Any opinions on the Roland MC909 Sampling Groovebox?

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I've been using a Korg ES-1 which is great for how basic it is-- but now I'm looking to get something fancier. Of course the new Korg ESX is tempting, but it lacks touch sensitivity and has kinda limited polyphony.

The MPC1000 looks cool, but from what I gather it doesn't have a BPM-synced delay (or any delay?)

So although it's expensive, I'm wondering about the Roland MC909 ($1499) -- looks like it has every possible feature known to man. In fact, it's so loaded I'm wondering if it's a nightmare to navigate?

I'm also suprised that there are hardly any references to Roland groove products in this forum-- is this an area that Roland just doesn't get, or..?

HS
 
There aren't many references to the MC-909 because it is better suited to the Synthesizers forum. The MC-909 is a much more capable box than the ESX-1, but all grooveboxes have their merits. You should collect as many of them as possible for producing a wide variety of sounds. It is easy to navigate the MC-909, as it is with other Roland products. Here is a link to a good starter document:

http://www.mc-909.com/downloads/MC-909_GettingStarted.pdf

The MPC1000 is a sampler-sequencer, not a groovebox. Be sure that you understand the difference, because you will not get very many factory sounds with the MPC.
 
MC909, amazing. I have a 4000 but if I didn't that would be all mine. My Partner has one and everytime he comes by with it it gets even better. The on baord sounds are dope, seq is dope, effects are dope. Can't go wrong.
 
Thanks MV producer--

>> The MPC1000 is a sampler-sequencer, not a groovebox. Be sure that you understand the difference, because you will not get very many factory sounds with the MPC.

Then I guess I'm looking for a 'sampler sequencer' (that's what the ES-1 is, yes?). I'm not interested in factory sounds-- I import my own loops and sounds (from soundforge). The fact that the MC-909 has a built-in synth section is nice, but I'm mainly interested in how many sample tracks it has-- I want something that can play back lots of stereo samples simultaneously. And I want to be able to do all kinds of crazy live tweaking. And mad effects (a delay is required).

>> The MC-909 is a much more capable box than the ESX-1, but all grooveboxes have their merits. You should collect as many of them as possible for producing a wide variety of sounds..

Yeah, I'd love to get them both-- but I can barely afford to get one of them right now..

>> The on board sounds are dope, seq is dope, effects are dope. Can't go wrong.

Thanks for the info Aprim, good to hear someone's getting good results w/ this thing.

Ugh, on paper the MC-909 rules. But I've had so much fun w/ the ES-1-- I'm tempted to stick w/ Korg and get the ESX-1-- limitations and all.

anyway, thanks all--

HS
 
yo deSelby--

the Yahamha RS7000 does look like a pretty good deal-- and since the price has come down, it doesn't cost much more than the Korg ESX.

But I'm starting to get obsessed by the Roland MC-909. I played with one at Guitar Center last week, and:

-- I wish it weren't so big, it's almost embarrassing
-- I could do without the frilly graphics on the edit screens
-- It sounds painfully clean (although that's probably due to the painfully lame demo patterns)
-- It looks like it could take a month to learn all the key-combinations, etc

BUT:

-- The effects are insanely tweakable (the amp simulator has 12 adjustment sliders, etc)
-- The 'turntable emulation' slider is fun-- it's nice to have a big fat control like that
-- On paper, it's the hammer of Thor-- massive live tweaking options, saves mute-status into programs, remembers mutes when switching from pattern to pattern (if you want), visual waveform editing, slicing, mad synth section, blah blah blah..

And they're going for around 1000-1100 on ebay.

I also played with the Korg ESX for awhile, and it sounds way better than the Roland (due to better demo patterns). Its new display screen is very cool-- constantly changes in response to what you're doing. The effects are ripping. There are tons of new tweaking options. It's a great little box, I would very much like to get one immediately.

But compared to the MC-909, it's like a Dodge Neon vs. a Hummer..

Have you heard of anyone having a really bad time with an MC-909?

HC
 
I've been working with Roland Groovebox series during 4 years. I have the collection, and i've been using the Groovebox MC 909 as the master device to control other units thru MIDI. I have played in several parties controlling a Korg Karma, roland Phantom, MC 505, 307, D2 and SP 808 from the MC 909

Is the best of the series talking about sounds. This machine is quite diferent to the nearest one, the 505. Sounds are quite better, also the effects are better.

this machine is great for LIVE ACT, or PERFORMANCE presentations. But I wouldn't consider it if you won't hit the streets, anda you'll keep it in studio. Great for sequencing continuous music emulating a DJ, remixing your songs, combining the current song with RPS.

Sampling is easy, but not too much storage capability.


But I definitly, DON'T recommend to get the MC 909. I could say you 6 months ago, MAN, GO FOR IT!!!!


The new EMU command station series, literally smokes any Roland Groovebox product. They are quite better, a huge different. EMU XL 7 is light-years ago
from the MC 909, only difference is that there is no sampler on board. But the XL 7 is a totally underpriced gear.

the EMU's internal processor is 100 times faster than the MC 505. You change, save process, modes, performances, anything, whatever, and the music never stops.

It has 16 fully programmable knobs, twice the polyphony of the MC 505, better sequencer capabilities, the arppegio can't be better, lots, lots better than the MC 505, you can perform with a 128 poly, more than 16 arppegios at the same time.

It has 100 user locations for arppegios
1000 locations for user patterns!!!!!!
and you can expand it to thousands of sounds. You could have about 3000 sounds or more with the ROMS installed.

Besides, is a super MIDI controller.

Since i bought the XL 7, it got all my attention. Is the best dance desktop module IMHO.

It cost $350.
The MC 909 costs around $1.000

With the difference, you could get the Korg Electribe sampler, and control it with the XL 7.

Also the XL 7 have a quite better hardware. More robust, knobs are better, the octave is sensible to touch like the MPCs, against the awuful pseudooctave of the MC 909

Believe me, I was a true lover of the Groovebox series, but they are a thing of the past with the new EMUs. I won't sell my groovebox collection, cause they are cool and I know them very well.

Get the XL 7, and then go for the Electribe, and some beers to celebrate.
 
yea comdanstation kills.. with low money.. low budget killer box
 
After the EMU command station, while my Roland MC 909 was saving a pattern....
"Please wait,keep the power on
saving process....."
I went to the bathroom to take a piss.

No more bathroom travels with the EMU.
 
hey all-- thanks for the tip on the EMU box. I'll check it out at Guitar Center this week. I've been obsessing over the MC-909 mainly because it seems like a "one box solution" -- all the sampling/beat-looping + all the synth layers in one box.

But to be honest, I'm looking for any reason *not* to buy it-- and you guys have given me several!

My biggest problem with the MC-909 is its size-- I'd like to be able to do some pattern programming in an airport or coffee shop etc. I've been able to do that with my Korg ES-1. But the MC-909 ain't going anywhere but the studio or a club.

So re: the Command Station-- any comments on the XL7 versus the MP7? thanks--

HS
 
sir_trance-a-lot said:
So re: the Command Station-- any comments on the XL7 versus the MP7? thanks--

HS
Click to expand...

There is no "VS" with the XL 7 and the MP7.
Both are exactly the same machine, but with different color and different xpansion ROM

The XL 7 comes with the xtreme leads ROM. I think the MP 7 comes with the MOPhatt sounds and more.


You can have the XL 7 and the MP 7 sounds on the same command station.

By the way, the command station is more robust, compact, resistent and easier to carry than the MC 909, and the MC 909 is heavier.

Any else....?
 
balma is right. the only differences between the xl7 and the mp7 are the colour and the rom sounds. on the xl7 you get the xtreme lead rom, which is the 'dance' rom, and om the mp7 it's the mophatt, being the 'hip hop' rom.

since you have three expansions slots for additional roms and both the xl7 rom and the mp7 rom are available separately, it's only a matter of colour and 'starting sounds' when you have to choose between the two.

i myself am not a rompler fanatic, but must admit that i find the synth engine very interesting. especially the filters of course, and the fact that you can layer four sounds to form a patch, and can layer up to three patches, so in 1 patch you can get 12 different sounds with each its own lfos, adsrs, filters and so on. wavestation-like almost. but still i don't think i will buy any additional roms... got enough other synths, and with the basic waveforms on the xl7 you can make so many different sounds already. if you need bread and butter sounds and won't program any patches yourself though, be quick to get additional roms, cause emu is dumping them aggressively. That means a good price (!), but also less and less availability... some roms have sold out already.

first i thought i had to make the choice between the rs7000 and the mc-909, but i was able to get the command station second hand for a good price, and an akai z4 sampler new for an even better price (500$!!!), so in the end it's better like this :) spent less money, got way more firepower.
 
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if you want portability and quality with sampling then the choice for you is clearly the MPC1000.

i'm thinking that you could simply get a good outboard effects unit for the times that you're not sitting in a cafe and actually need the effects.

just a thought.

but on the other hand, what you want to do, i do it with a small Fujitsu Lifebook, Reason and a Echo Indigo sound card. it's a very versatile and portable setup at half the size of a real laptop with every possible function available.
 
hey all-- thanks again for the feedback. Here's where I'm at now:

I went to the Guitar Center and played with the EMU Command Station XL-7-- I did a super-quick review of the synth sounds (I skipped a lot of them and it still took over an hour). The sounds are amazing-- you could get lost in this thing for years. And GC has them on sale this month for $499 (that's about what they're going for on ebay).

However, now I'm back to focusing on something with an integrated sampler. I almost always add a layer of samples to my projects. It would be fine if my samples were in a separate device (like the Korg ESX) but if everything were in one device, it would just make the whole process cleaner (and I wouldn't have to carry around one of those little cheeseball Behringer mixers :)

feindbild >> first i thought i had to make the choice between the rs7000 and the mc-909..

Actually, that's where I'm at now. I see that used RS7000s going for around $7-800 on ebay. Maybe that's it?

nukles >> if you want portability and quality with sampling then the choice for you is clearly the MPC1000..

I'll go check it out but from what I've read, it doesn't seem to have a very well-developed synth side. And doesn't look like it has enough knobs!

nukles >> what you want to do, i do it with a small Fujitsu Lifebook, Reason and a Echo Indigo sound card..

That's a cool idea. I played with Reason quite a bit when it first came out. Even version 1.0 is a killer tool, but scrolling up and down the rack and mousing around the little controls gets tedious (my controller doesn't have any knobs or faders). I have to admit that a laptop-based music workstation is probably the way I "should" go (so I can integrate pro tools, blah blah blah). But on a laptop, your options are so staggering that you can get lost in the possibilities. I seem to get more music done with dedicated hardware devices because they *don't* have limitless plugins and menus, etc.

Guitar Center doesn't have an rs7000 on display (does Yahama even still make it?) so I have no idea how it sounds, but it looks good on paper..

HS
 
Get the Yamaha, they always have been good with professional samplers.

Other option is my beloved SP808ex Phrase sampler . You can get real bargains on it on EBAY.

I got one with digital xpansion board, a cd burner, and expanded to EX on only $300!!!!!!!

Good for a sampler with 300 efx, easy to tweak, everythin is loaded when turned on, a vocoder, and a super storage sampling: 1 hour....
 
hey Balma--

thanks for the tip on the SP808-- you got an amazing deal on that thing.

At this point, I'm going back and forth between the Yamaha RS7000 and the Korg ESX.

The RS7000 runs circles around the ESX because of its integrated synth and much greater polyphony-- on paper, there is no choice, I should just go for it.

But the ESX gets points for being smaller, cheaper and easier to use (partly cause I'm already familiar w/ other Electribes). It also sounds great-- I've been playing with one extensively at Guitar Center. Frankly it produces results that defy its specifications-- the design of the thing literally causes incredible grooves to appear out of thin damn air.

Anyway, I can't afford either right now, but soon....

HS
 
rs7k will eat up esx-1 get rs7k if you want to go.. i m using one too but i m trying to get mc909 BC my team has rs7k(we wont need to do we..?)and plus it's expandable, n usb compitable.. i m not sure yet.. but i might get mc909..
 
hey RanCID--

>> rs7k will eat up esx-1..

yeah, there's no denying-- the ESX has some hard limitations-- like only being able to only play 2 stereo samples simultaneously.

So now I'm back to thinking about the MC909 again-- it seems like the holy damn grail on paper. Sounds dinky in the store but I assume in the right hands, it could do some evil grooves. The Guitar Center in my area doesn't have an RS7k on display, so unfortunately I can't compare.

But what makes prefer the MC909 over the RS7k is:

-- all velocity sensitive pads
-- visual waveform sample editing (although I'd probably still do most of it in soundforge anyway).
-- looks easier to use (?)
-- USB

let me know if you get one, I'd like to hear what you think--

HS
 
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