ReBirth emulates two Roland TB-303 synthesizers and a Roland TR-808 since v1.0, and also a Roland TR-909drum machine since v2.0. All emulations can be used simultaneously. Each of the emulated devices has its own pattern selector, a feature the original devices are lacking. This allows fast switches between different musical sequences, and re-programming the TB-303 for playing different notes, for instance, is rendered unnecessary. This feature has been adopted in some of Reason's devices. ReBirth also features mixers, a pattern controlled filter and some of the standard effects in software synthesizers like delay, compressor and distortion.
The program also supports user modifications, which may replace the samples in the drum machine emulations and modify the GUI. There are four modifications included in the ReBirth installation by default. The virtual knobs and controls can be assigned to physical counterparts via MIDI, so knobs, modulation wheels, faders and other performance controls available on keyboards and modules can be used to shape the software sound.
Critical reception
ReBirth was an early software synthesizer, pioneering this class of instruments along with Cubase, Cakewalk, Digital Performer, and Reality in 1997, with a low-CPU-utilization, leading the PC software market, with the low specs of then cutting-edge computers. The sound quality during live playback, assuming that the CPU could cope with the sampling rate, was imposed by the quality of the sound card. Some enthusiasts have criticized ReBirth's software emulation of the TB-303 as being an inferior copy of the genuine sound. Such criticism is common to many software synths that emulate analog synthesis, due to the reputedly inimitable sound of analog synthesis, and quality degraded by low-end sound cards. Despite this, Roland contacted Propellerhead Software to give it an unofficial thumbs up, which Propellerhead considered to be the Roland seal of approval.
Free download
As of September 2005, support for ReBirth was discontinued by Propellerhead software, and the software became available online as a free download until 2016, however, Propellerhead's torrent continues to be working.
In April 2010, ReBirth was re-released as a paid app for the iPhone and iPod Touch. In November 2010 a visually revamped and modernized version was made available on the iPad. Propellerhead disabled ReBirth For iOS On 1 June 2013. The app was officially removed from the App Store on 15 June 2017, following an official claim from Roland of intellectual property infringement.
