Diplo: “We downloaded so many different plugins to try and recreate the TB-303 and they were so hard to programme”In the latest episode of the Tape Notes Podcast, DJ and producer Diplo sits down with host John Kennedy to discuss his favourite plugins, synths and samplers, mentioning, in particular, his love of Roland‘s TB-303 Bass Line bass synthesizer.
He explains how he’s spent considerable time using plugins to try to recreate the sound of the TB-303, but to no avail. “We downloaded so many different plugins to try and recreate the 303 and they were so hard to program,” he says, adding that he eventually just bagged himself the real hardware deal instead.

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Elsewhere, Diplo gives a special shoutout to the Ableton Sampler as a staple of his toolkit. “That’s where all my sounds started from,” he says, but adds that he felt starting out using a hardware sampler was an easier process because it gave him access to explore more freely.
“I always love putting stuff in there, finding weird sounds and making a polyphonic keyboard out of whatever you want. I would have done that if I had an [Akai] MPC3000, but those are so hard to programme nowadays,” he says.
In terms of plugins and other software in his rig, Diplo mentions his affinity for FabFilter plugins, as well as synths Serum and Synplant, which he describes himself as “basic” for using. “The last couple of years I’ve recorded a lot of instruments and then added the basslines and synths, because I can’t do that naturally,” he says.
Watch Diplo geek out on plugins, samplers and synths in the video below:

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