Roland MC-303 Groovebox: Crap or Classic ?
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- čas přidán 9. 10. 2020
- The MC-303 is the first 'real' equipment I bought back in the 90's. Lets dust it off, repair the broken parts and create some grooves !
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So what do you think ? Is the MC-303 a classic or a piece of 90's junk ?
Also: Can you name the 90's hits that show up in some the clip fragments ? 😁
Terrence dixon is a major detroit producer that uses the mc303 on all his releases tresor berlin to his own label you should just look on youtube his live sets with just one mc303 or he uses 3x mc303's. Your skills on the mc 303 sound like pre sets typical youtube creator.
@@mrblister8359 There's certainly a lot more to get out of the mc-303 if you deep dive into it and I created these examples in a couple of hours but the music I created here is not what the presets sound like 😉 I've been in the music business for +20 years now so although this youtube channel is new doesn't mean my history with these instruments doesn't go back a long time.
def like the kickdrum and drums coming out of it. dunno i like those old sounds, its def not dated for me ... and i cant name the 90s fragments :'(
Are you kidding Jonas. Classic!! Oh sounds so good.
Absolute classic! There is something *so* special about music made on this original groovebox. I made a playlist of MC303 music from CZcams, and it's the only music which helps me fall asleep (in a great, totally enjoyable way). And I'm not even into the typical genres it's used for. It's the character of the machine, and how each musician meets it halfway, which creates a comforting consistency. And WTF, I can't believe someone came on here and insulted the creator like that! This is a super enjoyable demo of what this machine was meant to do. Anyone who thinks it sounds like the presets should sit through five minutes of the A bank 🤯 👍
Even in 2020 the MC-303 sounds so good! It may be a piece of nostalgia but it definitely brings a smile to my face hearing that sound :)
Same here. I wouldn't use it one its own, but it has so much nineties character built in to it, it's great to have those sounds available in a set!
@@patbreacadh This is a gem actually. I want one.
@@ildafonsi have 2 of them... Connected to a mixer.. Better as to play with 2 turntables 🤔👌
Three MC-303s were the heart of our dance-techno group circa 2000-2003! Similar story - wanted to be The Prodigy but only had $300. We used them live as well as in studio, as MIDI master controlling other gear like Korg EA-1 and BOSS SP-202 Dr. Sample
I never quite got my live rave sound system going despite loads of effort. We played one party but were overly ambitious and it descended into some chaos.
People were dancing anyway.
After that I sold my PA and nestled into studio recording.
Shame though. Like you I had high ambitions to run outside impromptu raves. I even bought a generator and 700w PA.
We had all sorts of ambitions to mix live guitar and bass with sequenced drums and synths. It all worked so well in rehearsals.
Total panic in the real world. If you are going to do it embrace the KISS principle and dispense with as much as possible.
Luv and Peace.
Don’t feel bad we all bought it man, we all bought it. I remember it $399US. We didn’t have money for anything else except an old sampler. The drum samples were quite useful though.
What were our options really.. DR-660s was what everyone seemed to use if they didn't have an R8 which was like $800 1994 dollars.. this was when you could still score a 909 for $1500. So $399 to make tracks, live, one box, no lugging around a PC with a tracker on it.. just a box.. it was pretty amazing.. But the execution was horrible.
Just bought me a second hand one here in China mate. This is gonna take me back to the days of Fantasia, Dreamscape and the Hipperdrome !!!
Them 1990's certainly were a great time to be young!
So glad I found your channel mate...
This video gave me inspiration- I just bought a 303 with a bad volume knob and I might be able to fix it the same way you fixed your effect knob! If not then you still showed me EXACTLY how to disassemble the unit and I’m super grateful.
The MC-303 was my first groovebox! I bought it new at the music store when it first came out. I still have it. I remember running out of memory while making complex songs! Lol
It ran out of memory very quickly if you recorded in real-time. Step time was the only game in town on the MC 303 if you wanted to maximise your memory. Familiarity with the power of the sequencer was key. I still love this machine. I haven’t fired mine up in years though. I hope all my stuff is still on it. I haven’t changed the battery and I believe that’s an issue with them.
@@e-conrecords4665 thing i dont like it has a drift in its time clock so when you wanna sync it to anyting else it just drifts out...heard its a known issue. the sound module option is hard to use IMO as it disables the buttons completely. Its a shame as this unit could be a great unit in 2021 but it just dont do what is needed IMO. Like in normal mode you can only use the midi channel thats selected and i have no idea if this can be solved as i spent ages trying to solve it...so it makes it a one sound unit when connected to a DAW.
Deadmau5 and Sander van doorn also had MC-303 when they started producing :)
by the way i was suprised to know that you are Jonas Steur! i was a dj in Tokyo and i played some of your tracks back in the days :) Silent waves was my fav.
pls keep up the great vids and music !
Haha thanks 😁
And yes Deadmau5 and Sander are about the same age as I am. We all set our first steps in the electronic music world in the mid to late 90's when the groovebox concept originated.
Great video, very wavy and enjoyable and informative, thanks!
Another great video this guy! I actually had a MC-303 also in 1999. I saw one guy in Spain was selling a MC-505 and I bought it for 150€. I have it on my shelf and I dust it every week to keep it clean.
I salute you for getting any thing out of this funny old machine.
I remember at the time, I felt it represented everything wrong with music equipment in the 90's.
And not much right about it.
But it is cool that there are people that got into it, like any machine - and made something from it.
Gear was pretty expensive back then. I remember saving a lot for S2000 with upgrades, and MPC-2000XL (with upgrades), and the outlay was pretty big for a young guy delivering pizzas etc.
Good on you for revisiting and fixing this old thing to share some sounds.
I was a bit skeptical about the video at the beginning, especially with the MC303 disassembling, but the sound grooves, especially the house and jungle sounds, were super sick! I'm going to make some music in a while. thank you for the inspiration!
Same here
the tracks you made sound amazing! i always wanted one ever since a dude auditioned for my band with an MC303 back in the early 2000s. 15 years later, i got myself one and just recently "mastered" it :P the sounds are dated but i solved that problem by sending MIDI out to my studio Mac running Vital. even though i can only use one external instrument at a time, it works and i love it. the MC303 is now an integral part of my studio setup. cheers!
Awww yeah, just found your channel and it is right up my alley!
Thanks !
Ive got one of these coming in the mail afterwards. I love watching these kind of videos after buying something, where in the beginning of the video I’m unsure whether or not you’re going to agree with me that the thing is great. but of course you agree, that’s why you have it!
Hey man, cool channel! I had an MC-303, it def served its purpose, got me started and I learned so much on it. I eventually got an Emu esi32 sampler and used the MC-303 to trigger samples from it which was a great way to expand. I will say though, it's on board sounds were very very thin and menu diving was kinda frustrating.
It's no a unit I'd want to own, but I was surprised by the heavy hit of nostalgia the sounds gave me. I sort of miss the 90's now.
Loved this vid ! Need to spend more time with mine 😊
Fortunately the 303's board is very accessible for user-replacements. Standard 10k pots and standard tact switches should work, so if you wanted you could replace them all easilly and get a brand new feel. You don't have to buy specific pots and switches for the 303
I love these videos so much, I've been trying to make the decision of the best vintage groovebox, and despite what is said on Bad Gear, the 303 sounds great
As soon as I heard the jungle, I knew this was good as long as you know what you're doing.
I’m hoping to be able to figure out what I’m doing with mine when I get it later this week!
Nice vid,
I’ve just dug mine out of my mums shed along with some 1210’s and various other bits. I bought mine in 98. It’s been in the shed at least 15 years...that’s 15 years in a shed like a sauna in summer then sub-zero winters...so I’m not too hopeful it’ll work that well - I’ve had to order a new power adapter so should find out soon
Thanks for the inspiration 😀
It might have survived just fine as long as it wasn't too humid. Let me know the outcome
Just got mine out of storage and had a blast playing with it! Maybe time for another tune!
Its a wonderful machine!!! I love it!
I miss my mc 303, my tb 303 , my mpc 2000 , and my broken minimoog with 3 dead keys. I still have my korg m1, and my yamaha djx. after gettting married and having kids i sold alot of my stuff till i was older then got into ableton live, and the arturia synth collection. started making music again, playing festivals and getting on some french house nu disco labels. the mc 303 started it all for me. Taught me hour to sequence, and basic synthesis. bought it brand new from the music instrument store. The og groove box. great memories. I loved it. I used to run midi cables between it and the djx in the beggining. which allowed me to have velocity which the groovebox bottons itself did not have. watching this brought me back. thanks for posting this
Im just revisiting mine . Having gone back to DAW less music production suddenly finding the Mc303s 8 track sequencer with up to 32 bar pattern and ability to switch off Quantise really handy. Never was so intetested in the internal sounds but some are handy. My original memory backup battery still seems to be going strong after 26 years.
Wow, thank u so much for this post! I have the 303 Groovebox, haven't used it for many years, but your video is prompting me to get it out and do something with it! As I recall, it's samples are only 8-bit, so not the greatest audio quality. But who cares, when u can make the mix u posted here, it's beautiful!
Not sure if that's true about the number of bits though. Samples are stored in a proprietary format which I don't think Roland ever released much info about.
Classic. I used the hell out of one of these during the late 90s. The preset patterns were super cheese but what you can create with is actually pretty cool. It does take some work. The thing has a bit of a learning curve but cool things can be done with it. Majority of the preset sounds are a bit naff though. Still a great way to get classic Roland drum kits though. The arpeggiator is really good too.
Got my second one just last year, great when sequenced with the Beatstep Pro.
Classic !
My first groovebox buying in 1997, nostalgia!
It's a versatile little idea sketch pad. The tone banks, reverbs and arpeggiator make up for the mechanical failings. If only they'd made the pots simpler to replace and had an option to expand the memory...
Update: I have just purchased one, this will be my first venture into music creation.
Let me know how it goes !
@@Estuera I will, probably take me a while to get used to it but I'm really excited to try it. Thanks for your great videos, you have inspired me
Awesome!!!
@@cunnyfunt30 how would you say you have progressed? make some videos of you using it!
@@graxjpg I'm not doing very well mate, the groovebox arrived damaged, ups wouldn't rake responsibility so I've had to quickly learn electronics and repair it myself.
As for music, I think I might be the most ungifted musician to have ever graced this s poor groovebox, I will keep plugging away away as I do really enjoy making gorgeous sounds. If I make anything worth listening to I'll let you know (could be a while) 😂😂😂😂
I just got my hands on one thanks for the tutorial
bought mine in 98 too. loved it. hated it. sold it. I just used it too long and can't find it inspirational anymore. happy that someone else is using it now
excelente performance, muy copado
I remember infront of this machine like a visionary... A lot of good time!!
had one of these back in the 90s, used it as a synth via midi midi keyboard Loved making really useable pads from really crap sounds just from messing with the adsr.
This never gets mentioned enough about the MC303 that it is also an NC-303 meaning it can be turned into a complete tone generator across all the midi channels (of course ch10 gives you all the drums on the unit) Ch1 has lots of 303 sounds (you need programme change to change the presets as all the functions on the box go dead in NC mode. You can map every control on the box via Midi and have it "almost" like a real synthesizer. Its a Midi Monster the features that are hidden under the hood far out way what you can do live with it. Its not an easy task to get it set up that way tho. Be nice to see you do a video on that topic@Estuera
I actually have used it that way for a short time (22+ years ago). It was a matter of sending specific sysex messages to the unit in the beginning of a track and than you had a multi timbral sound module.
But because it only has one pair of outputs this was of limited use for doing proper tracks as you could never mix the sounds properly.
Remind me of this comment 😅
Can you explain this some more or point me to some tutorials on how this works?
I found the SysEx messages you can send to it to make it switch to Sound Module mode or Normal mode. I've been configuring all the Bank Select/Program Change messages for all the tones in the banks today for Cubase.
I plan on trying to use it for DAWless performance a bit.
The MC-303 mode status can be changed via MIDI by using system exclusive
messages. Enter the following messages into your sequencer to change modes on
the MC-303:
To change to 'Sound Module' mode: F0 41 10 00 03 12 00 40 00 7F 00 3F F7
To change to 'Normal' mode: F0 41 10 00 03 12 00 40 00 7F 7F 3E F7
Definitely a classic.
9:56 there is an Air song on Moon Safari that got that exact sound/chords . A great organ solo follows the part
i love industrial music all influences asside.this machine is amazing.although you should have some filter compression pedals invcolved it still holds up against almost anything it has alot of advanced features that are worth learning
If I would use this in a production or live set nowadays I would certainly put it through some processing indeed. Distortion and filtering can really breathe some extra life in these sounds.
ATB had this thing too and he created complete tracks with it if I'm informed correctly. I think for the time around 1996-1998 it was a pretty cool groovebox, probably hard to implement today though. I think thats the main difference to stuff like the TR-909 which seems timeless.
Btw your cat loves the MC-303 ;)
"if i remember the 90's were a great time" Me: can't remember anything of the 90s so sure must have been a nice time ;)
These party time background images -- contrasted with my own experience as a kid in 1997 with this as my first synth that I never understood beyond the absolute basics -- make me crack up laughing 🤣
Would love to see a more in-depth video of your process making jungle beats on here. Do you program your breaks with step or real-time recording?
The breaks in this video where a combination of step and realtime recording actually. All the fast stuff (the snares ans hihats for example) were step sequenced but the sub basses and booms have been recorded realtime. I'm planning to do a full video on classic jungle rave later on.
total classic, ive had one for years, never planning on getting rid of it. has had tons of great detroit techno made on it, check out terrence dixon's boiler room set, played all on mc 303's! cheers
That first track sounds like some alarm tune from a new brand cellphone from the 00s!
It does have that vibe a bit indeed now you mention it 😁
Bought one of these when started work in '96. Was pretty clueless how to use it. So just messed about with it and sold it. Regarding yellowing of white buttons. I learned a trick with yellowing plastics. Brush Peroxide cream on it, put shrink wrap on it so it doesn't dry out, use UV lamp or bright sun for a day or two. Use gloves. Peroxide cream is like bleach, except it burns your skin!
Or what i used was nail polish remover worked perfect in the end (i kinda nearly melted mine in boiling water lol and after trying various other things to clean them in the past i ended up breaking 2 of them and removing the coating of one lol. I used a Dremel to smooth them off
@@jayhatchy4413 The yellow is a fire retardant, Bromine. It leeches out over time. The use of cream peroxide and UV light just reverses the process so the plastics looks like new again. Typically plastic left in bright sunlight will yellow faster.
MC-303 was my first music instrument. I got it in the same year as you, in 1998, for $300 used. I created about 5 songs on it and put it on CD. Good times.
You still got the album? People might wanna hear
You should post it!
Still quiet nice..👍👏👏
I bought one too. My second peice of gear. Some of the drums still don't sound bad. The other sounds are not so good. Thinking about trying to use it to sequence outboard gear.
Just figured out last week that pan drums left, everything else left, and you have two individual outs to process as you please😉😉😉
stuck mine thru a mooger fooger ,sounded great
The answer is both. It was the first piece of gear I ever learned to make tunes on and those limitations are what make you try harder. Because if you can make one of these sound sweet you can work with anything.
Man this is fire! I love it. What would you buy today as an entry market device to make those beats?
Nowadays there is a lot of choice.
I'd be looking at devices like the Roland MC-101, MC-707 or Verselab or something like an Elektron Digitakt.
None of those are very cheap but the MC-303 wasn't as well back in the day.
Thank you so much, that is very inspiring!
This was my first piece of gear. I remember it being very limited in sounds/sculpting and difficult to use at the time. I was new so it was difficult to understand. I seem to remember it being more of a playback machine for much of the presets. I returned it for an MPC2000. A much larger learning curve but much more possibilities. I could load any sound I wanted on floppy! I'm sorry I don't remember the 90s that well ;-) I still love the MPC much more than this.
An MPC2000 is a whole other level indeed so that was a huge and smart upgrade 👍
the 2nd track is really nice !
11:06 listening to this will change your life 🎉
The sound of the 90ies will be hitting the dancefloors hard again in the coming years, and the MC-303 is instant 90ies out of the box. Get one now, as long as they still go for under 200 planetary credits.
well after this video I took out my MC303 from the dust again :-) only now to find out how I can easly hook it up to my cubase 10 and see if I can use it that way, since nowdays all is done from the DAW itself :-)
What kind of cable do you use? Mine arrived from Japan today and it came with a weird American adapter I've never seen before lol. I'm in Europe and can't figure out what kind of adapter I should use to make it work.
I still have the original Roland adapter. It should work with a standard DC power supply though. Something like this: m.thomann.de/be/thomann_netzteil_universal_312_600.htm
ahahha, exactly same story ! this was my first instrument and earned it after working during summer time.
Got one coming. Hope it doesn’t need repairs
Humz, and what about MC 303 vs Roland TR8s in small spectrum view.
good Job bro
it sounds good to me!
Jam was nice!
if you can do such nice track(s) with the MC303 Groovebox... it s a double high thumb for me! i wish to listen more stuff sound like this on soundcloud - edited the plurals :-)
Roland 303 is classic 😎
I can't get mine to step record properly, keeps switching the part or I'm doing something wrong, anyone help?
Man, I hope you get your hands on a MC 707 some day
Helpful video. Now following you on bandcamp 😊Which track is 7:40 ?
Thanks. The example tracks from this video aren't on bandcamp though.
I feeel you happiness about your machine ...it must be like that .¡...nice video :3
I have been watching videos of these On CZcams - I dig it - I think it would be really tight integrated with my Reface DX as extra sound engine as a MIDI Controller - 80s and 90s Pop Cheese On Demand Y'all
In all the years I had the mc-303 I never actually tried to use it that way. I always used it stand alone as an ideas sketch machine or as a sound module. Using it to control some other synths is something I should try.
I have an MC-505 that belonged to one of my uncles on my Dad's side of the family and I still use it as my goto unit for TR-909 drums and it probably
will be for the foreseeable future unless I get the rom card for my Roland R-8 drum machine that has the 909 drums. Even as recently as 2016 I managed
to successfully cover chart songs produced by Calvin Harris via a USB to midi interface and before I got my Roland JV-1080 I was using my MC-505 as a
sound module. But I think my Uncle did have an MC-303 back in 1997 and he took it over to my paternal grandparent's house and let me and my brothers
have a whirl on it hooked up to my Gran's amplifier and the following weekend my Uncle also let me play on the MC-303 with headphones ( at least I'm sure
it was an MC-303 as the MC-505 didn't come out until 1998 ). So yes I can say I have had a go on an MC-303 when i was about 7. I'm surprised anyone can
call these machines "crap", I don't think they sound outdated at all.
My MC303 is still working but I need to do a battery replacement.
i had one at home collecting dust so i give it to a friend of mine
Seems to have a very house sounding piano. Does anyone know if its the same as a JV1080?
Great, still good.
I have a Korg EM-1 groovebox. Effects knob also broken. And I've had to solder the power supply back into place a couple times. The 90's groove boxes doesn't really seem that durable (technically, mine's 2002, but same thing really).
It doesn't help that these devices are designed to be very hands on so those knobs and switches get a lot of intense use.
@@Estuera Yeah, and replacing the normal knobs seems to be fairly easy, but these effects knobs seem to be stepped so they're a custom part. In the case of mine, the ring around the bottom cracked and there doesn't seem to be any spare parts out there. :(
I've actually got a boxed one in as new condition I bought brand new in 1996 for £550.
I think I have missed the boat on using it now.
No it's still a great machine. Hang onto it until the synthwave hipsters get into 90s Goa Trance, then sell it for double what you paid for it.
I have the JX-305 🤦♂️☺️ I still love it though!
Do I need to get something extra for this machine like piano,etc... Or do make the beats myself on the machine? New to this
In theory you can use it fully standalone.
My god. Second track is amazing. Do you think it could be okay to buy it as first piece of gear to do some tracks on it to get starting money?
I wouldn't recommend it to a starte today. There are many modern alternatives that would serve that purpose better. Check out the mc-101, mc-707, verselab, digitakt, circuit tracks, maschine, etc...
@@Estuera Hey thanks for your answer. The thing is it looks to be really cheap on ebay, and I have really few bucks for gear. These you suggested me are way beyond what I can afford at the moment, and my main objective is to get a workstation. The other thing I like about MC303 is these 90s sounds. And thats what I want. Especially, 909 sounds, and it seems to be a cheap source for it. Is there any other way than youtube comments I could ask you some questions? I"m a big newbie in music producing and I"d appreciate some help. Greetings
Knao gedaan!
Why is the display blinking like that? Is there a way to stop the rapid blinking?
The display has a low refresh rate that isn't in sync with the refresh rate of the camera. This causes the blinking in the video. In person you don't see it blinking at all.
@@Estuera Thanks! Do you happen to know what the sound quality is? 16 bit?
not bad at all!! im a 303 user also! :)
I bought one when it first came out, however i found it quite limiting and no real sound design possibilities, it wasn't long before it started to gather dust and was sold on. I remember saying to musicians at the time that it felt as if Roland had lost their way and were making expensive toys rather than expressive instruments. I've never regretted selling it, and watching the video brought home to me that everything just sounded the same. but hey each to his or her own. (",)
It's quite amazing though how far apart some of the opinions are in this comments section.
I'm in between myself: I do have nostalgic feelings about it and I made some good use of it back in the late 90's but nowadays it's gathering dust indeed (besides starring in this video off course )
@@EstueraWell at least the video idea got you to fix it, so happy days.
I'm pretty sure i used it at a couple of live gigs back in the day, but more as a sound module than the groove box mode.
But yeah one mans rubbish is another mans gold (",)
BBE used his MC-303 for some of his releases, if I recall correctly, @Estuera.
Would be interested to know if you have a source for that and can let me know which tracks.
Emmanuel Top had a TB-303 though (and most probably a 909) so I wonder if he actually would bother with a MC-303. Anything is possible though...
@@Estuera still looking, but this made for a nice list already:
equipboard.com/items/roland-mc-303-groovebox
@@Estuera ah, I always seem to confuse these two somehow... It was ATB, not BBE according to this source:
www.vintagesynth.com/roland/mc303.php
Ah yes, that makes a lot more sense. Thanks for looking it up !
@@Estuera glad to help out!
Future classic machine in another 10 years
MC-303 is so awesome. I didnt used it for years cos I didnt realized how cool its. So dont sell it if you have one;-)
I remember making a tune for a TV show in the early 2000's (In de Gloria: "Bim Bam Beieren") on its bigger brother, If I remember correctly the MC505. Although impressive sounding, I was annoyed by its limited MIDI capabilities/compatibility. From what I (thought I) understood back then, it is more suitable as a standalone, not to be used with what we now called a DAW. You couldn't draw patterns in your DAW an have them played by the MC. Or didn't I read that manual correctly?
It is actually possible to use it as a 'sound module' triggering it by MIDI but it needed a bit of arcane setup work to really use it multitimbrally.
@@Estuera Thank you for putting my mind at ease :-)
PS: I just remembered I also found them to be quite noisy. I mean there's this constant humming, as if from a transformer, although the power supply is external. Can' t confirm this was a design flaw: it is the experience I had.
Wonderful visuals 🤣
😉😁
One of the best instruments in the world.
Currently saving up for an MC-303
Veel van de 3 Steps Ahead tracks zijn toch gemaakt met de MC 303?
Dat lijkt me toch erg sterk. Voor de MC-303 uitkwam had 3 Steps Ahead zijn bekendste tracks al gereleased.
seems cool stuf
Dang it Jonas, now I feel the urge to install Windows 98 again... 😄
Windows 98 was quite nice 😬
My wife got one from her old guy friends. Spent the weekend playing with it.. Overall, yeah its a joke.. But def can use that arpeggiator for something even if I just use it over and over for a techno monophonic synth line. The midi modes care kinda funky.. Seems like i have to slave everything to it and then midi thru my keyboard. Im still playing. But overall.. as a sound module.. its got a lot of those "Standard Roland" pad and lead sounds from all the old 80's gear.
I have a NOOB Question, are all the tracks in the video made only using MC-303 ??? Thanks in advance
Everything you hear in the video comes straight out of the mc-303 , no other instruments used.
@@Estuera Thanks a lot mate, you are a real talented producer from the heart of the times of Techno, I found one used which is rare here in Istanbul, costs around 300$ I dont know what to do I only used trackers at the times of protracker soundtracker fasttracker2 etc :) and infamous Rebirth on pc and some other stuff so I am a real noob... what do u suggest? Can I be able to use and compose some drum'n bass stuff with that thing today @ age of 45 :D Thanks in advance and keep up the good vibes my friend.
I'm hardly an expert on the mc-303 (anymore) I dusted it off for the video but before that haven't really used it as a full on groovebox for 20+ years. (I did use it as a drum sound module for a while longer)
The only way to really learn to work with a device like this is to read the manual and keep it at hand while trying out loads of things and see how far you can push it. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone starting out now but with enough motivation and patience its still possible to get some good use of it I think.