Roland MC-303 Groovebox

Roland MC-303 Image

The original groovebox for dance/techno! It's got 303, 808, 909, Jupiter, and Juno sounds. It is a sequencer arranger with looks inspired by the original 303's and 808's... Not to mention it includes real-time Filter Cutoff, resonance, panning and arpeggiator. With this box alone you can become a techno music maker!!! It sounds pretty good and has an unbeatable price (around $500)!!!! Though it's been swept aside by the MC-505, JX-305, EG-101 and Yamaha RM1x, it's still a good entry-level machine for those of you on a budget or just starting out. It has been used by ATB.

70 Visitor comments
AdamEvans
March 23, 2013 @ 4:57 pm
Had this one for awhile. Got deep into it and was glad to get rid of it. Another thin, pretty lifeless unit from a time when Roland had lost their way. Some sounds were ok, but on the whole, it was a real disappointment.
cez
March 4, 2013 @ 8:25 pm
Hey lovely peeps... been recovering from spinal injury for 5 yrs... am now jus starting to play out and back producing... found my 303 beauty in a cupboard and its been battered a bit from the last move of house... desperately need it servicing!! Anyone know of where i can het it serviced please? Im desperate to get it sorted! Cheers peeps, Peace & Bass! :-)
xbase09
February 19, 2013 @ 6:09 am
HEY,


i recently bought a second hand mc - 303 groovebox and i received it in the post. i used it for 3 hours everything was working ok i was able to use the samples in it and to work out a tune. but then when i turned it off and went to turn it back on i got this on the screen,

CURRENT - (NC) - NEXT - (303)

it doesn't let me go through the samples or do anything it is just stuck on CURRENT - (NC) - NEXT - (303), i have also tried to do a factory reset and it won't let me do it either.

any help on this would be much appreciated


thanks
ben
November 13, 2012 @ 2:49 pm
@paul
The service manual PDF is linked from the wikipedia page for the MC-303. I got the replacement switch from digikey. Part number: P12217SCT-ND. I ordered more than I needed in case more go :)
ZOrg
November 10, 2012 @ 8:33 am
Strange memory issues are mostly down to the battery. They are fairly easy to replace but get a box ready for the screws.
The Yamaha RMX-1 is worse for screws and that has very bad buttons. The 303 is a breeze in comparison.
 
Post Comment!
VSE Rating

It’s Good

User Rating

Rated 3.67 (743 Votes)

  • Demos & Media
  • YouTube Thumbnail
    Video 1
    - Hard Talk (MC 303)

    YouTube Thumbnail
    Video 2
    - Muse’s Muses (Roland MC-303)

    Audio Clip 1 - ample grooves and loops and an arpeggios with filter tweaking. From the Future Music CD, isue 47.

    Manual - Roland has made manuals for most of their products available as free PDF downloads.

  • Specifications
  • Polyphony - 28 voices
  • # of Tones - 448
  • # of Drum Sets - 12 (inc. 808, 909)
  • # of Instruments - 16 part multitimbral
  • Effects - Reverb, delay, chorus and flange
  • Arpeg/Seq - Sequencer : 8 tracks, 10 songs, 120 preset & 50 user patterns.
    Arpeg: 200 RPS phrases
  • Keyboard - 12 buttons
  • Control - MIDI
  • Date Produced - 1996

Errors or Corrections? Send them here.