Back in the day, the Roland 303 synthesizer helped shape the distinctive sound of rave music and electronica in general. They were flexible, relatively rare -- and expensive. Folks made various 'software 303s' for computer musicians, but most were recordings of 303 sounds plugged into an instrument file.

Then, Propellerhead Software released Rebirth. Instead of using precanned samples, it faithfully emulated the 303's internal analog synthesizer logic -- as well as every knob, slider, and button the original device's case sported. The sound was perfect, and the software took off like a shot. Even I tinkered around with Rebirth's later versions for a while.

In the years since Rebirth's 1997 debut, Propellerhead improved it and launched Reason, a frighteningly impressive and complete virtual electronica studio. It's impressivel, but Reason was always there for the oldschool folks who wanted some 303 goodness with a tight drum machine. Today, Propellerhead has announced that Rebirth's time has come to an end. It's being discontinued, and will no longer be supported... In a gesture of infinite coolness, though, they're releasing it for free download on the net, along with every addon they ever created for it.

Ever wanted to whip up an electronica masterpiece, or just noodle with goofy sounds? Check it out. It's fun. And now, it's free.