Hard Talk (MC 303)

[@UnitedEffect]

Wow.... impressive what you've done over a decade ago with this very old piece of gear. I haven't heard an MC 303 in almost 20 years. Just shows how much one can get from some old inexpensive equipment if you're creative enough.... which you are! Cheers. This was inspiring... and inspired!

[@hihan196]

This machine is one of my favorite for the simplicity and intuitive knobs places n sounds I love her keep her 20 years soon 🤙

[@ProjektU9]

Hello Rat.. well nice ambient drone slow trac.. The mc303 has fantastic sounds to make analog styles ... at stuthomson...jearrr that right..the mc303 do more than tekknoid sounds... The mc303 is one of the fantastic gears of our planet... great job rat..thx for share greetings andy

[@bocskai98]

You prove it again: it's not the tool you use but how you use it! Absolutely great work. Before I saw your videos, I never thought that this thingy is capable of such sounds/tunes.

[@dedytron]

One of the best mc303 videos on youtube! Thanks dude!

[@ratface1987]

Thanks!

[@kvfive]

One of the finest compositions I've ever heard to come out of a 303. very well done.

[@rasclaatuk]

This is great. I've been working with one of these boxes since they came out (on and off) and you did extremely well to coax all this out of it.

[@EWt5lg5alQWLqPViO9vk]

true dat

[@ratface1987]

The synth patches really take a lot of tweaking and experimenting to get right. Recording cutoff automation can liven things up, like in this track. I've found that using the step-sequence mode for bass lines works really well for getting classic techno sounds. I like trying out leads as basses, pads as leads, etc. Sometimes you find a great lead sound in the pad bank. Just gotta mess around a lot. Sorry I can't be more help. Good luck and happy tweaking! Thanks for watching/commenting!

[@ratface1987]

I've been using the 303 with GarageBand on the Mac a lot lately and it really opens up the machine a lot. I like a lot of the sounds on their own, but some effects in a DAW really beef everything up and even makes some of the more annoying synth patches sound good. Maybe fate and fortune will allow you to get another one some day (or skip to the 505, haha). Thanks for watching! :)

[@nomadikjobs]

very nice.... love the arpeggios. good arrangement also

[@ratface1987]

Thanks! I'm glad I can share music with others that enjoy it. It is tough, but it can be surprisingly satisfying.

[@mxatlatl6997]

Hey this is awesome! I just got a 303 and I think it’s great. But this is one of the best mc303 songs on KZbin for sure !

[@chekkatechno]

i sold it but just after that realised all i needed was an audio interface to link it to my computer. i really hadnt a clue at that point. currently bidding on one on ebay thanks to your vid haha

[@MyOneManBand]

I LOVE to see videos of like minded people who still use hardware to make music. I have a 303 that I have never got to grips with within a live context, but I am literally downloading the manual as I write to give it another go !!! thanks

[@johanogie2981]

This is seriously amazing, truly amazing.. I love ambient and I love the 303. Didn't know you could do this on the 303!

[@Brando300]

Excellent Track! I love ambient music and have just started messing around on a MC-303. It's a tough learn but seeing you produce songs like this is good motivation to keep going. This track was fantastic.

[@ratface1987]

@ProjektU9 Thanks! I agree, the MC 303 is a great piece of kit. You just have to learn what it is good at and focus on that instead of trying to make it sound like something it isn't.

[@simul808]

Brilliant! this is a stunning example of how to use this machine live!

[@s1Mii]

good job, has a nice flow to it. Nice to see you still using it, mine's just been sitting there now that i have the RM1X. I was going to hook it up as a sound module, but it's so damn unlogical and difficult. I'm gonna trade my mc303 in my trading/selling-frenzie. (mc303->korg ea1 mk2, micro Q -> virus A, D-station -> bass-station) A whole new setup

[@ratface1987]

@s1Mii Thanks! Yeah, I always have gear-lust for electribes, haha. That seems like it would be a really cool setup. Let me know when you get it all set up. I want to see that in action!

[@iamyourfuture808]

every time i come across a 303 jam i like it has your name tagged to it..... this is a dam fine tune.

[@pawed7777]

fell in love with this one! beautiful music

[@ratface1987]

Thank you very much. It's surprising what you can pump out of even something cheap like this machine.

[@pawed7777]

ratface1987 maybe it's cheap, but it is still a legend of electronic music...I going to buy one this year ... thanks for inspiration :)

[@ratface1987]

You're welcome. Have fun! :)

[@AndMoe]

Very nicely done. Respect! I just picked one of these up :). Thanks for the vid!

[@ratface1987]

Thanks! I'm glad you liked it. Never underestimate the MC 303. :)

[@8-BitHeart79]

As difficult as the MC303 is to program, now I want my hands on one again! This is an awesome video of what this machine is capable of. The original Roland video of this machine does not even get close to the features you just displayed.

[@DJDigitalJosh]

I loved my 303. Got it for $50 flipped it for $150. Someday I'll get another. No longer into flipping. Only keeping gear.

[@dailydoseofbeauty-coaching113]

crazy world, same here, still cry to this day, that I flipped my MS 20000 R , my Evolver and many others, instead of keeping them and digging them out after a while! Big mistakes.....

[@ozmarichardson6524]

Excellent demonstration! Kind of reminds me of htrk or something that would be on ghostlyint

[@ratface1987]

Thanks. Yeah, I think I'd like the ESX a lot. I'm getting more and more into making my own kits on my computer and it'd be nice to have a live, hardware setup for using them. Thanks for watching/commenting!

[@ratface1987]

Thanks. It can pump out a surprisingly wide palet.

[@chekkatechno]

i had an mc 303 but all those preset patterns drove me nuts. i was learning how to use ableton at the same time as the 303 and so i chose ableton. i sold it to buy some other gear but i wish i could have kept it really

[@jean-jacquesroland1844]

wow sounds perfect, i love this music. Great job

[@ratface1987]

@bowmoneydrums The link doesn't work but I looked at your videos and realized you made one of my favorite MC 303 vids (the one with the kalimba). In fact, one of the first songs I made on mine I threw in a kalimba because I liked your video so much. Haha. Small world for MC 303 fans.

[@thewyrdo7094]

Brilliant! I've only heard two great tracks using this so-called 'toy' on KZbin - the other is Bran Lanen's Detroit jam. Inspiring stuff. I got one for 50 quid and maxed it out (timing goes out), but this is showing me to just relax and use longer patterns & more expression... Just proves you can't just throw cash at newer kit and get great music :)

[@ratface1987]

Thanks! Yeah, it's very easy to overload this little guy. He really isn't a work horse. More like a sick pony, but even sick ponies can make some cool noises. ;)

[@Locdome]

This is extremely impressive!

[@bowmoneydrums]

@ratface1987 hahaha nice! thanks man! well, the video i was trying to point you to was the one about half way down called rain dance...keep up the good work bud!

[@onegoestofour]

woww, this is sooo cool! :) didnt expect to hear such nice sounds from this little unit. :) good job!

[@s1Mii]

@ratface1987 So true! 50 user patterns (which cant all be used unless you make like 1 or 2 bar long patterns) is not much. I wonder if noone has ever tried modding their mc 303... There's some crazy stuff going around on the internet involving synths, so why not an mc 303 with extra storage, or no preset patterns or a floppy drive or something, right? (or you could just get a yamaha RM1X :D)

[@gerardomari]

super! maybe I get one 303 thanks to this!

[@electro808kat]

Nice slow groove!

[@ratface1987]

@stuthomson Haha, like most of my other MC 303 videos. Thanks. It's surprising how much better it is at quirky/ambient music than it is high-octane dance music.

[@unitedworldlife]

love this machine

[@Murukku47]

Your videos are making me really want to get this groovebox!

[@ratface1987]

Haha, I'm glad to be a good influence on you. ;)

[@ratface1987]

Thanks. I don't know where they got the pad sound from originally, I just liked it when I was messing around and voilà a song. Delay is internal. :)

[@laurentgallo4796]

Super boulot, bravo !

[@ratface1987]

Never heard of it, but I'll have to look it up. Thanks.

[@ratface1987]

Thanks! Some things you can change without overwriting the original input, like quantization. Otherwise, in step record mode it overwrites everything and in live record mode it overlaps everything. Not the most sophisticated machine, haha. Thanks for commenting.

[@ratface1987]

Thanks! They're really fun machines, despite all their limitations. :)

[@Ozrictentacles87]

Wow I can’t get my 303 to sound like this .

[@dorontsur]

Great! reminded me of FC Kahuna's Hayling

[@ratface1987]

Thanks! :)

[@davidreina7997]

Great job mate!

[@alexhakkah]

gave me real shivers oO ! Impressive

[@lolotropiko5643]

Really proper and clear , nice ! A 505 lover ;-)

[@ratface1987]

@MrHighVis Thanks for watching! Glad you liked. :)

[@arturpolonski6234]

Beautiful

[@adamhoej]

Thanks! So.. If i want to make 16 bars part, then I would have to input everything, and hope for my self that it sounds good? No chance to edit it, if i made it with the step sequencer? Damn.. :(

[@nachoalvarez154]

Love it mate, a really beauty! Cheers!

[@NOCKER513]

I'm waiting for the wife to jump in like "wtf r u doing??? I told you to do the dishes!" . Good job man.

[@ratface1987]

Haha thanks! Fortunately I had done all the dishes before recording this to avoid any interruptions. ;)

[@ratface1987]

@s1Mii The second hand market is a harsh mistress, haha.

[@blackyb27]

nice track

[@alexanderzar134]

Sounds great

[@808quake]

really nice

[@ratface1987]

Thanks! And thanks for accepting it as a video response to yours. :)

[@ratface1987]

Good luck, it takes some time, but even after owning mine for about a year, I still learn new tricks on it. Like I never realized the button with a little picture of a metronome turned on the metronome during playback. Haha, fail. :P Thanks for watching and commenting! :)

[@ratface1987]

I used a Mac app called Sysex Librarian. I'm in the middle of a move so I can't really test it out for you, but I hope it all works out for you. :)

[@ratface1987]

Haha, thanks. Enjoy your 303 when it comes. It can be cumbersome, but also beautiful.

[@ratface1987]

It is actually affecting the whole drum kit. It's just hard (impossible) to hear it on the kick drum since it's a lighter/muted sound. :)

[@s1Mii]

@ratface1987 electribe sold, bass-station sold (but not to me!) So annoying when people don't even let you know that they are about to sell it or it's been sold to someone else. Guess I'll just stick with RM1X+VIRUS for now. (I have a couple of house-ish jams lying around, but want to make them a little better before I make a video)

[@ratface1987]

Creating the pattern in the 303 was in one take if I remember correctly. Recording it took several takes, but of course the video above is a single take. And every sound is the 303. :)

[@ratface1987]

Thanks! Very kind of you.

[@gregmallett3864]

f-ing awesome - Just need Gary Numan to add some vocals!

[@ratface1987]

I can't remember off the top of my head. I've done a dump from the 303 to the computer, but not back to the 303 yet. I would just have to read the manual. If you google "mc 303 manual" it'll be one of the first links. There is a system or file mode on the 303 that you have to enter. After that there should be a menu like import or something. Either way, check the manual, haha. :)

[@ratface1987]

Haha, we must be connected in the space-time continuum somehow. Glad you like it. :)

[@jimmythecat33]

AHH want one........those classic sounds of the 80s 90s and so on ! Hook it up to abelton and I'm off and won't surface for a week or 2 😂😂😂

[@danielortizdecaracas]

good track bro, but, like a reverse pads sounds from mc303? arpegiator sounds too? delay incluided? thanks

[@aikighost]

Very good demo of what this little box is capable of. Still prefer my ESX though :)

[@nicolassterncompositeur-so2125]

Still actual! Thanks

[@markusmallmann2687]

by the way.......You did a real good job with this sound creation....)))))

[@ratface1987]

Thanks!

[@ChilieChiller]

OH MAN THIS IS INSPIRING

[@mattijsderegt]

Nice work! Very impressive stuff. I I enjoy the dynamics and the variations a lot. This was all done in a single pattern that you altered throughout the session right? (as opposed to a "song" using multiple patterns instead.) I recently acquired an MC 303 and this is indeed very inspiring to watch/listen to. Did you use the arpeggiator for the sound that takes the lead around 2:44 or did you play/program that? (just curious, I can image that you don't remember since this was made a while ago) Anyway; great stuff!

[@schmidtvonhallzig]

Now, this was awesome. I have a little question: How long is the pattern you've made? Is it like 4 bars? Obviously you're using just one pattern for the whole song but it doesn't get any boring. Very well done. I'm enjoying your other Vids as well.

[@astroastro1030]

cannot believe how good synth parts sound on this machine. i used one a few years ago and when i saw the price today at ebay i got stunned! only 200 bucks??? wtf for this sound, and arpeggio engine this should cost a fortune (except from drum samples though) :]

[@ratface1987]

Haha, I know exactly how you feel. Sometimes I'll figure something out and feel really cool for figuring it out and then realize it's the most basic thing ever. ;) Good luck with your bid!

[@waddayatalkinabeet]

Very nice track, makes me think of the game Entropia Universe :)

[@L48R0D3N7]

Sweet video. Your name is kinda catchy too. ;)

[@ratface1987]

Thanks!

[@prologodesigns3381]

good job

[@ratface1987]

Thanks!

[@midnightskate]

Can you sample on the mc303 like you can on the mc909? I use the 909 for my personal music, but i want something smaller to use behind the drums when playing with my band

[@ratface1987]

Nope, no sampling. This is a very simple machine.

[@midnightskate]

I like simple and I like machines, but I also like my own sounds. Am sad :'(

[@ratface1987]

Thanks! Haha, I'm glad you like the name too. :)

[@ratface1987]

@LatigidGolana Haha, it's true. It's almost like they didn't know how to use their own machine. If only there were a way to delete all those freaking preset patterns. They're so bad.

[@ratface1987]

Thanks a lot. That's a huge compliment. :)

[@ratface1987]

@electro808kat Thanks!

[@Strages_Powers]

sick dude

[@ratface1987]

strages01 thanks!!!

[@billfusionenterprise]

by the ways want to add more interest use the RPS

[@minishoko]

Awesome!!!

[@ratface1987]

Thanks!

[@ratface1987]

Another thanks!

[@DeRex9]

good track :)

[@480Reggae]

Fat Sound. This ist great !!

[@ratface1987]

+480Reggae Thanks!!

[@gabyakira]

Hello, May I ask how you assigned delay to the snare alone? The bass drum does not seem to be affected by the effect. Best,

[@stoffer74]

Great!

[@ratface1987]

Thanks!

[@warmrollsforthetable]

I effing love my 303. Id never part with it.