Tutorial - ReBirth

It's all too easy to take the majestic 303 sound

for granted these days. With just about every
computer musician armed with a copy of
ReBirth, it seems there's still life in the old dog
yet. In years to come there'll be a beach of
washed up 303 'slow hands' playing the dingy
pubs of last century with an MC replacing the
crooner on vox. But before it comes to that,
why not give your 303 bassline a little breath of
life using ReBirth's PCF function? It could give
you a sound that moves your track into more
original realms than the standard 303 sound
can reach.

PCF stands for Pattern Controlled Filter, and it's

basically a filter module built into ReBirth
consisting of 54 preset patterns, a two-pole filter and four control parameters. Read about the
details below. What this effectively means is that you have a little box of tricks (with batteries
included) that can transform a 303 into an altogether more sophisticated animal. It's hardly worth
mentioning that you should experiment with the PCF, because I'm sure every ReBirth owner has
given it a blast. The hard part though is getting it to growl and squeal like a young pup rather
than the old dog we all know and love.

With 54 different patterns to choose from, it's hard not to find one that suits your needs and
wants. The patterns are set out in groups of differing rhythm sequences which are covered in the
ReBirth manual. For example patterns 34 - 45 are 32nd note patterns - something the 303 pattern
sequencer is incapable of (16ths are the limit). Don't forget that as well as PCF, the sound can be
altered using the distortion and delay FX on ReBirth. Our nine step walkthrough will show you how
to use delay with PCF and record your movements in song mode for some stunning and
sophisticated results.

There is no sure way, only your way. Don't be afraid to experiment...

Using the PCF

Now for the science bit:

Operating the PCF panel is pretty straightforward, as all patterns
are preset so the gratification is instant. 'Pattern Controlled' means
that the filter acts like the notes in ReBirth patterns, the only
difference being that it does not play notes, instead it changes the
filter values (ie, the amount of sound at a certain frequency let
through to the amplifier) in a rhythmic fashion. In addition to this,
the BP and LP switch is a 12db/octave two-pole filter, where BP
stands for Band Pass
(it lets all harmonics in a specified frequency
range through), and LP is Lowpass, (it lets only
harmonics below a certain frequency through).
For a deep bass sound set the switch to
Lowpass. The four sliders can further enhance
the sound in terms of frequency, resonance,
amount of PCF and the decay of the filter,
making for some interesting uses in songs.

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Tutorial - ReBirth
Program a simple ReBirth line on one of the 303
panels in pattern mode - one note sliding for 16 steps
is a good way to hear the effect of the PCF. It's much
easier to detect the effect it's having on the sound if the
ReBirth tone is a constant.
Press play and listen to your one bar bass note. Now
press the PCF button on the 303 panel. The green
light will come on and you will notice a change in the
sound. Set the tempo to around 100bpm so you can hear
the effect of the PCF more clearly.
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Set the Tune knob on the 303 panel to midnight. For
a rich bass sound set Cutoff to 7 o'clock, Resonance
to 4 o'clock and Envelope Modulation to 3 o'clock. Decay
should be set high so that the note characteristics don't
fade too quickly.
Flick through the various preset patterns by pressing
the up and down keys next to the number on the PCF
panel. For some deep, pulsing basses turn the Frequency
slider down low and the Q (resonance) slider up.
Tutorial - ReBirth
With ReBirth playing, add some delay to your sound
by turning the Delay knob on the 303 panel to 2
o'clock. You can edit the effect on the delay panel if you
want. Now we will use delay in conjunction with the PCF.
Switch to Song Mode and set a loop of eight bars
beginning at bar 1. Choose 'Initialize Loop From
Pattern Mode' on the Edit menu. Make sure the loop is
switched on and play. You will now hear an eight bar loop
of the sound you created in Pattern Mode.
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Audition some of the sweeping PCF patterns (12-17)
and listen to how far your one note ReBirth pattern
has come. Now we will set about creating a small loop in
Song Mode to add to the sophistication of the sound.
By selecting the Record button and pressing Play, you
can record the changes you make to the PCF
parameters in real time into your track. Move the PCF
sliders around to create your own filter patterns on top of
the PCF presets.
Tutorial - ReBirth

Now you have an eight bar loop with PCF and your Back to the introduction
own filter tweaks. Record changes to preset patterns
by skipping through the numbers using the up and down
arrows. By changing the patterns you can have your very
own logical progression of filter sweeps! * click images to enlarge...

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