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
beginer
March 7, 2011 @ 1:05 am
might sound stupid but i gotta know...
"Unfortunately for us, the MC-303's internal sequencer does not output any MIDI. So you can't hook it up to the Dr. Sample."
really??so i cant connect this to a sampler,like korg-es1?
critical bill
February 20, 2011 @ 7:14 am
Henry, it's not a true synth but the ADSR/cutoff/res parameters can be changed (like on the Yamaha CS1X) so you can make "original" sounds in a limited way. It's best used for drums and sequencing (the MC-303 has an 8-track sequencer which works pretty well). Only downside is that if there's a lot going on in your music, the tempo can slow occasionally. Not good.. As the site says, it's a good entry level machine for the money with some decent features, but it's definitely worth splashing a few more $$$ if you want a serious synth.
P-of-M
February 16, 2011 @ 1:48 pm
henry, it's not a synth, it's just a rompler that plays back pre-loaded sampled sounds
henry
February 11, 2011 @ 3:43 am
hi, can anyone shed some light on the synthesis part of the mc 303, there doesnt seem to be a lot of info on the internet anywhere

basically, i have various analogue synths including the ms 10, elektronika em-04, bass station etc, but i've never tackled the world of sequencing - but i plan to

at the moment i need a back up synth incase one kicks out, so until i get into sequencing, can i use this as a real time synth?

any answers would be great, thanks
Dj Hollow
January 17, 2011 @ 7:01 pm
my uncle recorded a whole album on this it was number one on mp3.com for 3 months in 2000 beating Daz Dillinger Look it up on youtube his name is Crooked Loc and the album was named 21 ways here on the in town release then renamed mind of a maniacc for the internet you can still download his album if you look up his name on google and someone uploaded him on youtube the beats are good quality and his album is still around despite the fact hes been in prison for 7 years i recently bought a old 303 on ebay for 137 bucks to see what i can and in my opinion it a great little box
 
Post Comment!
VSE Rating

It’s Good

User Rating

Rated 3.67 (742 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.