Roland MC-707 - Looping Long Samples Without a Looper!

[@gavinpeters9531]

Hi, if you look at the manual for the Env time/level numbers it explains it, it's actually very simple once you know. Roland does seem to generally have an english translation problem (that's my guess at least to their cryptic wording of things). Essentially imagine each env level as an amplitude point on a graph (so "level" on the y axis). Then imagine each "time" number as the distance between them. So time1 is the distance between Level 1 & Level 2, time2 between Level 2 & 3, time 3 between level 2 & 3, and time4 the time for Level 3 to go back down to zero. So what you have is essentially an ADSR where S not only has a level, but also a "hold time", and attack can also start from a non-zero point (level1). There are only 3 Levels because the final "Level", "level 4" is always 0 (Because release always ends at 0 level, after Time4 has elapsed) This means when you adjust Time 3, you are effectively adjusting the sustain/hold time, after both the attack and decay sections have played, and before the release section plays. This provides you with more advanced envelope than normal ADSR. Then throw in the Sus & No-Sus option and you get further control. I think the problem people have with the 707 is it was really designed to be used in full edit mode, the 'easy' edit screens are cut down from true operation. But if you don't read the manual you will never know it's there.

[@sohatyi]

Yes the graph in the full reference manual is a good illustration, shame they didn't flash it up for those settings or something.

[@Gainn]

If you're using one drumkit for a load of loops you can just go into SET* on the pads page and change the 'decay time offset' to +63 in the KNOB CTRL section.

[@iiaaiiaannaaiiaaii]

yeah, that's a good point, the only issue with that is that the most it will ring out is 8 steps and you will hear the volume decay over time as well. There are other parameters you can adjust to address this, but this method Jeff is explaining is the most efficient and elegant way to go.. At least that has been my, dumbass, findings.

[@iiaaiiaannaaiiaaii]

This is awesome thanks! I was trying to get a kick to sustain for longer than 8 steps so I could do bad things to it and ended up spending a couple hours messing around with the 707"s deep state parameters trying to figure it out, it worked but meant I ate up an entire tone track just to do the thing. This is great idea. TIP: what I figured out thru trail and error is that the INSTRUMENT EDIT AENV (amp envelope) tab parameters you are adjusting in this video are... TVA Env Time 1= attack TVA Env Time 2= decay TVA Env time 3= sustain TVA Env time 4= release These are explained in the reference manual, but they are buried and organized in, what I find to be, a very convoluted diagram. I find the 707 really well designed, generally speaking, but the manual presentation, typically Roland, while better this time around is still at times torturous. Hope this info saves anyone reading this some time.

[@Drumsdude123]

Great! Is it possible to save or automatize this setup - in order to record long samples without altering adsr every time you record a new sample… Thanks

[@iiaaiiaannaaiiaaii]

one way to skin that cat would be to set up a Tone Track as Jeff has done here, and use that track to process all your samples. Not ideal but would save you having to mess with the envelope every time, and you can use the track for another purpose once you are done.

[@beadlebamford9999]

Thank you so much for this. I noticed the fade. I was doing it this way because the looper has weird distortion from time stretching. 🙏

[@AcidAlex]

Very useful

[@danielrico3006]

I cant imagine how big is the user manual of this machine

[@sohatyi]

The reference manual (i.e. the long one) still isn't that huge.

[@Kromus1980]

Its a small binder if you print out the preset and wave lists

[@lukejxson]

Is this possible on the mc101?

[@sohatyi]

I think you'd need to use an editor? Not sure if you can get it out of the box on the MC101

[@bigbeatnut]

2 years later: you can do this solution on the MC-101: change the 'decay time offset' to +100. You can also do the slightly more difficult solution of using 'sustain' instead of 'no-sus' and then sequencing a very long note ... which is tedious without an external keyboard because you need to tie all the notes in the sequence, one by one.

[@lukejxson]

@@bigbeatnut 2 years later and I still can't afford one 😂

[@lukejxson]

@@bigbeatnut thanks for the help tho