AMAZONA.de took a thorough look at the KA-303. In his review, Franz Kreimer awards 4.2 out of 5.0 points, the overall verdict is “Very Good”, and at the end there is the sentence we were happiest about: “This gets a clear buying recommendation from me.”
You can read the full review here: amazona.de/kreuzberg-audio-ka-303-acid-synthesizer-plug-in
What convinced Franz Kreimer
The review works through all eight engines one by one, with an audio example for each. Twelve demos are linked at the end, two of them featuring a real TB-303 for comparison. We were especially pleased that he took the trouble to make the difference audible instead of merely claiming it: in his examples the KA-303 filter opens considerably further than the original, and that is exactly the point.
He calls the Composing Engine the area that goes “vastly beyond the functions of the original”. Scale selection, octave jumps and slides at the click of a button, Scramble and Mutate for variations, notes moved around directly in the grid. His verdict on the workflow: fast and effective, for people who enjoy tweaking as much as for those who want usable results in a few moves. The tooltips on every control get their own bit of praise.
On modulation he points out what happens when you put the three LFOs on the distortion in sync with the song tempo: a simple groove turns into a second rhythmic layer without changing anything in the sequencer. On top of that come the two envelopes, the two freely drawable curves, the step sequencer and the macros.
The scores at a glance
- Overall rating: 4.2 out of 5.0, “Very Good”
- Range of sounds: Excellent
- Modulation options: Excellent
- Sound: Very Good
- Ease of use: Very Good
- Sequencer: Very Good
- TB-303 authenticity: Good
The lowest score is the right one
The lowest individual score goes to TB-303 authenticity, and that is fine by us. Franz Kreimer writes: “Anyone looking for an exact 303 clone is barking up the wrong tree.” That was precisely the idea. There are already very good clones, and developing another one would have helped nobody. The KA-303 is meant to give you a fast route to acid patterns, plus a sound engine you still enjoy turning up once you want to move away from the original. There is more on the reasoning in our article Does the world really need another 303 clone?
We are taking the remaining criticism on board: there could be more patterns supplied with the Composing Engine. More are coming. The second point from the earlier version of the review, too few sound presets, was settled by version 1.8 and its 50 additional presets, and Franz Kreimer removed it from the text again. By now there are 274 factory presets.
The review could barely keep up with the updates
There is a sentence in the editorial note that flattered us and gave us a guilty conscience at the same time: version 1.8 appeared during the review period, version 2.0 shortly after the review was finished, and 2.1 one day before publication. “What is a nightmare for the AMAZONA review is good news for customers, who can be sure of continuing support after their purchase.”
So what was reviewed is roughly the state of version 1.8. The additions from 2.0 and 2.1 appear in the article as a summary, but they are explicitly not part of the rating. An update review has been announced. For anyone wondering what has arrived since: the performance tab with eight modes and 64 pads, 64 macros on 51 targets, the classic accent behaviour via the TIMING switch, 22 scales instead of eight, and the reworked piano roll. All updates are free for owners and the serial number stays valid.
Try it yourself
The KA-303 costs 69 euros including VAT and runs on Windows, macOS and Linux as VST3, AU, CLAP and standalone. The free demo is on the product page, together with the installers and the manuals in German and English: kreuzberg-audio.com/downloads/ka-303-acid-synthesizer
Many thanks to Franz Kreimer for the thorough review, the twelve audio examples and his patience with a plugin that got a new version three times while he was testing it. And thanks to the AMAZONA editorial team for the coverage.
Cheers,
Frank
