I have run both the Behringer TD-3 and later the TD-3-MO in my DAWless setup. The key difference between the Behringer TD-3 and the TD-3-MO (Modded Out) is that the TD-3-MO is a replica of a heavily modified version of the original Roland TB-303, specifically incorporating the features of the famous Devil Fish modification. I enjoyed the sound of the TD-3 but was finding it a bit limiting, so picked up the modded-out version to see if I could do more interesting patching in a semi-modular setup.
| Feature | Behringer TD-3 | Behringer TD-3-MO |
| Sound | Classic, acid sound; faithful 303 clone. | More varied sounds available; based on the Devil Fish mod. |
| Sub-Oscillator | None | Yes, with switchable octave levels (Low/Mid/High) for massive bass boost. |
| Filter | Standard 303 filter range. | Expanded filter range (cutoff closes completely and goes higher raucous). MIDI CC controllable filter frequency. |
| Envelopes | Standard, fixed functions (Decay controls VCF Envelope). | Expanded/re-routed: Dedicated controls for Volume Envelope Decay and Soft Attack (for non-accented notes). |
| Distortion/Overdrive | Has a built-in Distortion circuit (modeled on the Boss DS-1). | Features a dedicated Overdrive circuit and a Muffler circuit (post-VCA distortion). |
| Extra Controls | Standard 303 controls. | Adds numerous new controls: Filter FM, Filter Tracking, Slide Time, Sweep Speed switch, Accent Sweep switch, dedicated Accent button, and more. |
| CV Connectivity | Basic CV/Gate I/O. | Massive amount of additional CV and Gate I/O for expanded modular integration |
CV Connectivity
The Modded out can be interesting when added to a wider Semi Modular setup. The orginal TD-3 has CV out, Gate out and Filter in, but the modded out version expans upon this.
TD-3-MO Connections
| Port Type | Function |
| CV OUT | Outputs the sequence’s note pitch (1 Volt/Octave). |
| GATE OUT | Outputs the sequence’s note trigger (Gate signal). |
| ACCENT OUT | Outputs a gate signal when an accent is triggered. |
| FILTER OUT | Outputs the audio signal after the filter. |
| CV IN | External CV input to control the pitch of the oscillator. |
| GATE IN | External Gate input to trigger the notes. |
| SLIDE IN | External CV/Gate input to trigger a slide between notes. |
| ACCENT IN | External CV/Gate input to trigger an accent. |
| SYNC IN | External clock/synchronization input. |
| FILTER IN | External audio input, replacing the internal VCO. |
| FILTER CV IN | External CV input to control the Cutoff frequency of the filter. |
| FILTER FM IN | External CV input to modulate the filter frequency (Filter FM). |
The obvious thing to try patching first, is bringing in an LFO to the Filter CV or the Filter FM in. You wont find much help in the Behringer documentation, so better off consulting the Devilfish manual
Which should you choose?
The TD-3 is a super low budget option, and if you like the sound its a fun box, and of course features the iconic yet hard to use sequencer that should lead to happy accidents, but I just find this sequencer annoying! If you have a semi-modular setup, then the Modded out TD-3-MO version would probably make more sense for you. There are no changes to the sequencer, but sound wise there are many more options. There is a wider cutofff range and more bass. Also you don’t get the drop in volume as you increase the resonance.
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