Making an Electronic Song on the Roland Verselab MV-1

I show the making of a full progressive house song on the Roland Verselab MV-1, including using the sequencer, layering and modifying sounds, using song mode, and a playthrough of the full, mixed song.
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[@electrictardigrade]

That song is super catchy! Keep up the awesome work!

[@JoshIsMakingMusic]

Cool device, and an even cooler song! Looking forward to seeing what else you do with the Verselab in the future.

[@SimonWessel-multi8it]

Nice! I've been watching your stuff for a while and recently got a Circuit Tracks. You completely sold me on the whole groovebox concept :) I really liked your "backwards buildup", building the main groove, and then peeling off layers to get to the starting point. I'll use that for sure!

[@sinewaymusic]

I find it weird that they hard-coded labels like Kick and Snare, when in reality you will use the tracks for lots of stuff depending on the song you're creating. It makes it seem more limiting than it actually is. (And the fact that it has a dedicated Kick track makes it even more strange that they don't support sidechaining.)

[@donaldevans348]

Cool Song Gabe!!

[@Theatrix5000]

Great tutorial as usual!

[@trevormalcolm4328]

Now I’ve got that off my chest, great video!

[@djantix1200]

Nice work! That track sounds pretty tight. I am really getting into my MV-1 too. The build up and strip back method is what I do as well. Cheers

[@GameBrou]

Awesome sonds and videos, Gabe!! I wish I can put my hand on this machine. It’s my music dream. I play 20 instruments and can also sing... There’s so much I could do with it if I have one.

[@samprock]

Fire pace track, Gabe! Mine was finally shipped this morning, woohoo! Thanks for using stock sound (you sure have signature sounds, but its good to see what it comes with). And its cool you're sharing tricks with Roland synths. Vibrato delay is very cool add-on, I like that one too. Song mode looks very handy with natural (simple) 16 parts framework, simple to grasp and visualize where you're at. Rock on!

[@DirkRadloff]

Hey Sam, nice to meet you here, how are you? I am looking for a groovebox too :-)

[@samprock]

@@DirkRadloff Hey Dirk! Glad to see you too. Focused on work atm, while digging more into synth and analog and my own deep electronic style. Verselab so far so good, makes me happy and inspired. Does the duties proper (drum, bass, pads, harmony and/or some moving idea capture). Sequencer is done right and I can see fracking note when twist the note to change it. On a little screen, that does not require extra glasses to see. So I like less, but focused info on it. Does better than OP-Z, which I still love for mobile in-pocket values, but MV-1 has proper tangible pads and direct midi-out, audio in for external synthesizer. Without swallowing all my attention to it (which is why Maschine+ and Force were disqualified :) Did not try with guitar, but it should do as good (I am not as proficient at it, so in my case still prefer full DAW to jam with guitars).

[@DirkRadloff]

@@samprock At first I also looked at the Verselab, but meanwhile my favorite is the MC 1010 for portability and the sound of the Roland-machines seems to be superior compared to other boses in the same pricerange (Novation circuit) For more daring and experimental stuff I am also interested in the Moog Subharmonicon

[@samprock]

​@@DirkRadloff Verselab and 101 are the same WRT Zencore engine guts. As a "victim of under-expectations" I very happy with the sound. Indeed Roland offers limited but handy control over patch from those hardware, no complains. It great that 101 has a battery and small footprint (!). For me extra step sequence pads and 4 tracks are essential for both standalone composing and accompany hardware jammn', song mode is friendly too. Submicronicon is forward-looking, mind-bending mini-monsta! (on my studio table all Moog dedicated space is occupied by Subsequent 37CV :) Cheers!

[@elsantoproductora]

One awesome undocumented feature is the ability to sequence external gear and record the output to the vocal track. The workflow seemed a little weird at first but I like the fact that it forces you to think in terms of a song instead of just making beats. Grat content as always!!

[@GabeMillerMusic]

That's definitely something I'm planning to try out at some point. And yeah I've already made multiple full songs with this thing, it's set up really well to encourage it.

[@alexeyschennikov5797]

Another great feature is the ability to use it as 7 channel synthesizer. It can generate the massive 7 layer sound with external MIDI controller. The only thing that dissapoint is that when use all 7 layers the limits of ZEN-core 128 voice poliphony don't let to play complicated chords. The maximum is 4 simultanously sounding notes. With 3 layers it's possible to play 8-10 note chords. But I use it with my M-Audio Axiom 61 MIDI-keyboard or with Roland RD-88 Stage piano. With RD-88's 3 layers and VERSELAB's 3 layers it's possible to create 6 layer 8-10 note massive sounding chords.

[@chesleyrolleMusic]

great video Mr.Gabe! currently working with mine as well and loving it man. would love to see a video on how you went about recording to your daw and geting the indiviual tracks..much love 1

[@visisydandthevoid]

Making me want one of these now lol

[@GregDixson]

Awesome track 👌🏻 ahh man I'm so torn between this and the mc101 (and mc707 in my dreams!), but actually leaning towards this for the full song structuring ability. For all the mc101 awesomeness in a small box I'm sure I'm going to get to a stage where I'd get some patterns together into a scene,and then it would get too fiddly, run out of tracks, and and up exporting to daw. This seems like a good step up without going crazy and all in for a 707. One question.. can you play in using the small pads too? Unless I missed it I think you only played everything in on the large square drum pads

[@stuartmoxham5889]

Really pleased with mine. Making music with 1/2 hour of getting home with it.

[@FlatWHDF]

I love my Verselab

[@alexeyschennikov5797]

The strange thing about first three tracks is that I can't transpose sounds to higher octaves. It's possible to transpose from -5 to 0, but not to +5. So to play synth sounds on theese three tracks I use MIDI keyboard, not pads.

[@craigdickerson1487]

thanks for the video...i enjoy your content! i have a question: is there a shortcut to editing note lengths when sequencing a tone track in the verselab? what i mean is: in the mc-101, you can do this by choosing your tone track, then pressing seq and then rec and choosing the step...when you choose the step for a note, you could press rest/tie and the steps you wish for the note to ring out to...i can't find a way to do this on the verselab...surely there's a better way than editing note length on each step?

[@PRODUCEDBYLILDOUG]

Hey Gabe, when you are playing notes & scrolling through presets at the same time. Do you get a latency, lagging, buffering sound if the sound carries over into the next preset? I just got mine and it's doing that.

[@simonc8265]

Thankyou. Some really top tips inside a great song. Really enjoying the portability of this gem. Comp agree with arps on drum tracks. Can you set a favourite sounds folder? Also can you get the step sequencer to follow the measures as they play beyond 16 steps. But seriously great demo. Can I ask why you didn’t mix in Verselab itself?

[@GabeMillerMusic]

I don't think you can set a favorite sounds folder, but I'll look into it. The step sequencer follows the measures by default, that's all pretty seamless. I mixed it a bit on the device itself, but I wanted to have more control over fine EQ, compression, and effects, as well as that sweet sweet sidechaining.

[@tudoracid1812]

This is a really helpful video - many thanks. Just wanted to ask - have you tried mixing and mastering using the built-in mastering fx on the verse lab and how you felt this compared to doing it in a DAW.

[@GabeMillerMusic]

I've messed with it, and I always do a bit of mixing and mastering as I go. The thing this misses compared to a DAW is really detailed control of stuff like EQ for precisely sculpting sounds. I also miss stuff like sidechain and multiband compression.

[@EverettDudgeon138]

I’m interested in this but truth be told I likely will rarely use the on-board sounds and likely just use it as a dedicated step sequencer and real time sequencer/song composer to play my external gear...do you think I’d be wasting the device for just that or any quirks I should know about if I were to approach using the device that way?

[@qqqlive1835]

Sounds like a mp3 in the “ unmixed “ demo

[@T0WER]

This thing seems pretty cool, but song structure/arrangement on it seems puzzling for a beginner who is used to working on a DAW timeline. I'm wondering if I would buy this thing and then regret not saving up and getting the Maschine+. Then again, I really like Roland's sound library. Decisions, decisions.

[@Jamslerr]

Get both. :)

[@T0WER]

@@Jamslerr oh man, if only

[@GameBrou]

Gabe, after working on the Verselab MV-1 and also researching a bit on the MC-707 don’t you think the second one is a better fit for you? I’m asking because I know the mc-707 has so much more features overall, more presets and controls as a synth and more production effects for finishing songs onboard. Also for performance... Those faders and knobs can be amazing for live performances and also automation possibilities. I would love to hear your thoughts on that.

[@PRODUCEDBYLILDOUG]

I would like to hear his input on it as well. I chose the mv1 over the 707 due to the price point ($2-300 less than the 707), 2 extra banks that are not in the 707, and it's overall size. The 707 looks like a stationary desk unit due to its size while the mv-1 you can make beats on your lap. The 707 is more for live performance while the mv1 is tailored to make full tracks with song mode feature instead of doing clip chaining. Personally I would take those cool sliders anyday over that mpc style approach of the 16 pads

[@GabeMillerMusic]

Douglas pretty much nailed it. And you also gotta keep in mind that I make gear choices for content as well as personal interest. Since I know I like the MC-101, liking the MC-707 is pretty much guaranteed for me, so it's not as interesting. The MV-1 has a different approach and is newer/more highly requested, so seeing how the contrast in design philosophy changed my workflow is more exciting for me. And so far, the song mode, grid layout, and increased track count have been enough for me to recommend the device. And yeah it's more of a lap unit than a desk unit, which is a pro for me.

[@GameBrou]

Thank you guys for you sincere take on both units. I want to start on the Roland ecosystem and I’m really considering those two machines. The sad part ist that here in Brazil is very hard to get my hands on new devices (usually takes one year) and the taxes and prices are double what you pay there. I agree with you both and probably for me the Verselab is the best to go, but you guys have to admit that the Mc-707 can put quite a light-show and looks cooler on camera. Hahahaha

[@GameBrou]

In fact the MPC approach on the Verselab is something to consider. It looks way more hands on and intuitive than the Mc-707. I wish they include more updates to make it more of a live machine. I think they should consider an UNDO button. I like the studio in a box approach, don’t get me wrong, but I come from a novation circuit groovebox and i wish to create music with speed and also on the go. I travel a lot and I love to have all my gear fitting on a backpack, so I have no excuses no to take my portable music studio with me. Best wishes!

[@MrBruceHerrera]

@@GameBrou Both devices are portable enough and both can be USB powered (for the MC707 you need a ripcord adapter). MC707 is more for jamming and playing live, and MV1 for composing. Note: the MV1 is sligthy smaller and lighter than the MC707.

[@sinewaymusic]

I noticed that the MC-101 hasn't been updated in over six months now, which is the longest it's ever remained unchanged. Do you think they'll still be working on updates now that the MV-1 is out, or are they now moving MC-101 to pure maintenance/bugfix mode? I figured given your influence, maybe you have some connections with Roland and can ask them. (Specifically, I'd like to see sidechaining in both of these devices, it's pretty sad that they don't have it already.)

[@8superben]

New update for 101 coming soon with song mode

[@sinewaymusic]

@@8superben Was that just your guess?

[@8superben]

@@sinewaymusic join the 101/707 FB group, someone said that a update with song mode was coming, he got all the predictions he's made right.

[@davidholmes3776]

Have you explored the ZenBeats compatibility yet?

[@GabeMillerMusic]

Not yet, I haven't really felt the need to tbh. I'd definitely recommend checking out Loopop's video on it if you haven't already

[@HexLabz]

Reminds me of a Gran Turismo menu song :)

[@b29]

pro tip you can play single channel if you press shift+mixer+channel

[@BecomingProductions]

I've already seen a few of these popping up on the used market. Of course reasons can vary but thats not usually a positive sign.

[@GabeMillerMusic]

Huh. I hope it catches on, I think it's brilliant. A lot of my viewers are with me in being pretty pumped about it, but a lot of other people seem to not get it.

[@BecomingProductions]

@@GabeMillerMusic I'm not against it by any means, just seems like the workflow is a bit disjointed. For sure there's some powerful features but it seems to suffer from a few bizarre design choices too like that tiny screen. I've seen 2 in the last few days appear on the secondhand market. The last time I seen a newly released product hit the used market so quickly after release was the Jupiter XM. Within the few weeks of release there were a ton being sold on. Not too hard to read between the lines there.

[@Darren950]

Gabe how does this compare to Circuit track ? Cheers 👍

[@GabeMillerMusic]

It's super different in price and capabilities. The biggest differences though would be the MV-1's higher track count, different synth and sampling engine (same as the MC-101), and song mode (whereas the Circuit is meant for live jamming).

[@marinroncevic3271]

what daw is that?

[@christopherdorsch8623]

where are the vocals?

[@GabeMillerMusic]

No vocals, trust me, you don't want to hear me try. I will eventually mess around with using that track with an external synth though.

[@samprock]

@@GabeMillerMusic That's the whole idea! They just highlight it as vocal to attract singers into uncomplicated device. While real synth nerds read the intent in between the lines right away :)

[@mrburns366]

I bought one of these to limit myself.. when i sit at a DAW I have hundreds of VSTs, each with thousands of presets. I almost never get anything done on a PC.

[@olivierpasse6913]

Do you still use the Mv1?

[@joneswebs]

Circuit tracks or this device?

[@Morenoo]

I have the same question as well...

[@Matt-zp1jn]

Get Both! 😊

[@baqcasanke]

You can even use $$$ as a factor in buying the mc101 anymore. I just picked up a mv1 for only 5$ more than the mc101……. Cant believe it

[@sinewaymusic]

You mentioned that the MV-1 has a song mode and the MC-101 doesn't, but you've clearly created songs on the MC-101. What's the difference exactly?

[@GabeMillerMusic]

Both can absolutely be used to create full songs, but the MC-101 requires you to jam a song out live by launching clips and such. The MV-1 is definitely not meant for live, and instead lets you structure a song in advance, then you just hit play and it runs through the whole song.

[@vertigev]

Even with the dumb name, I really dig the Verselab, might just get one..

[@88keyz]

👍🏾

[@necronomicron5367]

Gabe, you keep saying you wouldn't use the Vocal Track. That's where your Microfreak can be input... And you can have additional takes of that Line in. If I am reading the manual and videos correctly you can recreate your previous Synthwave track with the Elec Guitar track ..... In The Box on this device. This is a lot deeper than most realise. I have an SP404 - that is basically now been inbuilt to the MV-1...

[@GabeMillerMusic]

Yeah that's definitely something I'm planning on trying. I probably should have been clearer in the video, I just meant that I wasn't using the vocal track for that particular song, and don't plan to use it for vocals.

[@necronomicron5367]

@@GabeMillerMusic Sorry for the misunderstanding.

[@GabeMillerMusic]

All good! And yeah you're totally right that it's a lot more powerful than a lot of people realize.

[@necronomicron5367]

@@GabeMillerMusic that issue of the Arp only working on a Drum track as a note repeat..... Make your Arp tack on an INST track first then change the drum track type to tone and Copy the clip over and the Arp values will remain.

[@trevormalcolm4328]

Okay, here’s the thing guys. Maybe it’s because I’m older! (I’m in my 50’s) but I just don’t get how a lot of these “self-contained” boxes only have a single stereo out! I don’t care about on-board processing or mastering I still want to separate my kick from my mids from my hats into my mackie mixer (mixers, remember those?) this is the very reason I don’t use my MPC One as much as I should.

[@ZenTheHigh]

Would like a video on how to make drones

[@ralftodtitec3305]

I think you are the Groovebox-Nerd

[@krakou2]

So why this instead of mc-707?

[@GabeMillerMusic]

It's newer, less expensive, and importantly, highly requested. I definitely try to factor in what my audience is interested in when choosing what gear to try. And since I'm already used to the jamming setup on the MC-101, this offers a different experience.

[@J-T]

MPC1000

[@savoirfaire8979]

Sorry, I want to like Roland grooveboxes, but I just can’t bond with them. I had a BR-1600 back in the day and an SP-808. They were annoying to learn and too much menu diving.

[@user-dr6sx4nh8x]

Может быть. Вы заходите на мой канал и высказываете свое мнение ❤️🥺

[@RobErob248]

It sounded better before U mixed it down

[@andrehuber-meznaric3296]

I like your videos. You made a well track with this box. But next year, no one will talk about that gear anymore... Its really a bad product.

[@GabeMillerMusic]

Out of curiosity, why do you think it's bad? It's got everything I'd want in a box like this... The Zencore synth engine, sampling ability, plenty of layering, song mode, USB audio, and more. Sure, it's got a few weird design quirks, but it's nothing workflow killing.

[@andrehuber-meznaric3296]

@@GabeMillerMusic It looks good on the paper. But it is somehow strange, that roland didn’t placed that product closer to the groovebox brand. The major difference seems to be the vocal track. But compared to the daw workflow, this makes me feel sent back to the 90ies... The Zen-Core Technology is a good idea, but has big issues related to its usability. A lot of people do not understand the cocept at all. I was excited about rolands acb technology and like their boutique line-up. This thing is a true market feedback product. This may work... But has a good chance to be part of a future „bad gear“ episode 😉

[@Matt-zp1jn]

@@andrehuber-meznaric3296 The Verselab MV-1 is not meant to be a Groovebox, thats what the MC101 is for. Or better yet, get a Circuit Tracks as a groovebox. The MV-1 is meant to be for the All-in one Studio in a box, with great take anywhere portability for travel on the go, creative song sketch pad, online collaborations with sending vocals, beats, songs to work on, spontaneous vocal studio for a singer to stop by an record something etc. It is for those tired of the intensive computer screen daw setup, the entry level producer who wants professional level song capabilities without learning a Daw on computer, and the traveller who wants a dawless setup to create while away from home. Also for content creators doing youtube videos, podcasts, songs, etc to turn into a wav file and upload to social media quickly. Plus the price of the MV-1, a microphone, headphones is basically your whole Studio on the go at a great price. Don’t forget the iPad screen compatibility with Zenbeats, Rolands Zencore ACB famous sounds, plugins, vst, zenology, Roland Cloud, plus the SD card for your own sounds to download onto it and it becomes very versatile and can do alot more than just make beats, sequence, or be a drum machine, etc. It is a great piece of hardware that interfaces perfectly with the Roland universe, and having a usb battery pack, and ipad makes the screen a huge touchscreen better than the others out there. Its also a 128 voice synthesizer, 7 tracks with another 16 vocal and/or instrument tracks!