Why I Like the Roland MC-707

The Roland MC-707 is an 8 channel groovebox packed with features. Here's a video going over its basic functions and why I think it's fun. We'll cover drum kits, the synthesizer engine, effects, sequencing, and my favorite: sampling and slicing.
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[@GabeMillerMusic]

DAMN that intro track is 🔥🔥🔥

[@robertkortus]

Well, you sold me. I've been doing on ton of research on all the various stand-alone groove boxes out there, and this one clicks all the boxes for me. Thanks for the great demo.

[@anniesthesia]

With the 1.3 Update you can set the step length and next action per clip. So you could set a clip to play 128 steps, then play the next clip. Do that the same on each row and you could have a pseudo song mode. You can also launch a row at a time using wither Shift+Step for the matching row, or using the cursor and highlight a row.

[@XtianApi]

Those are the brightest cables I've ever seen in my life. Beyond that, I don't know what else matters.

[@vedi0boy]

I never watch anything related to music. I don't play music. But this video was on my recommendations for some reason so I clicked on this video and I found it very interesting. Thanks!

[@zsid3998]

welcome to the very strange community that is: electronic music

[@spookylaundry3326]

Run away quickly before you gain an unquenchable thirst for buying synthesizers.

[@BargenMusic]

vedi0boy You are doomed now. Digital or Analog?

[@vedi0boy]

@@BargenMusic I think digital. When I was in Japan, I saw that there were capsule machines selling old arcade sound chips. I always thought it would be cool to use those to make modern music

[@DesertNinjaX]

That's how it gets ya. Next thing you know you'll be shopping for a mixer. I wish you many years of lovely music making!

[@admaiora777]

This is the best MC707 video i've seen, man, you rock!

[@dscapes1]

Ordered one the other day. Watched a ton of video's on this and not one explained the record in feature. Blown away! Very intuitively explained, cheers.

[@Xtr4s4]

Can you elaborate/explain what that means?

[@SyncdAlien]

Sounds incredible! 🔥 Excellent work! 🔥🔥🔥

[@plexidust5101]

Thanks for the hard work. This really helped me out with the overview and your delivery was fantastic.

[@greyroom6730]

Thank you for this man...I've been thinking about getting this for almost a year...I'm going to order one now! Sorry to hear about your job.

[@redbirdsaraceno]

You and that Loopop dude always have some of the very best demo vids, oh yeah and that Accurate beats dude in scandinavia . This vid rules ! .

[@johnwayne2103]

Dude I love your content! Thanks for all your tutorials!

[@southernraven4713]

Got this wonderful piece about a year back, couldn't agree with you more 👍

[@pasht]

Love seeing how your sound adapts to all these different pieces of gear. It's a shame this is going back to Roland, I'd love to see a Circuit Studies style project with it.

[@mischulzed]

Yes, please

[@RadicalOwl493]

Thanks for this demo. Super helpful, as always.

[@earnestgildon2704]

Holy Crap! You filled in so many of the holes in my knowledge about the interface of the MC 707! Good stuff! If I hadn't bought the MC Last year I would DEFINITELY buy one now! Thank you so much for doing this series. If you Put up a Patreon page for the internet to buy you an MC I would donate to it just to get the tutorials and explanations that you would oh so casually drop in your videos! Great Stuff man! Thanks!

[@ToyKeeper]

www.patreon.com/redmeansrecording

[@JonicLinley]

Really enjoyed this video! I've got the MC-101, which has a bunch of the stuff in this model. You've inspired me to dig in and figure out more of what it can do. Thanks! :)

[@RedMeansRecording]

the mc 101 seems really fun!

[@aloharay]

own it, agree with your comments. I like how you combined discussion with solid examples of actual use. 21:25 clip chaining added in update 1.3 out already

[@MrMatthewKerr]

Stunning. Really loved your tones.

[@Algorhythm1.0]

Love the constant content! Can't wait for the Nord Drum3 vid.

[@DavidMosher]

Loved the Datsunn vibes in the back half; you always do a great job at composition, demonstration, and editing to keep the pace engaging -- keep up the awesome stuff Jeremy :)

[@RedMeansRecording]

Datsunn is such a huge inspiration!!

[@DavidMosher]

@@RedMeansRecording he is single-handedly responsible for me buying a Maschine MK3, and then selling in it in frustration when I was too lazy to put the time in to try and do what he does. xD

[@JustinUrban1]

You have to dig deep on this thing to really get its full potential. And I mean menu diving like I’ve never encountered, even by Elektron standards. But, when you really learn this instrument, It is worth way more than the selling price. This is a live performance piece and a studio production piece. A synth and drum machine and a sampler. All at a cost that is lower than having to buy all these types of units separately. I was a bit overwhelmed at first and didn’t get the best of It until I spent a few days locked in my studio Messing around with It. But one if you can.

[@bradenrodriguez5183]

hoping to but one in the near future.

[@BrendonBrooks]

Is it as complicated as an Octatrack?

[@JustinUrban1]

Brendon Brooks I have used every Elektron product except for an Octatrack. I’ve stayed away from that unit because so many people tell me it is just to heavy of a workflow to make great use of it. I will say that adjustment of certain parameters per sound is somewhat nonsensical on the MC. Take a simple ADSR of a sample. They don’t call the parts Attack, Decay, Sustain, Release. Instead it’s something like setting 1,2,3,4. The manual you get online tells you what each setting represents, but wh tv not just say attack and so on? It’s still powerful though. Worth the money

[@mariusboda]

Digitakt has a crap menu and very cheap button, they still have to work on these 2, not mentioning about keyboard lack of playing synth on it. Totally expensive tool just for some of its functions.

[@HotStrange]

I have a baby on the way so I’m selling a lot of gear, downsizing and using the 707 as my centerpiece with an Elektron A4, a Micorfreak, and some Volcas. This comment has me excited.

[@h2o1969]

Great review and walk through. Best I’ve seen.

[@MisterMajister]

Oh man, I wish the Deluge had a keyboard and kit mode where the 16x8 grid was 8x4 (2x2 deluge pads = one big pad)... Watching this vid, I realize how nice a "standard" keyboard and kit layout is. Great walkthrough!

[@aquaticborealis4877]

How are you liking the Deluge these days? Did you get an MC-707?

[@ZukiBiker13]

Thanks for the review. Great job!! I’m on the fence with this unit this helped a lot.

[@petermahoney]

I just picked up an MC707 and after watching A LOT of really unhelpful videos to get a better feel for the unit, I have to commend you. This is so informative and digestible. Thanks so much!

[@7Wounds]

I echo this sentiment.

[@djbowlz2128]

I was trying to figure out what to spend my stimulus check on. Thanks Jeremy.

[@ZK707]

Beautiful demo, thank you!

[@nacs]

Great review/video. I’ve seen mc707 videos before but none were as comprehensive or as fun as this one

[@coderedex]

Great overview, much to learn with the MC. Still trying to work out the basics! Never realized how powerful it was.

[@pedromanafaia]

Excellent! I am about to get one of these, this has been one of the best videos about the 707 I have seen so far. The only problem is I will feel very incompetent for a long time!

[@iamrocketray]

I know where you are coming from! My sex drive seems to have diminished since lockdown, OH SORRY you said incompetent, my bad lol.

[@JimBReay]

Another fantastic video. Thanks!

[@isaacanthonydj4124]

i love my MC707 it's amazing, i would just never think of producing a whole track with just one machine. But i thought i read somewhere M.I.A. made her entire first album on the MC505? And so that's just like, my opinion, man.

[@isaacanthonydj4124]

imma bout to see if i can somehow use the random sound/drum generator to fill in the drums onna kit...

[@VideoMcVideoface]

Really nice work on this! I wish it could open my mc-505 project files that have been sitting on a hard drive for 15 years :(

[@mikenoface]

MC-707 owner here. There is still no song mode, but it's on the list of feature requests. One you skipped was that you can use the 'Scene' buttons on the left to create 8 variations of any group of clips for instant recall. One other thing of note is that you can also edit the Scatter function to create your own custom stutters and effects. Yes, it truly is a very deep groovebox. The Shift button being on the left becomes pretty second nature after a bit. Great overview, Red!

[@jayedonel]

I was scanning these comments to see if anyone answered about song mode. So you can’t have it automatically play through different parts, ie verse, chorus etc?

[@GregDixson]

I would have thought the song mode would be (one of) the selling points, for the bigger machine compared to the smaller mc101?! Anyway, apart from that looks like an awesome music making machine

[@Justme-xg9rj]

I know this may be late, but you can "clip chain" where you automate the clips to play in a custom order on a single track

[@seanlandy7919]

Sold my OPZ to finance a purchase of one of these. No comparison. Love the vids ✊

[@maunstermusic]

Man, when you added that distorted guitar/bass this thing really came alive!

[@RedMeansRecording]

that's definitely the benefit of having PCM stuff as opposed to just subtraction synthesis .

[@stefanweickinger9539]

Also bought the mc707 - like this kind of fast and nice workflow of such small packaged boxes! Best one since the mc909 which endet for me because all buttons didn´t work anymore:( great tutorial by the way!!!

[@WrvrUgoThrUR]

No computers were harmed in the making of this video. I love how stand-alone this thing is. I've tried the Korg Electribe and the Nano Circuit, but his is so much more powerful.

[@willmac3247]

Nice video Jeremy I love my MC-707.

[@Wladyslas]

Daaaamn that's an awesome video, love the MC707 ! Long time binge watcher of your channel, I bought an OP-Z and now that I see this wonderful presentation, I kinda dream of a DAW-less setup I could use to produce songs. Actually, I don't know if this is the right place to be asking this but, what's everyone thoughts about this groovebox ? I'm hesitant to grab a Deluge but this Roland seems so cool, with a separate FX loop and a more powerful synth engine (and the clip chain seems actually like a huge upgrade) ... Not to mention the cool workflow ! Keep up the outstanding work Jeremy !

[@VJFranzK]

good discussion. like the sample chopping part

[@ericseeley3074]

When we look inside ourselves, we can all find a little Tycho 🤩

[@iamrocketray]

WOW! what a great review, Roland ought to be paying you, because before I watched this Vid I only had a vague idea of the capabilities of the 707, and it's now fueled my GAS, I am thinking of getting the 707 AND a TR8-S as a pair when my current payment plan ends in May.

[@feliscatos4435]

Really great review. (as always) I'm glad you went deeper into the creative aspects of the MC707. Now I'm wondering if I still want to buy the TR-8s, although FM drum programming is enticing.

[@krakapoww]

Stuff some fm drums samples in this one, this vs the tr8s is like a Ferrari vs a toyota

[@mike_qbik]

.... do you ever sleep ? the cadence and quality of your videos is stunning ) you have my respect.

[@RedMeansRecording]

i love to sleep

[@luisalmeida2866]

Best and I can see you producing a song for an artist with this hardware.

[@volvanxc9055]

Good job! Dont forget to hold on shift whie turning the knobs to avoid unnecessary moves though

[@drsynthpattern]

This is the only MC707 video that includes more action to use and less boaring talk. I love how you have used the box to produce something quickly.

[@nilesh100975]

very good tutorial :-)!! great job

[@EdoardoMassagliA]

What a notification to receive

[@AndriSoren]

Amen the "sigh" on the loaner situation. I was once sent a product by Roland - one of their cheapest - and then proceeded to show it (as they had requested I do so) during multiple public workshops and classes in schools. I was pretty taken aback (uh, surprised) when they asked for it back. I didn't get the logic of the whole thing - and it would have been best if this had been communicated right from the start - I might have put the appropriate amount of energy in sharing my enthusiasm for it. Bravo that you did so nonetheless Jeremy.

[@RedMeansRecording]

ugh that sucks. sorry you had to go through that.

[@BillyBatsonMarvel]

I hope Roland cut you a check？

[@feliut3]

Have not seen many your videos in my subscription list lately. Then again I am watching much less YT thane I used to (for the better tbh). But I am glad I saw this one. Keep up the good work :D

[@iamthetinkerman]

Really cool, thanks!

[@justjoeblow420]

And to think the sampling has only been even further improved on the MC-707 since this video. I've been enjoying mine a lot since I got it a few months ago, other than the still lacking proper song mode that's easy to work with still probably my favorite groovebox on the market just from a what it can do standpoint.

[@brodylowe644]

Reverb has these down to a decent price. This just sold me. I hope you're making enough from this as a full time job J. Sorry to hear about the layoff.

[@brodylowe644]

I hope you're right.

[@erikberglund6959]

Exellent vid Dude!! Thanx!🙂👊

[@nah1328]

Its all so clear now

[@BlueSpirit.]

That music is really good.

[@17thdimension95]

So good!

[@keithmarshall1557]

Excellent video and tutorial, got some great tips. Look forward to seeing more of your videos!

[@robertroach7807]

thank you for your review

[@NedRush]

Every video I watch I want one more and more.

[@enigmasounds]

Great job Jeremy and thanks. Is there a way to save your fav sounds/presets as FAV's?

[@velikuparin483]

Good playing

[@Dolores5000]

Sounds great

[@Oanamaria84]

man, I was dancing in the house to your demo :)

[@lofiprototype]

"what does that lofi compressor sounds like on this" i remember having a beat playing while running through the effects until it landed on the lofi compressor. from that moment i fel in love with the 707 gizmo.

[@llRoBoBinHoll]

I’m amazed by how well you can play that weird 1 octave keyboard!

[@whentheleavesarefalling]

This video coming the day before mine hopefully arrives in the mail.

[@NickDimmock]

This was a really useful video and helped get me off the fence, so many thanks. I was wondering if you came up against the sample & hold LFO during your time with the device? As far as I can see it's derived from a static wave, which means if you use it with key trigger at a slow speed, say to get a different cutoff level on each note, you get the same pattern every time. This feels like a very basic oversight, so I'm trying to see if there's a workaround - but without any luck so far.

[@scttcmpbll]

Highly underrated machine

[@Orangetronic]

what a powerful machine!

[@namelesslight3303]

Nice! Looks fun once you get the hang of it. Can you program it to have odd time signatures?

[@williamwallace6508]

i use this as a mixer. its the best mixer ever made. effects are incredible

[@piotr803]

Dope review! Have you tried hooking it up to your modular? How's the sequencing capabilities of MC-707? Can you send anything else to modular apart from CV Pitch and Gate? e.g. motion sequencing parameters? LFOs, etc? cheers

[@LuCrow528]

Dope video

[@SeaToSummit1969]

I have a novation circuit that I’ve had a lot of fun with, but man, this thing looks incredible. I can’t afford to have both though. Would I miss anything about the novation circuit if I swapped it for this? I’m guessing no? Maybe just the portability?

[@sammyjankiss287]

First track sounds very Com Truise inspired. Nice.

[@mariusboda]

watching this video I was very anxious seeing that glass near the gear, is one of my first rules, no liquids near my equipment.

[@techstyle123]

I'm sure it's one of them cups you can't knock over

[@xisotopex]

I shared a beer with my beatstep pro. turns out the beatstep cannot metabolize alcohol. who knew.

[@TheGrelots]

My cat knocked a glass of milk my mixer recently...

[@CG-vn8iy]

I believe he always has a beverage and a random toy or something in the shot. But I share your concern!

[@basscliff55]

Sorry bout that job situation, but GOD will provide.. 🍃- your review on the 707 is Awsumm 👍🏾. Funny thing is I find the 707 more valuable and useful than Rowlands new mv1- I sent mine back after being so frustrated what its workflow and interphase.. and I like how your explanation of the unit is simple and understanding.. you can do most anything on this can you can other well known drm/ machines.

[@7177YT]

Shame you can't keep it. It Thank you for the demo! I like that you dove into the engine and showed a bit of sound design workflow. Very much appreciated! (; As for loopers, I had no use for them either. Recently though I jammed with a friend and his synth had no sequencer, so we used Deluges looper to record it, worked likr a charm, sloppy timing notwithstanding.

[@crazyFrankyy]

Hey ! Very good video! DO it have any FM sound function ?!

[@FuZZbaLLbee]

17:45 and that’s why I love techno 😀 Hope you get a new job soon, or a ton of Patreons

[@C4P_10]

wow this is realy cool

[@TheSunshineGroup]

Every time I see this product I get jealous that I just have an MPC Live but then I look at the specs and realize I've got the best beat machine on the market. The update coming next week makes it even more powerful. However, this instrument looks awesome for live performance and improv. The MPC has a bit of challenge when you want to improv....

[@rainbow_mess_music]

I think they're just very ... similarly-different machines. I was thinking about an MPC Live/One instead but went for the 707 because of the synth engine, which there isn't really any competition to within that ecosystem. but the sampling/etc. is definitely more powerful in the Live/One. similar-ish machines but with a really different sort of workflow, as a result

[@jantuitman]

The Sunshine Group funny, I have a Deluge and feel a bit of the same thing. The Deluge beats this thing hands down as a sequencer with fast workflow (for me at least). But I like the many many many sounds on the Roland.

[@ToyKeeper]

Yeah, the MC-707 seems really similar to a MPC Live or MPC One. But the MPC has more sophisticated song sequencing and multisampling, while the MC-707 has a much more powerful synth engine and effects. It seems like the biggest difference is the workflow though. The Deluge is also incredibly powerful, and more DAW-like. Definitely a good option. Lacks a screen, but makes up for it in sheer power and flexibility. I ended up getting a Digitakt instead, before the current-gen Akai or Roland devices came out, and before the Deluge had an arranger mode. It's okay, but I've spent much of the time since then wanting something else. The Digitakt's workflow isn't great for me, it's mediocre at midi, and Elektron's decision to tie it to proprietary software has artificially crippled it by making some of its best features inaccessible. So I end up using it just as a drum machine, instead of a groovebox.

[@just_pierre9730]

Jan Tuitman A deluge with a MC-101 would be the solution

[@FuZZbaLLbee]

Have bought the MPC live as well. And actually enjoy the synth plugins that they added a few updates ago. Hope they will add some more in future updates. The only problem I have is that when you have a device that can do so much, it’s not a pick up an play device. That’s why I sometimes still play with my Novation circuit.

[@je_rapp1437]

Pls make more performaces with it 🤗

[@Hagriss4me3]

Left arm ink really poppin in this video. Good aesthetic here

[@RedMeansRecording]

I just discovered the "Vibrance" control in my color correction software and I love it.

[@Hagriss4me3]

@@RedMeansRecording the MC-707s colorfulness really shows it off too :P

[@BluffMunkey]

Great overview and a brilliant insight into what this box really is. I have a TR-8S, Digitone and Analog4 here and really want to like the 707 but I feel it's slightly too expensive for what it offers and there are some omissions that I find annoying. I'd like to have seen at least one 48v XLR input, and a software editor for the synthesis engine. When I sit down at one of these boxes I really don't feel like getting into a heavy sound design session with them, and that's where I feel Elektron nailed it with Overbridge. It's also a shame that the clip launch wasn't a bit better thought out as it should really have worked a bit more like Ableton Live with scene launching too....maybe. In any case, keep doing what you're doing. I hope the transition to full time Youtubist pans out for you!

[@astropolia]

It has got scene launching. I agree on the missing XLR. That would have been nice

[@geephlips]

I think it does have software editor now. Plus, each firmware update adds 2-3 very useful features. I have the MC 101, which is surprisingly powerful for the price. Doesn’t have access to the synth engine, but you get the same presets (3500ish synth/pcm, 130ish kits, and 716 drum samples). The 101 only has four tracks, but each drum track has 16 kit pieces, and even more if you use an external keyboard.

[@BluffMunkey]

Yes, apparently the Zenology Pro software can export to this device, which is pretty cool

@@BluffMunkey how it is possible?

[@BlackGritsDoesIt]

I would love an auto sync/time warp feature in this unit.

[@KoolMada]

MC-303 for life!

[@GregDixson]

oh yeah, I had one back in the day. Why did I sell it :-s, such a lovely silver machine!

[@READYdot]

Bought this and sold my Deluge! Absolutely no regrets!

[@alecsbuga]

I had a deluge also. Always lookin for the best “one box that does it all”. Is this much bigger than the Deluge?

[@outlier5844]

What was the main benefits over the Deluge, I own one and I'm not too sure either

[@80iesDude45]

Same here... and a MC-101, just for the road ;-)

[@rolandkarlsson7072]

Nice info! I got a bit fed up with teh example tune though :)

[@willjosef8087]

Very nice video. It convinced me to buy it. One question though: In the opening track it seems like you didn't use scenes, but instead just manually changed several clips at a time. Do you think scenes are too clumsy to work with since you didn't really use them?

[@cazio8518]

No not really, you can select a scene, press arrow down and enter within a second

[@anthonytalley55]

The little part 10:22 sold me That's all I needed to hear 😂

[@eliasnewman1130]

Oh man... another thing I want

[@shawnmuench]

This thing gives me a really good vibe. Horizontal sequencer. Immediate faders and whatever. This sounds.... more mainstream than Elektron gear and I think I'll go for it eventually. I write bread and butter so why not. I mean, I should just be in my DAW but lately I've gotten better at screwing around with gear.

[@JamesRamboPearce]

I want the intro song in my soundtrack to life please 😅

[@ZanBizar]

It reminds me a lot of the RM1x

[@MadelnMachines]

Can you record (or automate per step) parameter tweaks for all of the synth and samplers parameters?