DAWless

Donner B1 – Budget DAWless Bass

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Over the years Korg, Roland and other large manufacturers have dominated the synth market. These days there is a lot more choice, both at the higher end and lower end of the market. Attacking the budget segment, Donner launched several affordable and fun synthesizers.

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All About that Bass

Having owned a Behringer TD3-MO and the pocket sized Roland T-8 with its excellent 303 section, I was intrigued by the Donner B1, at its core, the B1 is an analog monophonic bass synth with a step sequencer. As you would except the VCO lets you select the sawtooth or square waveforms, the cutoff and resonance is there to work on your squelch and also accents to give more life to your squence. Speaking of sequence this is the most important part for me, as I could not get on with the classic sequencer replicated by the TD3, so having a straight forward sequencer also adding an arpeggiator is right up my sequencer alley. Also added to the mix is some built in effects for both distortion and delay – essential for recreating the classic sound. The roland S-1 also included a nice delay, but was lacking the drive.

Donner B1 Firmware Swap

So can I change the firmware – since that is all the rage right now on other gear such as the very budget M-VAVE?

Well no, the Donner B1 is actually an analogue device for its musical circuits. The only digital part is where the sequencer and FX come in to play, so its unlikely you would be swapping out firmwares on this device anytime soon!

Squishy Keybed

If you are looking for classic 303 vibes, you would normally program in a sequence, so the squishy keybed (Silicon Haptic keys to give them their correct title) of the Donner probably would not bother you, however if you want to play it like a live synth, you would be better off with a more upscale device with an expressive keboard.

Summary

The Donner B1 has full size MIDI, so pairing it with a drum machine like a Drumbrute Impact is a cinch, take the outputs to a mixer and you are ready to jam like its 1983 or whatever year takes your fancy.

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