: 20-Jan-99

love the product have had it for a year.would like

to know if you have any plans to sort out some

feature to control the filter envelope by midi.drop me a e-mail if you do..........

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Product:  F.A.T - FB-383
Name: David Cracknell
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: part-timer
Date: 20-Jan-99

I've been using this device for about 3 months now. I agree with the "not quite 303" sentiment but crack it up through a whopper PA, feed it through a decent distortion (I use a custom distortion built from plans in a music mag) then watch the sound rip a crowd apart! I use an Alesis MT sequencer (NO FUCKING COMPUTERS) and intend to get at least 3 more FATS to play with.

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Product:  F.A.T - FB-383
Name: David Cracknell
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: part-timer
Date: 20-Jan-99

As a coda to the last mail, I do like the big knobs! The TB303 was distinctly fiddly.

IT IS NOW SAFE TO TURN OFF YOUR COMPUTER

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Product:  F.A.T - FB-383
Name: Al
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Hobby-ist
Date: 20-Jan-99

Anyone out there got a really good smooth dub-bass

sound out of their Freebass? Could you send me the

SysEX file?

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Product:  F.A.T - FB-383
Name: Steve Bowerman
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Hobby-ist
Date: 20-Jan-99

One mad machine. I've owned one for about 2 months

. The only gripe is that the tune function takes

a while but how often does it go really out of

tune - Mine, never!

Overdrive the signal though ya mixer and this baby

is squealing like a pig. If you write dance music and

you haven't got one (or a real 303) then WAKE UP!

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Product:  F.A.T - FB-383
Name: Golem
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Hobby-ist
Date: 20-Jan-99

Buy two and add Behringer Ultrabass,hey presto a unique modular synth.

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Product:  F.A.T - FB-383
Name: Golem
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: part-timer
Date: 20-Jan-99

Sequence them with a Quasimidi 309 yields good reults.

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Product:  F.A.T - FB-383
Name: Golem
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Professional
Date: 20-Jan-99

What no midi thru?

Get yourself a doepfer mmr4/4.

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Product:  F.A.T - FB-383
Name: HI IM A FAG
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Professional
Date: 21-Aug-99

MAN THIS THING IS THA SHITTIEST SOUNDING THING IVE EVER USED!
-Nostrum (Time Unlimited Records)

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Product:  F.A.T - FB-383
Name: niceman
Email: Email supplied but hidden
www.fuckoffasshole.com
Activity: Professional
Date: 18-Nov-99

Rebirth is total shit i have owned it for about 6 months and it is safe to say that it is totally overHyped I dont think it sounds anything like a 303,well to be honest it does kinda but it definetly is not as close to the real thing as everyone says it is .

just thought i should let all of the people who are starting out know dat dont believe the bullshit go and try everything out first and be wary of what the sales asshole says (they only tell u wat you want to hear) heres a list of what I think is good if u r doing dance or whatever supernova,nord lead,Jp8080,505,Rm1X,CS1x,CS2x,polymorph,raveolution and some more...

fuck akai's and if u ask me forget sampling if u r on a tight budget thanx kilo hippy for a fucken nice site how about CS6X,JP8080 reviews and some more RA please pretty please

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Product:  F.A.T - FB-383
Name: Peter Hageus
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Hobby-ist
Date: 11-Aug-00

The RA server seems to be down (and has been for some time). Also, I'd prefer mp3 to RA...

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Product:  F.A.T - FB-383
Name: ivo
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Hobby-ist
Date: 05-Nov-10

LOL, ten years later....

I still got the FB383 and it sounds just perfect. No other VSTi can accomplish that.

note: The FB383 uses a AC (not DC) adapter... otherwise the device doens't work!

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Last added comment

Product:  F.A.T - FB-383
Name: jimmy
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: part-timer
Date: 12-May-12

HELP i bought one of these and i have a mc 303 and i have no idea how to connect the emulater to it... PLEASE HELP AND EMAIL ME stiffler-201@hotmail.com

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