AudioRealism Bass Line 3 gets a fat update

28 Jul 2021 by Robin Vincent | Approximate reading time: 1 Minute

Audiorealism Bass Line 3 · Source: Audiorealism

Audiorealism ABL3 screenshots · Source: Audiorealism

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A big update for AudioRealisms 303 emulation plugin ABL3 gives it a complete redesign for what they hope is the most authentic emulation ever.

ABL3.3.0

ABL3 is a well regarded 303 emulation for macOS and Windows that’s been in constant development and the latest update aims to make it the definitive 303 software machine. It sounds pretty good to me, check out the fast and fat demo video:

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The update expands the palette to three audio engines which can be swapped on the fly. They’ve improved the diode ladder simulation and accent modelling. Audio engine 3 has some defects like a broken accent or slide that you can switch in if you want to emulate that your 303 has been stepped on. The Distortion and Drive circuit from the ABL2 that fell away with the first ABL3 release is now back. They’ve added Bass and Treble controls and Shuffle with MPC timing modes. You can now import patterns from the Behringer TD-3. They’ve also updated it with Apple M1 support.

Once you start adding extra features, audio engines and tweaks you wonder whether the word “authentic” should really be left behind and instead focus on the factor that you’ve made a legendary synth better, bringing more enjoyment at the expense of a little bit of authenticity. Looking at the screenshots there’s a lot of scope for user interaction that the 303 never had which makes ABL3 far more than an emulation, which is a good thing in my book.