ROLAND MC 707 - Demo jam and first impressions

Let's spend 30 minutes playing the new ROLAND MC 707 GROOVEBOX. I'll take you on a tour of the sounds, discuss some of the features, quirks and drawbacks then put together a quick jam track using the clip sequencer and some beats. The ROLAND MC 707 is the bigger brother of the ROLAND MC 101 and I hope to have more demos of both coming up in the near future. You'll hear the pad sounds, derived from the ZenCore SuperNatural synth engine, JUNO 106, JUPITER and some great patches from the legendary ROLAND XV 5080. I'll give you a mini-tutorial on recording tracks and my initial first impressions review.
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[@geofff6671]

It's actually good to see the frustrations of a first time user that has lots of experience with gear. It gives one a sense of what to expect while learning the machine, in contrast to all the highly polished demonstrations that make using some new piece of gear look easy.

[@WildernessMusic_GentleSerene]

So nice to get a keyboardists perspective on products. Woody, you're one of the few who can play, most other reviews are from tweekers. Never thought of the 707 as a great sequencer for the big sound bank and clip selection until this video, and I did not know it had 8 measures, I thought it was a max of 4. (yes there is song mode but song mode is not a flowing workflow).

[@WoodyPianoShack]

well the tweakers have their own skill set and talents too, I wish I could bang out beats like those guys can!

[@WildernessMusic_GentleSerene]

@@WoodyPianoShack Oh yes, I did not mean to say they were untalented, just a different avenue to music production. Love your Swedish neighbor BoBeatds too :) Just enjoy seeing a keyboardist navigate a device with the same mindset as me.

[@laurentgratton6369]

You can hold clear and hit the Track’s SEL button to clear the whole clip, I just found this and it’s definitely made noodling around easier!

[@gimble8638]

Great stuff as per woody :)

[@jettero1]

Great Video! Will be getting mine in March, and will MIDI my Korg Wavestate MkII & Korg Modwave MkII to this and have some great fun, YAAAAYYYYY 😄👍

[@allisterwhitehead]

this is excellent. I was going to buy this as part of my DJ set up, just for beats and minimal music hits but this has really broadened my impression of its capabilities. Nothing worse than 'fiddling' when you're playing live and this seems to have the best balance between live playability and sonic possibilities. Too many grooveboxes are aimed at the laptop musicians that want to go dawless, rather than DJs who want to bring a live element into their sets (me!!). This is exactly what I've been looking for. Thanks!

[@e.d.1642]

Do you think it's enough to improvise a minimal live set or are other machines needed ?

[@e.d.1642]

@@allisterwhitehead Thanks for answering ! I'm a keyboard player myself. I'm thinking about buying the Roland FA-07 for the large sound palet and the linear sequencer but would like to experiment with techno/minimal too. Eyeing the MC101 now in addition to the FA because of budget reasons though. Maybe I should just wait a bit and buy the 707 directly.

[@ClemensFritsch]

This is the most useful video of all available to support any buy decision - thanks a lot. I guess, the addition of a small midi keyboard is the key to achieve quick results without headache. Great performance.

[@ZukiBiker13]

Great video, thanks.

[@DylanParisMusic]

these pads are giving me chills, i have so many soft synths.... i don't need this.. i'm in debttt

[@emmawebber9438]

Woody, you totally cracked me up when you said that the track was so boring, even the camera packed up and stopped filming. Thankfully I had just swallowed the mouthful of tea I was drinking, or It would have been spat out all over my laptop, as I was laughing so much. Thank you for the presentation, I will be looking further into the MC 707. Best wishes from Surrey, England.

[@WoodyPianoShack]

glad i could amuse you, make sure to check out my demo of the mc101 coming soon, it's an interesting alternative! :)

[@jacobrosen]

A-tier vid right here!

[@alexandrosroussos]

Thx for the video. I bought the MC-101 for exactly thet use case, much more like a multi-part synth module + sequencer rather than groove box. The big plus is their Zen-Core engine and the sounds that come with it in a so small package.

[@TheSoundTestRoom]

Hi Woody, great video that answered a lot of my questions on the 707, just another quick one, does the midi input via a keyboard respond to sustain pedal input too? Cheers Doug

[@mrthomasheder]

Hey woody, -your are really great, I love your videos. Keep on going!!

[@WoodyPianoShack]

Hey, thanks!

[@iseeolly9959]

Top marks for using a keyboard with it! ......I have an Akai MPC live, I just know that it's a top notch bit of kit, so many options....but it's the only bit of kit I own where I need the manual to use!.....maybe I'm just getting old. Another great vid Woody!

[@svatyvoj]

Hi, for yout undo function, you can press Clear+Sel (or Clear+step you want to delet) to delete your recorded take or you can go to sequencer and adjust the one bad recorde step, rather than record it again. This should solve the workflow problem right?

[@mr_floydst]

Finally! :)

[@WoodyPianoShack]

aha, another groovebox fan!

[@eggshellalien]

Sounds great! Love the track you made! That’s how you play a keyboard with this thing. I am going to midi in mine asap. Very cool.

[@chinedumichael8776]

Nice work.

[@DavidDeLuge]

Have you tried a Synthstrom Audible Deluge? It addresses all of your cons for the MC-707 and has no limits on anything until the CPU had to start giving priority.

[@XavierRadix]

Nice to see how Roland really packed a lot of stuff in there! My first impression of this was that it was just another drum machine, boy was I wrong :).

[@WoodyPianoShack]

yo xav, and I've only scratched the surface of the sounds and sequencer, on top of that you got the fx, the sampler...

[@angelaferkel5614]

Love ❤️

[@alecsbuga]

Wow these do sound so much better when you add the lower octaves. I need to get myself a midi keyboard with MIDI Out. Yeah. The pads do sound amazing. Wow.

[@Drumsdude123]

Great! After last firmware updates Roland brought count-in functionality)

[@WoodyPianoShack]

i like to think it's because of my video... :D

[@MatusFinchus]

Sorry if this has been mentioned, but there is a record count in now. :-) As at v1.72.

[@progwaver]

seems to be a nice item... but why the hell Roland offers not a at least 9 Inch smartphone display ?? we live in 2020 now... not more in the 90s... have they left this displays from earlier stuff they did or what ?? I think I remember an earlier unit they once used this kind of Display... thats bit frustrating… for 900 bucks should be a 9 or 10 Inch display not a Problem ?? Not ??... every shit low cost smartphone cheaper price has that …

[@MarianoPerez]

I'm new to all this groove box stuff so bare with my elementary questions. Can one create anywhere from 10 to 12 tracks (like a one hour set) on this box and then perform them live one after the other? Is there enough memory (slots in the step sequencer), or whatever you call it? Thanks.

[@WoodyPianoShack]

8 track limit, don't know the step sequencer limit, but you can make and perform very long songs no probs

[@goodboid]

If you like connecting your midi keyboard to grooveboxes, the Akai Force with it's hype engine will blow you away. And it's nowhere this frustrating. And especially since the price drop to $900, the Force is a ridiculously good deal. Thanks for an unusual demo!

[@maccagrabme]

So you have one? What are the synth sounds like compared with this?

[@WildernessMusic_GentleSerene]

No built in sound bank like the 707 though, and probably not the extensive sound editing of the Roland either. I think the 707 is more a keyboardist beat box.

[@patrickfrancis7547]

I have both units The Force for the money is easier to use N better period although surprising Roland 707 has more power in certain areas of the multi track set up and has much better clip independence than the Force

[@paulsharp5473]

Good video. Being right handed I would have preferred the screen and patch selector to be on the left side of the unit.

[@thriveimagedesign]

You can use the measure to navigate through and remove the offending note, you can also hold down clear while recording to erase notes on the fly. Check out the reference manual it is a wealth of information.

[@WoodyPianoShack]

thanks, interesting tip with the clear, i've read and searched the ref manual but did not see that. looking forward to trying it out.

[@ModLifeCrisis]

Nice demo Woody. Thanks. I've had a couple of track looper type boxes (both from Elektron) and they both had the same issue for me which was that although they sounded great I did not like working over and over on the same 4 or 8 bars. I Found I'd spent hours tweaking four bars and all the life had gone out of it. For me, just adding sounds as the four bars play over is not the same as musicality or progression. I think this might work better for me as a sound module, so maybe the 101 might be more useful. Keep up the good work.

[@WoodyPianoShack]

a four bar loop quickly becomes musical torture, even if you add or remove stuff to it. a transpose can work wonders though!

[@synthlord2368]

Great Video Woody! I got mine back in October right after it came out. I love it and use it constantly. Do some more videos on it please. It would be nice to see what you come up with after you have some more experience with it. Also, you can micro edit a track. Back out of record mode, select the track you want to edit, then the 16 step sequencer will light up. You can look for which part is off, then push that step. The note will light up on the bigger pads in the bottom. Press the button and it will cancel that note. Then go back to the step you want it to be on press that button, then press the note that you want there. Voila fixed! If it is a longer note you press and hold the note and tap the hold/ tie button on the key pads, till you reach the length that you want them to be.

[@WoodyPianoShack]

good to know, thanks for sharing your knowledge! in my case I'd probably just do the take again, i can't see myself micro-editing on that small screen!

[@cheesefiend123]

How many xv5080 patches does it have? Having trouble finding much info about that. Great video!

[@WoodyPianoShack]

several hundred maybe more, you can download the sound list and check yourself!

[@cheesefiend123]

Woody Piano Shack I took a look through them (this thing has a lot of presets haha)- are the xv5080 sounds in their own section or mixed with the other presets?

[@zombza]

I like. Yeah

[@leetronix]

Just out of curiosity how do you find the size of the screen and reading the data on it?

[@WoodyPianoShack]

you're asking the wrong guy, i have very poor eyesight so for me unusable.

[@leetronix]

Woody Piano Shack Haha, thanks for confirming 👍

[@WildernessMusic_GentleSerene]

It is amazing how today we can get a touch screen with a $80 tablet, or a $60 printer...but in the music world we are still getting a 1988 year display. The Roland 101 must be a nightmare.

[@WoodyPianoShack]

@@WildernessMusic_GentleSerene I often wonder why this is too.

[@LeadingMotive]

@@WildernessMusic_GentleSerene My Rolands' screens from 1988 are actually super-readable since they use huge fonts. Nowadays they cram one newspaper page's worth of stuff into the same space. No wonder we can't read it.

[@Musicology1975]

Nice can i put Linn drum samples in this and trigger Them?

[@WoodyPianoShack]

yes, for sure you can import your own samples.

[@futumama1]

MC-707 its amazing maschine mainly for super sound quality. But with user interface i have few months problem, even though I'm an expert. So no shame Woody. And new update have metronom..but without precount record.

[@aloharay]

As I was watching I was calling out "hit enter!" Note, by default each track 1-8 has four notes reserved. If you experience note dropouts you may want to adjust these values and reserve more notes for your busier tracks.

[@WoodyPianoShack]

i don't think i mentioned on the vid but i did encounter notes cutting out, even with a sparse pattern.

[@monsirto]

Nice video. Had a look at it, my old mc505 will stay.

[@sullivanradley]

Thanks, Woody! Great sounds. Hope things are well with you.

[@WoodyPianoShack]

thanks, right back at you!

[@JoseVGavila]

Nice rig and demo, thanks!. Now, what next? 😁

[@WoodyPianoShack]

what would you like? :)

[@JoseVGavila]

@@WoodyPianoShack Well, long time without some vintage gear... I guess you have already gone through all of that, but it is always nice to hear how 80s and 90s gear still sound nice nowadays

[@WoodyPianoShack]

@@JoseVGavila i've actually covered all the vintage boards that interested me. you're right though,I need to find some topic to keep the vintage guys happy!

[@Gainn]

print off a sign that says "PRESS ENTER!" and stick it to the keyboard.. :P

[@GeorgeSundancermusic]

The JD-XI some sort of groove box ? I have to disagree, Woody :~) It's more than that to me. But great demo of the MC 707.

[@WoodyPianoShack]

i used it as a groovebox with built-in keyboard :)

[@dykodesigns]

That enter button.... some devices you need to get used to, others just always work different than you would expect and never get used to. I’d imagine it be difficult to design an intuitive user interface. I have this with some games, they tend to have odd control layouts sometimes. There is a ps2 game where the jump button is different from other games and it’s something I can’t get used to.

[@TheGonk23]

Did anyone else find themselves shouting "Press Enter! Press Enter!" while watching this?

[@WoodyPianoShack]

lol! i bet everyone was! i will never get used to pressing enter after choosing a preset, 40 years of playing synths without this "feature" :)

[@ilikedirtverymuch]

@@WoodyPianoShack yes, that is quite annoying in mc707, but anyway love this box a lot

[@AndrewAHayes]

the lack of count in is noticeable as when the start point comes around to loop it seems to lose the beat on which you start, I would have thought the quantise could take care of that

[@WoodyPianoShack]

quantize is a bit mysterious on this beast, al least i have not got to grips with it. i'm beginning to wonder if the focus is on guys using the step sequencer where count-ins and quantize is not necessary.

[@markmiller2949]

Woody Piano Shack I’m sure that’s true. Possibly, its the nature of most grooveboxes.

[@mypanasonic6862]

bought the MC-909 when that came out years back and it was flawed big time with bugs and roland never bothered to fix them or send out any firmware update after the 1st os patch! The main error was the MFX or FX would stop dead when switching to the next pattern meaning the tail end of the fx would be missing no sustain \ decay.

[@UberSynth]

There is a "count in" when you record an audio loop

[@OttosTheName]

2:46 Ooooh man, that's tasty, gonna have to find that preset in my 101 and turn that into a little synthwave jam.

[@ranzee]

Love the setup with the plants! Succulents? Great to see your channel grow mate - you've done well! We've talked about the 707 a fair bit over on my stream - great to hear your thoughts!

[@74unicorn]

No que in, no clip editing, no song mode, no user patches (only projects), no VST editor & no midi specification. It could be so good sound module & great groovebox if it was done properly. Let's hope that some issues will be addressed in future updates.

[@74unicorn]

And also no possibility to record modulation and pitch bend on clips.... why?

[@WoodyPianoShack]

huh, is that true? i'll put it to the test.

[@WoodyPianoShack]

thanks for the breakdown, yeah, maybe this is still work-in-progress to some extent, although yet to see the "perfect" groovebox from any manufacturer.

[@74unicorn]

@@WoodyPianoShack You can record modulation automation using modulation knob on the MC device, but to my knowledge it is not possible using modulation & pitch wheels of external keyboard. At last it was not possible two months ago on 1.20 firmware. I'm still thinking this is really good sound module and may get one again, if it will be improved.

[@wallmenis]

That really makes me want to buy this thing! Too bad it's 1grand

[@WoodyPianoShack]

I got a review unit of the 101 to try out, perhaps that will suit us better!

[@wallmenis]

@@WoodyPianoShack I sure hope so!

[@maccagrabme]

I can see the appeal of having a module with all their legacy sounds and the modern zencore with hands on control but this looks too irritating to use in its current form. Give me these zencore sounds and the current ACB sounds in a module or rack with colour screen like the Akai mpc or Yamaha modx and I'll buy one.

[@WoodyPianoShack]

that would be awesome, yeah!

[@thelantern9075]

littlegee YES.

[@jepcy21]

I’m from the future ! but you can edit mistakes in the step sequencer

[@FunkTree]

Count in ? Why not to take one clip with hihat or click

[@WoodyPianoShack]

yep, that's what i did, but waiting for an 8 bar pattern to loop around before you can begin playing really sucks...

[@LucidMusicIncRecordings]

@12.23 use the clear button and the track select button--clears the pattern!

[@LucidMusicIncRecordings]

also you could have fixed the first note using the step sequencer.

[@WoodyPianoShack]

doesn't that clear the entire track? haven't quite got to grips with the whole clear thing, I find it much quicker on the 101 :)

[@thomasbresse4756]

Clear + Track SEL to remove all notes.

[@WoodyPianoShack]

that's awesome, i was hoping to get some pointers, was I right about the count-in?

[@thomasbresse4756]

No count in for now, but that’s probably something they’ll add in a future update. I usually go to the last bar as it’s easier to see when it starts.

[@FoxyNirvana]

Very nice 😎✌️

[@intothewonderful]

A cheaper version of Roland Jupiter XM in a TR8S form factor.

[@WoodyPianoShack]

it doesn't have the ACB modelling of the Xm, so watch out if that's what you want.

[@intothewonderful]

@@WoodyPianoShack Ah I see, thx for the info. 👍

[@maccagrabme]

@@WoodyPianoShack I didn't think the XM had ACB, its zencore instead which is a lighter version with more polyphony so I would have thought the 707 could do the same sounds as the XM. I didn't know this had the XV modules in it, that's useful.

[@sonjaspackenberger9250]

I don't get why this thing sounds to uninspiring. Is everyone just using the stock presets? It sounds like a bad 90s rompler. On YT I've seen maybe one or two mediocre sets with this machine, the rest were boring.