what's a groovebox?

[@xmeoff]

I’m not new to groove boxes, having owned several of the Roland MC’s (still got the 505 and the MC101) and the notation Circuits plus ones from Korg and TE. Despite not being new to them I really enjoyed your video and your enthusiasm. It’s also a great introduction to the world of groove boxes for newbies. Thanks for making it 👍

[@A.I.Ther_Technology]

I have a mc303

[@kjam4236]

Awesome so about a year ago I purchased a MC 707 I try and work with it when I can but I like videos like this to view people's techniques... thanx 4 sharing...will subscribe to see more!

[@Drrolfski]

When you start acquiring more gear and hooking up all these standalone devices into a table full of hardware and cables I can't stop helping thinking: isn't this defeating the purpose of these simple grooveboxes? So in order to simplify and bring it back to a single device again I bought a groovebox that can do it all and if anything, is more of a DAW-in-a-box: The MPC Live 2.

[@illford]

tbf i think the one thing that really separates most Grooveboxes from DAWs is the fact they can't use VSTs, which isn't a bad thing imo because it means you have to actually be good at making sound in the first place

[@cosmowerkstapes]

nice!😎 yep, we used grooveboxes. we still use a roland mc-303. we used to also have a yamaha rm-1-x and a roland mc-505.

[@aloharay]

good overview, I am glad you are having fun! There are soooo many capable grooveboxes on the market, it is a great time to be exploring them. My opinion is that many of them have similar feature sets, but can vary greatly in how the options are accessed and general workflow. Find the one that makes sense to you! Each takes some time to familiarize yourself with, but it is worth it when you know them well and can get your ideas down quickly and easily. That is what makes me a fan of one groovebox over another. For me: NI Maschine+ is so logically laid out for how I think and work.

[@CakeBreaker]

Hey this rules! Really appreciate the more generalized approach to thinking about making music with hardware. Excited for the next one

[@kikomori]

holy shit, the algorithm has blessed me with a great video for once lmao. keep it up!

[@hissquiet]

Grooveboxes are awesome! I hope you can get your hands on a digitone or digitakt or syntakt. For me the workflows on those machines are unparalleled. Good video, this will be helpful for a lot of people!

[@diskqmusic]

I've been eyeing those for a while 👀 and thank you, love your music !!

[@RaquelFoster]

Grooveboxes are DAWs in a box. There are some extra limitations, but not really with the Elektron boxes. That's why nobody actually makes anything you'd want to listen to with a Digitakt.

[@susanislam9296]

Thank you so much for making these! I can’t wait for more of your videos. I really want to get more grooveboxes and make music that way but I’m confused about some of the features like how to use multiple groove boxes at the same time! Itd be great to have a video on that!

[@diskqmusic]

I can definitely go into those!

[@orchidsvoid]

You are doing extremely good tutorial videos🎉 Actually Tracks + Cycles is really interesting combo.

[@diskqmusic]

one of these days I'll put multiple grooveboxes together 🤔

[@armondhammerhead9278]

I still have my MC 303, MC 505, and SP 808 Groove sampler hardware ...don’t ever turn them on anymore thanks to Push 2 and Maschine Mk3 but can’t seem to part with them either

[@wataruusami]

Nice intro to grooveboxxxxx!!! Now I need to buy one:)

[@WillieCarpenter17]

I started with a Circuita few years ago and now I have a Maschine Plus with a couple synths, and now my daughter just got a blipbox, DAWless changed my life!! And I love your channel and just found it😊

[@diskqmusic]

omg I love that! your daughter will love the blipblox 😌🙏

[@WillieCarpenter17]

@@diskqmusic she’s super young, she likes it but daddy LOVES IT hahaha

[@supamarx5782]

Grooveboxes are life

[@5macvideos]

look into those big ass rackmount samplers next. Those things were a godsend for 90s Techno/DnB/Rave/etc. AKAI S3000XL, E-MU Emulator IV/E64/E5000, Yamaha A5000, and a few other weird creations.

[@Ninzumecha]

I really appreciate that you included some history here. I remember seeing a kid at my college playing a 505 and being really jealous as I wanted to make Jungle/D&B (around 97 I think) This is a great video, a key area for me is that I don’t want to involve a computer in any way, so no uploading samples etc

[@BIG1TOWER]

I love my mc 101 for travel

[@Noizedas]

Love the model cycles. Great low end on it . Great video too, super cute and very nice for beginners wondering what a groove box is.

[@googlerep366]

You're so cute! I love that you like groove boxes as well. I bought the MPC Live 2 in 2020 and started learning music production and its been a really fun ride so far. Have you messed with the MPC at all so amazing how far Akai MPC has come. Having a built in speaker and up to 999 tracks and 2TB worth of sounds and on the fly sampeling from my phone, I have an endless amout of music with out ever having to hear the same thing twice. having a 6hr battery is magic. If you ever get one I am sure you will be as mind blown as I am its like an all in one portable daw.

[@jonbrouwer4300]

Getting away from the computer is great for creativity in all kinds of domains. I do some non-fiction writing, and after switching to pen and paper I found I became much more productive and inspired.

[@diskqmusic]

exactly, especially if you're on the computer all day for work! the last thing I want is more screen time 😅

[@NiceCakeMix]

I bought my MC303 back in 1998 to go with my DX7 and the Prophet One. I have really only ever used it as a drum machine though.

[@rhythmdroid]

Having used grooveboxes since 1999 (when I got a Roland MC-505) I can confidently say the best one on the market is Native Instruments Maschine Plus (yes, the standalone one)

[@ongyuxuan6989]

Your voice sounds so soothing!

[@myriad860]

Excellent video!

[@alfabutane]

Yaaaay RM1X stealing the spotlight for a second!🙌🙌🙌🙌

[@TheAtomicTom]

Hey, slight nitpic: the synth you've shown is the Roland TB-303 and not the MC-303 (sorry, inner synth nerd acting up) Great video though! I ope your channel grows quickly. Your'e one of the few cool synth people on tik-tok that aren't already big on yt

[@5macvideos]

not really slight, pretty huge ass difference imho. 303 could arguably be described as a precursor to grooveboxes, but YMMV.

[@diskqmusic]

thank you! and I just realized, the poster actually has both the TB-303 and the MC-303 but the zooming cut it off 😅

[@AutumnGardMusic]

Oh hi! I was looking for more info on this and found your video ☺️ subbed!

[@Medniex]

grooveboxes is life ❤ Nice video. Could be longer. I wouldn't mind 😄 Also you raised another topic: what's the difference between groovebox and workstation? That would make another cool video.

[@uwwr]

this is so sick cant wait to learn more from you!! i always felt like im too dumb to try out grooveboxes LMAO but you reminded me how neat they are i really wanna re-visit the idea sometime soon

[@diskqmusic]

you should definitely try them in store one of these days, they're really fun once you get how it works :)

[@zoned7609]

model cycles is absolutely a powerhouse. also, if you push the feedback of the delay you can get it to do very nasty things. at first the LFO seems limited also, but you figure out that it's actually got some amazing flexibility

[@frillability]

This is very educational and helpful! Thank you! Great video!

[@diskqmusic]

glad it was helpful!!

[@Epicfuzz]

So many variations of groove boxes out now. My main one is the Synthstrom Deluge as it does everything and more. The elektron boxes are very good too. The stand alone Ableton Push 3 is about to set higher standards as well

[@guyclegg]

The novation circuit is amazing

[@JAdeWii_]

Awesome

[@analogblossom]

Nice video! I think update my studio gear and I'll need that 100% 💜

[@Ant1matr]

I feel like that's the missing piece of the puzzle for me. I love my DAW and MIDI controllers, and I have too many VSTS, but the ability to have a tactile controller to program ... Ahh, that's where I think I want to go next.

[@diskqmusic]

going from Ableton + midi to grooveboxes feels like being a kid again haha

[@Ninzumecha]

I’ve got the Circuit Tracks and love it. Also using midi tracks to control my Roland S-1, JP8000 and Yamaha Reface CP… except that takes a synth track away from the Tracks, the S-1 does have it’s own sequencer… 🤯 Considering another Tracks like sequencer to sit along side my gear well, control future hardware and add it’s own sonic element. Not sure if I should get the Circuit Rhythm or something like an Elektron

[@cyclesfm]

Love your content ✨

[@dave3987]

Prefer hardware sequencers over daw because I have total control over my sound. Computers have latency issues I use a vintage Yamaha Rs7000 with a Modx6 both sound great together.

[@SlyHikari03]

Thanks friend. Also, nice voice.

[@AtomPiken]

Ok, I am a bit of a Groovebox/drum machine collector (who does make music). The MC-303 (while great, except for a few things like the limited sequencer memory) doesn’t sample, it’s a ROMpler, a sample playback machine like Roland’s JV-series. Their idea at the time was to sort of indulge (cash in on) the growing fascination with the 303/808/909 boxes of the 80s brought on by rise of techno music. Put it all in one box, keep the cost down by using modern digital circuits. Throw in a bunch of other useful/somewhat useful/not so useful Roland sounds, FX, basic filters… Seems like a cool idea, right? They added A LOT of preset patterns to I guess appeal to the “everyone can make Techno” crowd… not sure if they really exist but whatever… and as a result we have a paltry amount of memory for user patterns. Don’t get me wrong, I did a lot of great stuff with this box. Considered buying a second one just for convenience at one point. Went on to buy a second-hand MC-505 which just totally bricked itself after like, a year or less, also an SP-808 (brilliant but also limited). I have two electribes, ER-1 and ES-1, really drum machines not grooveboxes. Lately I re-entered the Groovebox game with an Elektron Syntakt. That machine is da bomb. And hot take, but the Push 3 is essentially a Groovebox by your definition, and it’s a Groovebox on Cocaine, Acid, and Steroids. Great channel, keep the videos coming!

[@hermitcrap7255]

it's a box that grooves

[@Fulacine]

time 2:09 to 2:14, is freaking rad I hope you have used that somewhere and if so where.

[@ukyoner]

Hello nice video, i have one groovebox in 1997 and in the picture you take for illustrate the mc 303, is a td 303 bass line from roland aivable 10 years ago. The mc 303 is an incredible machine and i love is sound ❤❤❤

[@sn0wt1ger]

The pic she uses is of a TB-303 and it is definitely much older than 10 years ago

[@ukyoner]

@@sn0wt1ger sry my mistake. have you try the first original Groovebox from Roland ?

[@sn0wt1ger]

@@ukyoner Sadly I have not but I would love to try it

[@meepandmoop]

sick video!!

[@RaquelFoster]

The Circuit Tracks got marketed completely wrong. It's an OK groovebox. It has two good internal synth engines that are super easy to work with using the web app. But you're missing out on the most interesting features of the Tracks if you're just using it standalone. The Tracks is like having two KeySteps and a TR-8S - since that's the only drum machine I can think of that can sidechain external instruments. It can control two synths, and sidechain them to the internal drum tracks, and it's really easy to remap the encoders to whatever you want (plus they have templates for most synths already). And it has a built-in mixer and can apply FX to two external synths plus the six internal tracks.

[@GenocidePanda]

you’ll be around for a while keep it upppp

[@ChrisLeeW00]

I would really like to hear your perspective on what makes a good groovebox interface. I’ve been wanting to DIY one for awhile, and I feel like we have good technology now to make a good open source piece of gear.

[@diskqmusic]

that's a rly interesting question, i'll try to answer this in a a future vid !! possibly on the other app 😌

[@svttodd]

Can you make a video for BEGINNERS on how to setup or start out with one of these type machines? My son wants one (he is 9 but wants an adult type groovebox or drum machine). All of the "beginner" videos start with the machine already hooked up to a computer or like three or four other devices. I realize that a professional wants all of that stuff, but is there a good groovebox or something similar that can be used without special programs or having to hookup into any devices that might make it too complicated for a beginner? Maybe one that comes with its own computer program OR one that can be use without hooking up to anything else (except maybe a speaker). Thanks!

[@PlateletRichGel]

Read the manual. I'm not being a smart ass. There is so much useful information in the manual. I knew a guy who had a Digi-003 interface better than anyone at any studio I'd ever met, he told me that, just read the manual.

[@thegoldenamerican]

I watched some of your music videos …. he did a really good job on songs…. If only you sing!!!! you have a lot of potential to be a big pop star if you have the right music and lyrics… if you were interested to collaborate on something with vocals, let me know

[@djgreenhornet2892]

You’re so pretty! 🥰

[@JohnBaronian]

Thank you so much, as a 60yr old getting into this, your video is really helpful. However, how come some of your top comments aren't about your awesome "Moomin" fabrics? Really... thank you.

[@igotbit9454]

What groove box would you recommend in 2024? I’m inspired to get one after watching your vid

[@luks1996]

omg! i follow you on the tok! i dind´t know you have a YT

[@diskqmusic]

awesome to see people from TikTok! :)

[@raphaelward1711]

1996 MC 303? I was doing this on a Yamaha QY10 in 1989

[@LousyFacelift]

The QY-10 was released in 1990.

[@freddymercury2259]

Awesome video, I know the video is about groove boxes, but what would you recommend as a first synth, for a beginner to learn on? I was considering the minifreak. thnkx

[@paulsarodh5460]

💢😍💢U ROCK 💢👌👌

[@jaretanderson]

I honestly thought this had 736k views and then only after watching did I realize that there was no "k" in there XD really well-made video

[@MrBrandonLau]

Yamaha rm1x king of millennium dawn grooveboxes

[@davidpetersonharvey]

Hey, can I make a suggestion? Take care of 'plosives in your dialog by adding a low shelf eq after recording and moving it up until the 'plosives disappear. Listening on a good pair of headphones or speakers is difficult with 'plosives in the mix. Another way to handle it would be to make sure your breath never hits the capsule on the microphone. This only happens when you are doing the handheld work.

[@5lip5pace]

novation circuit = best sequencer/groovebox

[@ukyoner]

Please explain, i buy a electribes 2 and a tr6s and i'm happy with it. do you think novation is better ?

[@atalo]

Can you add sound to a groove box? For example: I have some sample packs and I like to use them and manipulate them with a groove box..

[@diskqmusic]

if you use a sampler based groovebox like the circuit rhythm!

[@BD-zg7is]

if anyone knows where i can buy that blanket/quilt pls let me know!

[@jetset808]

I have a solton programmer 24 it's a italio disco synth. IT's an analog groove box but it was made in the 80s

[@digitalkmultimedia]

Doesn't always start with Roland. Akai Professional MPC

[@FarmerSlideJoeBob]

How does this thing called in the thumbnail?

[@RobG1729]

Sonicware has boxes that play well together.

[@RobG1729]

Here's an example. kzbin.info/www/bejne/kKSWZWRogqaepbM

[@justinhuffman2430]

Tell it 😀

[@natireson4140]

👍

[@C_555]

can someone tell me what else i need if i buy a groovebox? like a pc, 2.1 speaker system, other equipment? i assume some, but cant find any info anywhere..

[@LousyFacelift]

Grooveboxes are all in one standalone production tools so all you need additionally are headphones or a speaker system.

[@savoirfaire8979]

I’m a weirdo too. Hello, fellow weirdos!

[@hobbowizardanimations]

ur so pretty

[@leewightman8619]

I don't use daws only groove box samples synths drum machines and multitrack recorder I hate daws

[@TheCoolProfessor]

I have a Native Instruments Maschine Micro MK 3 but these devices are so complicated and it's really a turn off.

[@ImplosiveCatt]

Intentionally or not, you showed that these machines sound very different. There are key reasons why and reasons why some fit better than others, according to the type of music you make. They are both the best you can buy in a budget setup. However, Circuit and Elektron Samples aim at very different type of musicians by design. Circuit is best at traditional, mainstream type of music. Samples, on the other hand, is intentionally designed for freelancing. Triggers and locks are the main reason for buying Elektron. If you're not interested in that, your Elektron purchase would be a waste of money. I'm personally not strictly tied up to a strict style of music and its "only way" to make it. That's why I can see the Elektron different approach intriguing and inspiring because it pushes me to do things I usually wouldn't do by myself. So yes, quality is not a problem. It's just a matter of what you do and how you do it.

[@DannyBoy443]

DAW less? lol

[@user82938]

"my workflow" aka being a cute girl dinking around on toys for views

[@diskqmusic]

exactly

[@user82938]

@@diskqmusic oh my god! she admit it!

[@MrKreuzQuer]

You don't PLAY music ... you're making arbitrary sound, which sometimes sounds great

[@gingercat777]

Get a guitar 😁

[@arxaaron]

Flat and lifeless, monotonous and devoid of expression.

[@HelicopterRidesForCommunists]

Hey is that Circuit a sampler?

[@MoeShinola1]

It has 4 sample tracks, and you can load your own sounds.

[@diskqmusic]

it's a standalone groovebox, the Circuit Sampler is the one that can load samples! :) you can do midi out though

[@HelicopterRidesForCommunists]

@@diskqmusic Yeah I get them confused, but I’m considering getting one. They’re surprisingly affordable and I like that Ableton Live-like workflow. I use a hybrid setup with the Push 2, Syntakt + Overbridge, and Hydrasynth. Ableton and Push are pretty great samplers in their own right, but if I ever went completely DAWless I would want a sampler.