Roland MC-505

The last review hates the sounds. That's fine. But realize this. The synthesis engine, 4 layers with full subtractive synthesis editing on each layer, is the SAME engine and type used in the acclaimmed Roland 2080 sound modules! You use a sample in each layer and tweak it out. Other than true analog and virtual analog, such is the same synthesis used in Rolands top synths, Korgs top synths, Yamaha's top synths and E-mus top synths. The E-mu XL1 and other modules use the identical 4 layer sample and synthesis approach.

Now one can complain about the uderlying samples used, but the reality is that if you *want* to program the sounds in the MC-505 then you have a very powerful synthesiser at your disposal. Most of the preset sounds use only one or two layers. Feel free to use 3 or 4 in different combinations and layer then and have them crossfade based on key velocity or keyrange or aftertouch. The sky's the limit. All synths sound different than each other and it's a matter of taste. The MC-505 may not sound great to everyone. Many believe it is better sounding than the RM1X.

Don't forget the drums. Great samples of great machines. That's what we wanted right? Other than boutique machines like the JOMOX or the Machinedrum and old samplers (which are really something different than we are comparing here) what's a better sounding overall drum machine?

When percieved as a big huge, easily tweakable and programmagle drum machine, that also has a pretty powerful synth inside as well as an 8 track step seqencer (with 8 separate drum tracks too) that you can play live with a band (via the tap tempo button, (it's best live feature BTW) then you see the power of the unit. nitpicking on each element is to ignore that the total package, and the way it is nicely put together is the beauty of the intstument. Later, sure add a synth module. Sounds great! As a writing tool and performance tool all in one box, it excels.

Very Reliable! I use it live all the time for 4 years now.

Roland is fine.

I might get the XL-7 or MP-7 by Emu. If the could serve my live needs. The megamix sliders are very handy. Sure one could gang a regular sequencer with a couple of synth modules and kenton control freak but the cost would be higher. Even if money is no object, there is something to be said, (especially playing live where setting up and setting down and transportation take a great toll on instruments) for a singe box instead of three connected with midi cables and their own power supplys and . . . . too many wires to break or lose!

I've had this thing for about a year and a half. I was sick of it after 6 months. If you are new to music production, then this machine is great. I was a newbie when i started with it, and basically i have learned everything about effects/sounds/patches/rythm and everything from this machine. BUt the mistake i made is that i kept the machine, instead of getting rid of it. In fact i still have it. This is one of those machines that you have to get rid of as soon as you 'conquer' it. In other words, get rid of it once you've fully exploited all of its features, when u have 'grown out' of using it. I've grown out of it long ago, but i still have it, as i have no money to buy other equipment. Everytime i have a good idea i sit down and start playing it, then think that wow, i just made this song sound awesome, then realise that, no.. i did not get anywhere i havent before. THIS MACHINE WILL ALWAYS SOUND THE SAME no matter what you do. NO EXPANSION, NO NEW SOUNDS, NO NOTHING. All you have is about 500 sounds, ranging from synth, to bass, to drums, and atmospherics, etc. but out of that 500, there are about 10 that you'd ever use, simply because the others sound so bad.

This machine is great for the drum sounds, the 909 and 808 are spot on, however, they sound bland without any decent effects. The obvious thing to do in this case? - Apply some compression... but the porblem is the compressor on the 505 is unbelievably baaaaad. It mutates the sounds yet gives none of the "punch" that you want!

Some bass sounds are ok... BUT
THE BIGGEST, BIGGEST PROBLEM OF ALL... is that you will not find a decent sound in the 505 that you could use for a lead. for example, for a lead synth. This machine has about 10 presets for lead synth, but they all suck. So you tweak them, for hours and hours. Then you think 'oh cool.. that sounds great' .. ok so u save the fucker, and u are happy for a while. Then a couple of days later, when u boot up the machine again, you realise, what was i thinking.. that sounds like a 505, like it always did.

In dance music production, it is ESSENTIAL to have NEW sounds. That is exactly what the 505 will never have. It's stuck with a few hundred sounds that were programmed into it almost 5 years. But the sounds are so bad, that even 5 years ago they sounded like shit. So you can imagine what they sound like today!

With this amount of money u can buy analog gear. With analog, it doesnt matter if it's 20 years old. You'll still be able to be original with it.

the pro/con-machine
working with the latest OS; no troubles.
presets are totally crap but editing patches is very simple.
but i dont't like this wannabe-synthesis cos you only can put 4 different waveforms together and tweak it with filters and lfo stuff- but that's the price one has to pay ? if there was a real synthie, it would be even more expensive.
the manual is o.k. but due to the internal structure of da machine working is sometimes very complex, especially the first few weeks.

when i bought it, i didn't know much about electronic music production, so i thought i could use more than only ONE effect at a time and i was pretty disappointed, when i found out the truth...
so if you want to get your sounds processed fine then effect boxes are recommended.
xpansion possibility is there, but only for storing patches and patterns, not for new sounds or even samples.
don't understand, why the roland cards have to be that tiny (max 4MB) and that expensive.
the sequencer is a nice xox-mod sequencer with a 96 resolution, wich is quite o.k. but no world champion.

bad presets, very few possibilities to change the sounds the way, that you wouldn't think it's a 505. the sounds work mainly for techno and maybe for house and a little bit d&b or even industrial, but it's never the big deal.
the effect section seems to be nice, but on the second look it's very limited IMHO

had some crashes when i was working to fast with too much data in the U-temp and didn't save for a time, especially in the microscope mode while editing musical data.
i never would work without backups? on any machine!

after i had explained my troubles and that i have the machine for several years, i was asked if i was saving the patterns and patches i create...they must be thinking there're only idiots out there, cos this wasn't even part of my question.
i had to write tons of emails to get no right answer and always beeing referred to the FAQ? very annoying. the guy just kept telling me pure basics almost like i had never read the manual? i nearly went crazy. didn't get any right answers until i wrote an email to roland uk and complained about the naff support...

if it was lost or stolen, i would go for an MC80(EX) and get an virus access indigo to compliment my korg babies (MS2K+ES-1) and to get them sequenced properly.

it's not a bad tool if you are a beginner and as a scratch pad, but it depends always on what you're doing.
i own it right from the release and i had very much fun with it and did some live-stuff, but if you know the machine that good, you know where it lacks...

I just traded my E-MU XL-7 for the MC-505 plus cash. Obviously my first impression was just how bad the preset patches were in comparison to the E-MU. But I knew this before I made the deal. I don't think any dedicated synth guy would buy for presets, just like most of us don't buy a particular car because it has nice bumpers.
Editing patches is easy. Four waveform set-up is more or less self-explanatory. ASDR sliders as patch-makers is nice. Synth engine is not as deep as the XL-7's, but what the hell. I got the 505 because it crunches.
Manual is at the same time incredibly helpful and very obfusicatory. Sometimes it's almost funny 'Let's make a bass sound!,' etc, and overall it gets the job done. Would be nice to have one written in English...not translated.
I have not checked the OS yet.
As for actual ease of use, it's hard to beat. Knobs and buttons seem self-explanatory, and each knob and button has multiple uses from the same location. I'm still stuck on writing patterns and just getting the overall feel of the unit, so I haven't really delved into the sequencing aspect of the box. Can't really comment except to say that the timing isn't as tight as the newer E-MU boxes, or even the Rm1x (it seems...maybe I was drunk).

No expansion...and this is what pisses me off. My next module will probably be the Proteus 2500, which is exandable like Catherine Zeta-Jones is hot. Anyway, I'd think that Roland would at least let themselves grab more of the market by selling $280 ROMS for the 505, 'ala E-MU with their expansion cards. At least the 505 has memory for patches and patterns via SmartMedia, but I've heard that the 505 is using some sort of dated version of the SmartMedia that may or may not be easy to find in the coming years (is this true?)
Polyphony is a usable 68. Again, other 'beatbox' competitors are pumping out 128, but who cares? If you really need 128 voices simultaneously, you need a computer.
Lack of MIDI Thru sorta pissed me off. No biggie though.
You can only use 1 effect per song, but when people bitch about that it seems that they are forgetting about the dedicated reverb and delay knobs. If you're like me, reverb and delay are two of your most-used FX, and being able to use them without taking up most sequencer / modules two FX processors is nice. Other effects are nice, particularly the exciter. It really nasties up the hats and kicks.
Kyboard is a joke. I've been playing piano / keyboards for 15 years now and there was no way in hell I was ever going to be able to play even the simplest chords on that cheesy, non velo-sensitive pad. A lot of your other boxes have the sharps and flats placed slightly above the major keys, instead of right nest to each other as they are on the 505. It's confusing on the fly. Solution? No sane person would ever want to use the 505 without an external controller. I use a Korg N364 that's too beat up to sell and too weak to actually use for sounds.
I LOVE the part mixer, which is assignable to other sound-modelling duties besides part levels. Drum muting is a necessary touch. Probably the best real-time groovebox-type instrument around when considering both the part mixer and the assignable knobs. Which reminds me...the filter really sucks on this thing. Totally step digital.

Dance-oriented sounds are excellent. Even the cheesiest factory patch can be beefed with a little 'verb and some attention to other tweaks. Basses are incredible....DRUMS ARE AMONG THE BEST I HAVE EVER HEARD. EVEN THE PRESET DRUM PATTERNS ARE OUT OF THIS WORLD. the unit isn't a dedicated drum module but it shames all the other drum machines on the market today.
As for 'realisitic' instrument sounds, who cares? You didn't buy it for acoustic modelling. If you must have a real piano, I'll give you my Korg P3 piano module. I don't think Roland is at fault for putting shitty acoustic instruments in the 505. The R&D went into the percussion, leads (must be tweaked) and basses.

I'd say it appears to be reliable, but I haven't owned it long enough to really approach that question. It seems to be built to last. I would never, EVER gig any kind of fussy electro equipment without a back-up, though. Roland or otherwise.

New dealt with Roland, but I've heard horror stories. I can't rate this category based upon what a bunch of jaded, drunken musicians say online, but I'm pretty sure that Roland still sucks at consumer relations.

If lost I'd have to get another one, unless a mc-606 or 707 came out. I love this box and use it with several Korg synths, a Boss dr-202 drum machine and Cakewalk SonarXL. Of all the gear it is hands-down my favorite because it is so intuitive and fun to dick around with on the sofa when you're tired of being holed up in a room full of empty beer cans and pizza boxes, trying to get the whole set-up running smoothly. The 505 does everything reasonably well (a renaissance box)...all in ONE metal case. I carry it with me often...sometimes I even keep it at work on slow nights.

Like everyone else, I wish it had a sampler like the Ensoniq and Yamaha all-in-one modules.

Allright, I'm going to compare this thing to the RM1-x because we have both. Compared to following instrucions on a BIG lcd screen (rm1-x) and learning numerous key combinations (mc505) the rm1-x takes the price. No doubt about that. The sequencer on the rm1-x is unbelievable, the 505 sequencer is OK. Let's just say you REALLY have know your mc-505 before you're going to use is it the way it was meant to be used. That meens reading the manual which I find sometimes a little puzzling. But it's ok.

A reasonable amount of tweakability. Better than the rm1-x is, definetly but again, harder to get it right. Of course when you get it right an angel gets it wings. Maybe.

This is a dance machine, don't use it for rock. Don't use it for ambient either, the rm1-x far exeeds it for ambient sounds. However there are some very nice rythm sets in the paterns. The sound is rather good actually, better than the rm1-x too, which I think sounds too dull. This one sounds a little more crisp and clear, I think. Whatever. The basslines definetly sound a lot better.

No troubles so far. Let's hope it stays that way, for the MC-505's sake that is.

See above. No troubles yet encountered.

Yes I'd buy it again. No, you shouldn't use it on your own. Get a decent sequencer with it. The sound is ok untill you can afford a sound module. However it is after all a pretty neat package. It's a nice music toy, don't count on it for recording though. You need some additional equipment for adding the finishing touch. That is if you want to become a techno god. Keep on dreaming.

I have always found Roland's grooveboxes extremely easy to use, although in saying that I preferred some aspects of the 303's sequencer as opposed to the 505, grooveboxes have and in probability always will a piece of cake to use.

Good Polyphony, limited multi-timbrality but I guess with the RPS feature u can get more parts playing simultaneously, good effects just make sure u tweak the limited parameters, especially on the reverb, good on-board sequencer, although it could offer a features which would make life considerably easier!

This is the area where people are either for or against the old groovebox, 1st things 1st if you are looking for stunningly realistic instrument emulations forgetaboutit! IMHO this is a drum and bass box primarily, to get it to do more be prepared to get into patch editing. In saying that I have actually managed to create some lovely natural sounds with it, the elec piano, rhodes, organs and other 'real instrument' waveforms are good but they are limited in no. and require a lot of programming, remember that most of the patches in the 505 use only 1 of the 4 tone layers available to them, lazy programming on Rolands part I guess, but seriously the ingredients are there 2 get great sound out of this thing but you'll have to do it yourself. I give it 7 because a synth module should have more stand-out sounds as standard than this has get some good sounds, maybe I should start selling some of my own patches!!

Solid as rock, did crash from time to time until I updated the OS, since then not a murmer!!

N/A

If it were lost would I but it again, probably not, the best sounds in my 505 are the ones I created if I could retain these somehow and transfer into a new 505 then maybe. I would definitely go out and buy a similar product, the market in 'grooveboxes' is growing and both yamaha and Emu's new models looki very tempting and I know the default soundsets are of a higher quality. I like these machine, I own Emu P2k, Trinity Rack, Triton Rack, Yamaha A5000, Emu Esi-32, X5DR, Yamaha Sw1000xg, Sounblaster Platinum and the MC 505. Within the contaxt of that setup the 505 is actually very important to me which is why I probably will never sell it, it does phatt as f@ck when programmed right, but why Roland shipped with such a weak set of patches i'll never know! I o.k when it comes to patch programming but I'm know the Roland guys are leagues better ( listen to the JV/XV series modules )and as the synth shares the JV patch architecture the possibilities where almost limitless. I've got a feeling that the 707 whenever it appears will be the groovebox to beat!!! Till then.......

I first saw this machine in the store, and it was hooked up, but I never succeeded in getting any sounds out of it, until one day someone had the 30 minutes it took to tell me. Now, I find it relatively easy to use, but when you get really technical, like editing patches or patterns, you're better off using a software sequencer like cubase. I now use it as a sound module. But when you're a beginner, or if you find programming your video-player is impossible, don't use this machine.

Roland is really proud of the D-Beam controller but it's not all that. It's functioning is not reliable, and I actually have been laughed at using it, and you probably will too. The mixer, used for controlling volume, pan, effect level and more for each channel is a good and compact solution, I like it. The standard arpeggio's are uninspired. (maybe the slap-bass) The sequencer is adequate. Touching the filters most of the time means doing damage to the sounds that can not be repared. It's most usefull with your home-made patches, I guess. Ah! That's another story. You can never really make your own patches from scratch, just alter existing sounds till they sound cool. But editing the patches feels innatural. You don't turn knobs, like it should be, but you work your way through menu's on the 2-line LCD screen. But hey, it's a groovebox, not an analog synth. There is software for the computer to help you alter the sounds, and even though computers feel even more unnatural, it's the best way to get the most out of the 505. And don't get me wrong. There's a lot in it. Everything is changeable, and if you're good with midi, it can be good to have as centre of your setup.
Oh yeah, and keep a list of which slots you've used to save your songs. There's no way to tell if you're overwriting your potential breakthrough hit.

It's true, the sounds aren't really useable. It seems! It depends. My friend borroughed my Groovebox and made some funky salsa and relaxing drum&bass-based loungemusic. My favorites are the Acou.Piano 2 and the Jungle drum kit. But I have to say; the sounds could have been a lot better. 'Modern'-sounding strings have not been included, neither have the real freaky acid analog sounds. Best way to descibe it is that the sounds are quite extreme but there's not much in between. Use it as a musical notepad, a toy if you like, something to try ideas on. Sure, you can hook it up to a keyboard and play it in your band, it's good fun. The effects are good, but not all of them sound... astounding. And you can only use one effect per song. Reverb and Delay can do weird things, but are fully adjustable, just as the rest of this machine.

My groovebox crashes, doesn't start up properly sometimes, can't keep it's pace, and, as of lately, evokes a high pitched scream (after a while of 'normal' functioning) which only stops when you stop playing (I use cubase as sequencer). Further, it can't communicate with computers properly and it even randomly changes patches sometimes, spontaniously. It sucks, it doesn't allow me to really get into making serious music. You might think it's my PC, but I don't have reason to believe that. I recently had to 'reboot' my groovebox because (take a deep breath, this is extremely weird) the drumkit-volume was suprisingly low, from startup. The drums would sound normal again after letting the sequencer go from one pattern to an other: the transition between patterns while playing would turn the drums loud again. Insane.
Doing a gig with it could make you instantly famous: but it doesn't have to mean in a positive way. I wouldn't try it.
That's all software; the machine itself is indeed sturdy, the knobs feel sturdy, the buttons even more so. It won't start falling apart from the outside.

Strangely, even with my problematic relationship with my groovebox, I haven't contacted Roland yet. I have been looking for a customer-support email-adress once and I couldn't find it. Maybe look better next time.

I wouldn't get it again if I lost it. I'd go for one of the analog modeling synths: Novation Supernova II, Roland JP-8080, maybe even an Access Virus or a Waldorf. I don't need the sequencer, just good sounds and reliability, that's why. A friend of mine recently bought a Korg MS2000: I wish he would trade it with me.
I paid half of the price it costs now in the store 2 years ago, I shouldn't complain. Maybe it's haunted or something. Sadly, it's my only piece of gear. I like the ease with which I can get to my favorite instruments, and the mixer. I hate: see above. I chose this machine because I fell in love with the amount of buttons (should have waited for the Andromeda...). Oh, I wished it had an external input, but sadly, it hasn't.
You CAN have a musically good and fulfilling relationship with it. Be careful with what you want.
finally: if you recognize any of the problems I've had and dealt with them: please contact me!

Well, if the question was "how easy is it to make this thing sound like a toy, and playback cliche techno phrases from 4 years ago?", it would get a ten. If it were "How easy is it to do anything moderately useful or creative with this machine?" i doubt it would even rate....so i settled on a 4, somewhere between the two.

These things are for sale all over now, with the announcement of superior competition from Emu and Yamaha. It accepts smart media, but not for importing new sounds or samples. Nope, if you are the kind of person who cant live within a tiny ROM block and thirsts for new sounds, go elsewhere..these sounds are pretty lame, but those are just the presets...problem is, the samples are going on 4 years old now...if you are making dance music, this is a problem. how many DJs do you know that play records that are 4 years old? thats what i thought...the new Yamaha machine samples, and the new Emu at least you can expand the ROM periodically if you want more sounds.

I suppose in 1998 when it came out, this *might* have been a techno hit making machine. Maybe I have a jaded opinion, and remember kids, I have all the gear this thing tried to replace (909, 303, juno, etc), but I dont like it at all. I bought it over the net on a friends recomendation, and needless to say, I was not happy when it arrived. Maybe its my fault for not hearing for myself before i laid out a couple hundred bucks, but I guess i cant rely on reviews in Keyboard Magazine alone!

hmmmm...my 909 is holding up well after 15 years, so I guess Roland stuff is in for the long haul.

Lets not even go there. between their tech support never returning a single email, the sketchy hours they hold, and the way a man claiming to be a sales representative for the company physically pulled me away from other products in the store to show me roland products (what
was he even doing in the store anyways?!? he didnt work there!), I have an extremely low opinion of their company (and the sleazoid that took it upon himself to bother me). I love my 909, my 303, and my juno, but they just dont make anything useful right now.

I didnt own this for very long...why bother answering this question anyways? If you cant tell my opinion of this piece from the rest of this review, you need help. But dont take my opinion, check it out for yourself...when the new Emu and Yamaha pieces ship soon, theres gonna be a TON of these things looking for a new home!

If you have ever used a software synth like Fruity Loops you should have next to no trouble using this machine. Even if you have no experience you should have no problem using this machine. I don't know why people put down the Roland manuals so much but I found that the quick start manual got me going in about 30 minutes.I have been working with keyboards for about 2 years now, and it took me about
1 week to master pretty much everything. Editing patches is simple all you do is hit the "wave select" button on a preset and choose some more tones or take some out, and set the parameters like LFO and filters on each tone. By the way, like most machines the presets are absolute garbage, they were entertaining for about 30 minutes. If you ever want this machine to live up to it's "built for the profesional market" reputation then you will have to make all your own patches.
I don't see much use in a patch editor here it is simple and does not take much time to edit a patch. If you're a beginer and you need something that has some professional sound than this the machine for you. I would not reccomend the MC-303 because it's sounds are far too simple for professinal use. Besides, I don't know how the MC-307 and the MC-303 users can do without a parts mixer, It's a very useful tool.

64 voice which is more than enough for this machine. It has 16 little sequencer keys which can serve as a keyboard, but if you're looking for velocity and after touch get a MIDI controller and plug it in.
The effects are good but the truth is the real good sounds lie in the effects(reverb, and delay are almost a must). Without effects this machines sounds would really be plain. Although, I feel the biggest downfall of this machine is the fact that you can only use one special effect like phaser once in a pattern and that is the only special effect you can ues . You cannot add more effects to a pattern
than one with the exception of delay and reverb. Delay and Reverb can be put in and out of a part via the part mixer and are the only 2 affects that are really versitile in this machine. If you pick a phaser for your bass line and adjust the settings for it then if you want to use a effect for your strings you are forced to use a phaser with the same settings that you used for the bass line. Anyway, it can accept smart media for extra memory but I have not used it yet.
I briefly tried the MIDI with cakewalk and the timing seems to be there but I don't have much use for MIDI in that way. The sequencer is the standard 16 steps step sequncer very similar to that of fruity loops. The cool thing is you can record in 3 different ways,real time,step sequencing, and RPS. You can acatually play a chord in real time and the machine will input your notes and duration of those notes into the sequencer and play it back. You can use RPS to just hit notes on keys playing them like a keyboard and it will play them back. Also, you have the standard step sequencing that everyone uses.
Roland could of done a better job in the features category but it's not too bad. If you gain experience with this machine then you can really use it to it's potential for example technically the machine is only 8 track but realisticly it is 17 track but even more realisticaly I could fit 30-35 tracks into this machine. I wont say how cause I don't want to type for the next 2 hours.

If you need more info on things like this or if you want to hear this thing in action and have ICQ just add me 65603107.

The piano sounds like a toy, but who cares it's a techno box.
The presets stink as always,YOU NEED TO MAKE YOUR OWN PATCHES.
I would only reccomend this machine to the techno head, no other genre's would work well with this machine. If you want to read about the effects read the features category. But know this, the key to good sounds is effects even if they are limited like in this machine.
If you get a MIDI controller the machine has velocity and after touch
so it's not a bad investment. The filters are OK just like the LFO, but what were you expecting you're paying $600US for a machine that can do almost all.

For some reason I had it freeze on me once, but I'm pretty sure this is rare. It's a reliable machine, I would do a gig with it. Now we come to the D-Beam, it was fun for about 1 week I haven't touched it since. It has no real music application but it's fun once in a while.
I would not use it live though, sometimes if you're lowering the tempo with the D-Beam it can get stuck at a tempo and not let go and you have to correct it manually, same goes for the other D-beam effects like resolution.

I e-mailed Roland Canada once with some questions and they did not get back to me until I wrote a mail saying I would never buy another Roland machine because I don't have the info I need. They always answer my mail's now. Other than that I have not had to deal with them.

It's a nice machine but don't expect to get huge overnight with it.
You can get good sounds out of it but in my opinion you need other gear to go with it to make a song sound real good. It's a good all around machine but those damm effects(or lack of them) just kill some of the sounds.
I definately think this the best "groovebox" out there.
Although, I have never tried it I think it could beat the RM1x hands down. Maybe when I buy more gear I'll sell this guy, but maybe not.
The cool thing is that it has basically a 909 a 808 a 606 and 707
drum machine in it, so there is thousands of dollars there. If you're on a budget this is a awesome choice, paired with the SP808 this thing is kick a%#. Anyway I want my gear list to be MC-505, SP808, JP-8080, Korg MS 2000R, and Yamaha EX-5, I think this would be a awesome setup.

If anyone wants to hear my newest song made entirely on the MC-505
get in touch with me via ICQ# 65603107

The MC-505 is the first piece of electronic music gear that I ever had, I couldn?t be happier. The MC-505?s biggest triumph, in my opinion, is the way that Roland has developed an instrument that is so easy to understand even when is so fully featured. Depending on who you are, you?ll think of it as a great pad for sketching ideas, or as the main sequencer of your set-up (as I do) both for playing live and in your little home studio. I bought it used, and I?m not sure of what OS am I using, and I?m not aware of any improvement? no that it needs a better OS, by the way.

When you first power on this ?groovebox?, you may be amazed by the hard sounds of the presets. I don?t like the presets much? I think they don?t push this machine to its limit, as they should. Same with the sounds? some of them are cool, and the drum kits are stunning, but there are plenty of cheese sounds and EFX that I guess I?ll never find a good use for. Preset patterns and patches (sounds) are not erasable. There?s a lot of user memory even if you don?t own a SmartMedia card, but it could have been nice to have the possibility of erasing them (so you don?t have to hear ?Psy Trance 1? once again). As I said, I bought it second hand and it didn?t came with the Quick Start guide? I found it later on, in the Internet, and it?s neat and easy to follow. The Owner Manual is? confusing. The Spanish translation is a pain in the neck, and some important things are hidden, but I managed to find nearly everything about this machine on it, so I have no important complaints about it.

An impressive number of features. A very good sequencer, a lot of sounds and ways of editing them (kind of stripped down JV1080 synthesis), usable effects (though they?re not as spectacular as I think they should), a lot of real time edition (lot of knobs, faders and buttons), arpeggiator, etc? I love ?grooveboxes?, and I love knobs and the tweaking that goes with it. The keyboard is? well, it?s hard to call it a keyboard. Better buy a controller keyboard, but you can use the on-board keyboard without any problem (tough is not velocity sensitive) if you need to. I sometimes do. Polyphony is 64, and I never need more, but I tend to be minimalistic? For the same reason, I have never needed more than the 8 parts that the MC-505 is capable to sequence (7 + 1 Drum Kit). If you really concern about this issue, you must know that you can trigger Real Phrase Sequences live, increasing the layering of sounds (up to 16 RPSs can be triggered, so in practice you can sequence up to 24 parts?). Some people gravity towards the Yamaha RM1X because of its 16 parts sequencer, but I don?t like its sounds? too cheese, too clean? You can like them or not, but the sounds in the MC-505 are hard, phat and noisy. The arpeggiator is very catchy, and easy to use? great for Moroder-like stuff, you know.

The sequencer is great. It can send and receive any kind of MIDI message, and though I sometimes have had problems driving other gear from the MC-505, it works Ok most of the time. If you?re new to MIDI sequencing, you may be lost at first, but you?ll end getting round to it. This machine is perfect for chaining patterns on the fly. You can mute and unmute parts (and drum parts), and go from a pattern to the next at ease. Megamix mode allows you to mix parts from a pattern with parts from another. Great for jamming. Song mode is more limited than it should. You can chain up to 50 patterns to form a song, and it works good but could have been nice to have some kind of linear recording. Anyway, patterns can be up to 36 measures, so you can fake linear recording working with very long patterns. It works perfect.

You can back-up and have extra user memory for patches and patterns with SmartMedia cards? Sadly, it only accepts 2 and 4Mb 5v. Cards, and they?re expensive and hard to find. You can always dump data to an external sequencer, but it would have been nice to use standard 3,3v. SmartMedia cards. Also, the MC-505 is not expansible? you are stuck with the waveforms that it stores.

Well, the sounds. They?re polemic, aren?t they? The presets are so so? Some lead synths and basses are really good. Pianos are awful, as a lot of ?real instruments? here. Edit them a lot and, with practice, you?ll get where you wanted. As I said before, there?s a limited number of waveforms for you to play with, but edition is so complete that you can make a lot of cool sounds. It?s kind of a challenge to make this unit sound the way you want to, so tweak a lot, work the envelopes a lot, play with the effects. If you?re not a purist, you?ll be happy with the analog feel that you can get out of this machine. The sounds respond to modulation, pitch-bend, velocity and any tweaking, so you can program very expressive music with this machine. Also, I love the lo-fi character of its sounds, but... well, maybe you don't.

The drum kits are great. Very cool sounds from the Roland TR series, and more.

Very reliable? Never had any problem with it. One of the Part buttons is a bit deaf and dumb, and sometimes it don?t light up when I press it, but that?s my problem I guess. I have heard of people having problems with the LCD screen, but I never had any. I could play live with it, yes.

When I bought it, user memory was corrupted, and I guessed that maybe that was why the previous owner had sold it so fast. Called Roland Spain, and they were nice, and fixed it for a little charge. My only contact since then? I always get into mailing lists for information. Check groups.yahoo.com/group/mc505. Also, Roland web pages are nice? at www.rolandgroove.com you can get some useful documents. Sadly, Roland Spain is probably the worst web page that I?ve ever surfed into?

I love this machine. I think it?s a modern classic, and I recommend it for the unpretentious and for the creative. I would be desperate in the event of losing this machine, because I?m still paying to my bank for it. I guess it?s too expensive to buy it first hand, so if you?re not sure you can check the also fantastic Electribes from Korg, or the classic MC-303. Anyway, when I try another ?groovebox?, I always miss a lot of things from the MC-505? even the ones that I never use! What I like about this MC-505 is its concept, and the way that everything works so great together. As I said, I don?t miss much in it, except for maybe some sampling, but I understand why it?s not featured (it?s expensive enough the way it is!).

The MC-505 will help you develop you composition skill whatever music you make. I was amazed to read in a review below that you must ?never use this machine for a music style apart from the ones it was intended for?? hell, what? Use it for anything that please you, maan. I write electronic glam pop with this machine, kind of Brian Eno jamming with The Glitter Band at Korea, and I can?t see why I shouldn?t. If you want to know how this machine sounds, and how creative you can be with it, buy Grand Royal?s ?At Home With Groovebox?, a Lp with tracks from Beck, John McEntrie, Cibo Matto, Pavement, etc?, using just the MC-505 and little more. Also, check ?Will Save Us All? from Chicks On Speed (a B-52?s influenced German combo), whose hit record ?Glamour Girl? is in fact presets ?House Garage 1? and ?House Garage 2? from this box.

Groove On!