Roland EF-303 Groove Effects

As somebody has said below- initially difficult but easy once mastered (probably 2hrs should do)

Now this is where I must settle a score. Luckily I managed to borrow this from a friend before I parted with the cash. There are many conflicting opinions here about the quality of the effects. Let me *assure* you, the low pass filter MOST CERTAINLY *DOES* STEP and HORRIBLY. Some of the (bull from associates of ROLAND) reviews here nearly had me convinced that this box had a nice filter. After all it is primarily an FX box and one with a name-tie to a nice quality and distinctive filter (ef-303 <> tb-303.) Sounds resonable that I might exspect a good filter doesn't it? Well it is nasty, rubbish, harsh, digital stepping rubbish, rubbish. The earlier (probably Rolands ef-303 project manager) reviewer who didn't hear the ugly digital artifacts in a filter more steppy than a centipede climbing a stair case in a high rise building with a broken lift, must be ignorant, deaf or monitoring through a pair of yogurt pots connected by string with phono leads glued on.

btw as for the other effects, personally I consider them to be equally as bad as the filter.

The 303 'emulation' is about on a par with what I might do with a Casio SK-1 toy keyboard for a joke. Okay maybe not that bad but definitely more lo-fi sampled than analogue modelled to my ear. Think Rebirth output through an 8-bit mono soundblaster.

Too soon to comment

Never tried.

I've probably got carried away slating this machine. It's best feature appears to be its ability to function as a useful 16 step old skool sequencer for notes or controllers over midi. I am not sure whether the gate time / velocity part will transmit via midi- i doubt it. Another cool thing is the built in scales- program a pattern in using the sliders then change between the many and varied scales and audition the changes.

Probably best not to buy one.

Final comment: 1 part useful midi step sequencer to 1 part useful bpm detector/syncer to 4 parts wasted potential to 4 parts crap sounding toy = ef-303 crap dj toy rubbish, rubbish.

Ease of use, well read the instructions while you play with it. You might not even get a sound out of it at first but the instructions are clear and once you get it down its cakewalk to make cool sounds. It is a quirky machine i.e. if you want to use it in real time you should practice with it a little bit before taking it to the show. This is not a machine that you can master in five minutes.

I am currently using this as my master fx for laptops and turn tabels and even when it is in bypass mode there is a little bit of loss of sound however I am running a crud load of stuff through it. The lo-fi and ring modulator setting create a little bit of distortion when the wetness is turned all the way down but if you really want to pixilate your sound and push it twist it and possibly blow a P.A. these settings will do it. I mean this is the real deal Roland did not hold back with these two fx they are nasty and I like them that way. The low pass filter is one of the best I have ever heard. The cut is super deer and the res is sharp as a knife. The isolator makes up for sound loss if you really just want to bost a track I have used it alot when I felt that the p.a. was e.q. poorly. The flange is ok i would like a little bit more control over it and the same goes for the phaser however I have came up with some really cool loops using the sequencer with these functions. The reverb is has two redeaming qualites it has a long decay time and you can make cool industrial sounds but as far as sound the fruity reverb is ten times better. The internal vocodor kinda stinks (you can get a early kraft work sound out of it) but if you use the vocodor to mix to external sounds its awsome in fact unbelievable. With the voice, pitch delay, and ring modulator you can mimic any skinny puppy, or afx twin type vocals. As far as cliks and pops if you use the slide function they will go away. I like them however you can get some great rythms. Overall I would not say this is for the faint of heart. Alot of the fx can really grab the sound and twist it however if you have a light touch you can keep that from happening and still have the fire power for when you need it. This is a box so I am giving it a nine I am sure that if you spent 2000 for an fx unit that only did one effect it would sound better but it would not be nearly as fun.

It always turns on for me (knock on wood) I use it every day for about two too eight hours never gets hot and always does what its told. I did buy it used and I have to tap the power supply (the guy on ebay didnt say anything about that) its been that way sence I got it I think it was a factory reject because it was still wraped up. So I would think no else would have that problem.

I dont like rolands customer suport

I do ambient, drum n bass, experimental, and some chill stuff. I use it for all of them. My sets are more alive now no matter what I am doing because I write alot of loops and sampling on the fly it really comes in handy to blend push or pull the over all sound the way I want it to go. One thing that I really dont like about it is that if your not paying attention the volume will either rise or fall when you turn the fx on or off (this can be avoided by adjusting the input or output. I also do not like how it clicks when you change to effect. It only does that when it is the effect is on so just turn the effect off and switch effects. I compared this product to alot of others and I am glad that I got this one. If I lost it I would get another one it is a very creative machine. Then only other thing that I would suggest over it and this is only if you want a cleaner sound is the pioneer efx 500. If you want versatility get the roland

Pretty darn easy unless its your first piece of gear. I dont read manuals at all, and it works great for me....however you gotta play with it a bit to feel comfortable with how it works.

This thing is amazing!! Im a huge fan of Korg Kaoss, Alesis Air FX, Roland D2 "d-field" and any type of device that lets you control without menus. I hate menus. This baby is a total tweakers delight. Major great sound variations that will blow any experimenter away. I really cant believe the sonic flavors coming out of this thing. Its too cool, but you gotta tweak it and play with it to get it to really purr. When you do get it purring, its really addictively FUN and unique sounding as you can imagine,

Seems solidly built. Well-made steel construction with tight knobs and controls. The outlook is good. No problems so far.
--not built of plastic like so much of the crap out there today.

Roland is pretty cool once you learn how to be put on hold for what seems to be eternity. When you finally get a real person and they stop passing you around like a hot potatoe, you can usually get what you need from them. They are not the friendliest guys around, sometimes downright rude, but then again, what mfr. out there isnt? besides maybe Jomox and FutureRetro.

This pupply is a must have if you are a non-menu type of tweaker. In that sense it is truly innovative and a very cool device. I really cant imagine selling it because its one of those keepers that will provide years and years of great fun. Its unique for sure and will help give my music a unusual touch that I crave. I love it when somebody asks me "how the heck did you do that?" (heheh) Thats what I live for....and the EF-303 definately helps. :}

Difficult at first - Yes,I switched it on and yes I got NO SOUND. Like all good things I suppose there is a steep learning curve with this machine. At first I suspected its critics were right but after a couple of attempts - WOW!! ...and I have'nt read the manual yet.

Like I said, once you have mastered the controls then sound quality is 10/10. This machine is different, it has many uses and for me its fits perfectly with my home setup (RMX1, EA-1, ST-224, Nova, and DR-202). I have effects on all of my gear but the way the Ef-303 works adds a new perspective. I have tacked a few Cd's through AND IT IS BRILL!!

So far so good - but only been two days.

Never needed it.

Thankfully, I have a great set-up and this new addition has centre stage. If I did not have it, I would miss it dearly - I'm just glad I did not listen to the magazine reviews.

My Rating is 1 on Day 1 and 10 on Day 3.
I give this a 5 for ease of use because there is a little Roland-type learing curve. The unit expects you to think Roland a little bit. The first time you pick it up you might not get any sound or at least any usable sound out of it. Do yourself a favor and read pages 57-67 of the manual which are actually REALLY good and explain the algorythms. Once you realize what the multi-function knobs do your realize there is a lot going on in this box, but it is pretty accessible. By day 3 of owner ship you'll know it like the back of your hand.

Contrary to the other review I say sound quality is excellent. First of all despite the name, the built in synth and the step sequencer, this unit is NOT A TB303 CLONE. It is a terrible 303 clone. The only way to program notes is through the sliders. Glide is not adjustables and there is No Decay and no envlope setting. This machine is not a synth, notice the name "Groove EFFECTS'. Now that I got that out of the way, effects is what this machine is all about.

The EF-303 does everything that the VF100 Voice Transformer does. It makes Robot Voices and gender changing effect. however it is also one of the most versatile Vocoders available. You can plug in Microphone and Vocode voice or anything against the internal synthsizer, and that is where the internal synth really shine. Unlike some rack-mount vocoders you can step sequence the synth while vocoding, or you can use the 16 buttons as a keypad, the buttons light up in keypad mode to let you know which ones are black keys. Unfortunately the keypad cannot be used for step note entry. However you can play the internal synth via midi, but itf you have a midi irg you probably will us an external synth and the 303 will happilly mix an mush any two sounds through its input.

Since the Boss Voice Transformer costs about $250 but doesn't have midi or the ability to step sequence parameter changes I thing the EF-303 is worth about $400 right there.

But it doesn't stop, it's got a Low Pass Filter algorythm that is awesome, AND NO IT DOES NOT STEP. The filter algorythm is smoooooth! and it self-oscillate like a beast master. And of course you can step sequence Cutoff or Resonance. In addition, you can set it to a 3 way band pass, allowing only Hi, Mid , or Low to get through. Once the appropriate frequencies get through you can then low-pass them. This is great for playing a record through it and applying the filter to just the Hi-Hats or just the snares, and leaving the kick untouched with the insane amount of resonance you will surely apply.

Next up Slicer. Step Sequenced gating. As I'm wirting this write now I'm listen to some Internet radio station on Itunes and then running the techno through the Slicer (which can simultaneously Pan) It sounds great. Tap you finger allong to the beat and the EF303 handles all your syncing. You just throw the sliders in any old position, and the 303 loves you back.

Next, the Isolator, this is just a 3 band EQ that can go all the way to kill on each of the three bands. However it is a very nice sounding EQ and ofcourse you can step-sequence all three band or an combination at the same time. You can switch back and forth from one band to the next seemlessly.

Next there's RingMod, Phaser, Flanger, all really good Roland quality, and of course syncable.

The Reverb is a nice Reverb but, lets face it if your into sonic manipulation at the level of which you probably are if your looking at this machine then you probably have a decent Reverb machine. I think I'll stick to my DP/4 and Sony HR-MP5, and TC Native reverbs. However the step modulation might be interesting for drum loops. Not sure yet.

LoFi - I don't understand the concept of the LoFi effect, it's basicaly just bit reduction. I didn't notice any stepping in te LoFi algorythm, but I think I would still do bit reduction on the Mac with any old editor.

Pitch+Delay - Boss sells the Pitch Shifting Delay for 150. This machiine gives is midi control and sequencer while still maintining the intuitive 3 knob interface. This is truly an effect for spacemen.

Syn Rythm - DAMN this thing IS A DRUM MACHINE. Well not exactly. There are 4 kits in the machine with kit, snare, open hi, closed hi. You can use the sliders to create rythms, but only one note polyphony. This is really just usefull for making some quick hi hat patterns, but since you can sequence the volume at each step you can quickly and intuitive come up wilh some great hi hat that

It's metall and the knobs seem pretty decent. But I've only had it a week.

There isn't anything like it, except maybe the korg Kaoss Pad or the Alesis spaceman thing, but there is no other dedicated Step effect processor with LowPass filter, Vocoding, Voice Transforming, and Slicing.

Very easy to use. 3 front panel knobs, 16 sliders, and lots of buttons. 16 user patch memory locations, about 20 different fx to choose from. At first tweak, this box sounds really cool! There are wicked flangers, crazy filters and lo-fi algos. Delay/pitch for those 'tape echo' type effects. There is even a little 303 emulator to use in conjunction with the 16 step sequencer. Overall, there seems(at first glance) to be a vast array of applications inside this little red and silver beast...BUT...buyer beware!!!

Here, my friends, is where the buck comes to a screeching halt on this box! There are some really nice fx sounds here, as well as a somewhat convincing 303 emulation, BUT in no less than 4 of the available algos there are HORRIBLE, LOUDLY AUDIBLE stair-stepping glitches when turning the 'tweak' knobs. For one, the Low pass Filter on the 303 synth step in increments of about 4 or 5 steps, causing that nasty 'jutt-jutt' feel as you sweep through the values. You also can't use the 303 synth with ANY other effects...LAME! The Lo-Fi algo, another important one, at least to me, NEVER STOPS stair-stepping on any of the 'tweak' knobs!!! The Flanger is REALLY cool ounding, but again, when tweaking the DEPTH knob, 'click-click-jutt-jutt'...ARRRGGH!!!!
These glitches, as well as no distortion algo, and no response to midi controller number 7 were enough letdown for me to pack this bitch up, and take it back to the store. I implore you to play with this unit for at least a SOLID half hour, tweaking ALL effects, and trying out the 303 synth before making a purchase. These things are $500 new, and for that kind of money in a limited little box, it damn well better NOT have these kind of glitches, and should also be able to F*CK my wife when I don't feel like it, too!

Very reliable, solid metal chassis, cool paint job, solid knobs and sliders...DOESN'T MAKE UP FOR WHAT A HEAP OF JUNK THIS THING IS!!!

Roland is a great company, but they should have taken the time to fix glitches, and add a few more 'vital' features to the box before shipping them and slapping on a $500 price tag on em'!!! BOOOOOOOOO!!!

Useless to me, and anyone else who expects quality in return for their hard-earned money!