Roland MC-707 Review

In this review I cover the Roland MC-707, their latest Groovebox wonder box. For a more indepth look at some of the MC-707 features, be sure to check out these videos as well:
Set Up and Workflow: • MC707: Part 1 - Set Up...
Drums and Rhythm: • MC707: Part 2 - Drums ...
Knobs and Motion: • MC707: Part 3 Knobs an...

[@GazWilliams]

Totally excellent conveyor of the vital stats, thanks!

[@tarekith]

Thanks Gaz, glad you liked it! What's your next review?

[@pooptitz7375]

Gaz uses behringer lmao

[@agnz]

@@pooptitz7375 he uses whatever he likes. 🤷‍♂️

[@mit136speichenumdiewelt]

One of the best reviewer on youtube ;-) Keep going!

[@tarekith]

Thanks very much, will do!

[@rustikinc63]

Very cool! Glad to see your progress with this.

[@tarekith]

Thank you thank you!

[@Digiphex]

Very thorough review. Thanks.

[@drstupid1]

Great review. Very in depth and informative :)

[@tarekith]

Great, always a challenge to have some depth without it getting crazy long.

[@HankAstral]

Really helpful, in-depth review. Cheers

[@tarekith]

Awesome, so glad you found it helpful!

[@Claidheambmor]

Excellent reviewer, underrated. Thank you!

[@tarekith]

I appreciate that, thanks!

[@holotropik]

Thanks for the helpful information here. I am finally looking to replace my aging Korg ESX & EMX and this 707 is on my list 👍😎

[@holotropik]

I did it! I bought one last night as it seems to be the best option for me 👍😎

[@tinywires]

This is a great, great review and tutorial. :D

[@tarekith]

Thanks very much!

[@stefg5261]

Great review. The box features tb-303 sounds. Can you sequence the typical tb-303 slides and accents in here?

[@dankefurnichts]

when i make a clip with 128 steps the 4 measure bars stop during the second run thru. no indication of the second half. when back on bar 1 it starts over again. is that bugged on your machine too? i have firmware 1.20 installed.

[@leetronix]

I liked your review, very thorough and informative. A few key components missing especially at this price point. The sounds are very nice, but definitely not on the same level as say the RYTM l & ll. I feel the screen could be a lot bigger which would be nice but not a deal breaker.

[@testbildmuc]

Got an mc707 instead of an mpc live after watching your review and I'm extremely happy with my choice. There's just no device out there that does as many things while staying as performable/dynamic as the mc707. Quick question: is there a way to quickly transpose a whole clip via the buttons (as in, pressing c is the base tone, pressing c# shifts the whole sequence up one semitone etc.)? I noticed there's some combination for shifting octaves that I've been hitting accidentally but I couldn't find it in the manual

[@1710000huh]

There is. Deluge.

[@nilesh100975]

very good review, thank you :-)

[@sawtooth808]

Damn this *is* a thorough review, so sound wise would you recommend this or the Roland TR 8s? (I've read comments saying that the ZEN core Sound Engine is "flatter" than the ACB SE) I know this has a *ton* more features than the TR 8ss, but...idk, i'm stumped.

[@tarekith]

Aaron Dunlap if you mainly want drums, the the TR8s has a more focused workflow that suits that. If you want synths too, the the 707 definitely had the upper hand. The 707 drums are great too, but there’s a lot of other things it does you’d be paying for and don’t need.

[@williammillan206]

Fantastic..Review 🤗 ..just got my 707 ..🙂😃😉☺️

[@GearAddict90210]

Great review! Is there a "quantize" setting for starting/triggering the clips in sync with the next beat etc? I would like to know more about how the looper works. It seems like a fun machine.

[@tarekith]

Ivo Grigull clips aren't always triggered at the start of the next bar, this can't be changed currently.

[@YouTubeSupportTeams]

@@tarekith You can. in the settings, under tempo, change master step length.. this won't affect playback but will allow clips to trigger according to how many steps you set

[@agustinbernal2760]

Hi, great video, thanks! Have you tried it with the Polyend Play? Cheers!

[@MikeKelleher]

I see some questions comparing the MC-707 to the TR-8S, but is there any synergy to using them together? The Aira line was originally all about the ways you could link the gear together for a whole Roland ecosystem, but the TR-8S was already a sort of simple groovebox when they added the ability to sequence and pitch imported samples, so it seems to awkwardly overlap the MC-707 a bit. So is there any reason why you would pair them together?

[@tarekith]

Sure, maybe you want all 8 tracks on the 707 for synths and looping. Or maybe you want more control over the shaping of your drum sounds, so the TR-8S makes more sense given it's a little more flexible there. I can see a lot of reasons to use both, though I personally prefer to just focus on one groovebox at a time.

[@rustikinc63]

You going to do a review with new features? I am interested in the sounds of the "synth" engine and if it is possible to use as a main synth for a live rig......in lieu of a electric piano and synth on stage for this little box.....love to hear some more of it and if has automation.

[@CaidicusProductions]

I have similar questions about it, have you found an answer to this question since you asked it?

[@7177YT]

very well done! thank you!

[@aikighost]

They need to implement user kits and user synth patch saving outside of projects.

[@testbildmuc]

yes definitely. Also a way to store favourite patches in a seperate list

[@TheDjAliceD]

what i choose when i want to sequenz an external Synth (Tone?)

[@Unifono2012]

since you reviewed the TRS as well. Did you notice any "quality" differences between the ACB based TR sounds in the 8S and the samples in the 707? Great review as always! Cheers

[@tarekith]

I wouldn't say there's a difference in "quality" per se, but they definitely are slightly different sounding. Personally I tihnk the samples in the 707 are great sounding, and I have no issues using them in my music. The only real difference to me is how you can tweak them, one is more synth based and the other has sample parameters. Neither is better than the other, just slightly different workflow.

[@Unifono2012]

tarekith thanks for the response 🙂

[@thedrumunkey8582]

Question on the looper: so you have it at the end to record master out... after it loops back around (ie initial loop complete) does it cut the incoming signal or do you get the “live” sound on top of the loop?

[@tarekith]

The Drümünkey it mutes the incoming signal as soon as the loop starts playing unfortunately.

[@thedrumunkey8582]

@@tarekith that's actually perfect. Most looper don't and when you try to loop repeating stuff like a drum loop it causes phasing and other weirdness. Thanks man! One other question. Can't find it in manuals. Can you trigger drum track voices via midi notes like on the tr8s?

[@shmish]

What are some of the key reasons why you choose to use the MC 707 vs Circuit vs Push/Live when doing a jam or live set? I sold one of my SL1200 so I can get some studio gear. Could be upgrade to Live Studio, or get a Novation Circuit or a Maschine (mk2 or Mikro), or maybe save up for the MC707. I’ve been inspired by some of your jams.

[@tarekith]

I first got into making music WAY back when by using Roland grooveboxes, it's just what feels natural to me now. I've done some really fun live sets with the other gear you mention too, but it's not being tied to the computer and still having some really good sounds and pretty sweet synth to tweak. Just the 707 on my lap is all I need to get some really polished sounding music IMO.

[@digitalhillbilly8863]

You read the manual?!? And noticed things?!? ... ... ... Reason enough for me to subscribe. Great overview. Got mine two days ago and love it. Needed something with more polyphony than my Elektron boxes and this does it. It makes a great partner for something like the Digitakt or AnalogFour.

[@CaidicusProductions]

You mentioned polyphony, so perhaps you could tell me. Does this thing actually do synthesis or is it just stretching and contracting samples to achieve different notes?

[@digitalhillbilly8863]

@@CaidicusProductions The Electron stretches samples. The Roland will do it either way. Either using a sampler that stretches, or a true VA engine that creates a digital oscillator.

[@Dolores5000]

This is the best overview

[@housemachine509]

Still on the fence with this I like the faders and options just wish this was the tr8s

[@mattypuddingfingers6562]

Thorough review thanks for uploading this. Do you know if the 707 could pair up with a 404a? It looks like the 707 is a mix of tr8 and th303.

[@tarekith]

No idea, sorry. The 707 is WAY more than a TB303 if that's what you mean. It's not even a real comparison with one being a multi synthesis 128 voice machine with dozens of effects, and one being an analog monosynth with very few controls. Maybe I misunderstood your question though.

[@mattypuddingfingers6562]

@@tarekithI just meant the 707 is probably a better value then buying both a tr8 drum machine and a tb303 bass synth because the 707 has all the same sounds, sequencing and design plus you can upload samples. The question was can you connect the 707 with a 404a so you can load/trigger samples directly into the 707 from the 404a? So pretty much it just gives the 707 direct audio in sampling capabilities.

[@tarekith]

@@mattypuddingfingers6562 I've never owned a 404a, so I have no idea, sorry.

[@DavidZeroOne]

Cool review! Is it possible to save custom kits and synth patches and share them with other people?

[@tarekith]

You would have to send them the project file, there is no user library as it were.

[@djrt]

good job, subscribed, liked and shared

[@djthatguysmitty]

1st! Thanks for the review brother!

[@tarekith]

You win an inflatable elephant!

[@MrBruceHerrera]

I've been researching grooveboxes for almost a month. The final contenders are the MC707 and the Deluge. Could you share your thoughts? Thanks for the uploads

[@tarekith]

I haven't used the Deluge, so I really can't comment I'm afraid.

[@testbildmuc]

if this is still relevant, I think the deluge is cool too but the main feature of the mc707 to me is the three assignable knobs and the volume fader per track. If you just want to jam it doesn't matter so much. But - as tarekith mentioned in the video - this device is built so that you can set up a lot of things beforehand and then get crazy in a live performance. To me as a DJ (someone that wants to mix/customize prebuilt stuff on the fly instead of focusing on finger drumming/sampling), that's far more appealing than say an MPC live, and afaik the deluge doesn't have that many "performance" capabilities either

[@MrBruceHerrera]

@@testbildmuc still relevant. I got myself a MC909 but the guys at GearSlutz were not exaggerating: it's huge. It's great, but I'm still in the market for a portable live performance piece. Thanks for the thorough review and comparison!

[@audiolego]

It's a good midiout sequencer? It looks like it. I Gas for mc707. I was thinking of trading it for my Elektron A4 synths sequencer but .... the Elektron sequencer. The 707 just sounds sooooo radio ready

[@unrulysoldier2140]

Very good review fella. Your voice was a tad hard to understand, maybe push some low mid for clarity... but very in depth, realmworld, honest review. Have you reviewed the 707 vs the isla S2400 ? I'm literally on the fence. Nice one. Dread.

[@tarekith]

Honestly I had never even heard of the Isla until you mentioned it. Looks nice in a retro way, but the 707 is vastly more capable and feature laden so not sure I could really compare them anyway.

[@TheHazardousDuke]

Any chance you can do an in depth on fx routing and mod matrices?

[@tarekith]

Ryan Davenport I’ll keep it in mind !

[@JimHast]

great! thnks for the video. What would be your choice between mc707 and rytm mk2 ?

[@tarekith]

707 by far.

[@JimHast]

@@tarekith may I ask why? I feel that Rytm mk2 has a better sound quality, more analog and crazier...

[@tarekith]

@@JimHast check my MK2 review, aside from the fact mine was faulty, I found the sound only so so, and the drum layouts restrictive. 707 sounds better, and has WAY more options geared towards live performance.

[@JimHast]

tarekith I saw both vídeos. Great work friend ! Thanks for your time ❤️

[@jhdrummer4815]

Can it record long/sustained notes on the sequencer or must be step lenght?

[@tarekith]

Yes you can record notes that a longer than a step

[@CaidicusProductions]

So, this is track based, interesting. I have an MC-808 and it works in patterns. So, basically you select a pattern, select the sample/synth/etc for that pattern, then hit record and record that pattern as many bars as you've selected. What this means is you've basically got 16 tracks in total on the MC-808. 1-9 are synth/samples, 10-16 are drum patterns, each one being an entire drum pack. Am I looking at this wrong or is the 707 actually limited to a song being no more than 8 tracks in total? an 8 track song isn't terribly simple, but it isn't very complex either, especially if you introduce new elements to the song in later bars. Any insight on this would be greatly appreciated. (hopefully you actually understand what I'm talking about, I'm not the best at expressing complex ideas so I wouldn't be surprised if you had no idea what I was talking about)

[@CallxMexLos]

So around 32 minutes you begin launching clips, my question is did the machine come with these clips or did you have to make each clip from scratch? Also I’ve heard there’s a loading time when switching to projects that have user samples, have you had that issue?

[@tarekith]

I make all the music and thus all the clips in this video. And yes, there is a loading time for all projects, not just those with user samples.

[@angelaferkel5614]

Best box i ever had 👍🏼

[@SRDhain]

Thank you for uploading such a thorough overview. The ONE thing this needs is a SONG MODE. Why this couldn't be implemented is baffling, as the functionality isn't a stretch as it is. Hopefully roland will add this in (along with a true solo mode - for a part /track - and the ability to switch to another clip on thr fly, without waiting for it to hit the next end measure) another o/s update.

[@YouTubeSupportTeams]

Song mode is the most requested update to firmware. Hopefully it happens. The pressure of recording a song live by manual input from start to finish is really off putting. It's a machine, it should do it for us. Clips and scenes is only good for live use HENCE "Ableton LIVE" and even that can be used as a song sequencer for frick sake. I want to arrange a song, hit play and have the machine do it while it's being recorded into a DAW. I don't want to export it's tracks into a DAW and do all the work there or i might as well just have used a DAW in the first place and no need for a 707! The 707 has everything needed to make 98% of a complete song standalone. The remaining 2% is song mode and a master limiter. It's not much to ask in 2019 especially when the 909, rs7000 and other dinosaur grooveboxes did it perfectly. You're not the only person baffled by Roland's complete lack of market knowledge on their own customers or plain neglect.

[@pooptitz7375]

ʀᴇᴛʀᴏᴀᴄᴛɪᴠᴇ welcome to being a legitimate musician lmfao your shit sucks

[@stevenboldt6489]

@@KZbinSupportTeams I doubt the Roland Aria line will ever have song mode. The MC 707 still has a lot to offer. If you HAVE to have song mode go for the MPC live.

[@patrickfrancis7547]

Ok And you R ? Its Mind blowing Song mode is not in this unit. PT it is also obvious you have no clue welcome to the No clue zone DOH !

[@alexmax9832]

Great review. A question: Mc707 or Maschine MKIII?

[@tarekith]

Alex Max if you're just writing beats for the studio, probably maschine by a slight margin. If you want a self contained device you can also perform live with, the 707.

[@alexmax9832]

@@tarekith Great. I've 707 but, sometimes, look with interesting at Maschine.

[@maccagrabme]

@@alexmax9832 I wouldn't bother unless you want to buy into the maschine libraries. They are a bit samey imo but the device is cool. Consider the mikro before paying big money on a.full sized unit as you will quickly see if its for you. 707 is more for electronic musicians imo and has a synth built in, whereas maschine is mainly for hip hop.

[@edgi55]

That on/off switch is the same one on the TR-8s and reminds me of the Nintendo Game Boy switch. Feels very cheap and delicate like its about to break. Don't know why they didn't use something more premium

[@tarekith]

Yeah, I had the same complaint in my TR-8S review too. So odd they went with something that feel like it came from a Korg Monotron.

[@levijessegonzalez3629]

As a complete idiot newb to these things, I have a couple questions.... I'm a songwriter that plays drums Bass keys and guitar. I would like to add electronic Elements to my songs (synth parts, sound effects, electronic drums etc) would this be a good tool to inspire creativity with? And record with? Or should I work in the DAW?

[@tarekith]

I think so, provided you're ok with working in a "loopy" and not linear manner. Patterns can only be 8 bars long, and there's no way to automatically chain them.

[@maccagrabme]

You need both and will have endless options. You might want to look at a Yamaha Modx instead if you want more acoustic sounds as this 707 is more tailored for electronic music.

[@Kromus1980]

Thanks!

[@kingtrance6826]

Ok so I gotta ask, what kind of monitors are you using?

[@tarekith]

Some custom Tyler Acoustic D2x's.

[@kingtrance6826]

@ tarekith - Pretty darn sharp monitors. I’m adding a MC-101 to help kick start my creative juices. Once in awhile I hit a creative road block. Thanks for the great video! 👍

[@tarekith]

@Dark Matter Off the top of my head no, but I bet it's in one of the OS update addendums.

[@MattiMattiMatti]

Just a small production note for future videos - please make voice mono. The stereo "panning" is a bit distracting.

[@tarekith]

Sorry about that, first time filming with the iPhone Pro and I didn;t realize the seperation was going to be so extreme on the audio!

[@patrickfrancis7547]

How Do you record in real time without a count in or wait note option ? How Far have they come ? Without that one simple option not very far. Without that option they just increased the difficulty of real time recording TImes 10 !

[@YouTubeSupportTeams]

24:21 - THEY NEED THIS IN FIRMWARE UPDATE.

[@Fruitbat-tb3lg]

‘Jump up and down and scroll around’ - jump jump jump lol

[@mpmi7588]

what the heck is a clip and a scene? This question is for anyone willing to answer.

[@brentwatson7247]

A clip is a sequence / loop on a single track, where a scene is a collection of clips across multiple tracks.

[@mpmi7588]

@@brentwatson7247 thank you man. Took a while for someone to answer that. And ive asked on different platforms. Its almostbas if ppl dont want others to know. Smh. Kinda corny. Plus idk y the language changes just because 1 program is popular at the moment. We use to call a sequence a sequence. Then it became a pattern. Now its a scene?

[@DrGrooveBeat]

See Ableton Live description too. They ripped the concept completely.

[@mpmi7588]

@@DrGrooveBeat yeah im not an ableton user. Probably explains y i dont know that terminology. I think its dumb as hell that these companies feel like they gotta change the universal lingo just to be different. A pattern is a pattern and a sequence is a sequence. Lol Smh man. Clips and scenes. Sheesh

[@DrGrooveBeat]

MP MI just a shame they didn’t go all the way and implement official ableton project file export like korg have in their products.

[@bigstarideas]

You say “Uh” “Uhm” so much it’s hard to not get distracted by the filler words. Like everyone else said you really put a lot of work here which was good it was just difficult to listen to this with all the fillers.