# Roland TB-303

8 Hacker News commenters recommended Roland TB-303 and 3 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 2 of 13 months.

**Verdict:** People praise its accent and glide sequencer for wild dynamic acid lines. Critics say emulations miss its sound.

## Why people recommend it

- Distinctive accent and glide sequencer (2 comments): "the ability to combine that with accents and produce wild dynamic effects is something you don't find in other synths" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47334447)) "The accent and glide are core components of the sound, as is the really quite unique sequencer control" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47335880))
- Sparks creative projects and renewed interest (2 comments): "I love seeing so many brilliant creatives throwing their talents at the 303" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47335370)) "It warms my heart to see the 303 getting a renaissance" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47333721))

## What people warn about

- Does not capture the original sound (3 comments): "managing to miss the target every single time in capturing what made the 303 unique and special" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49865749)) "Not an accurate 303 emulation but definitely a good acid line" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47337203)) "sounds nothing like a tb-303" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47346313))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [KORG phase8 Acoustic Synthesizer](https://hackerapproved.com/p/korg-phase8-acoustic-synthesizer.md): 21 recommend
- [Yamaha DX7](https://hackerapproved.com/p/yamaha-dx7.md): 8 recommend
- [Brume synth](https://hackerapproved.com/p/brume.md): 7 recommend
- [Zynthian](https://hackerapproved.com/p/zynthian.md): 6 recommend

## Where to get it

- [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Roland+TB-303+bass+synthesizer&tag=hackerapprove-20) (affiliate link)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Roland TB-303", https://hackerapproved.com/p/roland-tb-303/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).