introduction

follow the links below to find out about the basic features of an MC-505 and what they do. i've made this section as simple as possible so that even a non-musician would understand.

synth module | sequencer/mixer | arpeggiator | low boost | RPS | effects | dBeam | others

a short review

the roland mc-505 groovebox is a psyched-up version of the previous groovebox, the mc-303. the groovebox could be explained as a all-in-one musical instrument, with a dedicated sound-module (synthesizer/drum machine), an 8-track sequencer, effects section, and some extra goodies. it is definitely a cheap option for beginning musicians as well as professionals to sound good, without spending an obscene amount of money on that juno-106, tb-303, tr-909 etc. (i.e. really stupidly expensive vintage roland products). the mc-505 pretty much emulates all of them, plus being able to do some pretty amazing stuff the older products can't. the presets sounds really 'today', but NEVER limit yourself to them.

the mc-505 is 8-part multitimbral, and has a very powerful 64-voice polyphony sound generator, and used with the number of onboard effects and filters, it is capable of producing some really amazing sounds. there has been much bad-mouthing of this unit, my theory is that the people who do them are just plainly jealous and feel stupid that they spent thousands on that 'vintage analog synth' when something cheaper could be almost as good and even better. try sequencing a nice groove on a tb-303 and later be surprised you can do the same thing faster and even better on the mc-505, and you can even add delay, reverb, chorus etc. without the need for a separate effects unit. try synching the tb-303 to another midi equipment without a kenton retrofit and you'll know how useful a 505 can be. personally i have been using one since they first came out in japan, and aside from it's pretty confusing implementation of midi, it's pretty much a good all-rounder. i would recommend using it with an external sequencer (on a separate computer) as a sound module to discover more of its awesome capabilities.

all of its knobs and sliders send midi data, so it's very useful to record to tricky fade-ins or filter effects, and you can even assign those knobs to control midi parameters in software such as rebirth, reason and logic. also note that the d-beam also sends midi data for some nice impromptu controller capabilities when you're tired of twisting knobs. the arpegiator is useful to record some imaginative hi-hat loops and synthlines. even if you don't like the sounds, it can be used as a very useful midi controller :). i find it extremely useful live, where i can mix my songs on MD with it when it's synched up with my other components. one snag is that there's not enough pad sounds in it, as compared to say the yamaha 'groove series' (the cs2x, cs6x, rm1x etc). since it's simply a PCM sample playback device, you can't really 'create' or 'synthesize' your own original sounds without using the preset patches as your own templates. in this case a real juno 106 is better. some other cool features are explained and reviewed in the respective pages, so read on.

after the success of this particular groovebox, roland (as well as other manufacturers) started milking consumers over these 'grooveboxes'. roland came up with several others, including the MC-307 (with a turntable-style pitch slider), sampling grooveboxes such as the SP-303, SP-808, SP-808EX as well as other revolutionary machines such as the D2, SH-32 and so on. (more info on these machines at www.rolandgroove.com ) as far as value for money and ease-of-use is concerned, the MC-505 beats them all (until the next version comes out anyway).

the pros

the cons

-megamix function (let's you mix tracks on all 8 channels of the 505) -the knobs (all of them send midi data so you can use them to control other hardware/software) -the sliders and buttons in the mixer (sends midi data so you can control volume/pan/mute on your tracks) -the dbeam (a good alternative to traditional midi controllers) -extremely easy to use live in conjuntion with other hardware or by itself. -easy to get into and understand. a good starting point for all musicians. - all the basic roland sounds you ever need to start is in here. (tr-909, 606, 303, juno, jupiter etc)

-no audio inputs (so you can use those creamy efx for your own audio tracks) -the effects (limited to three efx per channel) -unassignable midi channels (the midi channels can't be re-assigned e.g. the rhythm track will ALWAYS be at midi channel 10) -the dbeam (makes you look like a dork when you are using them) -the presets (they sound weak so don't use them. use the 505's powerful synth to make your own patches) -64-voice polyphony is not enough, neither is 8 part multitimbral. - the knobs fall off easily after a while, and the tinier ones actually melt when exposed to harsh spotlights. the LCD is crap too, and eventhough backlit, you can't really see them in a really bright place.

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