A monophonic synth doesn't step between notes — it slides. Glide (portamento) is one patch field plus one pattern mark, and it's the whole grammar of acid.
glide = 60ms makes the patch monophonic and ramps its pitch from each note to the next over 60ms. Every note now leans into the one after it.
glideMode = "legato" restricts the slide to overlapping notes: separated notes re-attack cleanly, tied notes slide. That's the TB-303's rule.
The pattern picks WHICH notes tie: a trailing underscore (c2_) marks this step as sliding OUT — the next note glides in without retriggering its envelope.
Slide into a note from below and it reads as intent; slide from above and it reads as a fall-off. Both are one _.
The starting point#
The lesson opens with this song in the editor. Every edit recompiles and plays.
-- Glide & the 303 slide: every note steps. Make some of them lean.
acid = patch {
source = saw (freq pitch),
ampEnv = adsr 1ms 160ms 0 60ms,
filtEnv = adsr 0ms 140ms 0 60ms,
cutoff = 300Hz + filtEnv * vel * 3000Hz,
resonance = 9,
gain = vel * 0.5
}
line = play acid !"c2 c2 eb2 c2 g2 c2 bb1 c2"What to watch#
A slide has no attack — the waveform doesn't restart, it bends. Compare a slid note with a struck one and watch the difference.
Goals#
The workbench checks these as you work; the solution is there when you want it.
- Give the bass a glide time
- Mark a slide in the pattern with a trailing _
- Stretch: legato mode — only tied notes slide
Make it yours#
Write an eight-step acid line where exactly two steps slide. Then move the slides to different steps and hear the phrase change its mind.
Further reading#
Glide between notes in the reference.