Xhun Audio Zerobox is a new Roland TB-303 emulation from the makers of the LittleOne Synthesizer plugin with unique sonic extras
The Roland TB-303 has had a major impact on techno history. Even today you can still hear the analog, screaming sound in many productions. This is mainly due to the super affordable replicas that you can get today in hardware or software.
Xhun Audio is a small, indie developer company best known for its LittleOne, an emulation of the Moog Sub Phatty. For his latest project, they took inspiration of the legendary TB-303. The result is more than just an emulation.
Xhun Audio Zerobox
Zerobox is a monophonic analog bassline synth with an analog-style sequencer and insert/master effects. Sound familiar? Yes it is. Zerobox is an authentic emulation of the legendary Roland TB-303 Bassline Synthesizer from 1982. It uses physical modeling to mimic the hardware, sound, and behaviour of the original unit. However, it is more than just a software clone
It features the iconic minimal single VCO design with analog-modeled sawtooth and square waveforms with a morphing control. The developer added a separate control for the oscillator wave-shaping giving you smooth morphing from super saw to pulse width modulation. Of course, it hosts also a recreation of the iconic 4-pole resonant diode ladder lowpass filter with all its beloved quirks using the zero-delay feedback approach. There is also an adjustable high-pass filter.
Then, you get two envelope generators. One for the filter (MEG) with adjustable minimum decay time and a second for the VCA with smoother control.
Unique Features
In addition to the new wave shaping, Zerobox includes a set of new features that make it stand alone. Features that goes beyond mimic the Roland original as close as possible. On the modulation, side, you get a new LFO (0,05 Hz – 20 Hz range) for modulating the waveform blending and filter cutoff. For a more vintage, “instable” character, the developer added a components age selector.
To refine your sounds, it also comes with a total of six insert- and two master effects packed in a single-view rack interface. Including chorus, flanger, three types of distortion (vacuum tube/transistor/digital fold-back), bit-crusher, delay, and a resonator-based reverb.
There is also a wild, experimental side. Zerobox offers unique circuit-bents that can be found in different hardware clones but also brand-new ones. Good, they 100% preserve all the original functions.
Sequencer
Oh yes, there is also a fully-featured 303-style sequencer. Something that shouldn’t be missing. It includes everything you know from the original including a mode selector (normal/triplet), beat pulse divider selector… You get step controls for the gate, pitch, octave, slide, and accent. The sequencer is powered by a multi-scene loader engine that allows you to fire up to 8 scenes per preset.
Xhun Audio ships Zerobox with 130+ ready-to use presets covering multi-genres style.
First Impression
A solid TB-303 emulation at first glance. The slightly different feature set is particularly interesting here. Such as the circuit bend ideas or a large number of effects. A bit pity, the GUI, which is scalable, looks a bit old-fashioned.
Xhun Audio Zerobox is available now for an introductory price of 39€ instead of 89€. It is also available in the XA Complete Bundle for 149,90€ (reg. 249,90€) or in the XA Instrument Bundle for 119,90€ (reg. 209€). It runs as a 64-bit VST, VST3, and AU plugin on macOS and Windows.
More information here: Xhun Audio
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