The TB-303 was a synthesizer/sequencer produced by the Roland
corporation in 1982 and 1983 that had a crucial role in the
development of contemporary electronic music. The TB-303 (named
for "Transistor Bass") was originally sold to guitarists for
bass accompaniment when practising alone, a role in which it
failed miserably. Production lasted approximately 18 months,
resulting in 20,000 units. It wasn't until the mid- to
late-1980s that DJs and musicians in Chicago found a use for the
machine in the context of the newly developing house music.
Phuture's "Acid Trax " is widely acknowledged to have been the
first track to incorporate the sounds that have come to define
the sound the TB-303 is known for today. The well-known "acid"
sound can be produced with a TB-303 by playing a melody while
changing the cutoff frequency, resonance, envelope modulation,
and accent controls. (The accent control modified the note
volume, resonance, and envelope modulation.) The unit had a
single oscillator (set to either sawtooth