UR - The Final Frontier | 303 Synth Patch Remake

Remaking the 303 synth from the 1992 song "The Final Frontier" by UR can be an exciting challenge for any synthesizer enthusiast. Here’s how you can create the "The Final Frontier" 303 patch and play this iconic sound on most hardware or software subtractive synthesizers (Serum, Vital, Pigments, Prophet, Korg, Moog, etc). We've included the preset download directly for your convenience, but we strongly recommend you use our programming tutorial to recreate it yourself.

Original Audio

The squelchy 303-style lead in Underground Resistance’s “The Final Frontier” enters at 0:28 as a bright, resonant acid line. It uses heavy filter resonance and a fast filter-envelope decay to create the characteristic ‘‘squelch’’ and percussive pluck. The melody sits in a higher register above the kick and percussion, relying on rapid filter modulation rather than long decay or reverb. The sound is widely associated with TB-303 style acid bass/lead programming.

Original Performing Instrument

Roland TB-303

Our Remake of The 303 Synth sound

This audio clip is how close we've matched the original tone of the 303 synth from the song "The Final Frontier" by UR, giving you a reference point as you design your own synthesizer preset. Play it as often as you need to familiarize yourself with the nuances of the sound.

Synth Patch Programming Recipe

Getting Started

• Start by initializing your synthesizer to a plain saw with no filter, modulation or effects. For soft synths use the "init"/"default" preset or the the button to reset all parameters to their default factory values.
• No two synths are exactly alike, so treat the values below as approximate, and use your ear.
• Percentage values (e.g. 50%) represent the relative position of a knob or slider within its full range. The full range of each parameter may differ from synth to synth, so use your ear.

Note: the patch settings may slightly differ in the Syntorial challenge.

Explore More

• Acid House – the sound of the Roland TB-303 part two (Decoded Magazine)
• Muzik Magazine Issue 004 (Internet Archive) — references to Underground Resistance
• Techno (Wikipedia) — context on Underground Resistance and techno production
• Patch Request: UR – The Final Frontier (Lead) (audiblegenius community)
• Underground Resistance – The Final Frontier (Discogs search)

Preset Downloads

Don't want to learn synth programming now? Use our synth preset as your starting point and tweak it from there. Register an account with Audible Genius and download the presets for free for the following synths:

• Serum

Comments

This recipe is the result of a Syntorial community preset remake request. Need support remaking this sound? Have comments?