Bad Gear - Roland MC303 - Worst Groovebox Of All Time???

In this episode of Bad Gear, the show about the world's most hated audio tools, we are going to rave with the Roland MC-303. Can the weird user interface and the presets from hell keep us from making music?
❤Thanks again to Alf for his MC-303❤

[@MP-kr3mh]

I hated my MC-303 so f*cking much 20 years ago that it even took me 6 months before i could watch this video.

[@AudioPilz]

Thanks for staying strong!💪

[@edjwise]

Arpeggiator midi out is the magic of that box.

[@DoctorBlankenstein]

edjwise yup

[@AudioPilz]

Really liked the arpeggios, as well

[@thomaskenneally219]

Oh yeah - the only productive aspect of this thing was using it as an arp for mono synths.

[@emdotambient]

Yep. Highly unusual and interesting arpeggiator. And it works quite well as a sound module, too.

[@mikehydropneumatic2583]

So it doesn't sound that good?

[@Kizunaut]

Part of me really wants to get this and bang out a record full of utter 90s cheese with this. The sound is like a 90s videogame trying to sound like 90s music. I love it so much.

[@AudioPilz]

Total classic

[@dr.papadopolis7171]

Definitely time to go back to the 90's

[@leonardfwuckle]

303 was fun but near where near enough space, it would always gets errors part way thru making up an epic song for 5 hours then crash 💥

[@MrBrandonLau]

No, house music and trance actually sounded like this until the early 2000s. Tb303 bass and tr808/909 drums.

[@TC-fj2bk]

People hate it because they don't know it's full capabilities.

[@AudioPilz]

To their defense: it can be quite tedious to use it to its full capabilities

[@TC-fj2bk]

I do hate the fact there are not at least 8 pads to work with, like my Electribe EM-1.

[@zackcolbourne6921]

Just like me!

[@shamman303]

I have 2 of them

[@wackerburg]

No one really does I fear 😂

[@jeremjerem]

Everything started with that little box for me 🥰 And for that...she have a special place in my heart. I instantly remebered the preset when you played it.

[@AudioPilz]

😍😍😍

[@youtubeii434]

your editing is hillarious

[@AudioPilz]

Thank you, KZbin II ;)

[@uriyorlov3375]

My MC-303 was given to me by my uncle who wanted to pursue a musician career back in the 90s. Now it found it's place in my setup as a good polyphonic synth and a great arpeggiator! Timeless machine...

[@AudioPilz]

That's the best way to use it

[@jeremyfox7599]

These videos are epic, awesome on every level! Looking forward to more! Please keep producing them!

[@AudioPilz]

Thanks! I will!

[@stickyfox]

What killed this machine for me was the fact that it can't stay on the beat. The more events you have in a pattern, the sloppier its timing gets. You can work around it because the lower number tracks get priority, so you can put the more percussive sounds on the first couple tracks, but if you listen carefully you can always tell something is off. The later models do not have this issue afaik. Oh and if you listened to the radio in the early/mid 2000s, you have heard lots of evidence that this box can make a hit song.

[@AudioPilz]

Midi timing is indeed a nightmare!

[@t0x0n1x]

The only way to solve that problem was to only use as few sounds on the same beat as possible. Nice limitation that. Once I was messing with one at some noobs house, and made a nice simple 909 acid track, and then he went and tried to add layers and layers of nonsense, trying to turn it into a Crystal Method track or something. Breakbeats and stuff. It rapidly decayed into sounding like MIDI had given up trying to play so many notes.

[@stickyfox]

@@t0x0n1x Yeah, it's worth noting that Crystal Method tend to perform live with more than one synthesizer. :) But you're right, it's fantastic as a drum machine with the occasional chromatic track or two. The "song mode" may as well have been left out, though.

[@t0x0n1x]

@@stickyfox crystal method also performed without some of their gear even plugged in..

[@stickyfox]

​@@t0x0n1x I didn't notice at the time, but at a Thrill Kill Kult show in the 90s a friend of mine told me that the drummer stopped mid-song to take a drink, and the drums kept going. :D

[@isaac_knife]

Still use this groovebox. Dirty sound , amazing arp, many different sounds . Love this box ❤

[@AudioPilz]

The arp is truly great

[@fiftywattplexi]

Fun story: about 10 years ago a friend of mine came to visit and his truck broke down and he couldn't drive it home. It ended up being a total nightmare and took hours to fix but I helped him in my driveway and we got it done. He felt so bad about it all that he gave me his MC-303 as a consolation gift lol! I've love-hated it ever since!

[@AudioPilz]

It really keeps the truck going;)

[@johncitizen8828]

Rumour has it the guy from the original Roland promo commercial is still having flashbacks...

[@AudioPilz]

Recently had a little chat with one of the JX-305 demo guys. Nice fellow!

[@AlexBallMusic]

I get regular stick on my Roland documentary for not having included the MC303 and now I'm glad I can direct those people to this video to satisfy their needs. 😂 Jokes aside, as a teenager of the 90s the MC303 sounds comforting and familiar to me.

[@AudioPilz]

Thank you, man! The documentary is on top of my playlist!

[@erikmccauley2088]

Greatest doc on KZbin

[@LousyFacelift]

Great documentaries on Roland and Arp! Should run on TV!

[@tomblaze2]

@@erikmccauley2088 It lulls me to sleep each night

[@ropeburn6684]

As a fellow 90s teenager, an MC303 sounds soft and mellow compared to the true beast of its time, teh 1997 Rave-O-Lution 309.

[@RichardHopkinsSmith]

Love this machine, Its a glorified drum machine with 808 and 909 built in sequencer, Powerful apprigiator (with accent), LFO and filters all programmable......once you've sat down to learn it all haha, Complicated bit of kit and very underrated

[@AudioPilz]

...with a rather steep learning curve;)

[@PedroAnastazi]

@@AudioPilz Somewhat.. but when u look at it like a building with function an shift buttons each adding to the actual button tasks, you soon discover that each button has at least 2 functions up to about 4 functions per button or button shift function combo... Yes its wierd, but as theres no lcd screen like the MC505 or the RM1x, you soon learn that its actually really intuitive once u get your head around HOW it works... ie function butotn with X key does this.. function AND shift with X key does that... Shift button with X key does the other... triple layer shift function key compbos... BUT all the info u need is actually on the KB itself... LFO shape, speed, arp type, style, pattern etc... It really is an underated unit... and those having issues with it, havent really come away from it with a lightbulb moment as you do with most gear... but as it doesnt work like most people expect it to, they think theres something wrong... its actually the other way round.. Before fruity loops and before ableton or Orion, this is the only choice u had when it came to working with instant drop in/out looping... until Yamaha and Quasimi jumped into the throng but by then, ROland had already started work on the 505... Most gear lets u get your head in... but u come away scratching it wondering wtf your doing.. but once u get a flow of this does this and that does that and this is the mojo of HOW to get to those sounds to sound this way and compensate the dying voices and stupid slow processor, it gets REALLY easy.. Honeslty, its still a better scratch pad than most gear ive ever used.. and ive used ALOT of gear in my 30yrs of doing this LOLLL Now, if u want a REALLY tough learning curve, hit up the Yamaha RM1x or even worse, the RS7000... its literally using different languages and names for even the most basic of functions... hahahaha

[@nonnufan]

Great vid. I love the MC303, and still have the one I bought in 97. I made shitloads of techno on it, which meant going deep in the menus and fx to get it to sound as abstract as possible, putting perc on their own channels instead of using the rhythm one, chorusing the shit out of kicks, arpeggiating toms. Great fun for messing around and learning the form. It was also surprisingly good for making lofi hip hop beats to study to. The rhodes and organ samples were quite nice and not forgetting, of course, the glorious vinyl noise loop. These days I'm scared to turn it on as I've never changed the battery. 23 years of U01-U50 were still in there earlier this year, though!

[@AudioPilz]

The one you can see in the video hadn't been turned on for almost 20 years

[@jonathanstel5394]

U can replace the battery with the adapter connected so nothing will be erased. Tried it myself, even the on/off switch doesn't matter in this case.

[@apislapis]

Nearly 2 hours for a video guide, WOW. Fell off the sofa into a heap on the floor laughing when you said WHAT?!!!. Killer stuff Florian, 5 star.

[@AudioPilz]

Thank you so much!

[@synthlord2368]

As a hardware synth guy, I actually really like using the 303 as a midi controller. Pressing shift 14 allows you to change the track from internal to an external. Each track corresponds to a specific midi channel. So track 2 controls midi channel 2, 3-3, ect. Set up your external gear to a midi channel to correspond and you have an excellent brain for your set up. Most people are completely unaware of this. I've created many songs using it this way. I agree the internal sounds are pretty crappy. My only REAL gripe is the lack of memory in the thing. I've since moved on to the MC-707. It lacks the Arpeggiator ( which was crazy good in the 303) so I still hang onto my 303 to program the 707.

[@AudioPilz]

The 303 arp is great!

[@scowlsmcjowls2626]

@@AudioPilz but 505 is better!

[@deathhzrd]

How is this so hated, this thing is sick

[@AudioPilz]

It's really hard to wrap one's head around it and most of the presets totally suck

[@lukealexanderrobertsthefir458]

@@AudioPilz you mean you did not like it there first it's universally hated? These were on plenty of hit songs in the 90s and 00s

[@AudioPilz]

@@lukealexanderrobertsthefir458 there are quite some real 303 lovers but according to my research I would consider it universally hated

[@lukealexanderrobertsthefir458]

@@AudioPilz The prodigy pioneered the 90s UK dance and acid House scene using these boxes. They feature on more early dance tracks than you can shake a stick at your overall take on the machine was already pre determined based on the reviews you saw online.

[@lardosian]

@@lukealexanderrobertsthefir458 I bought one when it came out, in fairness the sound and presets are pretty rubbish.

[@LousyFacelift]

The sequencer of the MC-303 is a lot more powerful than the ones in all Korg Electribes including the polyphonic Electribe 2. More polyphony, up to 32 bars per pattern, combinable scales that allow you to start out a four fourths pattern and throw in triplets at any given time. The sound is punchy as hell, listen to the example of the 808 played at 1:06, the 909 samples sound even better. It can sound really good if you know how to use it right but yes, there is a learning curve. I just recently bought one (again) used after ~20 years but had to send it back due to a defective output but still had lots of fun playing it and wish I could have kept it. Look at it like a great digital drum machine with good effects and great synth features. DO NOT EXPECT A TB-303 TYPE SOUND ! but that's Roland for you... The only thing that was driving me nuts was a missing hold function for the arpeggiator but maybe it's there somewhere and I just didn't find it. The MC-303 is highly underrated though, just like the MC-505 which is even (a lot) more value for money.

[@AudioPilz]

I really like the MC-303 sounds but the sequencer is totally counterintuitive to me. I really wanted to like it but I just can't wrap my head around it. Each time I understand one feature I forget another one I already knew how to use ;)

[@LousyFacelift]

AudioPilz Really? Well, it took me some time but I really like it by now. There are things to look out for though. When you switch scales while recording in TR mode the sequencer always starts from the beginning, so you have to find the right place where you wanted to insert notes on this new scale which can throw you off. I've mostly used it for drums and basslines though, not so much for writing chords and melodic lines in step mode, I would rather use the realtime record mode for this. I'm using the MC-505 most of the time though. Their sequencers are much alike but not completely the same. It's a shame the MC-303 doesn't record knob movements for example. I made a bunch of videos on the MC-505, this one is about how to use the sequencer: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pF6zpKCHrdqLfpo

[@RegebroRepairs]

@@AudioPilz Interesting. I thought it was super-easy to use. I borrowed one from a friend a few months and made a bunch of songs with a 303 only.

[@senhorlampada]

I was reading your comments, really confused, thinking "But LousyFacelift has some epic MC-303 videos" but now I just realized it was the EMX ones lol :-P

[@LousyFacelift]

Matheus Barros Hey man, thanks for watching my EMX vids! I had an MC-303 back in '97 and traded it for an MC-505 in 2000 but back then I simply didn't know how to use them properly. I was just messing around hoping for "happy accidents" which was kind of fun but not completely satisfying. I bought the EMX in 2009 and through its completely different concept I learned to focus on other aspects in sound design and writing sequences. I reached a point when dealing with the limitations in the EMX really helped me understand and appreciate so many things the MC boxes have to offer. So in a way the EMX taught me how to use the Roland MCs. I bought so many other grooveboxes since then, ESX-1, MC-909, RM1X, AN-200 and more. I still love my EMX but the MC-505 has become my go to machine, it's such a great box! I made a series of tutorials on the 505 like I have for the EMX, in case anyone is interested...😉

[@osiris5315]

Dope vid! The Groovebox always been a guilty pleasure of mine

[@AudioPilz]

Thanks! Never had one, now had an excuse to get one for the video ;)

[@timpayne7676]

The MC303 sold really well because of a sound it was incapable of making. Nearly 20 years later and I can still feel my blood start to boil at the utter disappointment of the MC303.

[@AudioPilz]

I feel you. It was the first ever real groovebox, nevertheless.

[@LousyFacelift]

Yes... MC-303, Juno D, Jupiter 80... thanks a lot Roland!

[@__teles__]

Ah, an actual original owner like myself. That plastic filter over a terrible sample is something to behold.

[@lardosian]

@@__teles__ That sums up this machine perfectly!! It was my first piece of gear, then I picked up a novation drum station and was blown away by the sounds, still have both.

[@paulhardy9252]

I had one & it was the most disappointing piece of music hardware I ever owned, I fell for the marketing showing a TB-303 / TR-909 alternative' which it definitely wasn't.

[@wayneanderson2866]

Excellent video! I bought my MC 303 in 98-99 & never did much with it. All I had was a demo video cassette tape from Roland as a quick start guide....but honestly I was so intimidated by the menu diving I did little besides play around with the factory preset loops. I traded it in for other gear around 2005. More recently in 2019 I bought a used one again with being determined to figure it out but haven’t really done anything yet. Still glad I have it bc one day I’m sure I’ll eventually do something cool with it 😜

[@AudioPilz]

Thank you!!!

[@davedagreat69]

Your videos are excellent. Really well edited, and interesting. I can't believe you only have 697 subscribers, I suspect it will start to snowball soon.

[@AudioPilz]

Thank you so much!

[@nickfbatombrew1436]

Great news just got my own MC303 so my wife and neighbourhood are going to get a blast of from the past I must say your vids have certainly improved keep up the great work 👍☢️

[@AudioPilz]

Nice!!! Thanks!

[@duncanjones7310]

i love this machine even though there's definitely lots of unusable sounds and a bit of a learning curve. the arpeggiator is siiick, some of the pads are heavenly, think ps2 start-up and the sequencer is surprisingly powerful, great for making polyrhythms and using over the barline phrasing

[@AudioPilz]

The arp is indeed great!

[@myfaveyoutube]

Always sounded so muffled to me I don't know what it wss

[@duncanjones7310]

@@myfaveyoutube dunno might be that the filter was down

[@myfaveyoutube]

@@duncanjones7310 haha no I mean overall. Never found a punchy sound

[@baxoutthebox5682]

I bought one of these and would watch the video manual for 30 mins each night before bed. Problem was, I kept falling asleep and needed to rewatch the segment over and over. Eventually I gave in and began using it as a bedtime ritual to get me ready to fall asleep each night.

[@AudioPilz]

Damn, never slept that good in my entire life...

[@g-d-b]

I own one of these from the 90s. It was my first and only music instrument since then until now when I have finally gotten back into learning and playing with music. Never got to use it much or understand it (the learning curve was too steep especially for a music illiterate who aspired to produce some music one day). Now 25 years later (career took me in different direction) with modern tools I am finding being able to fiddle with music for fun much more accessible and understandable. So I pulled out the old MC-303 and it still works and sounds decent. I completely agree with you that as a separate sound module with a DAW it is not bad. Absolutely love your channel. I just bought the Korg NTS-1 two weeks ago and actually love it. Your review on that one was fantastic too. Opinions are so spot on and the content so entertaining and funny. Music in your videos sounds fantastic too. Keep it up - so inspirational and entertaining!

[@AudioPilz]

Thank you!!!

[@amarug]

I got this for my 12th birthday when it was new in 1996. I spent weeks and months making all kinds of techno, trance and house songs with it. I still have all of them, as I recorded them on a mini-disk and later transferred to mp3. I never knew it was "controversial", I absolutely loved it, I thought it was the coolest "thing" I ever got my fingers on. It could literally do anything I wanted and the sounds were everything I could dream of. My only "criticism" was that when I made the songs too heavy with lots of tracks and fast pace, the processor would crap out and it started to slurr, which at times left me quite bummed out because I really wanted to go "all out" sometimes 😂😂 good times

[@AudioPilz]

Nice!!!

[@Its303AcidBass]

Writers have this phrase "kill your darlings" to chop away things they like, but may not be entirely essential to the story. That's what we have to do with groovebox limitations.

[@ddr4ig]

Late nineties owners (like me) will always remember the 'boxy' sounds with a sense of nostalgia and frustration... It became a badge of honour to get it to sound good!

[@AudioPilz]

Yeah, you really have to tweak them

[@PedroAnastazi]

LOL Back in 2002, one of my tracks (hardcore/hardtrance before "hardtrance" with breakbeat drops were a thing) was done using an mc303 and a Roland/Boss SP202 phrase sampler (which didnt have or midi clock sync or stretch to clock), so you had to use the knob to adjust the pitch the match the BPM LOLLL... and it only had midi note on/off, so your samples could either trigger at a key press, or only play back when the note is held down ... Actually got to number 1 for a week or so on the old mp3 dot com charts hahahhaa ... I only noticed when it slipped to number 4.... I dno about badge of honour, but it was kinda funny to see coz at the time, those were the only pieces of kit i had connected to an ancient dj mixer with only a master eq without individual channel EQ... all the while entire studios were releasing muliple tracks per week and dominating the charts.. so there must have been something the MC303 did right.. somewhere.. somehow... I'll always vouch for it, even though some of the sounds make a blocked toilet sound like a symphony....hahahahaha

[@meangene408]

I still own mine from 98. Taught me so much and I loved it but it really is the dearest toy I ever bought. Really showed Rolands road map for the next 20 years. Constantly reinvent bad versions of classic gear every 5 or 6 years.

[@AudioPilz]

They messed up quite some stuff

[@drumfaktry]

Roland never really got how their early machines were misused to invent dance music! They fought it for ages, but even when they decided to cash in they did it like your grandad might trying to be cool. They never saw the value in their early analogue stuff, because they were obsessed with trying to emulate real instruments for “real” musicians. The dance “kids” still seem to annoy them, despite paying the bills and many of them pushing 50 or 60 yo now :D

[@ascentialamalgorhythm2991]

I've got the whole collection of the MC series, with 2 909's, I've got the MC808 hooked into my SP808 just for fun. This is the second 303 I've had because the family would not be as big as it is if it weren't for this little gem. But really, to be honest the best one is the 307. Ive had mine for about 20 years. Bought it new for like 700.00 back in 2001

[@liam7854]

I have an old MC808 that is quite literally hiding in the corner of my room, I feel bad that I don't use it - would be cool to see you do a video one of those! I always get inspired watching your jams and I just know after seeing you jam out on one, I will be all over it.

[@AudioPilz]

Thanks! They're still pretty expensive in my area but searching for one

[@ultramouse]

used to tour with this thing and an SP-505. obviously that’s a more well-regarded machine (for a reason) but the construction of the 303 was so solid and the addition of a sampler made a really great setup with only two boxes.

[@AudioPilz]

Nice old school setup

[@defaultoperation7986]

This thing is really useful to make Goa Trance with it.

[@AudioPilz]

Total trance beast!

[@droetkering]

And fukin Jungle

[@paulbarton6659]

I remember my bro buying one back in '97 - great intro to synths and dance music but don't take it too seriously though! We used the MC-303 in our live dnb band back in the 90's for synths and bass and 808 kick - too fiddly to program so just used preset sounds and played live!! Still gets used if I need something to keep a door open tho. I'd love to see an AudioPilz review of the MC-909. My MC-909 is pumped full of dnb samples and breaks just so I can make dnb without using a DAW (I'm pushing 50 now so get distracted too easily by adverts for slippers and cardigans) . Your videos are hilarious - keep up the good work mate!

[@AudioPilz]

Thank you! Yeah, those ads are quite a productivity killer;)

[@judclark7376]

I love the sound of cross feedback of the two effects when they crash. my biggest gripe about it is the limited user memory.

[@AudioPilz]

Crashing FX😍🥰😍🥰tell me more

[@florude04]

@@AudioPilz send reverb to chorus, and chorus to reverb, you will get a kind of digital distortion.

[@laviejaguardia1900]

In love with my 307 for more than 1 year, with a keyboard midi controller is just awesome. Now I´m trying to secunece his sounds through the KP2 but I don´t find the correct midi configurations, it is possible to do this forwarding through a Kaos pad KP2?

[@EnviroDouglas]

I just got one... my 2nd. Didn’t think twice to keep the 1st one over 20 years ago, tho I began missing it when I decided to go DAW-less. I use it for one of my performance sequencers. No, it’s not a Kilpatrick Carbon; not even close, but it’s great for what it does do. I don’t use it as a sound module because I remember back when I had my 1st MC-303 and overloading it. The sequences would drag with too much going on. Now, I have plenty of modules/synths for this to power. I’m even considering getting a midi/cv adaptor to incorporate some of my eurorack modular gear. Thank you for this fresh and entertaining take on what I found to be a somewhat limited powerhouse of a sequencer groovebox 🥰

[@AudioPilz]

Thanks for watching!

[@pauloakden3201]

Would you be willing to revisit the MC303 in the style of your modern videos? This is the ultimate piece of Bad Gear, it deserves a thorough review!

[@AudioPilz]

Great idea, thanks!!!

[@brianlarsen6211]

​@AudioPilz Please Florian 😢

[@marcoabyss]

i still have my original mc303 from the 90s. i love that thing.

[@AudioPilz]

Cool retro sounds!

[@EmmanouelKatsoulakis]

I actually just sold my 303 and bought the 909. It was very fun using it and yes there are loads of unusable sounds but do not forget that half the 90s house music was made with this little beast

[@AudioPilz]

Even people who have no idea of electronic music production know most of the patterns

[@ShitStaindGod]

That Dr. Slump shirt is awesome.

[@AudioPilz]

Thanks!

[@THEREALDATALORD]

Haters gonna hate but the MC-303 is lit.

[@AudioPilz]

They will, anyway...

[@MeneTekelUpharsin]

I love playing with it. Has it's limitations but you can get creative with it.

[@micknight8158]

Traded my korg dw6000 4 it. To save room. Loved it!

[@alexwestconsulting]

@@weplaywax said someone who never had one

[@Maico77]

I had it back in the days...was my first machine ever... i loved it i have to say.... i sell it after 3/4 year but honestly... lot of fun for that period

[@AudioPilz]

Yeah, it's a fun machine

[@melona3727]

I love the Style of your vids :)

[@AudioPilz]

Thank you !

[@drewshka]

You inspired me to buy one of these from eBay and I absolutely love it!

[@AudioPilz]

Cool!

[@zeneixi]

Static-X’s Koichi Fukuda uses a mc-303 when they recorded the famous Push It for some electronic parts of the song. Any tool is useful as long as you know how to use it.

[@AudioPilz]

Cool. Had some other conversation about static-x today concerning this one kzbin.info/www/bejne/sIuTeYd8nrWYr8U

[@fisk0]

Huh, the issues I and most people I've talked with about the MC-303 weren't covered here. I like the sequencer and the sounds of the machine, but you suggest using it as a sound module with a DAW - and that's where the problems come up. If you don't have a late revision of the unit it just doesn't work well with external gear. In Groovebox mode it can only listen on one channel at a time, so that's basically only for recording into the sequencer mode. As a sound module, it crashes a lot as it can't handle any significant amount of MIDI data at any time, and it uses a non-standard MIDI implementation requiring a lot of special messages to be sent to it. Aside from that, early versions suffer from other severe bugs - for example the internal clock consistently drops a 16th note every minute or so, slowly drifting it out of sync with other gear, and the memory available for user patterns is incredibly limited. They have like 200 factory presets on that thing, and even though they list 20 user patterns you can only use 2-3 of them before memory runs out. And, well if you have one of those early revisions you can't just upgrade the firmware easily. It can't be updated via MIDI, only by sending it to service to have the ROM chip replaced with a newer version. A service Roland hasn't offered in 20 years or so. I basically only use it as a sampling source nowadays.

[@AudioPilz]

Unfortunately, there is no convenient solution. I woud go with the one-sound-at-a-time process

[@jimneegs3887]

Damn, how do you tell which version you have?

[@fisk0]

​@@jimneegs3887 if you hold Shift+Scale+R(BD) at the same time, the revision number should appear on the display. 1.03 is the newest version which has most of the bugs fixed.

[@baddriddimworkshop]

i'm shure you can find better firmware, oh ok jim just solved that, so i guess i'm out...

[@RutgerVos]

You can find firmware chips on ebay and install them yourself

[@mano123456]

I loved mine so much. I got mine when I was 16, the day it arrived in France. Thank you for playing the patterns!! Memories... IMHO it's a great little box. I bet many haters today started with one back in 1996.

[@AudioPilz]

...or didn't get one (like me;)

[@rars0n]

Intro music was straight-up awesome!

[@AudioPilz]

MC303 PRESET POWER!!!

[@rectalfission]

I think that the 303 is great if you get to learn it's intricacies. I'm using a 505 which is built on the same base as the 303 with extra bells and whistles (and the greatest of the greats, the D-Beam...). I love this stuff once sent through an FX chain, sounds just as relevant as anything else !

[@AudioPilz]

Yeah, FX chains make a real difference!!!

[@deliveriders2592]

i love the mc 303... you can dig the sounds

[@AudioPilz]

Yeah, really like the sound. Instant 90s flashback

[@MeneTekelUpharsin]

Same here. I didn't know so many people hate it.

[@hdslave]

This is certified bad gear if there ever was one

[@brunocpimenta]

Bad gear comes a long way now. Its funny to see the "this is not even my final form" Florian voice over, but moments of pure joy as in 3:35 should *realy* make a comeback someday

[@baddriddimworkshop]

we used to luv tha gfunk style demosong though. a lot of people in my generation learned on these, and later used them for midi sequencing (used ones are still being sold very expensiv though, and people call em "vintage", you know what that means on ebay...)

[@AudioPilz]

Still cheap in my area, they must have sold a ton of them here

[@Rompler_Rocco]

It's time to start cloning the MC-303 filter! If a movie can be so bad it's good, then maybe so should filters?

[@AudioPilz]

It's not exactly a moog

[@StefanoPettinelli]

The intro track made my day!

[@captainwibbly]

wow , your hype is so relaxed in the good olde days

[@AudioPilz]

😀

[@MarshalArnold]

2:44, that's some nice MC 303-ing!

[@AudioPilz]

Thanks!

[@LittleRichard1988]

I can't understand why anyone would hate the MC-303, it was the first ever Groovebox synth, even though I have an MC-505 the TR-808 drums are a little more crisp ( not that it justifies me getting a 303 ). Not to mention the TR-909 drums still sound convincing enough to fool many people into thinking they are hearing an actual 909. "Re-purposed Sound Canvas?" like that's really a "bad thing?" A Groovebox is a cheaper and more compact way of getting some classic Roland synth sounds and drum machines in one box. I think my Uncle possibly borrowed an MC-303 back in 1997, I remember him setting a Groovebox up at my Gran's house and letting us have a whirl on it ( under strict supervision ). Even though my Uncle said the MC-505 was the only Groovebox he owned and had no recollection of an MC-303 I think he must have owned a 303 as the MC-505 came out in 1998 even though the 505's manual was indeed printed in 1997.

[@AudioPilz]

Keep in mind that there is a whole generation of raver kids who got quite frustrated when they had to figure out the sequencer of the MC303. No pain, no gain, I suppose;)

[@maciejlegowicz5834]

@@AudioPilz yes - if "raver kids" had a problem with reading and understanding the manual - sorry - too many drugs. I had this back in 1997-8 and it was really piece of cake. And as @Jack and Jill Marly says - this was FIRST groovebox thing on the market. God knows if that actually opened the doors for new kind of instruments. Yamaha RM1x and so, Don't mention the Korg E series ... So the MC-303 was the Ford Model T Cheerio

[@plutones]

As an owner of it I find this video truly hilarious...well done, Sir

[@AudioPilz]

Thanks!

[@pepuletrz]

sooo love this machine.still. take a dive into all the delay, reveb, chorus and flange settings.

[@AudioPilz]

Classic!!!

[@Synthematix]

The beloveds "the sun rising" was made one this so were a lot of the ace of base and 90s reggae songs.

[@AudioPilz]

Just pushed play on this one. It's so MC303!

[@ascissors]

However cruddy, this was my first bit of gear and 20 years later I still regret selling mine. The worst thing IMO was the very limited, almost non existent storage. I would use up all the memory for a track, record it to tape, and then delete the patterns and start over.

[@AudioPilz]

Yeah, it's like 50 user patterns...

[@fisk0]

@@AudioPilz Have you actually been able to use more than a couple of patterns? Maybe it's just the battery in mine that needs replacement, but I run out of note memory within 2-3 patterns maximum, a moderately busy pattern can use it all up alone.

[@ascissors]

That's how it was for me; only a few patterns before the memory was used up. Ended up replacing it with an rm1x which had a floppy drive.

[@moonboogien8908]

I used a 303 AND a 505 with effects while my friend mixed some records... We used to for real blow speakers, but the jams were original and pretty good. I love my grooveboxes to this day.

[@AudioPilz]

Conepushing duo!

[@mistylandschaft]

krass gutes Video, liebe den Stil! Weiter so!

[@AudioPilz]

Besten Dank!!!

[@sjcongo]

I loved my mc303 it was one of the best dance hardware

[@AudioPilz]

It's in its DNA

[@CaidicusProductions]

I have an MC-808 and a lot of the "dated" criticisms could be leveled at it. That said, if you start a project from scratch, you can really make some unusual music from it. It really depends on the user.

[@AudioPilz]

Never tried the more advanced MCs

[@CaidicusProductions]

@@AudioPilz I hope you get the chance, one day. The 808 is such a pleasure to use. I bought that and a Korg EMX-1 at the same time, both fun machines.

[@georgegeez8708]

Back in '97, I had a choice of the MC-303 or the Akai MPC2000. My friend convinced me to get the MPC. Best thing I did, but still wanted an MC-303. I just aquired one this summer during pandemic for only $140. It is definitely a fun machine. I use it as a synth with my MPC. I think the sounds are great once I run them through EQs and effects. I would recommend getting one as long as it's cheap like I bought mine.

[@AudioPilz]

Yeah, outboard FX really help with these

[@MilitiaDeiBroadcast]

4:20 Crazy 'what we need' drum rolls! Very difficult to produce with the internal sequencer, though....

[@AudioPilz]

I had to use Ableton for this. Super tricky on the MC!!!

[@MattGreerMusic]

Hate it or love, it was a revolutionary product that still informs gear design today.

[@AudioPilz]

So true! I agree!

[@BrunoLuisGarcia]

Love it!

[@Al-vj3rf]

I still have mine from 25 years ago. It's amazing. I don't even need to use my pc. It's real sound you can play with, turning knobs and dials like the good old days. If you like the retro sounds, a built in sequencer and drum machine, and you don't mind spending a few hours trying to figue it out, then this is the machine for you.

[@AudioPilz]

Nice!!!

[@RegebroRepairs]

A friend of mine had a 303 that I borrowed for a few months, and made a whole bunch of songs on. It's really nice. Sure, the synth isn't very flexible, but it perfectly usable.

[@AudioPilz]

Absolutely! It was a proper starting point for many people

[@latontolog]

2:00 made me literally laugh out loud I wonder, however, if the Yamaha AN200 is not a worse groovebox though, as every time you change the pattern it drops the first note of the new pattern. (The synth side is pretty great though)

[@AudioPilz]

Thanks, happy to hear that. The AN200 came up a few times

[@86realitytv]

i have a 303 and i love it

[@AudioPilz]

You either love it or...

[@BrunoLuisGarcia]

I have two and I love them!

[@tmengucor]

In my 20 I made dozens of live sets using just a mc-303 synced with a xp-50. The mc-303 sounds very 90s and it's a funny box to play with but it has a very basic midi implementation..you basically can only sync it. And when you use all the channels and realtime controls..it can go temporary out of sync. In any case I just love it.

[@AudioPilz]

Yeah, midi is hell on that one

[@theprogrammerrolandmc3039]

The sequencer is good i like to make abstract techno no effects recorded straight into cubase live kzbin.info/www/bejne/oWalp42KjKZ0Z9U

[@AynsleyGreen]

The bit at 3:50 made me spit out my tea, now my keyboard isn't working, thanks

[@AudioPilz]

Please don't sue!

[@AynsleyGreen]

Your editing is some of the best I've seen on KZbin

[@LouisSerieusement]

I made the mistake to buy one when I first begun electronic music ; it was so terrible I waited 3 years before selling it back, because I didn't want another newbie to experiment such a torture, which could lead him to stop making music forever ; Finally I found a 40yo guy who bought it for nostalgia, so he knew what it was

[@AudioPilz]

40yo guy with nostalgia? Did you sell to me? ;)

[@body-horrorragdolls1826]

I believe Devi Mccalion from the band black dresses uses one of these to get the groovey industrial sounds Edit: My bad MC-505

[@AudioPilz]

Good to know!

[@PolicemanPlanet]

mc-505!

[@PolicemanPlanet]

unrelated, Xiu Xiu makes their first two albums on a MC-307 as well

[@body-horrorragdolls1826]

@@PolicemanPlanet Fuck yeah love Xiu Xiu. Looks like noisy bands sure make a lot of work out of these MC synths huh!

[@PolicemanPlanet]

@@body-horrorragdolls1826 yeah! its a killer tool. i think i copped my 307 for 250 in near mint condition. go get you one!

[@kvmoore1]

Back in late 2002, I borrowed an MC-303 from a friend to mess around with. I liked the sound of it so I ordered my own. Soon afterwards, I found out how limited the midi implementation is on the MC-303 as far as using it for a sound module (which was how I planned to use it). As a result, I cancelled my order for the MC-303 and bought the much better MC-505 instead, only to find out later the MC-909 with sampling and a big screen had just been released. Anyhow, I enjoyed the MC-505 and it served it's purpose well for me during the time I owned it.

[@AudioPilz]

Nothing wrong with an MC505 (OK, the display really sux)

[@DJVHANproductions]

I loved the "contemporary" jam

[@AudioPilz]

Thanks!

[@MrBeatcreep]

I love all the mc‘s❤️

[@AudioPilz]

Classics!

[@cromulentcorncommander]

How have I never heard of this channel before? Dudes a right laugh. Oder auf deutsch, brudi ist sehr komisch? (i just realised I really need to go back to studying German again)

[@AudioPilz]

Besten Dank!

[@formlessuk]

@@AudioPilz seconded :)

[@RANDOMLOOPGENERATOR]

Haha, I picked up my second Roland MC-303 on Friday, haven't had one for years. Much more use to me now, I've got it hooked up to the Quasimidi Sirius, Roland SH-32 and Korg Micro X 👌

[@AudioPilz]

Cool setup! As your attorney I would advise you to buy a third MC303...

[@RANDOMLOOPGENERATOR]

@@AudioPilz I sold the first a long time ago, I'd rather get the 505 😉

[@rodrigolucas2413]

Dope Arale chan shirt !

[@andrewstanworth529]

I've had two, & anyone who says they can't get something good out of it, really has no imagination or sense of adventure! It has an incredible array of sounds, & even the awful ones (I'm looking at you, trumpet 🎺!) If pitched down sufficiently, sound Great. I now have a 505, along with a lot of other analogue synths, but this little guy saw me through a lot of lean times, when I had time, but no money. This & the Roland MC 101 sampler (with 128mgb memory card!) & A Yamaha DJX 1, formed the backbone of our home studio for about 15 years, & we got SOOOO much out of it. The manual, however, sucks donkey noodle! Now, I have said my bit, let the savaging begin! 😂(That'll teach me to have an opinion!!!)

[@AudioPilz]

Quite a bunch of happy MC303 owners around here. Feel safe;)

[@VincentsVideoVisions]

Personally I've always loved the 303/505/909 Grooveboxes. The 505 is probably my favorite overall.

[@AudioPilz]

Legendary for numerous reasons...

[@VincentsVideoVisions]

@@AudioPilz and sadly way overpriced these days. I'd love to get my hands on one again but theres no way I'm gonna pay current asking prices

[@AudioPilz]

True that! Maybe at some garage sale...

[@LousyFacelift]

The MC-505 is not overpriced in my opinion, even considering the prices have gone up a bit. Anything below €/$ 500,- is still an absolute steal bargain for what it can do. I wouldn't recommend it to beginners but when you've figured out how to use it it can become a true first choice desert island dream machine.

[@VincentsVideoVisions]

@@LousyFacelift The last time I bought a MC-505 I think I paid about $300 and that was with a brand new green LCD screen and the unit itself was mint. People these days are insane and ask way too much for a 505. No way I'd pay $500 for one. You have to really want that particular sort of 'dated' sound. The MC-303 in particular goes for insane asking prices these days. For years they were sitting at $150 used (or less)... and nowadays people are asking $250-300 for one in shitty condition lol. No thanks. There's so much awesome gear these days that I can't justify spending that much on a Groovebox.

[@Nova_Afterglow]

That Arale shirt is 🔥 !!! I only know of her from the crossover ep on DB Super. Funny as hell. I’m pretty sure she split the whole Earth in half 😆

[@AudioPilz]

❤︎Arale❤︎

[@rejectedsynths]

Cointidentially, I've just done a video on the MC 303 for my channel too. While I kind of hated it back in the 90s, while working on my video and digging out my own ancient MC303, I realized that it was and still is a pretty unique little machine. Even if you only use it as a hardware sequencer, all the live features like on the fly muting, quantizing, transposing and of course the apreggiator make it a great tool for DAWless live performances. And I guess of course, for many of and around my age, a lot of nostalgia is involved too ;)

[@AudioPilz]

Just watching the video. Thumbs up!

[@DocBolus]

So what do you reckon would be the price to pay for a second hand one? Looking for a hardware sequencer for live stuff

[@AudioPilz]

@@DocBolus the learning curve of the MC303 is rather steep, so not my first choice as a hardware seq. I would also not pay more than 200 bucks. Probably think about a Beatstep Pro

[@rejectedsynths]

@@DocBolus Here in Germany they are often listed around 150€ but I've seen some go on ebay auctions for less than 130€. There is a German synth site that keeps track on a lot of vintage gear prices, they have it at 170€: www.amazona.de/syntacheles/

[@DocBolus]

@@rejectedsynths Useful site to know. Enjoyed the vid too, been looking on ebay but you can get a circuit for just a few bucks more, having a good think about this one.

[@marvingarcia920]

This box is great. The arpeggiator has style to me. kicks are great too. I love the low boost. Use this with a DAW?. If you use a DAW. There is no reason to use this box. I think.

[@AudioPilz]

I would have to apply a lot of plugin magic to get that boxy 90s sound out of a DAW;)

[@onefiverKern]

My first Groovebox 1997. RIP

[@AudioPilz]

In everlasting memory

[@vodkaonthelawn5154]

used one of these prior to publishing music online. remember being very happy using a footpedal (on and off) with the arpeggiator. with a pedal the arp can be set to play notes in order without holding the buttons down in order. that pedal then allows changing the order of the notes while playing. using that for straight quarter notes or other arpeggios really allows more time for tweaking and effecting sounds or using other instruments without recording and calling patterns on the 303.

[@AudioPilz]

Nice technique!!!

[@vodkaonthelawn5154]

@@AudioPilz :)

[@cujocommander]

You make the BEST videos mate

[@AudioPilz]

Thank you so much!!!

[@sheepkillindog]

Bought one, repaired it, sold it, just bought another one. I just can’t shake it

[@AudioPilz]

It's a classic!

[@kromanaut]

Haha the MC 303 was the first piece of gear that I bought when I was 15 years old. Saved up my allowance and yard work money for many months to afford it. And man, buying, unboxing and turning it on for the first time, hitting play on pattern A01 and tweaking that sweet cutoff knob, was a transcendental experience for me as a kid wanting to get into electronic music production. This was the first hardware sequencer I learned on, and introduction to all the tr x0x drum sounds. So I guess I will always have a place for the MC 303 in my heart. I sold mine years ago, and part of me wishes I still had one to mess around on occasionally. But I have to admit, all these years later, it does sound pretty damn cheesy. I wonder if the MC303's particular brand of late 90s cheese could ever become back in style, and producers will be buying these for their "vintage" sound. LOL.

[@AudioPilz]

Hoping for the ultimate revival of late 90s trash boxes too;)

[@IknowJones]

I honestly bought it specifically for that vintage sound lol

[@kromanaut]

@@IknowJones That's awesome! Hope you enjoy making tunes with it.

[@chubbersz]

I really enjoy your videos

[@AudioPilz]

THX!

[@MrMoxx02]

i used my mc303 exactily as he sugested as a sound module due to its totally big amount of sounds at that time - it was a big supplement to my sound canvas in a time where audio recording didnt exist on a normal computer - everything was midi and vst instruments was not invented yet as far as i remember - I programmed the things at my computer and played it with the band with a midi box with floppy disks

[@AudioPilz]

Way to go back then!

[@vincizara]

Old school rocks 🤟🤖

[@AudioPilz]

There's only one school

[@halcyondaystunes]

how can it be the worst...It's what started alot of peoples careers...It's a great little 'scratchpad' for ideas even to this day...and those who hate on it obviously have no idea...Remember it's what you do with the gear, not how good or cool it is...

[@AudioPilz]

I have to admit that I might not have the cognitive skills to handle the MC303

[@burnTrobot]

This was on Tour with our Burnt Spacepop from 1998-2001 and we played hundreds of shows. It was totally dependable and amazing.

[@AudioPilz]

Nice!!!

[@tomblaze2]

I feel like you could easily go back and do some more videos with the MC - 303 - Such a Classic ' Bad ' Groovebox - We need more than 5 mins of content on this!

[@AudioPilz]

The "Bad Gear Pipeline" is still in good shape. There'll be a time for that. Thanks!

[@Stadsjaap]

And the fact that you lose all tweak controls when running in module mode. Whose stroke of genius was that..?

[@AudioPilz]

Did run into this obstacle as well. EXTREMELY frustrating

[@Stadsjaap]

@@AudioPilz still, it's an 8 track midi sequencer, which is always welcome