Trying the Verselab MV-1 with NO Prior Experience

[@Androsynth75]

The MV-1 is incredibly underrated. It’s a full daw replacement without being a daw in a box like an MPC, and more of a classic groovebox interface. 8 tracks, the full zen core sound engine with synthesis, as wel as a full sampler, a vocal processor, and FX box (with dozens of FX), not to mention a full song mode, step sequencer, and full use/access to your sample library. It’s incredibly deep, much like the mc-101 and sp404mk 2. Like those, it rewards a bit of study. Once you get it, it’s fantastic. Oh, and it’s also a full audio interface that runs of a power bank for weeks. I took mine camping and used it daily. Charge on the power bank went down 10% by weeks end. If you want a screen plug the usb cable into a phone, Tara let or pc and the (free) Zenbeats software acts as a full screen editor much like the OP-Z. This thing should be way, way more popular than it is

[@chosensmusic]

No I rather not have people know about this machine. 😂 I’m been making Dawless music for 20 years now lol and I sold everything and all I have now is my Verselab and that’s all I need. 🍻

[@rootofgreatness.]

😂😂😂😂me too

[@jordanWAH]

Man, I am really thinking about getting one. I have been selling all my gear I am not excited about and was looking at mc101. I want something that I can emulate my other synths with just a few samples. Not having to record and mix into the daw with my other instruments/recordings and vocals sounds just too good to be true. Can it really do all that? I keep looking for its shortcomings.

[@Androsynth75]

@@jordanWAH it’s not a synth like the mc-101 but you can import most of the exacts same sounds (runs on zencore) and any samples you want. You can’t do the full synth fiddling like you can on the 101, but the MV is waaaaay better in terms of making songs. I don’t find I miss the synth twiddling as I just import stuff I want, and the built in presets are … exhaustive. There are also a ridiculous amount of effects, decent vocal handling (built in mic too) and some basic mastering and mixing tools. It’ll export full songs to wav too. As to downsides, it doesn’t have endless sample space per song (I find it to be plenty), and it’s absolutely a Jack of all trades, master of none. It does everything you need but you can generally find another piece of gear that does each feature better… but none of them do I’m all of it as well as the MV-1 unless you want to spend a lot more money in a daw in a box MPC or also force. But I find those way less immediate and instrument like than the MV-1. I don’t find it to have many cons *personally* but then, I was t looking for a daw in a box either. If you are, look at getting an MPC one.

[@jordanWAH]

@Androsynth75 yeah, that's what I meant. Although I thought both mv-1 and mc101 is supposed to play samples at every note without changing the time. But mc-101 has no audio inputs. I would just like to sample my favorite patches from my bass station II and the juno (ju-106a). Paying for the lifetime ownership of some synths from roland cloud service is up to $200!

[@dmanh5144]

More MV-1 videos please! Your learning process is exactly what I need to observe. Zenbeats on the ipad or pc would help also.

[@FreeBeat]

Thanks so much!

[@futureworldmachines4407]

The Verselab MV-1 is one of the most underrated and overlooked pieces of kit out today, I love mine, please more Verselab content!

[@matthewdavis473]

Killer finger drumming

[@FreeBeat]

Thanks so much!

[@Geekraver]

An underrated piece of gear. I sold mine but realized afterwards how much easier it was to use than most other gear. I just don’t like the pain of finding good patches amongst all the crud.

[@FreeBeat]

Yeah searching for patches is rough, but actually sequencing is so nice!

[@JasonHader]

You get accustomed to where patches are the more you browse (which I love doing).

[@JasonHader]

The reverb in the Clip Settings is really crucial. When you’re in the kit fiddling with Inst Edit on particular drums, you're not going to get that extra reverb you set there. You’ll set it, but you won't hear any change. It's because the clip doesn't have any reverb. Go into Clip Settings and up the reverb. Then the whole drum set will have reverb. Then you can go in individually and change the reverb on individual drums if you want. Master FX are a universal thing. I don’t usually mess with them for that reason.

[@RichardCyberPunk]

Great machine. I bought one new 4 weeks ago, and already made 6 songs with it. Not difficult to learn. Oh, and a tip for MV-1 users, you can use the Sound packs of the MC-101 MC-707 (SVZ files) on the MV-1 aswell, since firmware 1.80

[@FreeBeat]

Thanks for watching!

[@SvenFx-22]

I love my verselab. Way underrated

[@FreeBeat]

Yeah it's very powerful!

[@brunodadivore9606]

Not yet in my set but quite soon. I think it is made for people like me having a classical piano culture and country and jazz guitar culture. I love electronic music but not be successful for making a good music because gap in culture (I am close to 70 yo) and I sing and play bass, so it is really made for me instead of MC101/707 for instance.

[@DSGMusic11]

This very Underrated and often mis-understood piece of gear is phenomenal, Thanks Free Beat!

[@FreeBeat]

Thanks for watching!

[@BIG1TOWER]

The screen is just fine

[@rexcellencemagee6729]

How spoiled are we getting! If it’s not a 6 inch touchscreen, wah!!! Lol

[@Nik.leonard]

At least it has one

[@FreeBeat]

Yeah the more I use it the more I'm getting along with it!

[@MyNameJeff..]

No it’s not. Not for this kind of gear.

[@boomboombaby9140]

@@rexcellencemagee6729I’ve seen bigger screens on calculators 😂

[@TheLordcasio]

I also just picked one up (last month) and also have some other more popular boxes. I like it for its immediacy. Having owned the MC-101, I got up and running fairly quick. I'll check back to see if you having anything new to impart. It really was undersold by Roland, as far as what it can do.

[@FreeBeat]

Yeah it seems like Roland kind of breezed over it pretty quickly, which is a shame cause it seems pretty great!

[@alexandrosroussos]

I have it almost since release. The power of this thing is that it incites you to create a full song rather than just a beat. Literally takes seconds to arrange a song, as fast as sequencing in TR mode. I real like it but I miss a couple of features : - sidechain on the compressor fx or on the global limiter - a vocoder, even a simple like the one found in the SP494-mk2

[@FreeBeat]

Oh woah, no vocoder? Interesting, that seems like an auto include haha. Thanks for watching!

[@alexandrosroussos]

@@FreeBeat for something called verselab, from Roland, featuring auto-pitch correction, and a phantom powered XLR input, not having a vocoder is a bit of shocking isn't it ? Btw, I also hope they bring the partials editing like they did with MC-101/707. Though I love its more than enough stock sounds and sound expansions.

[@FlatWHDF]

Best Beat Machine out right now

[@FreeBeat]

Thanks for watching!

[@bistrobmusic]

I bought this when it was on sale while I had a bad case of GAS and I like it quite a bit.

[@FreeBeat]

Awesome!

[@rexcellencemagee6729]

I almost bought one of these, the thing is the Boss 880 and the Integra 7 have every capability it does except the form factor. I have a Quo now but haven’t hooked it up to anything but the most basic Ableton but I’m working on integrating it with Komplete. From what I’ve seen this is a very capable unit! Obviously my way cost way more and is total overkill but really so is the 7S, and I didn’t do this on purpose for the ultimate groove box! lol actually I hate just the concept of a groove box, but they are easy and powerful, no denying that! I just can’t justify buying something that does what I can already do with just a little more work! Well a lot more work! But the Frank Miller stuff is cool and creative! Great video and these are cool!

[@FreeBeat]

Thanks as always!

[@gui_saba]

Great video! Very cool little machine, can’t wait to see more

[@FreeBeat]

Thanks so much!

[@thevinylpimpFloridaBreaks]

That demo sounded like a killer video game soundtrack.

[@FreeBeat]

Haha thanks!

[@RetroBassed]

Love my MV-1! This was a fun video! "Idk how this thing works." Produces a cool beat anyway!!! 😂👍👏

[@FreeBeat]

Haha thanks!

[@RuiGon1]

This is a wonderful machine/tool. I have bought one a few days ago, and I love it. Thanks for the video.

[@FreeBeat]

Thanks for watching!

[@YikesThump]

I love my MV-1, which I've had almost exactly one year. Still learning it LOL.

[@FreeBeat]

Yeah there's a lot to learn! Thanks for watching :)

[@electrosonicnebula]

What the world needs is something with the muscle in this and the interface of the Teenage Engineering KO2. SmplTrk would have been a contender if it hadn't been so damn tedious.

[@FreeBeat]

The SmplTrek has gotten a LOT better recently with it's updates!

[@jc.oraclesoundspaces]

Cool stuff very quick learner, maybe not learner just experience, I love mine and have to get back into it, you just brought me back into to putting the Mv1 to good use again. Can’t wait to see next edit great stuff. JC.

[@alitna]

Oh, that seems so easy to use! I’ve been thinking about getting a MC-101. But the main question has always been if I instead should save up to a 707 instead? I did now know about this one, seems more geared at making a complete track than live performance as on the 101.

[@FreeBeat]

Yeah this is definitely more about songwriting than live performance!

[@artemsokolov6870]

Killer tune you've cooked up sir! Came for the review, stayed for the tunes🤟

[@donkeroo1]

5:12 “what is kit?” Proceeds to finger smash a freestyle beat! 😮

[@rootofgreatness.]

I am at a stage where I am trying to master my tracks for an album I made only using MV-1 sounds. This device can really replace a daw. Kit has about 16 choices to add sounds. You can start and finish a track just by using Kit. Zen beats provides a lot of options to perfect your tracks by mixing and mastering.

[@raulgorgulio9834]

I think that the MV-1 is the best Roland grooovebox. The MC-101 is way too small and because of that it has overcomplicated controls. It works nice as a sound module, but it doesn't work so nice as a groovebox. The MC-707 is expensive, big and to my taste it's control panel looks too busy. I have the MC-101 and my main concern is the lack of dedicated step sequencer buttons, it makes the MC-101 harder to work with and often kills the flow state. I thought that it would be cool to have a little music production device, that I can carry everywhere and write music on the go. Turns out, in reality that never happened, usually there's always something else to do when I go out, so I can write music only at home. And I carry around my old iPad mini, which can be used for creating music sketches on the go (and also a lot of other things). I still think that MC-101 is an awesome device, but it's just not my cup of tea. I think that someday I'll swap my MC-101 for MV-1, on your video the MV-1's workflow looks much more instant than MC-101's.

[@FreeBeat]

Yeah I agree about dedicated sequencer buttons, they're a HUGE workflow enhancer on just about any device that has them.

[@magnuseriksson8081]

Thet should create a small MV1 in an aluminum case. Much better workflow than the 101 and a mic input

[@alecsbuga]

I wish they added the Partial editing features of the 101 on this too. I don’t want to connect it to the iPad to edit it either A subscription based app. I’ve had the 707,101,mv1. I like this because of the layout and size. But I wish it had the 707 editing capabilities. If they make a 707MKII with a smaller backpackable size… that would be great. But I have a feeling these are the last we’ll see from Roland for years.

[@mastaboog749]

I got one dirt cheap recently, I wanted it for the vocal stuff but it looks cool. I really have to learn it myself. Song was awesome! Definitely try the vocal stuff because I haven't yet!

[@FreeBeat]

Yeah I've seen some pretty sweet discounts on this thing recently! I'll definitely try the vocal stuff soon :)

[@ndguardian]

FYI (and I'm still watching so maybe you've already figured this out) but the track types are more of guidelines short of the vocal track. There are some nuances to the top row vs bottom row but otherwise they can be whatever you want.

[@FreeBeat]

Yeah that's super cool, very versatile!

[@tomb6576]

Curious about this box! I have the MC 101 and absolutely love it!

[@FreeBeat]

More MV-1 content on the way!

[@tomb6576]

​@@FreeBeatjust found one for real cheap here! Excited to see more! Cheers and thank you for always putting out awesome content!

[@steveedwards4495]

Similar to the MC707. The screen is slightly bigger but way more info to squint at lol.

[@FreeBeat]

I think the sections/song modes here set this apart! Although I'd definitely like to try a 707 at some point :)

[@The_artist_called_The_Engineer]

I have the MC101 which I swear by very interested to see how the Verslab compares.

[@Geekraver]

MC-101 is better for live performance, has battery, and gives access to full Zencore sound engine (MV-1 is presets only). Else MV-1 is better.

[@FreeBeat]

I'll have to give the MC-101 a shot in the future too!

[@wiggesobk]

That was pretty good for the first Session.

[@FreeBeat]

Thanks!

[@ryanstevens283]

How are you enjoying it

[@FreeBeat]

It's pretty great! These days I'm using it more as a sound module for all of the Roland classics, but I think it's worth it even just for that :)

[@TheonlyMrlab]

Amazing video…is there a way to disable my parameter control knobs ? My 1st control knob is acting glitchy and wanted to turn off as a master to where I don’t have to turn off manually on every session Thanks

[@rashodlewis2918]

This video reminds me of myself. lol I’m always experimenting with the unit when I use it. The unit would benefit with having a bigger screen but once you get the workflow down it not an issue.

[@magnuseriksson8081]

I really need someone passionate about this one that I can learn from, used the Maschine Plus??

[@FreeBeat]

Never used it, sorry!

[@jeffryarchambeau5441]

I'll see if I can do as well as you.

[@FreeBeat]

Don't forget to have fun :)

[@pianokeyjoe]

Argh! Yeah! I should have bought this instead of the MC101.. But the MC101 is battery operated and pocket sized. But no note roll/repeat function which I expected soo.. MV1.. hmmm..k.

[@BIG1TOWER]

There is a note roll on the mc 101

[@Nik.leonard]

I prefer the MC-101 because it has more sound design capabilities even considering their limitations.

[@jantuitman]

I like to use the MC101 as a sound unit because it can produce a drum kit plus 3 different instruments while not taking much room on my desk.i use an external sequencer though because I find the sequencer of the MC101 very tiresome, you have to constantly switch between pitch and timeline, because the MC101 lacks 2 different sets of buttons to show this together.

[@magnuseriksson8081]

I got both and use the 101 a lot more because it is portable, but I would have liked to have had this workflow in a 101 and the pads

[@magnuseriksson8081]

@@Nik.leonard is it? The MV1 got an update too

[@Lofilegacybeats]

I sold my first MV 1 then bought it again

[@gooneybird808]

Please try that mic

[@FreeBeat]

I absolutely will!