Roland MC-505

This was my first sequencer,and I learned how to use it in about a month.

I love the sequencer set-up, but the keyboard is weak. You can't change the patches as much as you like either.

THE DRUM SOUNDS ARE NOT GOOD FOR RAP/HIPHOP! Ya have ta put in to much work to make any patches sound profesional. I've wasted alot of time tryin ta get the sound I was lookin for. No realistic anything.Great for dance but I don't do much of that.

Weird stuff has happened while I was savin a pattern. It might freeze up, or flip a beat all around with no way to fix it.

Good for getting started with sequencers,but it is time for me to move on to a real synth; realistic drums, strings, pianos. I do like the analog dance sounds and some of the bass patches though, and will keep it for that. If it had expantion card capabilities, i.e. drums etc, I would just get an external keyboard and this would be my favorite piece of gear... IT DOESN'T

That 737 in flightsim is easier but it doesn't sound half as good.the editor program really helps a lot so whatever you do......download it!
Looks like an telephone switchboard which also has no midi thru.

It's not a cheap machine and the tic tac keyboard has no velocity but anyone buying this should have the brains to realise that it functions better with an additional keyboard.I use an old Dx7 for this as i kind of lost interest in Whitney Houston in 88.

The sounds are really cheesy at first and then you start messing around by playing things an octave or 2 out of normal context and it's absolutely amazing.who cares about filters etc when you can make this baby scream in a large club.I highly reccomend that you check the venues sound system out before you hit that low boost button!!

This machine takes for ages to save stuff and locks you out if the memory gets too full.A floppy drive would have been far more beneficial so my friends stop trying to load their cameras with my tunes from the Smartmedia cards.THIS IS A SLOW MACHINE.

In Beijing,are you joking? you have to learn fast!My Korg Trinity looks like a bycicle.........

Overall it's a brilliant piece of equipment and i love it to bits even if the knobs wobble!!!They do don't they?

Well - I'd have to say that after you spend the time going thru the manual and learning how to use it, it's pretty damn simple.....everything's within reach and once you have a mental map of where everything is and how it interacts, it's very easy.

As far as I'm concerned, it comes w/ more than enough features....but I use it w/ a Juno - 106, a Rocktron Voodue Valve, a TB 303 and a Yamaha DJX.....and as a member of that family, it has more than enuff to offer my rig.

The MIDI works great as does the sequencer (anybody who's used Roland MC-50 series of sequencers will fly w/ this seq)

I don't care what anybody says......if you spend the time w/ the signal processor, you're going to get as dope a sound as you want. It's a SNYTHESIZER and therefore it can sound how you want it to sound, provided you making, house, industrial, experimental, etc., - type music.....it's a GROOVEBOX...it's not a Pantera - box.

Never mess much w/ the aftertouch.....I think this capability is far over-rated by a lot of people......you want dynamics that are that subtle? By a grand piano for Christ's sake.....this thing rocks, hands down, off the hook.........it's a band in a box....and it fucking rules.

Never had a lockup or any sort of ghost-in-the-machine BS....Roland's products have never let me down.....they are the masters.

Yes - if it were stolen...I'd replace it....it's my primary song-writing tool......and it's just fucking fun to sit w/ the damn thing on your lap while you watch the game......it's versatile, inspirational, etc.....the presets: some are good, others aren't...but they're great for showing you what's possible w/ it.
I use as part of my sound tapestry when I produce house....and I also use it live and it sounds dope when it's pumped through a good PA....as good as anything anybody has heard.....I'm sick of some of these idiots who write it off w/ bs like it doesn't sound so good, and the patches are crap, etc....BULLSHIT. Most of these people just don't want to admit that IT'S THAT GOOD...b/c it's been manufactured to be that good......and who wants to pat a large corp. like Roland on the back if they're considering themselves, UNDERGROUND? Fuck that - Groovebox is my religion.......it works for anykind of beat-related music......including heavy, funk-metal, house, techno, trance, NIN, industrial, etc....

Get one - don't be misled....the 505 is an impressive piece of work.
Don't fight it anymore.......love it live it......

The 505 is very easy to use, and all the functions are intuitive. There are some good preset patches, but most of them do sound pretty crummy. However, editing them is easy and I've been able to come up with some cool sounds modifying the presets. The manual really covers everything well.

Everyone else has pretty much covered the features. The onboard pads do suck for not being velocity sensitive and only covering one octave, but you can (read "should") plug in a keyboard. The sequencer is very easy to use with several record modes, but it would be nice to have a more graphical interface. The part and drum part mute is really nice and allows you to make a really wide range of sounds from a very small bit (like as small as four measures) of pattern data.

If you are looking for realistic, keep looking. If you like distorted electronic sounds (I do) the 505 can give it to you. It is easy to get VERY cool sounds from it. Honestly, this thing is meant for pounding out crappy dance music, and if that's what you're into, well, you suck, but the 505 will be your best friend and you can play all the preset patterns and jack off or whatever. I really don't like what Roland apparently thinks this thing should play (and that you can't erase the presets). BUT, I knew that when I bought it. The reverbs are relatively good, and you can assign different levels to different parts (and different drum parts thank god). Delay is sweet and you can sync it to the beat in lots of differnt ways. The other effects are sort of ok (with some exceptions like slicer), but it is a drawback that you can only use one at a time. This thing is awesome for realtime modifications of sounds, with pretty much everything you would want to do on a knob or slider (not in a menu).

I've had it lock up on me once after messing around with a pattern for an hour or so without saving, so I save often now (which everyone should do anyway). Sometimes you get some static if you try to change the tempo of something too quickly, or basically make it think too hard, but that wouldn't happen playing live because you would more or less have a routine ahead of time.

Haven't dealt with Roland yet.

To begin with I am a drummer and one of the main reasons I got the 505 was because of its attention to drums. Most of the preset drum sounds are crappy, but a lot of them are good and offer a solid basis for modification. This is the first piece of digital music equipment I've bought and the reason I got it is that the 505, in one small box, is a synth, a sequencer, and an effects processor that is good for spending as much time as you want making full-fledged, professional-sounding music, by yourself, but also because it can be used (as a basis) for live music as well. Right now I have only the 505, but I am going to get a keyboard and a DrumKat with hihat and bass drum pedals, all of which will plug right into the 505, and I will have an incredibly flexible and expressive electronic music making system. There are other pieces of equipment you can get which, put together, will do all that the 505 can do (and do it better), but there is no way you could get it all for anywhere near what the 505 costs. This thing is sweet and almost everyone who bashes it hasn't spent enough time with it.

Very easy. Good presets (just don't use them live, you'll look like a moron). Editing patches is easy, but that's not what this unit is all about. The manuals (Quick Start and Complete) are pretty easy to follow. But the problem is MOST people don't want to spend the time putting together their own tunes when with a spin of the dial you can get some good sounds. Making your own tracks can be tedious at times but it's reward when you get the entire thing done. (I'm giving it an 8 because it's almost too easy to not make original stuff)

You can have 8 drum sounds and 8 other sounds playing at once... good stuff. A good array of built in effects. Expansion with a memory card, midi in/out/through

The sounds aren't realistic... but this is dance music we are talking about. It works well for anything electronic (trance, hip-hop, jungle, etc). Onboard effects are ok, but nothing spectacular.

The internal clock always seems to get wacky at the worst times... I'd gig with it, but I'd make sure not to come close to overloading it.

It's nice. I sold it because it was limiting me too much. You can't add new sounds to it BUT it's got such a large array of sounds you probably won't want to. It doesn't have individual outs so if you are expecting to be able to apply effects to one channel you won't be able to do it here. Don't use the preset tunes program your own. I know it's tempting to just wallow in it's cheeziness... when you listen to all the preset tunes you'll start noticing them in commercials and stuff... Definitely use this unit before you buy it.

Right out of the box you can play this thing. The presets are weak versions of good techno/industrial sounds. The only sounds I really dig are the slow strings and analog sequence. Drums sound like complete shit. Editing patches is easy, but pointless...they always turn out soundling like youre playing through a tin can. Manual is in depth and very good.

Decent MIDI capabilities. Built in effects are weak. Roland reverbs always sound like shit and so do the distortions. The whole D-Beam sensor makes me want to wretch. What a waste of time...why not put in a sampler instead? Not to mention the flash ROM cards which differ me from buying any Roland product that uses them. Why would I want to pay $80 for some card that doesnt give me as much memory as a standard 2HD floppy. The extra money would have been worth it. The sequencer is a joke. Any musician knows who cant do anything with only 8 tracks.

None of the instruments sound real except for my beloved slow strings. Its a dance oriented machine but I couldnt get anything out of it. I'm getting an MPC 2000XL and ditching this piece of crap. The keys are not velocity sensitive...the slighest touch sounds like youre slamming down the key (especially while using the piano sounds)

Its sturdy..I like the metal chassis. I wouldnt gig with it because I'd be emberassed. ;D

N/A

If it were lost or stolen I would thank the gods! Ive been playing for 3 years now and think its time to move on to a real piece of equipment. I love nothing about it and hate everything. I would also like to add this thing sucks!

Very easy to use, but can sometimes get confusing when using menus.
Editing patches is easy through midi(in,out,thru). I use Cakewalk 9
and I love it!!
There are lots of buttons to play with on top to shape your sounds, and the layout of the machine is great.

Polyphony is 8 for each of the 8 channels. It has all the basic effects standard........chorus, delay, reverb etc. which are easy to use and apply from a dedicated layout section.
This machine has a card input at the back for saving and transporting sounds, but I haven't used it yet. New sounds are available thru midi upgrade sequence files, which are available thru most mc505 sites.
This machine has 8 channels which is awesome for live use. Each channel is available as a midi channel. Midi messages such as lfo control, pitch bend, arpegio, and aftertouch are included.
The onboard sequencer is great but I mainly use Cakewalk for sequencing

Instrument sounds are good and are very flexible with all the onboard effects. I use it for a industrial ambient sound (NIN>MassiveAttack), but it is also great for dance, techno etc.
The sounds are very realistic and full but only because of the effects pushing them there. I use this machine mainly for the awesome array of drum and percussion sounds, and also the cool ambient sounds soaked in effects. I also like the PHAT basslines I get out of this machine, beacause I usually have three different patches on three different channels for a massive wall of sound and phat.

This machine doesn't stuff up, you stuff up, and it's damn hard to do!!

Never had customer support.

If this machine was lost or stolen i would probably spend the insurance money (+$50000) on a Nord Modular!! But if I could afford another one I would definitely get one. It is a very flexible machine and is perfect for "my sound". I sometimes put it through other effects to get WiERd sounds which is great. I really like the fact that this machine has 8 independant channels and patch selections.
I have been using this machine for about 9 months now and i have no problems so far. I use the mc-505 with the following gear:
Roland JP-8000, Nord Lead 2, Boss DR-770, Roland VS880EX, Ibanez RG7620 7 string guitar, American Fender Strat, Thousands of effects,
Pentium 3/500 running cakewalk 9.
I researched this product before purchase and decided it was perfect for my musical intentions. This product does not compare to any other product in my price range.
I wish it was modelled sounds rather than sampled sounds, but I gues that would make it $10000!!
For anyone looking to buy a machine that can do anything, this is it!
It is awesome for building your own sounds and is great for experimenting with a variety of sounds simultaneously!

Easy after the 10-page starter book. I've had mine for 2 years, and am still finding new things on it. Presets are OK, but who uses those anyway? Patch editing is simple. Turn a knob. For really detailed settings, though, get ready for menu searching.

Other people have covered this well.

This is a techno/industrial tool. You can tweak knobs all you want, and really screw sounds up. I give it an 8, b/c you HAVE to use a chorus, or some kind of sound processing (built in), or it just sounds too dry.

This piece worked perfectly--but the day before my first show it locked up and erased a year and a half of hard work. A smartmedia backup card is a MUST if you intend to use this live.

Never needed it.

I use this with a K2500, and my 505 is irreplacable in my rig. I've just grown so used to it. I'd definitely buy another. I chose this for the reason that I needed a way to start writing industrial. It didn't fit the bill right away, but after 2 years of trial and error, I can make this puppy squeal, grind, and just about anything else. I should've gone for the K2500 first, but this is a winner.

Software Version: O/S 1.07.

This baby's pretty straight forward to use. It's pattern based editing so you basically write a few bars for a pattern and it repeats. Then you write another pattern and play them in sequence. It's kind of like building something out of blocks - start with one and build something cool out of it.
This box is great for someone who is just getting into MIDI and synth music. It's really easy to pick up and start writing some tunes within minutes.
Don't even bother with the big manual until you've read the little starter book (about 10 pages) and goofed around with it. Once you understand the way things are laid out then you should work on the more interesting features. Roland really needs to get a manual writer than works in English instead of those translated Japanese manuals. There's a lot of support documents out there as well as web pages if you get stuck.
Editing patches is easy because of the ADSR faders and envelope filter knobs. That's the best thing about this puppy - there's lots of knobs to tweak and add a little bit of expressiveness into your sounds.

I think this machine has 64 voices polyphony divided across the 8 channels (1 drum channel and 7 patch channels). The keyboard action really sucks. There's no velocity, no aftertouch. Just hit the button and it makes sound. And it's only one octave. Let's get real - you don't use this machine to play some concerto with a grand piano. You buy this machine to make some killer loops and phrases.
There's 24 insert effects which are pretty good quality. You can tweak them to your hearts content but you can only add one effect plus reverb and delay. That one effect can be applied to each channel and each channel has independent reverb and delay controls as well. But let's get realistic - noone's going to use one effect on 7 channels!
You can get these smartmedia memory cards to increase the memory on it, but the onboard user memory can store 200 patterns and like 100 or so patches so you really won't run out.
The best thing about this machine is the on board sequencer. You can mix (mega-mix) channels on a patch into another patch which allows for somewhat seamless changes. Don't expect to write something in Cakewalk and Cubase and just sysex it to the 505, though. The sequencer is only for pattern based stuff.
All patches are editable as well and you can make some custom drum kits.

Ok people, you don't use this box to write rock music. It isn't the best for new age. But it rocks for any club music, techno, trance, industrial. You know, electronic music - the whole reason people are using electronic instruments. Just plug it in, turn it up, and watch the dance floor pack with kids on XTC! I write industrial music and there's some very usable stuff on this bad boy!
The sounds are only expressive if you twist knobs. The keyboard panel just plain sucks - if you want to get any real expressiveness out of the 505 then buy a cheap controller and play it with that but make sure you turn the knobs on the 505. It's a digital remake of the well known TB-303 but it's definitely not as fat. There's a whole bunch of 303ish digital sounds plus a little bit of moog with some TR-909 and TR-808's for flavour. The key to making this thing sound good: turn it up. Make sure that your meters are almost clipping. Then you'll get some sweet tones out of this one.
If you like roland's sounds then this rocks! If you're into house music (you know a 4/4 beat with a 909 kick) then you could write about 50 albums with this thing. There's about 500 patches, of which I probably use 40-50 at most. Some of them just plain suck. They sound like tinny crap. But some of them are really good - try the strings in the 2nd octave and you'll know what I mean.
26 drum kits that are very usable as well. Just make sure it's loud and you put some reverb on them or else they'll sound REALLY tinny and shallow. The whole key is to fatten up everything that comes out of this machine.

I used to have a problem with the sequencer freezing up once in a while but ever since I put O/S 1.07 on it I've never had the problem. I'd use it on a gig for sure, and I have. It's a cool little box and it's built to beat the crap out of some rapper that's not into your music. Nice and metal. Oh yeah. Since it's angled you could probably stick it under your car's tire so that it doesn't roll away. Roland did a good job putting this one together. Another beautiful thing - an internal power supply. No wall warts (although I have yet to use any Roland gear which uses a wall wart).

I had a few questions about it so I just emailed Roland Canada and I got a reply in about 30 minutes. They were very helpful. I think that's the key with these people - don't call, send an email. It works better.
I haven't had to get it repaired so I don't know what that process is like. But I'm sure it probably sucks.

I think if it was lost I would buy an XP-30 or something like that. I do most of my sequencing from my PC anyway and I pretty much use the 505 for a drum machine. I've had this box for over a year now and gotten lots of use out of it. It was the first synth that I bought, and I bought it so I could start writing songs. It's great if you want an all in one box to make some music! Since I've bought that I've gotten a Roland SP-808 sampler, a Korg Trinity Rack (TR-Rack), MOTU Midi Express XT 8x8 patchbay, Ensoniq DP/2 parallel effects processor, and a Roland JV-90 for controlling everything. I think I'll buy a Roland XP-30 (which I'm sure has all the sounds from this thing) and sell the 505 because I have outgrown it, but I might keep it just for the drums and use it specifically for a beatbox. It's way better than a Korg Electribe.
If you want to hear what this machine is capable of go to my website - there's some .MP3 and RA files that are made using only the MC-505 and SP-808 machines.
http://toxicshocksyndrome.iuma.com

Laying down Techno and Hip Hop beats is easy, though getting them to sound the way you want them to can be quite difficult.

At first, everything seems overwhelming, but once you get used to it and actually begin to dig into all the features, you'll find it offers a healthy dose of creative potential.

I'd have to say most of the presets suck. Even when altering the patches, you'll find you can't find the type of sound your looking for. There are only a few rythm kits and filters that I ever use. The box does have some nice bass though.

Everything works fine, for about an hour. After an hour you'd better save it because it's gonna freeze on you.

Never seeked any help.

If I ever had to give it up, and had a chance to either replace it with another MC-505 or something else, I'd pick something else. After having it for a year, I'm kind of getting tired of it.