In lonely admiration: Roland MC 303 Groovebox downtempo ambient electronica

[@KiesgrubenJunkies]

Unglaublich! Bestes Mc 303 Stück ever! Wahnsinn

[@acidcat5272]

Love you bro

[@MIDERA]

Thanks! I gotta pull my MC-303 back out.

[@xIT500]

Your music has inspired me. Your groovebox demos made me want to make groovebox demos, you’re quite ill. Peace to a fellow midwesterner.

[@MIDERA]

Hey thanks. I appreciate that. And peace to you as well friend :)

[@Ferrichrome]

The best MC-303 performance I've heard thus far !

[@MIDERA]

Thanks!

[@Claidheambmor]

This is gorgeous, cannot believe this box has passed me by until now.

[@MIDERA]

Thanks! Know that it took an incredible amount of panic attacks to get to a point so low to be able to focus so much on this box for these results. In any time of happiness - I do not think this is a normal result (as someone who, when feeling much better, cannot recreate anything good with the MC-303!).

[@Claidheambmor]

MIDERA Hey, thank you for the reply. Sadness is a powerful muse, the most touching art is made in times of turmoil. I'm sorry you have suffered but you have touched a great deal of people with your efforts. Hope things are better for you now.

[@jmcbeady8210]

This is just awesome. Everything about the tune is great. The arrangement, the sounds, the mood. Those drums are rock solid. After a year or so I always come back to listen.

[@MIDERA]

Thanks. Yeah, the MC-303 was quite a groovebox. I need to replace all of the tact switches in mine. I might do that soon and give it another go.

[@Pan6888]

Lovely sounds of retro. Happy new 2019.

[@MIDERA]

Thanks Panos :) Can't believe this track is about 5 1/2 years old now :/ Time flies...

[@ndeertrack]

I consistently come back to this track of yours. That acid line that kicks in at 3 minutes is well worth the wait!

[@MIDERA]

Hi Vince, Thanks for the kind words. I like this track too, but it does remind me of a pretty awful time after I got my PhD - it's sort of like I encapsulated my feelings and discomfort into music, though I can't say I did so intentionally (I'm not that good).

[@lairdtomfrenchelectromusic2545]

A perfectly successful piece. The atmosphere is really special.

[@MIDERA]

Thanks :) yeah, this one turned out alright!

[@ConstantThrowing]

It's so impressive what you do with this machine!!

[@MIDERA]

Thanks!

[@tybowesformerlygoat-x7760]

I still really love this stuff. Hope you and fam are doing well, man. Best wishes for 2023.

[@MIDERA]

Thanks! Happy 2023 to you. Hope it’s gone alright!

[@MyOneManBand]

brilliant ot see someone else who still uses the mc303 , i think its one of the best untapped boxes. I pair mine with a tenorion to get around the lack of realtime control (a la electribe)...wonderful vibe

[@simul808]

I just echo my thoughts from previous post's Again thanks!

[@MrFricoco]

Wow, great work! I just bought a mc 303, and your video is the video that made up my mind. I hope I can make as nice tunes as you.

[@MIDERA]

Thanks, good luck with the MC-303! Hope it's as inspirational for you, as it was for me.

[@Teddysk89]

oh my Godness its the best stuff i hear with 303 very inspiring I hought about sell my mc303 but now change my mind

[@MIDERA]

Thank you :) I haven't used mine in a while, but I still love it.

[@benjiwill]

Killing it with the MC-303, very cool. And loving that fisheye!

[@Netm8kr]

Real chill Doc. Nice use of fishy lens too. Keep em coming. #Inspiration.

[@thefrankly]

shockingly good, love the ARP after 3:00

[@MIDERA]

Thanks :)

[@moogdome2562]

I love this and the images you put in my mind through your music. So inspirational and complete mastery of the 303. it's like it was invented for you.love the fisheye lens. excellent.My best wishes as always. moog.

[@MIDERA]

Thanks moog - I loved my MC-303 (I still have it, but never use it these days). These tracks are more the talent of a panic disorder, I wish I could write like I did back then, but I do not wish to feel the way I did either! Thanks :)

[@moogdome2562]

Hi my friend. So sorry to hear that. But don't worry too much, worry restricts the creative flow. It's still there, just dormant. I still think you have an amazing talent. We artists are never satisfied, We are our own worst critics. all very temperamental. I think the panic, created your own unique style I love. Don't force the creative flow, it won't happen, just let it come when it's ready.try doing something else for a while, forgetting about it, then go back. Your amazing don't forget that. I was brainwashed as a child, so everything I do iI feel can't be any good. I find it difficult to accept praise. I wish you the best as always.I have faith in you.

[@reannaperis]

Amazing...such a vibe from these machines!

[@MIDERA]

Thanks! This was one of a kind time for me. Serious anxiety and depression. Doing better now, so the mc303 sits dormant. Plus it’s buttons are really hard to press these days…

[@reannaperis]

@@MIDERA im sorry to hear that ! But such precious machines bring so much joy even if they have some knob difficulties.. great to hear you are doing better now ! And please more music too ! Greetings!

[@MrBoxxed]

A lovely jam. :)

[@joemal5056]

amazing, how can it be possiblle to sound like that with a MC 303....mystery

[@MIDERA]

Joe mal Thanks :) I don't know, just spent a ton of time with the unit. It is a fun little box!

[@kasekeaton2995]

pro trick: watch movies on flixzone. Been using it for watching a lot of movies during the lockdown.

[@dannymack9636]

Cool man slow slow jazz, almost vampire like. Mucking about with your heart lol .

[@MIDERA]

Thanks! Love jazz, mostly piano jazz trio type stuff :) don’t think I could really make jazz though! I do love my mc303, wish I used it more.

[@dannymack9636]

@@MIDERA I got a bargain and hope to get another one with Jupiter 8 from my pal. I'll be listening

[@dannymack9636]

@@MIDERA a bit like acid jazz man

[@VacioAereo]

Sounds like fall, very nice!

[@BasedFrequency]

very glad to hear stuff like this on the mc 303, i make music like this with novation circuit and i am getting a mc in 2 days to go with it :)

[@MIDERA]

Awesome :) How are you enjoying your MC-303 (or other MC groovebox)?

[@DavidSheltonKCDJUnique]

Smooth as hell great production

[@MIDERA]

Thanks David Shelton!

[@DavidSheltonKCDJUnique]

crazy drums

[@MIDERA]

Thanks!

[@FUNKYSTATORS]

Well done my friend, I got this machine in 97’ 👌👍😉

[@MIDERA]

Nice! It’s still a great machine.

[@myshelby500gt]

This is magical i keep putting it on a loop as I love it so much. All I can say is well done for making such a beautiful piece of music and I wish i had heard this sooner. Can I ask are all the sounds hear created with the factory sounds or are they your own sampled sounds imported into the 303. I have just purchased one due to this video. Keep up the great work you are very talented musician and love your channel.

[@MIDERA]

Hey thanks Steve. Sometimes I wish I was back making as good music as I made back then, but I know I was miserable too (am I not now one may ask? Hard to answer that). You cannot sample or import samples into the MC-303. You only have access to the lovely on-board sounds with minimal sculpting capacity. It's my favorite MC synth.

[@myshelby500gt]

@@MIDERA thank you for your reply, I read on previous comments you were maybe in a dark place for a while but that amazes me you can put this together and all your other wonderful music on your channel. When i'm in a dark place i listen to music such as this wonderful track and it helps a lot. I hope you're in a good place at the moment and continue to make great music as you certainly have the talent. Wishing you all the best now and future.

[@MIDERA]

Thanks Steve!

[@robsmith9421]

I've heard some great pieces of work on these machines through youtube, and that one is right up there with the best, excellent job and beautiful composition. I have one of these machines and they are not too easy to work with, although love them. Please can you confirm which Pad you had at the start, and runs all the way through? cheers

[@MIDERA]

Oh man, I have no idea what pad is running through the whole thing :/ I might be able to find it sometime. If I do, I'll let you know. My unit is being stored away currently

[@sergitocaruso]

amazing piece!

[@MIDERA]

Thanks :)

[@djsmartmonkey]

listening in on bandcamp

[@MIDERA]

Awesome, thanks!

[@paulonacex]

very good work

[@andygaro1]

Very goody indeedy !

[@DDRR00]

Chilled me the fxxk out, thank you, sir!

[@MIDERA]

Thanks Dave :)

[@djsmartmonkey]

wow very cool

[@MIDERA]

Thanks!!!

[@wearekasule]

awesome.

[@MIDERA]

Thanks :)

[@System-1541]

How? That is so amazing!

[@MIDERA]

Thanks!

[@BlakeFoster050]

Man I've realize you can really dig deep into these things, they're kinda overlooked and have a dated aesthetic to its controls and layout but it really sounds great.

[@MIDERA]

+Blake Foster Yeah, I think with the right motivation and the right amount of time, you can do great things with the 909. I sort of have gotten sick of my unit. I don't have the same stress/motivation/time to work with it these days. And its hard to press the buttons on my unit, further frustrating me. But I love the stuff I made with it, for sure. It is a great groovebox.

[@unclejack340]

Nice!

[@MIDERA]

Thanks!

[@smailfilali9968]

La classe

[@MIDERA]

Thanks :)

[@ratface1987]

Wow, you really layer it on about mid way. I'm surprised that it stays tight the whole way through. Normally a pattern this complex slows down the sequencer. Very cool. :)

[@MIDERA]

[@bassie471963]

wicked track

[@MIDERA]

+Victor Ray thank you!

[@ratface1987]

I usually layer the drums and bass lines to make them extra thick. I also program a bridge into the 5-7 slots, so that takes up processing power even while muted. I have a track on the MC303 that I have never uploaded of one my favorite compositions where the timing jumps around the whole time. I had three bass lines all playing the same thing, an intro, verse, chorus, and bridge all on different tracks in the same pattern. Haha. So maybe a little too much for the little guy to handle.

[@ratface1987]

Decided to upload the track I was talking about with the slowdown on the MC 303. just add this to soundcloud. ratface1987/space-guys-surprise

[@Santurhane]

Is that in presets? Or you compose the pattern? I really like you style of using this tool. I wish to learn a bit from you! 🙏🏻

[@XHALE303]

Not a preset ...have 2 of them eating dust.

[@MIDERA]

This is my own user bank. I’m not sure what you could learn from me, I just push buttons and try to make things sound good to my ears. That’s the best I can do!

[@adriannunez8868]

I have a MPC 1000 (samples), KP3, TB3, Microkorg, CDJ, and a DJ mixer. I’m looking just for a drum machine. Would the 303 do that? It has the 808/909 sounds and I feel it’s a less inexpensive digitakt with some of the same sounds, but different learning curves. New to producing lol. Thanks. Your music is amazing

[@MIDERA]

I’d just use the MPC 1000 for drums honestly. The MC-303 would be very awkward for drums I think, at least sequenced from external gear. If only use the MC-303 by itself, if anything. Or get a different, better drum machine. Thanks!

[@adriannunez8868]

MIDERA just ordered a TR8 so I’m good on a drum machine! Other than I’d really like to try the 303 just for fun. Seeing your videos with it really is motivating, especially when the tracks are so smooth. Anyways, thanks for the info! And keep jamming bro your music is really good. Any vibe will work with the music :) thanks again!

[@elikapeka313]

is this using the groovebox only? sounds amazing

[@MIDERA]

Yes, just the mc-303. Thank you.

[@FredC79]

seriously dope man.. love it.. I'm about buying a used mc-303.. how do you find it to play dawless? :.-)

[@MIDERA]

Thanks - I think the MC-303 is archaic, but it was fun when I used it. I don't particularly play 'dawless' per se - because I always use a DAW. But I think as a standalone unit. It is functional. But it is old, so bear that in mind.

[@janusch3898]

and all this sounds are in the Roland mc-303 ?

[@MIDERA]

Yes. No external effects or other gear was used.

[@MoeShinola1]

What are you doing there at around 3:50-4:00 to get the one melody/sound to blend into the other like that? Is it the same part, just with a little knob twisting, or moving from one part to another? Great stuff, btw.

[@MIDERA]

Hey MoeShinola1, I'm just taking the bass sound that I had and adjusting the cutoff and resonance there! I didn't switch patterns or anything for this track, just mute and unmute, as well as adjusting filter settings and volumes. Thanks :)

[@SaschaReitz]

cool

[@MIDERA]

Thanks :)

[@LiamusShakirus]

This is by far the best thing I have ever heard from a 303. Amazing. Do you program the sequencer with a midi controller or all on the box?

[@MIDERA]

Hey, thanks :) I programmed it all on the 303. I used the keys to input notes and sequences. Thanks for stopping by :)

[@bastiaanw3519]

Agreed, gradophile

[@MIDERA]

Bastiaan Winde The sad thing is, I can't write any new tracks on my MC-303 until I offload all these tracks I wrote (I'm not 100% sure I dumped them into my computer appropriately). Who knew the MC-303 couldn't handle more than 20 tracks (it has 50 user patterns). Lame.

[@bastiaanw3519]

Ah well, you do quite fine on the other gear too.

[@brianbertucci1455]

I love the sonic quality of the MC 303 sounds you use. I've tried to replicate them with softsynths / VST Romplers, but it doesn't have the same character. Since MC-303 is so inexpensive, I wonder if you've ever thought about getting another one? Keep the one you have with your current album tracks on it, and get a 2nd one for new work - kind of like how a painter has to buy a new canvas if he wants to do another painting? Yes, it would be ideal if it could store all the patches on one machine, but that could just be considered one of the limitations of this medium. Wishing you well...

[@rain_irl6460]

sick

[@MIDERA]

Thanks!

[@manuelcano8064]

f*cking amazing

[@MIDERA]

+Manuel Cano Thanks :)

[@lukeimontv7086]

Just broke mine out again recently. The filters were actually pretty decent

[@MIDERA]

Luke, I'm on TV I should pull mine out too!

[@smailfilali9968]

👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@MIDERA]

Thanks!

[@jevogroni4829]

is this track on bandcamp?

[@MIDERA]

Hi, yes, it's in the description below the video, but also here too: midera.bandcamp.com/album/in-the-absence-of-expression Thanks!

[@manfredschmitt8797]

Super Sound !! Better than 505. ...

[@MIDERA]

Thanks! I gotta write some more with this little box.

[@smailfilali9968]

J'ai la même mais il metrise bien

[@MIDERA]

Thanks

[@774434]

MC love

[@MIDERA]

:) I'd love mine more if the damn buttons weren't crapping out on me and I hadn't reached the limit of user notes it would accept hahahah :D

[@774434]

LOL my MC505 has held up for 10 years man. Its got weird bugs sometimes, like random volume fluctuations but other than that its flawless. People need to learn this machine on a more intimate level cause it definitely has some good sounds on it. I still use the arpeggiator function to send midi signals to my newer gear. So it's also a decent sequencer.

[@MIDERA]

I bought mine in 2013 - the person who had it before hadn't been kind to it. I only thought to turn it on and see if the buttons worked, and they did, but now they're hardly possible to press down on and I'm not sure I want to go through the work of soldering new tact switches on... maybe some day :S

[@774434]

If you know how to solder go for it.. Shouldn't be that much trouble and those things are pretty cheap if you end up toasting it. my MC505 is still my most used gear lol I could never sell it. well maybe for a circuit bent one :)

[@MIDERA]

I know how to solder - it's whether I want to spend the time doing so. If I recall, many of the tact switches for the MC-303 are no longer produced... There are two types in the 303, I think the ones I want might still be, but while it may cost $5 in parts, it will take a few hours tearing it apart, resoldering, and putting it all back together and to be honest, I'd rather just buy one in better shape at that point!

[@Synth2000]

Are my ears fooling me? I have seen in the internet that everyone bashes the mc303. I keep listening to demos and I like them. Maybe i have a case of "cheap ears"? Or people bash it becase of timing issues? I am confused.

[@MIDERA]

I think it sounds pretty good, but it’s finicky. My unit especially. I can’t hardly press any of the tact switches, but that’s just from old age (the groovebox, not me). I don’t know why people don’t like it, but to be honest, I hadn’t heard that many good demos of the thing pre-2013. There were a few out there, but it felt like the mc-303 was quickly discarded for the 505.

[@outdatedgear5036]

This or an electribe?

[@MIDERA]

Most likely electribe, depending on version.

[@_skysick_]

+MIDERA How do you feel about the new "Electribe". I have the synth version of it and it drives me INSANE, but it's also my first groovebox-style hardware. It just doesn't seem very deep. I don't like the sounds and they are not very customizable, and the polyphony and envelope issues make me bonkers.

[@MIDERA]

I haven't used the electribe 2's. I didn't realize there were issues with them. Check out millolab's KZbin page to find some excellent usage of the electribe 2. He may have a better opinion than I will regarding them.

[@ArnethProductions]

Those left behind after the rapture will realize what we said was true; that the Word of God is the Truth and they will come to have a lonely admiration (warm approval and respect) for us.

[@MIDERA]

Sure!

[@simoncardie9371]

I keep hearing that the 303 is garbage? That's not what I'm hearing. Maybe it's the user?

[@MaximErased]

I love most of your works, but this lead line is so out of tune. Maybe my ears fool me, who knows...

[@electrorganix]

There may be some disonant bit in the lead, however it suits the overall melancholy of the track. As always, MIDERA is on top of the game. Just my humble opinion Maxim, respect, cheers :)

[@MIDERA]

Thanks - I’m not sure, didn’t think any part could be out of tune on an MC-303 ¯\_(ツ)_/¯