Roland MC-505

The MC505 has never been totally easy for me. The manual is written pretty well considering the manuals written in the early eighty's. lol! Those who have tried reading from that era remember the japanglish i'm sure! I digress! This instrument will teach the most die hard synth programmers patience. lol! Not really... but if you are into more of the programming side of things, you will love the MC5050. That said I have used it A LOT in the studio over the past 9 years or so I think and it's presets offer LOADS! I pretty much avoided using its song mode...programmed a few patterns...tweaked a few knobs during recording.... it has been worth every penny of the $1000 I spent for it new.... even without getting into much depth with it.

Had to mention the sequencer again huh? I can't remember what it was about its song mode.... seems like it didn't play nicely with others or something. Maybe it was the sequencer bug in the earlier version. I did update the OS, but by that time there was not even the thought to get into programming a song on it... i just use the daw. The D-Beam is wacko cool! It took a little working with to make it completely usable for something. ex. Using the turntable effect without the MC as a midi slave was always a little hard for me to control to make it really musical. I wasn't using it to perform though either so I am sure there are guys out there who can make the thing get up and dance!

The "real" instruments are a bit cheezy... does have that great Roland U220 piano patch. The synth sounds feature many classic digital sounds from the era. Has several great drum kits from the day that can all be tweaked with the filters for some very cool and live expressive sweeps in your drum tracks.

Hmmmmmm..... what can you say? She's on her last leg here.... the screen is pooping out. That can be replaced through "Right Key Repairs" for cheep but .... the sliders are all going bad. They change values arbitrarly, don't register contact in all areas. Just like my Roland JD800. They are the same type of slider. I think this is because of dust and me not properly covering them. Anyway, I was just looking to price a repair on the thing and I see people are buying them used for $150-200US. I think I would just get something used before I get into repairing this unit. It still plays... the mutes all work etc. I'll just keep using this one I guess until it just is no longer usable at all. lol! Will I buy another? I don't know... there are a lot of cool units out there. I've used this one for a long time, maybe something different.

I don't remember so well.

Yea this thing rocks! I think there are other units I might like better like the Korg esx series or whatever. But what piece of gear doesn't have it's challenges,limitations, or quirks? My overall rating? for the current used $150-$200 price, this thing is beast!

this synth groovebox is a bit hard to use to its full potential right out of the gate.
it is filled with sounds from the dance era of its day. some of them still relevant today but many are dated.
the manual is well written but it is intensely large and will take a long time to get through.
if you are just reaching for knobs and dials there is some instant fun factor,but to really go into the mc505 you kinda need a understanding of synth programming and sound design.
if not your just going to be missing out on the meat of this machine.

some of the effects can be fun. it is more fun to run the parts out through individual stompboxes or outboard gear.
yes it is a old way to do things but it is a good way to do things.
sounds better that way too.
you can still find memory cards online for it.
there is a small keyboard on it for triggering notes live or programming the very decent internal sequencer.
very nicely laid out control panel.

this dosent sound exactly analog.
but it can get close if you spend the time programming a patch it can be amazing.
lots of people here complain about the sounds.
dont blame the machine its your lack of skill at programming it.
this is made during the time alot of people were buying them and just pushing play and calling themselves a musician.
i think that this box truly has merit even eleven years after its initial release.
drums are ok. if you process them properly they can sound big and beefy.
there isnt many grooveboxes that were made that can offer the wide aray of sounds a mc505 can offer for such a cheap price. it can go from very old school jarre vangelis,to very acid and if you spend the time it can do some good glitch sounds too.
it is way better than people say in terms of sound.
each patch can have four ocillators each of those can have thier own envelopes and lfos.
you want evolving pads this machine can do them.
you want a fat bass this machine can do that too.
there is four kinds of filter offered. the res isnt to my liking but its not horrible its pretty decent for a older digital filter.
all in all for the price they go for and the wide range of sounds this gets a ten

yes i would gig with it.
its a electronic instrument you can never fully depend on them.
fairly well built. the lcd aparently starts to die after a while and the big wheel has been known to wilt out as well.
mines ten years old and still works perfectly.

dont know and dont care.
i would most likely get another one if mine needed fixing.

i will say this for 200 bucks i have to give it a ten.
for a true overall rating tho compared to my other gear and how much use i get from it i will give it a seven.
it is really fun and you can do a lot with it.

The presets is very outdated both style-wise and they don't show the units potential at all.The manual is thorugh,but a bit confusing at first.but once you dig deep into this machine,there is very good sounds to be made.but don't expect to be making much sense of things the first session with this box.

The fact that there is 6 outputs makes all the difference in the world for me.the sequencer is good,but again it will take some time to get the hang of things.I am teaming this up with the korg esx-1 sampler,and they sure make a good team once hooked up properly via midi and all audio channels on both machines sent to my mixer to be tweaked further with fx and eq!But I would miss the korg sampler if it wasn't in my rig,thats one of the crap things with the 505.No sample capability.but for the price i paid for the mc-505(150 bucks),it is exellent value.

the sounds are what you make of it,you can use the crappy presets and hate the thing,or give it some time,dig in and surprise yourself.the fx are good,but a not exactly extreme.useful for some things,but if you want juice,outboard is the way to go.if you plug in an external keyboard you get velocity and aftertouch,the built in keyboard-pads are not made to be played,it is made to be plotted...but so are most of the other groovebox-synths out there too.
The machine is capable of many a genre,but maybe not folk and classical and all the other obvious stuff.I use it for dubstep and dnb.Together with the rest of my rig,of course.sweet..and the bass boost feature rocks balls!

The thing is built like a rock.But the lcd display will sooner or later most likely fry and lose its pixels.and that sucks.However,Roland is selling replacements,and i even managed to squeeze some life into my broken lcd with a flattening iron!but it will probably not last for long.This is the only issue i can think of...but a major one.It is impossible to do serious work without a proper display on this thing..gotta order that display soon..gigs coming up.i would def use it at a gig without backup if the display could be trusted.

I get support from my Roland dealer,they say it will take one week to get the display.Very friendly and helpful.I will repair it myself once i get the display,piece of cake.but will wait to see how long my fix lasts...

For the price i paid,i would definetly buy it again.I have been making electronic music for 12 years.Used to work on a computer,but got sick of staring into a screen and feeling up the mouse all day.Got my hands on the mc-505,then followed the korg esx-1 and a kaosspad 2,into my mackie mixer.from there i process the signals thru auxes with a Rocktron chameleon and my old Eventide ultra harmonizer.
I love pressing buttons and turning knobs..it def make my performances and recordings be more interesting and expressive to me and my audience.

Insanely frustrating!
Had my 505 for a little over two months...all I can seem to do is bang on patch sounds and play with preset patterns.
The manual does more harm than good. Trying to edit a song is a fruitless endeavour.
It makes me sad, I read so many glowing reviews of this instrument and wanted it for so long but now I'm afraid it's going on the shelf in the closet never to be seen again.
Try before you buy.
If anyone knows a good tutorial PLEASE let me know.

If it were stolen I'd do more research for my next purchase.

I really like the Roland MC-505. It is so densely packed with features, it is a a little bewildering and I think that is what prevents many people from going deeper and playing with the basic feature sets.

Basically the unit sounds good, but it is tempting to merely play with all the presets.

If you dig deep enough, you can get get a wide variety of sound out of it to complement almost any kind of music.

My 505 had developed a bad lcd like most of them out there and this is why I am writing this review. Yes, you can replace it (as of 11/01/2008).

Also, it seems that the older 505's have plastic shafts on the pots and they tend to wear out and get wobbly. This doesn't seem to affect their use and performance. The replacement pots have metal shafts and should last longer. I think some were made with metal shafts, I would keep my eye out for one of those.

Although I applaud Roland for making parts available for the 505 after all these years, their customer service is beyond awful. If you order internal replacement parts they are non-returnable and they don't come with any service notes even when the replacement part is a substitution part and would require it. The replacement lcd screen is now a substitution part that is very different from the original screen. It is green and twice the thickness of the old lcd. Rather than being a 5 minute job to swap out the screen, it will take considerable time to install especially if you don't have the service notes on the replacement (and I think only Roland and their reps have access to this).

So I write this review in the hope that someone else planning to do this swap won't have to go through the pain I did of figuring out what to do. This is not a complete how-to as some of obvious steps are omitted like unscrew the case bottom.

1. the new screen mounts below the case not on top anymore
2. you will need to cut the opening and make it wider to fit the new screen. I used a nibbler and tin snips the metal is pretty soft be careful not to distort the screw holes.
3. you have to remove the output board to gain access to the opening.
4. the lcd screws in on the right and uses the supplied support on the left (oriented normally as if you were going to play it.
5. the clear plastic insulators are too small and you will probably need to use some tape to cover the ends of the lcd circuit board to prevent shorting on the metal case.
6. test the screen by hooking up just the power cable to the output board (bigger connector with red and white wires)
7. test fit the plastic screen (perspex?) to make sure the lcd oriented correctly. if the lcd is oriented to the left, you will have characters obscured by the screen.

If I had to do it again, I would say an hour as the case trimming takes some time with lots of trial fitting.

I think the MC-505 is totally worth it. It really can go beyond the trance/dance/tb-303 cliches if you take the time to figure it out. At its heart I find it to be very musical.

I wouldn't use it in a recording for String sounds, but it does have some really convincing Synth and Bass sounds.

Editing is a breeze. Knobs and sliders galore. A friend of mine (a drummer) who had never even touched a synthesizer hitherto, came over one night and started playing around with a Moog bass sound I had up. He got some awesome (non-bass) sounds going in just a few minutes. The manual is very concise... maybe too concise.

64 note polyphony, adequate for this box. There are some "stock" effects which are run-of-the-mill, but the "special" type effects like the Slicer are worthwhile. This box is not expandable. It does have an onboard sequencer which is fairly easy to use (read the section of the manual regarding the sequencer twice and you'll be a pro).

The Synths and Basses are good. The EP's are good too. The Clav's, Brass and Strings JV-880 quality. The D-Beam and novelty effects are fantastic. It reacts well to velocity and aftertouch (try the Moog Bass w/aftertouch).

I don't know if I can depend on it or not, but it's easy to fix. I bought it dirt cheap on Ebay because it had a bad POT (potentiometer, IE knob) and a faulty display. The POT cost $4 + shipping and the display had some bad solder points that took about 20 minutes to get to and 2 minutes to fix. I bought it initially just to add a D-Beam to my JP-8080 (they can be linked), but now I use it for sounds and even the sequencer occassionally. I play 70's progressive rock so I don't use the Patterns for live work, although I do find them interesting to play around with. I do use it live, but mostly as a D-Beam controller for the JP-8080 (for the "Filter Sweep" in Frankenstein... Looks cool to control it with the D-Beam).

I needed a potentiometer and I was able to get it ordered and mailed to me in a few minutes. I talked to a tech and he clued me in about the solder joints on the display.

If lost or stolen I'd replace it if I could get it for under $150, otherwise no. Is it worth what I paid, yes... but I bought a unit with what was perceived as a bad display and a bad knob and the case had been drilled out so it could be rack mounted (I actually rackmount it now too... Hey Roland, maybe the next MC should have the option). I love the analog-synth style controls. Very straight forward. All the digital era add-ons make it a wonderful machine for whatever you are doing.

ROLAND MC 505 REVIEW: MY OPINION
PRESETS(ABOUT 500) SOME ARE GOOD BUT THERE ARE SOME REALLY RUBBISH ONES TOO.
EDITING PATCHES IS EASY, THE MANUAL IS PRETTY MUCH OK.

ITS A 64 NOTE POLYPHONIC SYNTH WITH A 16 KEY MINI KEYBOARD WHICH DOUBLES UP AS STEP-WRITE ENTER KEYS (LIKE THE OLD TR RANGE OF DRUM MACHINES).
IT HAS REVERB, DELAY AND OTHER EFFECTS, PRETTY GOOD.
THE ONLY EXPANDABILITY ON THIS UNIT IS MEMORY STORAGE, WHICH IS 2mb OR 4mb SMART MEDIA CARDS (5v NOT 3.3v)
ON THE REAR IT HAS MIDI IN AND OUT/THRU AND MOST THE KNOBS AND SLIDERS TRANSMIT MIDI DATA.
THE ON-BOARD SEQUENCER IS EXCELLENT AND REALLY EASY TO USE, YOU CAN CREATE TRACKS VERY VERY QUICKLY AND SEQUENCE YOUR EXTERNAL MIDI EQUIPMENT!

YOU CAN MORE OR LESS CREATE MOST GENRES OF MUSIC WITH THIS UNIT.

IVE NEVER HAD A PROBLEM WITH ANY ROLAND PRODUCT AND THIS IS BUILT WELL, METAL CASE AND METAL CHASSIS AND RELIABILITY WISE I WOULD USE IT ON STAGE ANYTIME!

DONT KNOW, NEVER HAD TO CONTACT THEM.

THE SEQUENCER IS AS EASY AS YOULL EVER GET ON A SYNTH......IT HAS 6 AUDIO OUTPUTS, THE DRUM SOUNDS ARE REALLY GOOD, ITS TOUGH, THE FILTERS ARE GOOD, OVERALL ITS A REAL GOOD PACKAGE.

I bought this MC 505 when it first came out and assume that it's v1.0. The presets sound a little thin but fortunatly there are a lot of ways to fatten it up with the internal fxs. Editing patches are relatively easy, if you take the time to dive into it innitially. I don't use a patch editor. The manual has mistakes but bearing that in mine, it's a fairly good reference.

Many many polyphonus (is that a word?) ability. Fxs are easy to use. It accepts smart memory cards (no longer available - say what?. Chicklet keys but in midi mode, external keyboards allow for more expressions ie dynamics, after touch etc. The on board sequencer is easy to use (if you spend some time learning the basics).

Most sampled based synths have a thin sound. You simply can't compare a real string quartet with canned sounds. However, for what it is, it's okay...

I use mine as a back-up band. I program my own beats and sopatterns and play along to it. The nice thing about this machine, is that I can extend or shorten any song depending how it's going.

Fxs are fairly good and accessible on the fly.

See above comments for velocity and aftertouch.

General reliability is good. I've only had a couple of 'hiccups' since I bought it. However my pixel lcd screen started to go on me and I had to get it replaced ($300 repair). This apparently is a very common problem and used MC505 should be very aware of this. Apparently, it will go blank after time which makes it a real ***** to program without a visual aid.

It sucks when it comes to this machine! Roland Canada no longer make the replacement part for the LCD pixel issue, and had to adapt another kind of LCD for my replacement needs. On the one hand, it's kind of cool to have an LCD that is a different colour than most MC 505s (if not all), but it really should have only cost $100. It's the only Roland product that I've had issues with display screen.

However, aside from the price issue, Roland did fix it in quick time.

The procedure, if you have the replacement part, involves a snap in place ribbon and four screws mounting.

As a minor protest, I have decided to boycott future Roland products, at least for now (until at least I feel I've made up for the extra costs).

I would buy it again, if I was doinglive gigs on a regular basis (assuming my smart media card was still around as it has customized back-up info on it.

I've been playing and recording since 1979. I own Korg, Roland, Moog etc products.

I love the interface panel and as a side bonus, midied to other gear, the panels affect other synths etc. For intace, it makes a great multi-timbral midi mixer to such gear as the Korg Karma or EMU Proteus products.

I'm pretty happy with it in general. I think it will be a 'synth classic' especially if most lose their pixels and are trashed. Which will mean, those that are still working (like mine) will be sought by collectors!

Recently got it. Running on V1.04, the earliest version i guess. I'm on OSX Leopard and have tried various free MIDI sequencers (to update to 1.07) to no avail.

Straight off, the learning curve is quite high. You need the manual. Once you learn, there won't be turning back. Megamix is an important and easy to use live tool.

Due to the old software version, I get Rehasal, instead of Rehearsal.

Patching is EASY, but..

..I will update this once I get deeper with Patching ala Basslines vs Rhythm Composer.

8 once you get used to its perks.

Many LONG reviews written on this box, it deserves it. Truly a machine that lives up to its name.

Sad FACT 1 : TR recording mode updates only after the bar is finished. Click chiclets but it responds only on the next bar. Very frustrating.

Sad FACT 2 : TR recording mode will disable all other parts. Essentially making it a drum machine with next bar update.

Sad FACT 3 : I can't get Tap Tempo working properly. It just won't sync with pre-MIDI gear flawlessly. (1.04 related i guess.)

Happy FACT : Record mode is expected. It records everything so be careful tweaking, don't forget Rehasal.

8 as the other futures kinda makes up for the lack of a TR-Synth hybrid I was hoping it would be.

Sounds are alright right off the box, better with some tweaks, mega with a lot of tweaking and a good ear. Basically, tweaking is easy with all the knobs and minimal shifts. Tweaking is fun, seriously.

Sampler based, JV-1080 or 2080 can't remember. Comes with the plethoric sounds from Roland's various products. 909, 808, 606, 303, Jupiter, etc. etc. If it's not up to your standards, Tweaks are allowed. Not bad.Still searching for that Jupiter-8 arpeggio sound.

Preset Songs are boring.

8 as this box can really create some crazy sounds.

Physically reliable. Software-wise, not so. 1.04 perhaps, but Roland should make their products solid feeling at first go already.

7 as it doesn't feel that solid and direct compared with analog gear, software-wise, but hardware seems sturdy enough.

Probably will buy a backup if many gigs. And if a Patch corruption occurs.

Erm, filters wail a bit, not as extreme as an MS-20, but will wail and throb. Ask Roland about this and they will smile I guess.

I love everything there is to love about it.
I hate everything there is to hate about it.
Makes good partners with a Korg ESX-1, an MS2000 and any old TR, 909 preferably.
Sampler, Virtual Analog and an easy to use dedicated Rhythm Composer. And this Roland Jack of all trades, master of some. Very mobile, very easy setup, very Live Performance.

I'm not sure whether you can hook up two MC-505s and MEGAMIX them all together, now that would be sweet.

Thank god for MIDI.

Great! I love how easy it is to put together paterns. Some things take a litlle getting used to, but once you get the hang of it you can fly through it. I hit buttons so fast on this thing and it always can keep up.

I don't know much about polyphony, but aparently it has enough for me. Love the lft knobs and how you can easily record their actions to your pattern.
The Arp is great.
Expansion.. well that sucks because there is none. You can use smart media obviousl, but you can't add your own sounds. But it isn't a sampler.
The sequencer is fun and easy to use. I love it. How I work is I build a base pattern, save it, then make modified, extended, altered (ect ect) versions of it and save them as seprate patterns. Then you just link them together in song more and: disco!
The real time midi recorder is great, has a few little quarks. You get used to them and can work around them tho.

Here is the deal. When I first got it I tried to make it sound like something is wasn't. It isn't ever going to sound analog. It isn't going to sound phat or rich. Once I stoped fighting it, and decided to make use of it for what it is, I loved it.
It's a unique synth that has a cheap, dirty, sometimes low-fi sound. You can layer and tweak the sounds so they sound really interesting and intense, but not warm or thick.
People say it can sound like a toy, and I totally agree, but with the right amount of dedication to it, you can make INTERESTING, twisted crazy music.
Peaches, M.I.A., Bis. and Mount Sims all made huge club hit songs using this box alone. It's ditry sound is why it was such a hit in the electroclash genera, and I know it has just as much potential for future dance music.
It's all about creativity, and using it in the right way.

It has never crashed, but wierd stiff has happened from time to time. Random pattern changes, strange patch changes. Never lost data tho.
The LCD screen on mine is almost gone, but i can sill very slightly figure out what it's saying. This is common on the 505. I've spend thousands of hours on it, and bought it used, so it's been around the block a few times.

I love it, and I want to keep it forever. I want everyone to have one. I just sit in bed with it on my lap every night. Even if someone has a full studio, I think it would be a great sketch pad.

Wish I could add samples, or expand the synth like on the 909.

Overall if you are looking for a fun, easy to use, all in one on the go machine with an INTERESTING and UNIQUE sound, it's a great one.

I just got an 808, and I hate it. It sounds great, much phatter, but everything is done on a computer, not on the box it's self. It's more of a modual. It ruins the groovebox feature of having an entire setup in one. So I'll dtick to the 606, or maybe try the 909.