TV3 Manual

TV3 is a classic acid bassline synthesizer with a built-in MIDI generation tool. Instant randomization, sequence generation, a hands-on pattern editor and easy drag-and-drop MIDI export join forces for the fastest 303 in the west.

Contents

• Overview
• Patch Manager
• Parameters
• Sequence Generation
• Pattern Editor
• The TV
• Phone Layout

Overview

TV3 is a plug-in synthesizer inspired by the TB-303, a machine that has become ubiquitous in the realms of electronic music. Its unmistakable, corrosive sound is closely associated with "acid" genres, among them acid house and acid techno.

This plug-in is designed for a streamlined workflow, making it exceptionally easy to create synth lines. Exporting the generated MIDI to your DAW for further editing is as simple as dragging and dropping.

The TV3 interface is optimized for quick access: every parameter is on the front panel. The control plate to the right of the picture tube holds the synthesis controls at the top, the sequence generation controls in the middle, the oscillator and distortion box below them, and the transport keys and MIDI export area along the bottom.

At the centre sits the TV itself, showing the video broadcast, with a suspicious little character to keep you company. Clicking him randomizes the parameters. The picture tube doubles as a display: it shows the pattern editor and the patch browser when you call for them.

At the top of the interface, you'll find the patch manager with navigation arrows for browsing patches, along with icons for the save, undo, redo and revert functions. The menu button in the top left corner opens the application menu (Profile, MIDI, Settings, Notifications, About and Help).

In terms of synthesis, the TV3 offers a main oscillator, a sub oscillator, a lowpass filter and a multimode distortion stage. With the controls restricted to their most useful ranges, the instant randomize feature allows for quick exploration.

The sequence generation features twenty one different scales per key to choose from, with tweakable length and complexity. Generated sequences will play alongside your DAW's transport. Once generated, a pattern can be edited note by note in the pattern editor. MIDI export is drag-and-drop, letting you take MIDI clips into your DAW and work from there.

The signature Accent effect from the original machine is applied to notes with velocity values above 100, while overlapping notes will slide.

Patch Manager

The patch manager is centrally located at the top of the interface.

BROWSING

Use the left and right arrows to quickly navigate through saved patches. The current patch name is displayed in the text field. If you've made changes to the patch, an asterisk will appear after its name, indicating it's been modified.

Clicking the patch name will display the Factory and Local banks in the TV. The Factory bank comes with several patches, while the Local bank will show the patches you've saved. Clicking the patch name again closes the browser and hands the screen back to the broadcast.

SAVING

Press the save icon to store your current patch in the Local bank. Any generated internal patterns — including your edits to them — will be saved along with the patch.

UNDO / REDO

The undo and redo icons are positioned to the right of the save icon. Use them to reverse or reapply parameter changes, pattern generation, note edits, or parameter randomization commands.

The REVERT button recovers the saved state of the currently selected patch, discarding your changes. It only lights up while the patch is modified.

Parameters

All of the parameters live on the control plate to the right of the picture tube. The top two rows hold the filter, envelope and distortion amount controls; below the divider are the sequence generation controls; and the recessed box at the bottom holds the oscillator, sub oscillator and distortion character controls.

FILTER, ENVELOPE AND DISTORTION

• Cutoff - Cutoff frequency for the main filter. The cutoff point can be pushed further when affected by an accent or modulated by the envelope (see Env. Mod).
• Resonance - Amount of filter resonance. Forms a resonant peak on top of the cutoff frequency.
• Accent - Amount of volume boost and added frequency modulation for notes with accent. Accent is applied to all notes with a velocity value above 100. In addition, accent forces the decay time to minimum.
• Env. Mod - Amount of envelope modulation applied to the filter cutoff.
• Decay - Decay time of the primary envelope. This envelope is fully responsible for the filter modulation, but factors only lightly into the amplitude envelope.
• Drive - Pre-distortion signal gain. Adjust for harsher or softer distortion.
• Dry/Wet - The dry/wet balance of the original and the distorted signal.

OSC, SUB AND DISTORTION BOX

The recessed box at the bottom of the plate holds three knobs, each with a switch beside it.

Osc

• Tune - Fine-tune both the main and sub oscillators within a range of -1200 and +1200 cents.
• Waveform - The switch next to TUNE selects between a square and a sawtooth waveform for the main oscillator.

Sub

The sub oscillator plays one octave below the main oscillator.

• Sub Vol. - Volume of the sub oscillator.
• Waveform - The switch next to SUB VOL. selects between a square and a sawtooth waveform for the sub oscillator.

Distortion

The distortion stage is applied after the main filter.

• Dist. HP - Pre-distortion highpass filter for attenuating the fundamental and first few harmonics of the notes.
• Type - The four-position switch on the right of the box chooses the distortion type:
• SAT - Classic saturation.
• FOLD - Saturated wavefolding; a mix of saturation and sinusoidal wavefolding.
• FUZZ - Extreme gain and hard clipping for a harsh distortion effect.
• NOCK - Asymmetrical waveshaping that introduces discontinuities in the crest for a very noisy sound.

Sequence Generation

The sequence generation controls sit in the middle row of the control plate, and the transport keys along its bottom edge. Pressing Generate prompts our algorithm to create a unique bassline.

• Complexity - Set the complexity factor of generated sequences. Lower complexity values produce simpler melodies with fewer notes, while higher values create more complex, note-laden patterns.
• Length - Set the length of the generated sequence. Ranges from 1 to 8 beats.
• Scale - Set the scale of the generated sequence. The following scales are available:

1. Major and minor, as well as the remainder of the seven modal scales
2. Chromatic
3. Major and minor blues
4. Diminished
5. Major and minor pentatonic
6. Spanish
7. Minor Gypsy
8. Arabian
9. Egyptian
10. Ryukyo
11. Whole Tone
12. Major and minor 3rd

• Key - Base key of the generated sequence.

TRANSPORT KEYS

Along the bottom of the plate, from left to right:

• EXT / INT - Toggle between playing internal (generated) or external (incoming) MIDI; the lamp beside the switch shows which one is active. When set to INT, the generated sequence will play synchronized with the host DAW's transport. In EXT mode, the plug-in will listen exclusively to MIDI provided by the host.
• Note key - Opens and closes the pattern editor (see below).
• Generate key - Generate a new sequence with the selected properties. With Play On Generate enabled in the settings menu, this also starts internal playback and sets the play mode to internal.
• Play / Pause key - Starts or stops the internal sequence playback. It stays dark until a pattern has been generated.
• Drag area - MIDI export (see below).

Drag area

The dashed drag area in the bottom right corner becomes active once a sequence is generated for the first time.

• On desktop, it reads DRAG MIDI FILE: drag it straight into your DAW to drop the pattern as a MIDI clip. The internal playback stops and the play mode changes to external upon doing this.
• On iOS, it reads EXPORT MIDI FILE and opens the system share sheet.
• On Android, it reads EXPORT MIDI FILE and opens a file dialog so you can save the MIDI file where you want it.

Pattern Editor

Press the note key on the control plate to open the pattern editor. Two things happen at once: the lid under the picture tube slides open, revealing the per-note controls printed in the bay, and the picture tube switches from the broadcast to the note view of the generated pattern. Pressing the note key again closes it and hands the screen back to the broadcast. You can also open/close the lid by pressing on it.

NOTE VIEW

The pattern is drawn on the picture tube as a row of steps, one step per sixteenth, with faint division lines and a brighter line every beat. Notes are laid out to fit the tube: the lowest note of the pattern sits on the bottom lane and the highest on the top one, with everything in between keeping its pitch proportions.

• Green bars are ordinary notes; amber bars carry an accent.
• A wedge between two bars marks a slide from one note into the next.
• The selected note is outlined in white, and its name is spelled out under the sheet as NOTE: ….
• While the pattern is playing, the column under the playhead lights up and each note flashes as it sounds.

Interacting with the sheet:

• Press anywhere in a column to select the note in it. Hold and slide sideways to carry the selection along as you pass over notes. The column you are pressing lights up brighter than the playhead.
• Double-click on an empty column to add a note there, at the pitch of the lane you clicked. New notes are selected automatically, so the controls in the bay act on them right away.
• Double-click on an existing note to delete it.

NOTE CONTROLS

The controls in the bay under the tube always act on the selected note, and stay dark until one is selected.

• ACCENT - Toggles the accent on the selected note. The lamp shows its state, and the bar in the note view turns amber.
• SLIDE - Toggles the slide into the following note.
• OCTAVE − / + - Transposes the selected note down or up one octave.
• STEP ◀ / ▶ - Moves the selected note one step earlier or later in the pattern.
• LENGTH − / + - Shortens or lengthens the selected note by whole steps.
• PITCH - Sets the note's pitch inside its own octave, in twelve positions from C to B. Double-click the slider to snap the note back to the pattern's key.
• GATE - Trims the note's length by up to half a step in either direction, for the fine timing the whole-step LENGTH keys can't reach. Double-click to return it to the centre.

Edited patterns are stored with the patch when you save it, and the drag area always exports what you're hearing.

The TV

The picture tube is not just decoration.

• Power - The small power key on the TV front, next to the channel display, toggles the broadcast on and off. With the broadcast off, the tube shows a test card and the character goes to sleep.
• Channel - The red seven-segment read-out is the channel selector. Click it to step to the next channel, or drag vertically / scroll over it to run through the ten channels available.
• The character - He reacts to what you're doing: Cutoff and Resonance drive how excited he gets. Click him to randomize the parameters — the fastest way to find a sound you weren't looking for.

Phone Layout

On phones, the same instrument is laid out over four pages, selected with the keys down the left side of the set: MAIN, ADVANCED, GENERATE and SEQUENCER. Each page swaps the plate to the right of the picture tube, so every control from the desktop layout is reachable — the synthesis controls on MAIN and ADVANCED, the generation controls and export on GENERATE, and the per-note controls on SEQUENCER. Opening the SEQUENCER page puts the note view on the picture tube, exactly as the note key does on the desktop layout, and the PITCH and GATE sliders become knobs.

Updated on: 20/08/2026