Roland MC-303 Diagnosis & Demo - First Look

[@TechTangents]

Introducing the "First Look" series! Well, actually this is what my videos were mostly until I started scripting them. This is a continuation of my attempts to get back to making more videos by adding back in some lower production value projects. This particular video was more of a return to form of my original style of videos but I want to set expectations for these going in and the basic idea has almost always been my initial impressions of something when I first get it. So I'm going to be making these videos as a series that I'm calling "First Look"s.

[@crxxpslvyr7887]

damn its cool

[@Aquatarkus96]

The sounds of the late 90s-early 00s in a box! What a neat groovebox!

[@6581punk]

The actual sound engine goes back to the JD990, so it's early 1990s. Roland then implemented lossy compression for the ROM for the JV-1080 and later units, which reduced the quality but they fixed the filter performance at high resonance, which sounded bad on the JD990 (digital clipping). So the heritage of the engine is JV-1080 or JV-2080 (can't remember which).

[@LocalAitch]

Not gonna lie, for something quick and dirty on hardware you’re not intimately familiar with, that was kinda a banger

[@beanboy5315]

Get your mind out of the gutter.

[@ScottsSynthStuff]

I had one of these, I rescued out of a dumpster (literally). I took it home, fixed it, and used it mostly as an 808 sound source (it has a decent 808 sample set in it). The user interface on this thing is its achille's heel, it's hopelessly complex and unintuitive. I eventually gave mine away to a friend's son who was trying to get into making EDM.

[@Laborejo]

This channel, and some other of course, inspired me quite a lot. For some while now I am very concious about old gear and learned a lot what is possible to repair (and how). Last week I repaired an 80s Yamaha drum machine. I would never have attempted this kind of stuff without learning from videos.

[@Bantam80]

Always happy to see synth/music gear on the channel!

[@spahndirge]

MC = ‘Micro Composer’.

[@slowtrigger]

New Tech Tangents video, my day just improved 100x times.

[@bf0189]

MC303 is one of my favorites ROMplers (along with it's big sister the MC505)! It got a lot of crap back in the day for not being an update on the TB-303 but it wasn't meant to! Quite underrated imo

[@6581punk]

The TB-303 was a piece of junk when it arrived. As was the TR-808, synth drums when sample based drum machines were appearing? the 303 being for basslines for musicians like guitarists to play along with. These days there's loads of cheap kit around. So we're never likely to see the same situation where some musicians bought something cheap from the pawn shop and made acid house on it like they did with the 303 and 808. I don't think we'll see the MC303 redeem itself and become valuable.

[@justincoleman9776]

I love my 303

[@BrunoLuisGarcia]

@@justincoleman9776 Me also! Love it!

[@jamesbennettmusic]

Those little green pots are Alps RK09 if you ever need to seek replacements

[@JORGETECHJorge]

I can imagine the videos becoming a Rave music party thanks to the use of this device.

[@ScottsSynthStuff]

Pretty much every synth built with presets since the late 1970's works the same way: the pots are not directly controlling anything. The pots run into an A/D converter which the sound engine reads, interprets, and then uses to generate the sound. That way, you can have presets that work correctly regardless of the current setting of each knob. When you do turn the knob, it "jumps" to that new setting.

[@kaitlyn__L]

Recently some guitar amps have begun to be like this as well. I’ve had a number of people give up when trying to fiddle with my synths and guitars because of how wildly the sound jumps when they touch the knob a little bit. They all think it’s broken at first. Very few get their head around the knobs being “moved” internally with the preset.

[@davids2750]

i fixed this exact same issue on my MC-303. the replacements parts are from the TT Electronics P09x series. i believe the part number for the volume knob is P0925N-FC15AR10K

[@kevintgaudio]

This was my first piece of music gear when I was a kid, my dad gave it to me and it was so much fun to play with

[@6581punk]

People were expecting a modern TB-303 when it was just a cut down MC-505. Roland's JV ROM based sound engine was good, but people were craving real analogue back then.

[@jimboblivesforever]

The MC505 is without a doubt a more capable device, but it came out one or two years later than the MC303 (depending where you live), so technically, the MC505 was a souped successor to the MC303. But I'm nitpicking here.

[@bf0189]

@Lassi Kinnunen 81 late 80s too and it's still hype!

[@6581punk]

@@jimboblivesforever You're right. I was sort of comparing them against each other in my mind and forgetting their release dates. My friend has one. He did some amazing stuff on it. I talked him out of the RM1x as it had no really preset sound storage. I later got an RM1x myself and the sound engine really isn't great for editing. I sold it and then bought another much later but they have button problems, the musical keyboard uses rubber domed switches and they degrade.

[@Mad4400]

Backlash is common problem from turning the pot too vigorously. Eventually the claws spread and contact becomes intermittent. The MC505 volume pot will fit the footprint if you can't find any one selling one for the 303.

[@anonymouspepper2012]

I really liked the song at the end!

[@beanboy5315]

Ayy, look at this boy. Struttin his stuff. Yeah, yeah. We all see it. Check it out. Yeah, lookin good with that MC. Hey.

[@danielson9579]

That outro gave me a 90s flash back 😎👍

[@LightTheUnicorn]

Whoa hey, you got quite a grove going at the end there, nice! Shame about the volume pot, but it looks solid otherwise. Really love seeing the audio gear!

[@BrianRRenfro]

Trust me, as someone who owns a lot of 90s Roland gear the less rotary encoders on there the better!

[@Foxtrot200]

That tune at the end reminded me of that Psygnosis game Wipeout a bit. I always enjoyed the music in that game.

[@HeadsetGuy]

New theme song! Is that going to be for all of your videos going forward, or just First Look?

[@TechTangents]

I'm leaning towards it being the new one for all videos, I'm not super happy with the old one. I'm not completely sold on this one either, but now that you mention that I may want to come up with a different intro overall for the first looks. I'll explore that more in the next one.

[@theslatepipebanjodraggers8980]

I recently got given one of these and mine had a loose volume pot as well. I fixed it in a similar way to you but I also strapped it up with a small cable tie. It works ok now, not perfect but a lot better

[@fabian999ification]

That outro music performance was very cool

[@michaelorange2500]

I used to own the much older MC-202 Micro Composer. Roland started calling them GrooveBoxes when EDM (Electronic Dance Music) became a “thing.” The MC-202 had no built-in rhythm capability, but did have a fully analog SH-101 monophonic synthesizer inside. It was a two channel sequencer that required you to connect a second mono synth to playback both channels’ sequences. Yamaha also jumped on the EDM bandwagon in the same time period with the DX200 in their LoopFactory series, which had a DX7 inside it along with rhythm accompaniment.

[@CaptainZuurpruim]

Nice! I have a MC-303 (1st owner) with the same issue on the vol pot. I actually opened the whole pot up, cleaned it, and managed to clamp it all back together again. Still working! Not that I use it much though.. :)

[@charliebrown1976]

19:26 is absolute *fire*

[@ScottsSynthStuff]

I had one of these for years, I too had to disassemble and fix it (broken coax power jack). They have a full 808 and 909 sample set, which is nice, but the user interface is...well, just crap. :) I ended up giving mine away. I have the electronic version of the user manual if you don't already have it. Incidentally, it's actually only displaying one of the seven segment digits at a time, which is why you see the flickering.

[@bubbadmatt8124]

Damn it. Need to be in the background of the first Blade movie nightclub scene with some glowsticks before all hell bust loose.

[@fisk0]

Hopefully you've got a later version of it, the first batches of the MC-303 are kinda horribly broken and can't easily be fixed. It crashes on incoming MIDI and the internal MIDI clock loses sync after about four bars.

[@danielbarry5547]

Mines has wobbly bass,volume,cutoff, knobs and a janky power supply hole which I taped to get it to power on lol...and I still love it ! Not a very flexible synth but it does what it does very well !!!

[@sparga]

Hooray, more stuff I want to have but don't have the money for!

[@els1f]

At 1:35 I was magically transported to GTA san Andreas. CJ coming to pick you up to do a drive-by on those suckas

[@SeanBZA]

Those double sided boards with the screen printed through hole plating. They do suffer from the plating in the hole going partly open circuit, which is why they have the screen printed protective layer over them. If you get odd issues on the boards the only solution is to clean off all the pads in the affected areas, and solder in a lot of thin wire links to join the pads together. Change the battery, they tend to leak after a few years, so best not to tempt fate. Same for the electrolytics on the double sided board, check carefully for leaks out the base of the capacitors, or bulging base bungs. At least your board does not have those screen printed vias used as a third and fourth layer of connection over the solder resist.

[@garbleduser]

Your custom performance could have been used on a Sega Genesis game!

[@ScarlettStunningSpace]

Making music with old tech is awesome!

[@megadjc192]

if you ever need more of those types of pots I know they can be had on mouser as a lot of electronics use them. Typically the ones that replace those are made by tt electronic. The alpha ones aren't quite right for a lot of these older designs. I had to fix various older equipment from the likes of M-Audio and Logitech that had those style of pots and that weird in the middle failure seemed to have happened to quite a few of them regardless of how they were used. I think the potentiometer series is P0925N. They should be close enough to replace what you have there. Just do some measuring and off you go. and btw that's a dual 10k audio pot. Likely part on mouser is 858-P0925NFC15AR10K. (EDIT: you can also get single gang which s P0915N).

[@316diag]

Variable resistors aren't difficult to take apart. Take it apart and clean inside, at the very least. New parts could likely be lower quality.

[@shinigami146]

I still have one of these. I also have a 307. I lost all my saved songs due to the internal battery going dead, I believe. I have never opened it up, so now I know what I would be looking at if I do.

[@Theorica]

Inspired by the original TB-303. Transistor Bassline. Analogue is king but I simply use a soft/digital version and a controller for all the twiddling when live. The step sequencer was the killer aspect of it. Not so much today but nostalgia, of course. Awsome video BTW. Channel as well. =)

[@housemusic325]

The small hole on the pcb which go from one side to the other is called "via"

[@Moechella444]

Tbh I clicked because I thought it was a weird version of a TB-303 but i'm satisfied with what I got instead.

[@davidpremontini2858]

Hi, good video. I did a mess with my mc303. accidentally inserted a 12vdc power supply instead of 9vdc. the Synth turns on correctly and works in all parts, but a strong background noise can be heard from the audio output. which component could be wrong and how can I test its correct functioning. I have some knowledge of electronics and electrical engineering

[@paula1493]

Are you a musician? You have worked on serval electronic instruments. I would love hear your work.

[@TechTangents]

Not really...but also yes? I've always played some kind of instrument throughout my life, but it never crossed over into any kind of full production. The only thing I've ever fully finished and released was the piece I composed for the Blip video I did a while back: techtangents.bandcamp.com/track/blip It's a bit simple and overly long because it was meant for a video though. I have a similar goal for the MC-303 so I don't see anything I produce with that being more complex. My plans for this device are to fully lean into the iconic/cheesy sounds it has from the dance/house/techno era. They are what I always envisioned the music for this channel being like, so I'm excited to finally be able to try making it happen now.

[@PoLoMoTo2]

That pot shouldn't be too bad to find probably a standard part. Just measure what the total resistance is and filter for a two deck pot on a site like Mouser or Digikey. Then you just have to find one with the same mounting as the one you have. Shipping might be a bit steep for one part though.

[@PaulHerbig]

I have one I'm repairing. The whole thing works except there's no audio output. None from the headphones or the audio outs, and none in midi module mode. I replaced the battery and did a reset but it still doesn't make sound. I know the filter cutoff knob is messed up, and maybe others are. Do you think it's possible replacing those would fix it?

[@bit-map]

I have a Roland D2 groovebox (based on the same engine as the 303) that has similar issues, when the volume knob is just below max it is actually louder than when it's all the way up and the patches seem to vary in volume enough to be actually pretty annoying to use. Not sure if it's a circuitry issue or the result of hasty programming, if anyone has similar issues please let me know!

[@bit-map]

Update: turns out my only issue was likely the cable I was using, decided to get a balanced 1/8th inch to 1/4inch cable and now the audio is fine - similarly had an issue with my Roland Sh01a and fixed it by getting another one of those cables. 20 years or so and Roland products still being fussy about the cables they need.

[@ChrisCebelenski]

I would go ahead and replace the cell while you have it open next time. It's not hard to get to, but easy to forget. It should have about 15-20 years life if I go by some of my other Roland gear. And ribbon cables are the bane of any vintage synth owner. (That and capacitors)

[@luma6759]

how did you add the sound you created with arpeggio to the drum pattern?

[@damonmcclellan7896]

I would love to use something like that to develop video game music

[@ciron.]

do you maybe know who i can fix the noise from my mc 303 ? its exhausting to record something into the daw without having heavy noise. could you may help me. i also tried a DI but it didnt worked.

[@deemarr4249]

wow bought new..96 .got one on ebay some time ago..has its bugs in a bassbin ..but it was and is bit off magig in a box

[@deemarr4249]

curious to put it through a keystep pro and the night sky

[@danielortizdecaracas]

Please tell me how clean my rust skin of my 303, full functional but very rusted

[@evensgrey]

Wether they used rotary encoders or potentiometers, it would have been better to make each controllable aspect be on a separate control.

[@justincoleman9776]

Bravissimo!!

[@Jimbaloidatron]

You'd probably enjoy playing with a Yamaha RM1X :-)

[@6581punk]

Bigger screen, more keys, worse sound engine. My RM1x needed all the buttons replaced as the musical notes use rubber domes as playing music on clicky tact switches isn't great. But those rubber domes seem to degrade. It's my second RM1x, kinda wish I'd gone for an RS7000 the second time. But anyway, I have a Polyend Tracker now.

[@martin984]

Why is the display constantly blinking like that? Is there a way to stop the rapid blinking and make it steady?

[@antoniocalimero1173]

That is the same with car lights if you make a video. In real, you see no blinking

[@summerlaverdure]

your content is cool, subbed

[@Bod8998]

Love mine

[@maaaaandeh]

"Anyways, heres Closer"

[@JeffCD77]

"Jam the pins in the mating socket". There's a joke there somewhere.

[@69uremum]

I had one in highschool, I was told it would be best described as a rhythm composer. I didn't like that it couldn't sample or import sounds:(

[@NealClewlow]

It's a Prodigy Generator!! (Seriously, I reckon >50% of that can be found on Music For The Jilted Generation) ;-)

[@316diag]

not sure, i'll ask... was you refering to test point traces as cheater traces?

[@TranceTrousers]

I got one of these little gems late last year. There's a lot of functionality tucked away in this box so I would advise getting hold of the user guide if you can, failing that it's been scanned and uploaded here www.manualslib.com/manual/865912/Roland-Mc-303-Groovebox.html

[@imranahmad2733]

Sounds a little kernkraft or Prodigy beat and sample wise

[@bepowerification]

does the frequency of the LEDs change on the device or is this some camera thing? the fact the flickering changes and wanders..

[@bepowerification]

@Lassi Kinnunen 81 ah ok. thanks. probably the most irrelevant question about this video but it bothered me.

[@verstrahlt1907]

nice video nad interesting gadget; but why so much "hand-flapping" and "ššš..."

[@antno2281]

Good

[@jordanzish]

I'd be genuinely surprised if you couldn't find that 6 pin pot from Syntaur, if not the usual electronic supply suspects. Cherchez la pot: syntaur.com/Items.php?Item=2037 While you're at it, Syntaur actually has a pretty entertaining KZbin series repairing old synths, including some pretty rare holy grail type stuff.

[@jebusfawcett]

Hi Tech Tangents. I'm starting to "diversify" my online media platforms in the wake of a great deal of censorship and takedowns by big tech. I'm wondering if you are posting your videos to any other platforms?

[@VanishedPNW]

Ahhh, I see, you're one of those nerdy dudes who speak excitably in a weird, fast-slow cadence with word-salad sentences which sooouuund smart, but which actually say nothing more than "stuff." Lol. I always get along with people like you

[@simonstergaard]

Roland have an excelent spare parts service. You just write them what you want and they will send it...for money ofcourse. just google roland spare parts service and your country will pop-up

[@Pippo.Langstrumpf]

He Man, just replace it

[@Hogdriva]

Your logo looks a little too much like Thermaltake and that's not good lol