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Roland MC-303

19-Mar-2024

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Roland MC-303



Category:  Products / drum machines / groovebox drum machines

Added: 18-Dec-98  |  Author: admin

New price: discontinued  |   S/H price: £300-350 GBP - ish


Roland MC-303

As the demand for old analog gear reached fever pitch, Roland announced with great fanfare the re-release of these old desirable sound sources.... Breaths were held, and vintage gear dealers' brows filled with perspiration at the thought of their stock investment plummeting overnight!... But... it was not to be... Roland released a production box which provided sample based impressions of the old sounds... but with a twist... and not such a good one at that, depending on your point of view!

The MC-303, is an 8 track hardware sequencer (1400 user notes...133 preset patterns etc), preset synth player, and drum machine... all in a box, with FX processors and a selection of controller knobs that are dedicated to adjusting stuff like the filter, resonance, mod depth, attack & release etc... In effect, you can think of it as a general purpose sample synth with more than average hardware control sources, that has had all the patches programmed to imitate popular analog and "dance" sounds including the 202 + 303 boxes, and 808 + 909 drums.....A unit for playing live shows or for a total quick and simple home studio solution... BUT.

As I said, the MC - 303 has a selection of dedicated control knobs, assigned to the filter section... THESE CONTROLS DO NOT OUTPUT MIDI DATA... ALSO THE PATCH SOUNDS ARE ALMOST UN-EDITABLE APART FROM A FEW BASICS WITHOUT UTILISING SYSEX DATA... EDITED SOUNDS ALSO MUST BE SAVED AS SYSEX DATA..... So yes, you can create a sequence internally....drums, bass, pads, twiddly stuff, piano etc..... Yes you can assign the control knobs to a particular patch/channel and twiddle it live.... But as a studio tool, beginners could run into problems.... You can send control data to the MC from a sequencer to tweak the filter and other dedicated control sources, but although there is a mixer map for cubase available, perhaps Roland should have supplied a dedicated editor to make things easier.

Anyhow, the lowdown is, you need to get a printed list of the NRPN codes from Roland, and then enter the data into a sysex editor in your software etc... You also need to do this for things like turning off sounds on midi channels etc... so without this, if you are using the MC with a multi unit set-up, and you want a different module to play midi channel 2, and for the MC NOT to sound data on channel 2, you'll again need sysex to tell it something as simple as that, or to assign different internal sounds to midi channels other than their pre-fixed channels.... All in all a bit of a nightmare without going into sysex protocol.

So really as you can see, this is not the sort of box to use with an external sequencer as part of a multitimbrel set-up unless you're experienced in sysex editing... and if you want originality... there's no way of creating your own sounds without it... but if you want a cheapish box that will give you a cool impression of the classic analog synth sounds you want to hear, as well as other noises, pads, strings, pianos etc, and all your dance drums, this may be the box for you !

I have only toyed with this machine at trade shows, and I was not particularly impressed... The sounds themselves are not bad... in fact pretty good for the money, if you want that kind of pallette, and considering you get drums, pads & synths etc, not just a single synth & drums, like say with the Quasimidi 309... But... as I said, this is really something really more suited for live use, where you want to take a box to a gig... hit the sequencer, play some familiar stuff and twiddle the filter a bit... then cool !

There's not alot else you can say really... 12 kits... 448 patches... 2 FX units with 6 FX ... 28 note poly... 16 part multitimbrel... 1 oscillator per voice..... stereo audio outs... realtime control of filter resonance, cut-off, and mod depth.... also envelope attack, decay, & release.

Instant gratification... with not much originality... However, as a product, I'm sure Roland have got it right to fit a certain market... If you want the same sound pallette, but also with the ability to programme and store original stuff easily....then their more expensive proper synths like the superb JV1080 can offer the same stuff, either internally or via their plug-in rom card range, which feature analog/vintage synths & dance drums.... dance loops, world/ethnic sounds, etc etc... You can almost 100% guarantee that these rom cards hold the same sounds from which Roland drew upon for the 303... Perhaps it's worth saving up a couple of hundred more for a secondhand JV1080!... All in all, I think Roland released this unit too early... perhaps the MC-303 MK2 will get it right.













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User Comments

Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: DeeJef
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Professional
Date: 19-Jan-99

Please note that knobs fo the MC303 can be driven by MIDI. The out knobs are not transmitted but you can tweak

the sound from Cubase for example. A groovebox fan.

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: andrew mavor
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Hobby-ist
Date: 19-Jan-99

As basically a newcomer to synths and midi, etc., (I'm a guitar player), and a lover of hard dance music, I've found

the 303 to be extremely fulfilling. This one box can become the core of your setup, as with it's 28 note polyphony, it

provides as much of a rhythm section as one would ever need. The only thing that bugged me is the little memory,

lack of sampling caabilities, and no 3.5 or SCSI capabilities.

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: Kelvin Jacobs
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Professional
Date: 19-Jan-99

The MC 303 is dope but you are going to have the kill The HOUSE SHIT! Bring back the HIP HOP SHIT

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: kilo
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Professional
Date: 19-Jan-99

er.....................yes.....er....what ???

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: Elik Peezard
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: part-timer
Date: 19-Jan-99

To straighten things out, this box is FULL of limitations, due to the fact that Roland set out to accomplish so many

applications with the thing. When you finally get your head 'round what it can't do, though, you realize that it's

wonderful because there is no situation in which it's not at least SOMEWHAT useful. Not only being the best

travelling companion I've ever had, it's handy as well when creativity needs a break from the computer and LCD

screens. By no means capable as a lone or central piece of kit, this synth always manages to poke its cute little

head at me when I've found myself a little too enthralled with making tweaky new sounds or the never-ending quest

to properly configure my set-up to actually sit down and write good songs. Also, as all the parts can be assigned to a

drum or percussion sound, this is the most versatile stand-alone drum machine in existence, OF THAT I'M

CERTAIN! Although, I must submit that all my friends I've tried to turn this thing on to ended up resorting to just

playing the set patterns and twiddling the filter knobs. 'Course sometimes they twiddled MY patterns, and that

makes it all worth it, don't it! P.S. DON'T MAIL ME, IT'S NOT MY ADDRESS!!!

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: jerome
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Hobby-ist
Date: 19-Jan-99

if you love techno, jungle, house, trip hop, buy it! if you prefer classic music, buy a bontempi

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: Andy Cragg
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Hobby-ist
Date: 19-Jan-99

Hi! Um, just a slightly off-the-wall idea - I have a (very expensive) Roland JV-1080 do you know if there are any

SysEx files around to convert it to anything sounding like the MC303/808 etc?? Thanks! Andy Cragg

Bournemouth, UK.

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: Kilo
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Professional
Date: 19-Jan-99

yup....check out the range of cards for the JV-1080...that is where all the mc-303 sounds came from !!

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: kilo
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Professional
Date: 19-Jan-99

er......yup like taking the piss :-).....see check it out....all the MC sounds came from the JV cards....so for a beginner or otherwise, aint it wiser to grab a JV for some extra notes, and get the ability to REALLY work faster & programme your own sounds or tweak stuff easily ?

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: midi
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Professional
Date: 19-Jan-99

Hey, the NEW MC-505 Sper GrooveBox is coming out

soon...looks like an updated MC303 w 64 note poly,

6 outputs and a REALLY COOL motion controller

above the unit that senses hand movments!

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: KRISTIAN BLAKO
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Hobby-ist
Date: 19-Jan-99

MC 303 NERD BOX

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: Alex Mizell
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: part-timer
Date: 19-Jan-99

Your article on the MC-303 is wrong in several places. Perhaps you should do more than "toy with this machine at a trade show" before you go quoting the positive and negative aspects of it. Every knob on the box except the main volume and the data wheel send MIDI control data and can be recorded in a sequencer. The sounds can indeed be edited and saved, the only catch being that you have to save the sounds in a pattern preset instead of a dedicated sound storage area. I don't know why you say that everything requires SysEx because nearly every parameter in the MC-303 can be controlled by MIDI controller messages. The only thing that I know of that requires SysEx is to switch from sound module mode to normal mode - a function that is easily accomplished by reseting the box and holding down the "Play Mode" button.

All in all, the sounds are great, the effects are great, the interface is great and it is remarkably easily to mutilate the internal sounds to create live and VERY original music. I'm using it to make abstract right now - if you could recognize a single sound I use I'd be very surprised...

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: kilo
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Professional
Date: 19-Jan-99

well this is info supplied by roland.....

by the way... how exactly do you adjust the

oscillator shape, adsr envelopes, lfo setting etc

with controller data then ??......

I dont think you do....cos these parameter are

not adjustable via controllers.......

we are talking about using this unit in a

multi-setup..... so i think it's a bit irritating to have

to use sysex to turn channels receive off etc....



I said it could be a problem for a beginner with

little experience of sysex... which is not

untrue is it ??.....

Roland told me the unit only outputs controller

knob data

to it's internal sequencer.... not external...

and when you edit a sound, you can't save it to a

voice patch area, only to a pattern....

so there is no internal storage for editing,

thus you have to save patches as sysex....

correct ?!!



for resonance & cut-off for example, the mc

uses nrpn's 98 & 99.... these are not standard

controllers....



anyway.... we are coming from the angle

of using an external sequencer,

with other units, not as a stand alone point of

view....... all in all I think it's a fair

comment... I think you'll find the mc does not

output to external, its controller data from it's

dedicated knobs....



has there been a s/w update ?.... this was the stuff roland told me...

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: kilo
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Professional
Date: 19-Jan-99

here's a paragraph from a very extensive review at the tb-303 homepage:



The other sequencing problem occurs with the MIDI implementation. Simply

put, the MC-303 will not transmit anything beyond the MIDI note and

velocity information......

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: pookie
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Hobby-ist
Date: 19-Jan-99

Great Site! I stayed ALL DAY (7 hours)! I'm a beginning noisemaker/longtime admirer of electronic music. Love the bigbeat stuff (Simply Jeff, Uberzone, Crystal Method, etc.). Being an artist at heart, I flew off the handle after an inspirational Uberzone break, and bought the Roland MC-303 Groovebox. Not that I'm not happy with it, I just now realize it's limitations. The inabilty to create original sounds is really suffocating. With that, I have a really powerful Mac, (say what you will, I LOVE Mac product), and I would like to use it in my studio setup. This is where I need your advise. What would you start to build your studio around? I have Cubase/Cakewalk/ReBirth. What do I need for my studio? I'm taking your input and jumping on the first Emu EMAX-1 I come across and I can use the GrooveBox as a drumbox, but as for wicked lead, original sounds like the main lead in Crystal Method's "Busy Child" what do I need? Should I mortgage my home and get a Novation SuperNova? Will I be able to sequence all of these separate components with a software sequencer(Cubase/Cakewalk)? If you could boil it all down to a basic MIDI setup, I would leave my entire estate to you in my will. Thanks in advance!!!

signed, confused and inspired,

pookie

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: chris pope
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: part-timer
Date: 19-Jan-99

I bought a mc 303 last christmas because of the fact that it is a one stop solution to my problem (making some good old stomping music). When I first turned it on it was incredible flashing

lights the works, it was even fun playing about with the preset patterns, this was easy with the quick start manual, this however was obviously not enough for me so into the big manual,

which as a whole is very vague.




It took alot of time to learn what it could do and an even shorter time to realise that it is very limiting in the things that it can do. Don't get me wrong I like the machine and can see

the possibilities for live play but it was difficult getting to grips with sequencer and the other functions. So now I have got the hang of it I want to progress but because of the price

of some of the equiptment out there it is difficult to know weather and what the next step is, to buy equiptment to add on to it so that I can play it live(such as the novation bass

station and free bass 383)/ add a sequencer / more effects to try and decrease the limitations (effects and tweakability) or to just abandon the whole 303 concept and go for the computer based

solution.




I also understand that you can get the 303 to work with a computer pc , although i have tried damn hard with cakewalk and cubase with no success what so ever,which was disappointing.

The things that i have read about linking them together have have all been written by proffessionals who obviously have a good understanding of midi etc. so they have no problem.

Who is there to explain how you do this ? the answer is no one, and oversite on rolands behalf, I don't think so. You have just got to look at the speed that it taken for them to

release the 505 with added midi control which sounds really good, did they think that we needed it in the first place and how long will it be before the next version is out.




Altogether i think that the 303 is just a clever marketing ploy to get you to buy roland products. The point is that there of good budget equiptment out there that you can afford

instead of the 303 and will give more satisfying results in the long term and main point is long term !!!.



P.s. no where near enough memory, got bored of the presets easily and can't get rid of them.

Good for doing drums but still not enough channels for drums and sounds.

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: Daniel Risberg
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Hobby-ist
Date: 19-Jan-99

Hello

i want to make GOA TRANCE music. what gear shall i buy? what gear can you recomend i am a beginner. please mail at

d_risberg@hotmail.com

i have a computer

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: doublegulp
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Hobby-ist
Date: 19-Jan-99

what can i say? the mc-303 just isnt what people

think it is. i am in almost total agreement with

whoever made the comments about not being able to

tell which sound he used, or something. i have

owned one since december of 1996. i bought it

because i wanted to start getting into electronic

music again, which i hadnt done since the days

when i owned a juno-106, a tr-606, and an sh-101.

i was more than perplexed by the hybrid x0x

sequencer and its crude display. but soon, i

discovered that programming the 303 to do what

you want exactly is a science, which with

determination, CAN be accomplished. well, after

four months, i was nearly bored out my skull. i

saved enough to purchase a jp-8000, another juno,

a 707, 606, cz-101, crumar stratus, rs-09, fender

rhodes stage piano, jx-8p, s900, and a wavestation

ex. then after several months i realized

that the mc-303 can be used as a very effective

arpeggiator, when synced to another sequencer (ex:

Vision, from opcode). simply program arpeggios into

the mc-303, set their output assign to ext, and

tweak the instruments accordingly. this allows live

control when using a computer for a sequencer. i

have also found that its damn hard to find a drum

machine for under 1000 that has envelopes, filters,

an lfo, reverb/delay, flange/chorus, a low boost,

and a random pan effect. so at the very least,

you pay 600 for a pretty cool drum machine.

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: SEBASTIAN ERIKSSON
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Professional
Date: 19-Jan-99

It doesn't work with me!

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: Tomas Nilsson
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Hobby-ist
Date: 19-Jan-99

Check out the new JX-303 Groovesynth!

Yes, it exists. Has almost all functions as MC-505.

Cost the same as MC-505.

The design is superb.

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: Thief
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Hobby-ist
Date: 19-Jan-99

Okay, here is my honest and hopefully concise opinion. I have been drum programming for about two years for industrial/electronic music, and purchased the 303 as my first synth. Before it I used an old Yamaha drum machine (RX something i think) and DR-550, 660, and Roland R-8. When I got my 303, my R-8 was in for repair. When i first got it, I loved how easily I could put together songs with great sounds and effects. Now after having it for about half a year, I have realized it's limitations. I am selling mine, but I am not going to jump on the bandwagon of trashing it. Here is my opinion: IF YOU WANT THE CHEAPEST, EASIEST WAY TO CREATE DANCE MUSIC, BUY IT! IMHO, the drawbacks only apply to people who are attempting to use it as part of a studio setup (like myself) or to people who have to have the true analog sound. Even I know the sounds are shit, because I can hear how thin they sound when I put them on tape, but there is now easier way to make complete dance tracks with Drums, Bass, Pads, Leads, Effects, you name it. Many people would disagree, but that is because they only see things from their point of view. I'm sure there are people out there who want a synth just for the FUN of it, and love it. E-mail me if you wan't to buy it. (Sorry for the commercial plug)

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: Definxu Obtutu
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Professional
Date: 19-Jan-99

Ok well the MC-303 is an ok piece..Not all that

it could be...But hey we did not design it so o well.

Anyway it is a good thing to have and is very

basic. It could be better. I use it as more of

a define piece...meaning I use it to add dept

in my tracts. I love the concept of real time

so you can remix live at shows....Cheers...Christopher

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: Paul
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Professional
Date: 19-Jan-99

I think most people really don't understand what this machine is. It was never meant to be the "solve all" for the studio. For the money, I can't really think of a better piece of inspirational equipment. It does a lot of things, not great, but very well. I could take it with me on business trips and make music in my hotel room, instead of having to try to remember my ideas until I came home. Also, if I do use it in my studio, I have full control over all the midi functions from a studio ware panel I created in Cakewalk 6.0. I think most people take this thing way to seriously and forget about why it was made in the first place. Even as a drum machine though, you can't get one that is this good for the price of a MC-303. On top of that, this was the first one made. It started a lot of interest in dance music again at a time when everything was guitars. Roland has just made the 505 and I am sure there will be many more to follow, but the prices will follow. The 303 has created a lot of competition from many other manufactures and the bottom line is that it is all good for us. Just have fun with this machine and don't take it so serious.

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: Rene
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Hobby-ist
Date: 19-Jan-99

I´ve got the MC-303 and I´m basically satisfied

with it. The (drum)sounds are powerful and can be

played by an external sequencer.

One thing I don´t like is that there are no single

outs, the midi-implementation could be better too.

The synth sounds are ok, but if you use this thing

as a sound module like I do, you´ll be missing

single outputs to upgrade soundquality by external

devices like effects, analogue filter, distortion

units etc.(The MC-505 offers sinlge outs and total

midi-control but why do they give this machine

things like a D-beam-controller?) As you see, the

grooveboxes are constructed for live-performance

and people who are looking for a "studio-in-the-

box". The result of the music made by using only

this instrument is of course not similar in

quality to music produced with different synths,

but for only one unit - at this price - it´s

quite o.k. If you´re looking for a drum computer,

don´t buy a groovebox; you better check out the

X-base 09 from Jomox (This is a 909-clone that

kicks where it hurts...)

Keep groovin´

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: AZoMBiE
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Hobby-ist
Date: 19-Jan-99

this is a newbie talkin here.



i want a synth. like what they use in the band "the crystal meathod" u know stuff like that if u read this and wanna help a newbie plz e-mail me

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: JA
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Professional
Date: 19-Jan-99

Okay newbie....

Regarding the Crystal Method.

The music they make, which incidentally is fucking awesome, has sounds from all sorts of shit.

They essentially use analogue synths (Roland Jupiter whatevers TB303's Oberheim blah blah, etc. etc.) and lots of samples... But, they are CREATIVE WITH THEM!!!

They've sampled 70's funk lines (haven't we all?) and pissed around with them 'til they sound nothing like they originally did.

Just don't go getting an old Roland Jupiter thingy or a TB303 hoping that you'll be able to produce a song like theirs in minutes. IT AIN'T GONNA HAPPEN.

This is all very relevant to this Roland MC303 overpriced pice of shit also. All the sounds that you get out of this thing are on numerous records already. Almost bought one until I tried one out. Very easy to get a tune going though.

To those people buying them for the drum sounds, bear in mind you could get some sample CDs for a total of about £150 with every sound from the MC303 on them.

Hey, it's so creative you can tweak the resonance and filter cutoff on it's sounds.....oh....woopy shit.

Sorry to sound so pissed and go on, and on but I've seen too many people go down the slippery slope of buying one of these 'solve it all' synths thinking that they'll be the next Liam (Prodigy) or Chemical Brother...WAKE UP!!!

God.....I do sound narky, appologies again, maybe its my time of the month.

Anyway, I'll end with a quote from the Crystal Method themselves....Hold it close to your hearts:

"If you rely on technology too much to create, you're not an artist"

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: Antonio
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Professional
Date: 19-Jan-99

yes, the mc-303 did have is flaws, but i would like to challenge anyone to find a flaw with the MC-505. This is the most revolutionary piece of equipment that I have ever come across. If anyone wants to know more about the MC-505, I would be more than happy to discuss it with them. I have played parties (3000 PLUS








) with only my 505. can you do that with any other peice of equipment? (ok, i used the tables a couple times during the sets but I was using the tables as my sampler.)

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: Rod Johnson
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: part-timer
Date: 19-Jan-99

A toy. 3 weeks later I bought and MPC2000 and I haven't used the MC-303 since. Roland...my ass still hurts.

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: NemeZis
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Hobby-ist
Date: 19-Jan-99

I am about to buy one right now..

Fantastic machine!

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: Andy Doss
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: part-timer
Date: 19-Jan-99

Check out my home studio recording of my song, "InSiDe", all music completely done on a groovebox mc303, I would like to know what you think...thanks, Andy, http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Pointe/2567/insideit.ram

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: Jack meOff
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Professional
Date: 19-Jan-99

hey the Roland mc303 grove box kicks ass!

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: Nikolaj
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Hobby-ist
Date: 19-Jan-99

cool drum box

but it's to complicated to rec. on it.

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: Brian Stillwater
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Professional
Date: 19-Jan-99

its a toy...

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: justin
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Hobby-ist
Date: 19-Jan-99

kool

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: SEAFOAM
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: part-timer
Date: 19-Jan-99

Synth sounds are ok. Drum sounds are kick ass. I've found that using the box with a visual sequencer (cu-base) is quite enjoyable. I can create

7 tracks with the mc and still have one sound to tweak on a sequencer. Great if you're looking for a decent drum machine and don't wan't to spend a ton of $

B

ps. my mark is for the groovebox, not the article above

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: Kamicrazi
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Professional
Date: 19-Jan-99

All you MC-303 naysayers out there need to twiddle with a MC-505. By far the,
this is the best single piece of equipment I've used.
Unlike it's younger brother, the 505 is 100% MIDI compatible.
I use it with my computer synths and keyboards but, I really only need the 505.
This thing does everything. The only negative thing I have to say about it
was the price. But, despite the high price, it was well worth it.
NOTE: The music store where I got it from sold all 15 MC-505's they ordered in one and a half weeks.

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: Eric Tan
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: part-timer
Date: 19-Jan-99

cool ! I like it

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: Guiom
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Hobby-ist
Date: 19-Jan-99

Too simple ...

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: JUAN CARLOS KARROUM
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Hobby-ist
Date: 19-Jan-99

THIS IS A FUCKING

IS GOOD, I LIKE IS VERY VERSATILE

THIS THE BEST FOR DJ'S

I'M DJ FROM VENEZUELA I GO TO PICK UP THE NEW MCM-505.................... BYE

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: Rennie
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Hobby-ist
Date: 19-Jan-99

Hey i own the MC303 and it's pretty Phat

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: Alfred J. Hernandez
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Professional
Date: 19-Jan-99

I have worked with many roland drum machines such as the TR-626, TR-90, and the TR-70 Human Rythem Composer. The MC-303 has blown me away. The keyboard sounds are are just what you need to fill a beat.

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: Alex-Under http://www.lg.ru/alex-u
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Professional
Date: 19-Jan-99

Hi! I'm from moscow . I bot goove box 1 year ago,

and I happy , becouse I make a good choise !!!

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: Tristan
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: part-timer
Date: 19-Jan-99

Yes I bought a groove box about a couple of

weeks ago, my previous experience with techno

music has basically been screwing around with

old moog's and my one time (about four hours)

with a TB-303. I was like most kiddies (hey I'm 17), playing

with Rebirth(which is cool, but live performances

?!? You'd be booed off the dammed stage if you

dragged a laptop (etc) up.).



I bought the groovebox (mc-303 mind you) with

full knowlege of its limitations. I'm not about

to go praising it all over the place, I am

satisfied with the bass sounds and the drums,

but some of the samples (all those orchestra sounds?)

are useless.



I've been playing with it, bit by bit, at parties

and stuff, and it _is_ made for live performances.

No, it doesn't replace/and or perfectly emulate a

303 (which I personally think is way over-rated).

Nor does it do the duty of playing the all-in-wonder

that people have (mis)named it.

Buy it for what it's worth people. It's a fun

little box, basically giving me a steady first

experience with good equipment.

If you want to say all the samples suck and the

memory isn't big enough, blah blah blah. But think

about how much this unit cost. I got mine for

less than 500 bucks (new). The things people try

to compare it to cost over three times as much.

Be creative with it. Just because its not analogue

and/or a perfect 808/909/etc emulator, doesn't mean

it can't do what you want it to.

Creativity is from the musician, and

how they use the instrument, not

from the musician blaming the instrument

because it "doesn't sound like a TB-303".

(oh no!)

Quit bitching about it.



--Tristan

(hey I'm a part-timer! big shit huh?)

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: RICHARD JACKSON
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Hobby-ist
Date: 19-Jan-99

Roland, Why do you manufacture such a wonderful

instrument with all the fantastic features that

you promissed me and my fellow musians and yet

you don't give me enough memory to use all of my

user bank. I bought this device thinking I would

never be able to use all the user locations. Now,

I have to get an external memory bank like the

MR-2 or the older PR-100.

Very disappointing ROLAND.

However I am happy to see that the 505 has plenty

of memory.



Great instrument but pitty about the lack of memory

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: Morten Damkjær
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Hobby-ist
Date: 19-Jan-99

Hi there



The MC-303 is quite cool after all. I like the sounds though their are not the originals.

But anyway, look at the bright side, the sound does not suck. They are quite good. I like the machine for what it is.

Anyone says it's a failure because it doesn't sound EXACTLY like a 303, (which I think was worse than the MC-303).

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: Rennie
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Hobby-ist
Date: 19-Jan-99

Hi i own tha MC303 and my would have to be that this machine is very limited and i would rather of went for tha MC505

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: trevor williams
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: part-timer
Date: 19-Jan-99

i want a box that is under $600 bucks,that has good effects,drums and bass,and that is similar to the 303 but better and less limitations,i want somthing that i can be totally orignal on,and creative,..what would be the best product for me to buy?,...e mail me!

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: ADm-
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: part-timer
Date: 19-Jan-99

......... but soon, i discovered that programming the 303 to do what you want exactly is a science, which with determination, CAN be accomplished. well, after four months, i was nearly bored out my skull. i saved enough to purchase a jp-8000, another juno, a 707, 606, cz-101, crumar stratus, rs-09, fender rhodes stage piano, jx-8p, s900, and a wavestation ex. then after several months i realized that the mc-303 can be used as a very effective arpeggiator .........





this message posted by doublegulp.



1 thing how can this guy save all that money in 4 months is this guy like a managing dirctor of an oil company or is he just playing with his dick - wat a fuk wit.

p.s if i could save all this money in 4 months why buy a mc303 in the first place.

the machine is ok and all but still

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: ADm-
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: part-timer
Date: 19-Jan-99

trevor take a look at the ravolution 309

still very limited kicks the shit out of a 303

sorry all but its true

hey ive got a 303 ok

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: Patrick Janicke
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Hobby-ist
Date: 19-Jan-99

After i got addicted to the MC-303

I started looking for what to get next.

Any suggestions?

Join us grooving in Hawaii

and check out the direct interrelation of music and design

on this unbelievable webpage:

www.lycos.com/blade/MOVIE/NLJANICK.HTM

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: Martin
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Hobby-ist
Date: 19-Jan-99

Small memory and non-editable sound.

But the "punch in punch out" tracks in a pattern is useful and make you want to experiment.

I do love my SIEL(old analog synth).

No synth under 20 knobs(realtime knobs, that is).

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: anthony saige (dj)
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Professional
Date: 19-Jan-99

hi i have the mc-505 and i wanted to know

if you can give me quick tricks with it

if you please in layman's terms

thanks

and by the you truly are the worlds greatest

and most inovating electronic music field

congrats!!!!!!

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: Kalle Karlsson
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Professional
Date: 19-Jan-99

En sån´ vill jag ha!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: Slick Boots Cam
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: part-timer
Date: 19-Jan-99

Although the 303 does have it's limitations, COME

ON!!!! I think as a first time shot at this kind

of "everything in one" kind of machine they did a

pretty good job. As soon as the 505 came out my

friend picked one up and I do have to say that

they definetly succeeded this time around.

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: Paul R.
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: part-timer
Date: 19-Jan-99

I think that for what you pay, it's an incredibly instrument. I think that with alot of creativity, some really good music could and is being made with this machine. Face it,!!! anyone with enough talent could make any kind of musical instrument sound good, be it a toy piano or a 3000.00 Usd synth, I belief it falls on the musicians abilities and how he or she could use this instrument to make something original. Look at guitars, all rock bands use them, and they all somehow sound different!!!:) I use an MC303 and enjoy the crap out of it. And I do have a real 303, 909 some Junos and samplers.

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: patrick janicke
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Hobby-ist
Date: 19-Jan-99

How do I get more memory for my user patterns?

Help!

Write me to Hawaii!

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: jackie boy
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Hobby-ist
Date: 19-Jan-99

i have owned a 303 for almost a year. it cost me £475 first-hand, and i was
well chuffed. however, once i had written more than 25 patterns the thing began
to crash. since then i have had to factory reset it three times losing most of
my music technology `A` level work. bugger that eh?

Anyway, i was just wondering why Roland didn`t allow more space for user patterns instead of those crappy pre-written casio keyboard sounding ones that i have never really bothered with anyway. I have been trying for seven months to connect it to cubasis anyway, and have spent an absolute fortune. So far i have found out that it won`t be a sequencer, keyboard or drum machine when used with cubase. So much for the dance module of the 90`s then.

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: Geoff Jones
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Hobby-ist
Date: 19-Jan-99

I found the pattern based sequencer on this unit to be very creative and the step editing in particular is handy for creating drum patterns.



However, the synth sounds are very poor - especially when modulating the sound (eg. filter, LFO etc.).



Also, the unit can only be used with an external sequencer in "Tone Module" mode. This prevents modulation or selection of sounds from the contol panel, requiring changes to be sent via MIDI format NPRN! Better brush up on your hexidecimal!

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: Colin T. Simone
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Hobby-ist
Date: 19-Jan-99

My friend has an MC303 and from the time i have

spent messing around with it and playing with the

preset arpeggios and patterns and tapping out a

few quick beats from the ambient, 808, 909, jungle,

and house drum banks i've concluded that MC303 is

worth the 6 or 700 he paid for it. Although it will

never amount to the original TB303 it comes pretty

close. It's, unfortunately, not analog and that

really subtracts from the ability to shape your own

patterns and arpeggiations.
Being able to model an

analog signal was true power compared to snagging

a few fat digital 303 arpeggios and laying them

down with some 909 drums, high hats, and snare drums.

It's just NOT the same. But, it sounds really fucking

close to the original, UNIQUE sound of a REAL 303

(or 808/909 too!). COLIN

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: Mathew Kowalski
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: part-timer
Date: 19-Jan-99

Picked one up used---for $400...

BAD ASS!



My FAVOURITE piece of equipment I own!

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: (BuRieD iN) c0ncrete
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Hobby-ist
Date: 19-Jan-99

I've got a JV-1080 with the Techno expansion card,

an MC-505, a MOTU 4x6 MIDI patch bay, an Alesis

rack-mounted 12 line mixer, and I use CakeAud 6.0

(got the 8.0 upgrade on order) and a SB AWE Gold

(4mb RAM) for sampling and HDD recording.

Just wanna say that everyone should get thier heads

out of thier arses and stop whining that the 303/505

don't sound or behave exactly like the orig.

If they had done that, the "underground" sound would

be even MORE flooded with peepz that think that that

is the ONLY sound to use. It's OVERused! Try something

new! Sequence in something new (just change to a diff

patch and give it a listen for chissakes!) your rubber

duckie a rest! =)

Anyways... enough ranting... I just tinker, but am

interested in finding some others with similar synths

to pool resources and ideas with.

Feel free to respond via email or ICQ UIN # 2556063.

My tastes range from "gabber" to Vangelis, so don't

hesitate to give me a shout.

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: Shimmer
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: part-timer
Date: 19-Jan-99

I have had a MC303 for a while - it's cool in that

it's all-in-one for a dirt cheap price - I agree

that once you realise it's limitations, and see

what is possible, you develop a thirst for something

'better' - I am however quite poor, but the 303

combined with my amiga did me well - I am thinking

of flogging the 303 and putting some money to

an ensoniq ASR-X - anyone have any thoughts ?



PS Cooooooooool page - really good stuff - great

enthusiasm - cannot be faulted for having opinions

good to see

Cheers

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: Mark Christopher
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Hobby-ist
Date: 19-Jan-99

If your a beginner.. Don't buy this MC303.. It sucks.. Because you are very limited when it comes to composing. The 28 Voice polyphony is not for complex composition... Sounds will eventually drop out..



So Instead If you are a beginner get a Roland W30 or Emax(samplers), and the Atari 1040 for the same amount of dollars..With this set up your pretty much all set...Again Samplers have no limits...

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: Sean Vindahl Frederiksen
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Professional
Date: 19-Jan-99

Great GrooveThingy, the only thing I really hate

about it, is THERE IS NOT ENOUGH MEMORY IN

THAT BLASTED THINGY,

AND WHAT ABOUT ALL THE PATTENS, YOU CAN´T DELETE,

WHAT THE HELL IS THAT.

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: Roberto Gaona Jr.
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Professional
Date: 19-Jan-99

The MC-303 is nice, but the MC-505 is better, although the both of them combine are awesome in terms of HOUSE Music, the SP-808 is top notch because of its sampling and hard disk recording! The MC-505 would be a GOD send if it could record on Hard ZIP drives! Understand?? Please Respond.

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: dr pepper
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: part-timer
Date: 19-Jan-99

yo! :-)))))))))

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: CHRIS
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: part-timer
Date: 19-Jan-99

JUST BOUGHT ONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SO FAR, PRETTY IMPRESSED! A FEW TOO MANY OPTIONS

MAYBE, BUT I'LL GET USED TO IT!

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: Shef
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Hobby-ist
Date: 19-Jan-99

Hey, I got mine a year ago, and since then, I've had a lot of PHUN with it. I'm using it stricktly LIVE with 2 turntable settup and external effects. Sounds good enough for me, and I'm glad I bought it!

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: malice_187
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Hobby-ist
Date: 19-Jan-99

i like it. so there.

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: joy
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Hobby-ist
Date: 19-Jan-99

EXCELENTE, buenos sonidos, gordos y buen complemento para mi teclado Roland XP-50, estoy descubriendo nuevos rumbos musicales.

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: Mike
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Hobby-ist
Date: 19-Jan-99

Horrible piece of junk this 303, user un-friendly to the max. Very overpriced and buggy.

Brought mine back when i noticed how bad the sound quality is when you finnaly do get some music out of the thing.

Got a yamaha djx now .. Me very happy man indeed and half my smackers back !

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: Chris H.
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Hobby-ist
Date: 19-Jan-99

The 303 is excellent as a stand alone unit.The sounds are great and it's fun as hell to tweak those knobs.If only they sent MIDI data...

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: Peter Steens
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Hobby-ist
Date: 19-Jan-99

Well well... Listen now and you may learn. Or at least so I have.

I bought the MC-303 almost exactly a year ago, and to this date it remains my only piece of gear. How sad!

I bought it because I had heard it live at The Party 1996 (computer-freak gathering). And it sounded really cool! Then again, he used Cubase, and I think he threw external samples on top of the mix. But I don't know for sure.

Then one of my friends bought one, and often recommended it wildly. I started getting weird thoughts like "Wow! Just by using this cheap and cool-looking little box, I can make almost proffesional goa!"

And so I bought one... How wrong I was.


I won't say I was disappointed, but it was not what I had expected...

It stood around for a while, gathering dust. I used it once in a while as a monophonic MIDI-fied sidekick to Fasttracker 2.08, which... was a waste of money really...

Then I went to London, and I had no computer or anything that could say a
"bleep"-sound to oplay with for 5 months, until I brought my MC over here.
I've also bought a CD that contains music made using just the MC-303.
It features names such as Scan-X, X-Dream, Technossomy, Elegia and so on.
It is a GREAT CD, and it shows that with a little work, you can actually get
some unique pumpin' tracks out of it.
Of course it still has the unmistakeable MC-303-sound, but it actually sounds great, 'caus its got this minimalistic feeling to it. And that, I think, is the correct approach. When using the MC, forget about MIDI! Look at it as the compact little all-in-one machine, that you have to know, and love, to get something useable from. That way it becomes a challenge, and my CD shows me it's possible. Respect to the box!

(To those of u who hate it: what did you reckon you'd get? A pro studio-in-one? For that kind of money? Respect the box as it is!)



Kilo: respect to your pages. They're way too cool! And er... BTW: I'm gonna upgrade my humble setup with a Virus soon...

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: DJ deelerium
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Hobby-ist
Date: 19-Jan-99

cool site very informative

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: Mark Hagan
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Hobby-ist
Date: 19-Jan-99

Like the review says- its a great unit with good sounds, but try to get it to work with anything else in a pc/midi based sequencing studio (Cakewalk 8) then forget it- I have conceded to recording the MC-303 as audio data over trying to sequence with it. Does anyone out there have any suggestions for getting this unit to work with Cakewalk sequencing??

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: low
Email: Email supplied but hidden
http://www.io.com/~low/
Activity: part-timer
Date: 28-Apr-99

very limited editing - sounds paper thin - it's a toy

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: b. nutt
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Hobby-ist
Date: 07-Sep-99

I bought the 303 as my first drum machine. Now that ive been in the world of drum machines for quite a while ive come to this conclusion. The 303 is a great creativity machine, ive had a blast with it, but there is something about its sound, it sounds cold. Once you've played with it for a while you'll see what im talking about, at times it sounds just plain cheesy. I guess i'll try running it through some acoustic or tube amp simmulator pedals or something.

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: Bazz
Email: Email supplied but hidden
no way
Activity: part-timer
Date: 29-Nov-99

This thing(and the MC505) is made for people who cannot or will not program a proper synths like a JV1080 or JP8000 or Nord...The sounds are pretty good at first sight but they are all very instant and superficial...Machines like these are responsable for the fact that people aren't creative anymore with REAL synths and samplers...

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: XXX
Email: Email supplied but hidden
*
Activity: Hobby-ist
Date: 11-Jan-00

The MC-303 is a very poor peice of equipment. A lot of the sounds are unusable. All the samples have huge problems where by they distort or "crunch" when you go up or down octives. Midi implementation is pethetic. The effects should be renamed noise and hiss generators. Due to the display it is only possible to edit one parameter at a time. The list goes on and on. Anyone giving this more than maybe 2 marks has obviously never used any proper equipement. Anything from a PC/Mac, RM1x (yamaha), MPC 2000... will kick ass over an MC and are sooooo worth saving for.

If you are thinking of buying one don't, save. If you've got one sell it and save and get some real equipment.

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: hajee
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity:
Date: 11-Jan-00

woohoo, we're bashing the 303 again... Just name me one machine at the time this piece of equipment came out that could sequence x0x style and play drums + 7 tracks of synths etc.. with relatively good live tweekability.... This was the machine that started the mc505, rm1x, electribe, ravolutions etc of this world even the djx, eg101 etc... Okay nowadays you be wiser to buy a djx which is a steel for what you pay for it... Anyweay dont this things becasue they're cheap and dirty en certainly dont compare them to units that are way more expensive...

That's like saying my bike is crap because you own a helicopter that is soooo much faster...

Hajee

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: poko
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Professional,part-timer,Hobby-ist
Date: 11-Jan-00

I bought one new when they first came out, sold it 6 months later, now I find that I could really use it's friendly 8 track sequencer (more reliable than my mmt8!) all the above critisms are valid eg: Shite unerasable preset patterns, shite sounds (not all of them), the TB303 sounds are nothing like a proper TB, ubershite Midi spec, etc. etc. BUT here are some good points:

1. Reliable live (6 hours running off a generator in a damp marquee - no probs)

2. Excellent build quality

3. Cheap (especially secondhand)

4. Pretty good drum\perc sounds

5. Nice sequencer for live\when you cant be bothered to fire up your behemoth of a studio

6. Some (about 100) of the instrument sounds are quite usable

I am going to buy another one, mad? No, I own plenty of nice gear (TB303, A3000, ER1, Nova, Pulse, Prophecy, TR606, MB33, etc.) But the fact remains that for what it is its pretty good value. I bet in 15 years time a new generation of kids will think its "tacky late 90's PCM sounds" are gritty, punchy and phat! Much the same way as us lot think of the TB, the 909, the DMX, the DX100 etc. The bicycle\helicopter analogy is a good one.
Peace.

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: Bazz
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: part-timer
Date: 12-Jan-00

poop, maybe you can help me out... I have a prob. using the step sequencer with external midiequip. I'm at work but i think what happenes is that every time i hit....rec or play whatevere to start step-editing the drum channel swicthes back to INT instead of EXT which it previously had been set to.. Anybody recognize this, am I doing stuff wrong.. Because what i would like to do is program drum grooves etc on my 303 which i later can record in to a proper sequecer for further arranging...

BTW Did I mention the arpeggiator is a great thing too?

Keep the Groove!

Bazz

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: DJ Dan
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Hobby-ist
Date: 12-Jan-00

I have a 303. It's not bad, but it's not like "WOW!" either. I just wondering, i got a nice pattern here going, and my sampler is a slave to my 303 (so like sound 7 is the bank that controls my sampler) i was wondering if its possible for me to send like resonance and cutoff info to the sampler so i could change all that stuff from the 303 because my sampler does not have that. (its the 202)
Sorry this dosen't make sense.

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: bazz
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: part-timer
Date: 12-Jan-00

Sorry, you can´t DjDan. the MC303 doesn´t send out a lot of midi data, i receives a lot (tho a bit complicated) but only sends note data and program changes and stuff... It´s one of the reasons it´s not a superb as many people hoper it would be...

For the price, at the time tho (etc.etc)

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: Danny
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Hobby-ist
Date: 12-Jan-00

I know that most people hate the 303. "It's a toy" and "it's not a real machine", but it makes me realize how not everyone, but some people think it's all about whos synth is the best. I am only 17 and have been into writing music for a year. Music is my passion and I wish people would just go out there and express themselves instead of taking time to talk down someone cause their synth sucks. I know I sound like a mom and shit but I just think that the time people spend arguing and the time I am spending right now acting like a dork could be the same second you create that sound that hits you or someone else right smack in the face and makes them say "Wow, thats nice."

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: Mustapha
Email: Email supplied but hidden
http://www.mustapha1.homestead.com
Activity: Hobby-ist
Date: 24-Apr-00

the best tools for techno and tranc music creations

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: Bastiaan
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity:
Date: 24-Apr-00

Here´s a tip. If you wanna use the XOX style sequencer to sequencer external instuments (synth, soundcard, sampler) there´s one annoying little thing. Whenever you press rec, rec, play the track pops to int (making you sequnec the internal sounds). Here´s the trick. Set the channel to EXT and then SAVE the settings with SET UP W or PTN SET W, BEFORE going to the step editor mode.

later

Bastiaan

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: Bastiaan
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: part-timer
Date: 24-Apr-00

Here´s a tip. If you wanna use the XOX style sequencer to sequencer external instuments (synth, soundcard, sampler) there´s one annoying little thing. Whenever you press rec, rec, play the track pops to int (making you sequnec the internal sounds). Here´s the trick. Set the channel to EXT and then SAVE the settings with SET UP W or PTN SET W, BEFORE going to the step editor mode.

later

Bastiaan

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: deekay
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Hobby-ist
Date: 01-May-00

This box is great at the first glance but sucks at the second. Midiimplementation is a bad joke !!
Nearly all lead sounds are NOT useable in an arrangement with other bigger better synths. Ok , basssounds and drums are not bad (but the 909 ClosedHihat with its zero-decay and changing sound drives me insane)
the price is ok but not an argument for all the errors !

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: tom
Email: Email supplied but hidden
-
Activity: Hobby-ist
Date: 29-Aug-00

i've got one and it's sound...
phat beats and sweet grooves.
nothing better for £300....

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: Flash
Email: Email supplied but hidden
http://geocities.com/emailsucks98
Activity: part-timer
Date: 29-Aug-00

Well I have to say that for as crappy as the MC-303 is, it tought me a lot about balancing creativity with technology. After 3 months of trying to get a decent recording into cubase using midi sync, I finally figured it out: don't use midi or sysex! Just hit the playbutton on the downbeat! Point being you have to work within the limitations of the gear you can afford, and not get bogged down by technology when you need to be creating music. Just imagine Krafwerk sitting around with commodore 64's and speak+spells, I'm sure they were not concerned about sysex....

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: Howie
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Hobby-ist
Date: 30-Aug-00

the mc303 is good if you want to come up with a bassline or a drumloop in a hurry........but it just lacks that "punch" or "sting" in it's sound. To get that little extra we've sampled our basslines from the 303 and into an AKAI SK 3000 and used its filters to kick ass. The mc303 is a sound module that can do a lot of things but isn't particulary good at anything.

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: audio
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity:
Date: 15-Oct-00

I just got a 303 less then a week ago and i just want to know how to program (record) a beat because everytime i try to it says "err 8" can anyone please help me

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: Phillip Sanders
Email: Email supplied but hidden
http://funkinfamily.com/pillform
Activity: Professional
Date: 15-Oct-00

I've had a 303 for a couple of years. I used mine so much I broke it. If anyone ever really needs help on anything with this machine. Contact me. I bet I can still remember all the functions
phil

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: RR
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: part-timer
Date: 16-Oct-00

I've had an MC303 since they came out, and at first I thought it was sooo cool.
Over the years I've seen its limitations and I've almost sold it 3 times.
But I always listen to that voice in the back of my head that says I'll probably regret it if I do.
Now I've learned where it really belongs in my studio.
It doesn't do good synth sounds whatsoever, maybe 3 or 4 are ok.
Its sequencer is cool I guess, but I use my computer for that.
Really, the best use for this box is as a kick ass drum machine!With filters, and knobs etc. The drum samples are not that bad.
Like the 808/909, you can program cool beats on the keys and if you want, later record that into your computer.

But its also good for someone just starting out with producing music.

You could even control other midi equipment if you had to.

Who knows, in 20 years this may be THE ultimate music machine(doubt it) and people will pay 5 times its original price!

-Audio,
Sounds like youre trying to record in one of the preset patterns.
Does it say A001 or something with an A?
You have to turn the value dial to the left until you get to U001, or any u for that matter.
Then you can record whatever you want.
Good luck!

RR

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: not a real 303
Email: Email supplied but hidden
not a real 303
Activity: Professional
Date: 16-Oct-00

I just took a bulk dump on an mc 303 and said look at the next groove box.they're gettin it if you guys aren't

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: groove-boy
Email: Email supplied but hidden
http://www.wheresgrant.com
Activity: part-timer,Hobby-ist
Date: 02-Nov-00

I'm hoping someone can help....I'm a New-bie. I'm an accomplished musician (guitar/trumpet/piano) that plays and appreciates alot of different styles. I've recently discover trance/drum-n-beat and dance techno and I'm interested in creating my own. Years ago I owned a Korg DW8000 & M1, but sold both for rent. Now I've picked up a N5 and I'm looking for a cheap ($under 600) drum/sequencer/synth that I can record to mini-disc. Just personal stuff, no live gigs. Can anyone help. Is the 303 my answer? I know nothing about wave forms, midi or programming... I just know what sounds good. Can I midi & record sounds suucessfully with my Korg and use the filters presets and drum samples from the Roland easily?

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: rickyrickandthemonkeybunch
Email: Email supplied but hidden
http://www.the-gas-station.com
Activity: Hobby-ist
Date: 02-Nov-00

go to www.the-gas-station.com and post your question there... there are mucho knowlagable peeps on that message board... if i were you and i wanted to make some DnB (thats drum and bass) or trance... id get a cheap synth... (DJX etc...) and a sequencer and sampler.. (the mpc2000 does this combined.. or go for a RM1x and sampler like im about to do) later on down tha line.. you can get nicer synths or whatever... but having a nice sequencer/sampler is INVALUABLE and will go a long way... oh yeah.. and another thing.. RESEARCH my friend, RESEARCH!! unless you have money coming out of your ass.. then you can just buy what you think may be a good idea.... and if it sux sell it.... again... http://www.the-gas-station.com go there.. theys is good peoples...

cyaz

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: Jasper
Email: Email supplied but hidden
www.gimp_station.com
Activity: Professional
Date: 03-Nov-00

heh heh,

you sneaky git, couldn't even vent your opinions in the chat pages..

this just about sums up Gas-station attitudes.

groove-boy - to be honest, buy a sampler.. It'll do all you want and more, an akai s2000 is about 365 quid new.. the cheapest (studio spec) professional sampler you can buy.

the 303 is good fun, but you outgrow it pretty quick.

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: CARL WITT
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Professional
Date: 10-Jul-01

eu tenho um mc 303 que uso bastante parafinalizar minhasproducoes

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: Andray Brown
Email: Email supplied but hidden
afrosyntrix@big50entertainment.com
Activity: Professional
Date: 22-Aug-01

I use the 303 primarily as a control for all of the other units in my studio.
ie. the Orbit and Planet Phat. Assign out each track and assign a sound from another midi controlled device. Be sure to increase the release so that when you mute out the part on the 303 it still rings/delays/echo's through.

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: Scope
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: part-timer
Date: 29-Sep-01

I like it as a good Drum&Bass tool
(with the bass knob)
i give it a 3 for performance
and a extra bonus 1 for the
great vintage feel

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: Bastiaan
Email: Email supplied but hidden
www..geocities.com\basvandewerk
Activity: Hobby-ist
Date: 08-Jan-02

For those struggling MC303 owners: I've made a cubase patch list. It's on my site and on DT ready to use.

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: Roman Picnic
Email: Email supplied but hidden
http://www.romanpicnic.com
Activity: Professional
Date: 09-Jan-02

I was just ready to buy a 303, when I read all these comments on the machine. Strange how some say it has a cheesy and thin sound, while others find it very phat. Fact is, the price is very low these days. Roland don't make 'm no more and the prices of the secondhands are approx. 200 Euro's. I still believe it's a bargain for such a machine, for drums that is.

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: jAckAl
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Hobby-ist
Date: 10-Jan-02

Reading through the articles I agree with what everyone says. The machine does what it designed to, it almost like the whole PC thing was just an after thought. If you do want to connect it to a PC though you can pull of some pretty cool things, if I could get it working properly. Does anyone know how to sync the 303 to Cubase properly ? The arpeggiator use to work but would not sync, but know after i've played with it :P The tempo in cubase fluctuates +\- 5, and the arpeggiator only plays about 3 notes :(

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: bastiaan
Email: Email supplied but hidden
www.geocities.com/basvandewerk
Activity:
Date: 10-Jan-02

You should set it to slave and make Cubase the master. That should do the trick.

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: Demetrius
Email: Email supplied but hidden
www.putaloca.com.br
Activity: Professional
Date: 10-Jan-02

dfhjnfghsdhgsdf

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: jAckAl
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Hobby-ist
Date: 11-Jan-02

If life was only that simple :) I've tried that :( I've also tried going back the other way, by using the clock on the 303 into Cubase but it didn't seeme to help :( What settings should by set in Cubase in the the sync options. Like the frame rate etc ?

Thanks for the responce, it is the first time somebody has actually responded on about 6 different posts at various places :)

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: Bastiaan
Email: Email supplied but hidden
www.geocities.com/basvandewerk
Activity:
Date: 11-Jan-02

Mail me privately with a detailed description of what you are trying to do. I will try to solve you prob. ok? (I don't think this is the appropriate forum)

Are you on the 303 list at yahoo groups??

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: Sota Fujimori
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Professional
Date: 22-Jan-02

This is what you called piece of shit.
Only for beginners who can't afford to
buy synth or don't know how to play
music. Wake up people, get a real
synthesizer man!! What's wrong with
Roland these days with all those stupid
groove boxes. They used to make really
good synthesizers long time ago you
know.

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: Me
Email: Email supplied but hidden
none
Activity: Hobby-ist
Date: 30-Jan-02

equipement-level = music-level ???
music-level = equipement-level ???

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: jesse
Email: Email supplied but hidden
www.johngotti.com
Activity: part-timer
Date: 05-Feb-02

The mc 303 is a good groovebox and not as bad as you think it is.

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: Simon
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: part-timer
Date: 14-Apr-02

Do you know where I can get a Dev (Patch list) for my mc-303.

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: Dj dEELER|Um (DANCEL)
Email: Email supplied but hidden
www.dancel.net
Activity: Hobby-ist
Date: 18-Apr-02

There are much better machine with more capablities now days. I wouldnt pay much attention it em , but its a good machine to learn the basics of musical
arrangements and sequencing..........

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: minq
Email: Email supplied but hidden
http://www.metronome_sequence
Activity: Hobby-ist
Date: 18-Apr-02

I have a MC303.I think its pretty cool,but i agree there must be better equipment out there for the same price(here in holland the new price is still about 400$)You can do alot of cool stuff with it and its fun to use with all the knobs.It has 400 sound samples of good quality,but the memory storage is very limited,and the 8 tracks are not enough to create entire songs.You should really use it in combination with a pc to get the maximum result.

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: vandenhoeck bart
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Hobby-ist
Date: 22-Apr-02

dear ...

i'am looking for the manual of the MC-303, is it anywhere on the net ?

thank you


bart vandenhoeck

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: Trinchas
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Hobby-ist
Date: 09-May-02

I´m writing from Portugal. Please send me de price of the MC303.
Have fun.

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: ciaran campbell
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Hobby-ist
Date: 10-Jul-02

i recently bought a mc 303,i am trying 2 run it through my Evolution MK-249 midi keyboard.i am using cubasis VST 2.0,& a creative SB LIVE soundcard.is there anyway i can connect them,r would a rack sound module be more suitable. HELP ME THIS IS WREAKING MY HEAD.

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: bastiaan
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity:
Date: 12-Jul-02

Yes there is. If you want to use the MC303 as a midimodule: connect the midi-in of the 303 to the sb live and the midi out of the keyboard to the sb live (the sb should have a cable that turns the joystick port into a midi in/out)

But...hy not post your question in the synth forum next?

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: andy dejodd
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: part-timer
Date: 16-Jul-02

Is there any way to do this if you r using an atari?

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: mickey
Email: Email supplied but hidden
none
Activity:
Date: 10-Aug-02

i got problem 2 operating midi in your mc 303,i wanna send to my pc but iits not workin',please help me sir thnks,i'm in indonesia

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: bastiaan
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity:
Date: 11-Aug-02

Apakabar. Saya bisa menolong.

Mickey, I can help you. Send my an e-mail.

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: itzipop
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity:
Date: 19-Aug-02

i´m looking for a roland mc 303 to buy it,i want t pay like 300 euros more or less.(second hand).if anybody can say any information please send a e-mail. thanks a lot.

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: itzipop
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity:
Date: 19-Aug-02

itzipop@hotmail.com

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: Face Sucker
Email: Email supplied but hidden
http://www.geocities.com/terminalhk
Activity: part-timer
Date: 02-Nov-02

Okay, here's the skinny. I got one of these for a hundred bucks at a pawn shop... and I've really got mixed feelings on it. I'm a newbie to this whole hardware techno MIDI thing, and I thought this would be a good start to get into it considering that all of my other tracks were made with ReBirth.ONE, ModPlug, and various other software. At heart, I live this little bastard, but I'll have to agree with a lot of people when I say that damn... this thing is really limited. At least in the software world you can dial up all kinds of crazy new sounds. Afterall, the classic sounds will only get you so far. I do however want to be able to sync it with ReBirth so I can use the pads and the drum machine. I have never used midi implementation before and have no clue where to start. If anybody can give me some pointers... PLEASE email me!

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: Face Sucker
Email: Email supplied but hidden
http://www.geocities.com/terminalhk
Activity: part-timer
Date: 02-Nov-02

Hey, I know a lot of you guys are out there looking for a manual for it. Go to yahoo.com and look up Planet 303. They've got the full manual in adobe pdf format, but it's a bitch of a long download.

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: stevey porter
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: part-timer
Date: 13-Jan-03

i have a roland mc 303. i cant really get to grips with it and was wondering how to link it up to p.c. i have cubasis vst 3.0 and have a midisport 2x2. do these two go together? i want the sounds on my groovebox to be transfered to cubasis... could you please give me some info. many thanx
stevey

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: jeeves
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Professional
Date: 13-Jan-03

i'm thinking it might be time for a new hobby if you can't get your head around n mc303, mate.

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: mr kettle
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Hobby-ist
Date: 17-Feb-03

i don't have much money so i keep my two mc303 for years, my old A3000 and my little makie. But i have a question... Can i send some " program change " information from my MC to my A3000 (pass the program 13 on my to the 14 on my A3000, for example) ?
Could say if u know...

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: bastiaan
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity:
Date: 19-Feb-03

No, you can't really...only note on off data i'm afraid...

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: mr kettle
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: part-timer
Date: 08-Mar-03

thanks...

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: poobar
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: part-timer
Date: 28-Apr-03

This thing is a toy... no question about it. It's a turd with a sequencer. It was my first piece of midi gear. If you want to use the sounds dry in a production piece then forget about it, no way.. you're gonna need filters, chorus, distortion, phasers and anything else you can lay your hands on... has built in effects, but they are crap.

So little memory! There are a thousand odd factory demonstration pieces which really suck big time, it really bugged me that you can't delete them to make more space.

The drums are weak... yes, you can use them if you filter them and cover them in effects. bass drums lack punch, try a compressor.

HOWEVER: there are a few sounds which are not bad... 11.01, 11.02, 11.08, 11.09, 12.09 and a coule of the bells as I remember. These can actually sound good if you filter them then cover them in effects.

HINT: turn the bass boost knob on the back UP FULL ALL THE TIME and it won't sound so tinny and shit.

It's great as a first midi toy, but for a first time buy maybe you should go for one of the yamaha qy series since they are portable. You can pick up a mc303 for a little over a hundred quid (UK) - it's probably worth it for a first midi thing - if it's in good condition (they are getting pretty old now and it's like they are designed to fall apart).

Would I take it to a gig? No. Moved it around a little bit and it fell to bits. No I wouldn't. No way. Why would anybody want to?... it sounds like a turd.

Would I replace it if it was stolen or it broke? I wish to god that it had been stolen, since all my kit is insured... unfortunately it fell to pieces and stopped working in various different ways before I finally threw it in the bin. No, I did not replace it and won't until the S/H price fals to about a tenner.. I really miss sound 12.09 to be honest and it's worth ten quid for that.

All you people shouting about how great the drums are, wake up... clean out your ears or something. You can get a novation drum station for the same price and the drums are ten times better on it... plus you'll get seperate outputs, something the mc303 lacks. The 303 has a big variety of drums, but what's the use if they are all shit? There was one snare which sounded OK as I remember. They sound like the 808 / 909 like they are claimed to. It pisses me off, all this 'faithful reproductions of the old classics' bullshit.

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: Ennio Almandoz
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Professional
Date: 03-Nov-03

Hi, my name is Ennio, Im from mexico. And i own a groove box mc-505. My only, but big problem is that I dont have a users manual. I wonder If you can mail it to me mabey. Thanks

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: James
Email: Email supplied but hidden
http://www.intelligentcms.com
Activity: 1
Date: 13-Apr-04

Ñèñòåìà óïðàâëåíèÿ êîíòåíòîì IntelligentCMS ( www.intelligentcms.com ) îò ArtProm ( www.artpromcompany.com )

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: Karl Webber
Email: No email added
Activity:
Date: 16-Aug-04

Not bad for a cheap box, keeping in mind that it is a live instrument it is limited in the midi studio unless you have it in sound module mode where the knobs dont do anything. Stuff that. So here is my work around. I have a OLD mac performer which i run digital performer on. my break out box recieves 1 midi & sends 3 midi. and as i have a controller keyboard, akai sampler and a TR505 as well, i have to be carefull to not send any midi to the 303 as it plays anything it recieves(except midi clock). Sysex is a nightmare to use unless you have the maps preprogrammed. I couldnt be bothered. So, I just play on my controller keyboard connected to the 303, then replay the parts on external mode to my sequencer programme to edit. then erase the first try on the 303 and record the fixed up part from my sequencer onto the 303. hey presto everything is synced and i dont worry about the 303 recieving any midi note info. ta

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: Karl Webber
Email: No email added
Activity: Professional
Date: 16-Aug-04

Not bad for a cheap box, keeping in mind that it is a live instrument it is limited in the midi studio unless you have it in sound module mode where the knobs dont do anything. Stuff that. So here is my work around. I have a OLD mac performer which i run digital performer on. my break out box recieves 1 midi & sends 3 midi. and as i have a controller keyboard, akai sampler and a TR505 as well, i have to be carefull to not send any midi to the 303 as it plays anything it recieves(except midi clock). Sysex is a nightmare to use unless you have the maps preprogrammed. I couldnt be bothered. So, I just play on my controller keyboard connected to the 303, then replay the parts on external mode to my sequencer programme to edit. then erase the first try on the 303 and record the fixed up part from my sequencer onto the 303. hey presto everything is synced and i dont worry about the 303 recieving any midi note info. ta

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: Torgeir Berg
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Professional
Date: 22-May-05

within the last four years i`ve tried to make music with this techno-beast, and recently i have accomplished to make it swing my way. I Traded the mc303 with an old laptop and pretty much didnt now what it was all about, but by using it, taming its creeizy techno power, i`ve now can use it to make lovely soundscapes and dark industrial sounds. I`ve even use it in bandprojects! It took my 4 years tough.. By changing parameters and that sort of stuff, i`ve can make incredible sounds and sequences without that techno influence that this machine loooves to produce. Use it on stages, but be careful, or that creeizy techno-power WILL steal the show..

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: Martin C.
Email: No email added
http://web.archive.org/web/19981202055327/www.mc303.net/philosophy.htm...
Activity: Hobby-ist
Date: 24-May-05

The Groovebox Philosophy
by Martin C.

Its amazing how drastically one's views can be on something. Some people love the MC, others scorn it. But the fact of the matter is, unless you are willing to accept this little box within its own context, [then this is not the box for you].

If you want a TR909, a TR808, and a TB303, shell out the $3000 and go have a blast. I'm sure you will. Cuz I love them just as much as any other techno-head in the world. And if you just so happened to have bought this little $700 box thinking it would solve the worlds problems, then you are the idiot; not Roland.

It never set out to BE a TRwhatever---it just put SAMPLES of probably the most famous collection of analog synths. If you are sitting in your room, late one night, miles away from the studio, the MC303 will be there. You want to punch in a quick bassline, play with it and have a good time??? It'll be there. Up on stage with the 1200's spinning, wanting to add a little spice to your set... There again....

Wanna produce entrancing trance, soulful house, or drop-dead chaotic Jungle Madness??? Get a studio. Spend $10000(at least), get yourself a K2000, all the TRs and the TB, a Juno, a moog, a Matrix12, a JP8000, a rack filled with Eq's, effects processors, compressors, limiters, a mixing console, and, of course, a DAT machine... If you think you are gonna be the next Moby or the successor to the Chemical Brothers with your $700 box; dream on.

I love my groovebox. I honestly don't care that it doesn't have full midi implementation, because IMHO it was never really meant to be used as a pure module. It is a techno toy of sorts, and thats all Roland wanted it to be.

If you look at the last 20 years, and think about what else Roland has done; in terms of the quality of their gear, you can only come to one conclusion. If they wanted the thing to have a big light-up display, recordable knobs, full MIDI implementation, an integrated sampler, and all the other things that are bugging you; they would have. But it would have jacked up the price two-fold, and you wouldn't have bought it...

So in comparison to the analog gear, from a purist's perspective, the MC303 can't compare. But there really isn't quite anything like it on the market. A box with 448 sounds(about 150 of them descent), and all the other features, etc... Unique...

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: The Box Drone
Email: Email supplied but hidden
http://www.newmusiccanada.ca/genres/artist.cfm?band_id=15522
Activity: part-timer
Date: 02-Aug-05

This unit was my first piece of gear, and five years later, I still use it. I was recently trying to sell all of my little synth modules so I could get a Roland Fantom X, but I realized that I just couldn't part with my MC-303. I love it.

However, I think the above review was pretty fair... It does alot of stuff, but it's also quite limited. A truly creative user will be able to push it's limits pretty far though... I use it in a studio setup by exporting loops to my computer as wave files, then processing the crap out of them using cool edit & soundforge, and then putting them into a sampler... It also works awesome as a sequencer for my microKorg.

So yeah, it's not an all in one total solution, but it's fun, and it's useful. I have made entire songs on this thing & been quite pleased with them, though they're still charming to me today, I admit they haven't entirely stood the test of time.

As for anyone who knocks it for being a toy: So what? A creative artist can take pots and pans from the kitchen and make them sound good in a song. Just because something is a toy doesn't mean you can't make excellent music with it. Why do you think they call it 'PLAYING an instrument?'

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Product:  Roland - MC-303
Name: RAUL LOPES
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Hobby-ist
Date: 30-Jun-07

FENNOMENALL!!!!!!! I JUST GET ONE IN A FLEAMARKET FOR THE SUM OF......60 euros!!!!!!......JUST ONE BOGLE.....NO MANUAL!!...EVEN SO MY PURCHASED OF THE YEAR!!!!

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