Bad Gear - Roland MC-808 Groovebox
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- čas přidán 16. 07. 2024
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Welcome to Bad Gear, the show about the world's most hated audio tools. Today we are going to talk about the Roland MC-808 Groovebox. Why didn't the last classic Roland groovebox and scaled down version of the MC-909 become a classic? Are the motorized faders cursed?
Wanna get the drivers and editor working on Windows 10? Check out SnowMetal's great video about the MC-808:
• Roland Mc-808 Still Re...
Chapters:
00:00 Intro tune
00:54 Overview Roland MC-808 Groovebox, D-Beam
01:26 Sound generator
01:59 RAM situation, Compact Flash card, sample loading times
02:23 Sampling
02:59 Motorized faders
03:11 Synth engines & UI
03:28 Drivers, editor, synth engine deep dive, sample editing
04:05 FX section
04:23 Sequencer, arpeggiator, chord memory, RPS, additional features
05:26 Corny preset patterns
05:40 What else???
05:54 Hate
06:17 Jam 1 (Drum'n'Bass)
07:15 Jam 2 (Downtempo)
08:22 Finale (Epic Techno)
08:53 Verdict - Hudba
Audiopilz: *slaps roof of YT channel*
Full Tracks, Extended Jams, Sample Packs: www.patreon.com/audiopilz
Trying adding some deoxit fader lube to see if cuts back on the noise. Either way it help keep them going.
Oooooo sample packs!!!!
Idea "Breaking Bad Gear" - and it's an episode where you only show the gear that stopped working during filming
That's something I'm really afraid of to be honest
Pretty sure @audiopilz has gone to a fancy dress party as Walter White at some point?
JESSE WE NEED TO FIX MUSIC GEAR
Or go Pete Townshend juggernaut on the bad gear that needs to be destroyed?? Or place a DX7 in a press and record what sound it makes ?
@@autecheee
Better yet use Gallagher’s melon smashing sledge on them.
Save the Children!🤣
WOW! What an honor to see my face in an episode of Bad Gear, complete with floating hearts! You made my day, brother. I am also skeptical about the motorized faders, so I disabled them in the settings, making them operate like.. faders. :)
Great seeing you here Daniel!
@@dustincassidy .. Thank you, you too. I never miss it. :)
Hey, always a pleasure! You really saved my behind this time, thank you so much!!!
hi dan :)
@@christopheronald .. DJ Drunk! :) Lol, how are you?
Ah man, that Friday ''Bad Gear'' feeling, I feel like a child again waiting for another weekly Spider Man episode. ✌️😎✌️
Yeah, totally.
❤️❤️❤️Aw, thank you so much❤️❤️❤️
Mc Guyver vs Mordock
Yes!, Only now it is: Finish work, get a beverage, watch Bad Gear.
Ahah, same for me :-D
@5:34, this preset pattern was used by Jean-Michel Jarre on the track 'Chatterbox' from the Téo & Téa album.
Actually, the MC-808 was used on almost every track on this album.
True, currently listening to the entire album;)
I love jarre, but that album was terrible.
@@AudioPilz You are a very brave man. 😂😉😜
No, this album almost killed my love for Jarre's music.
@@christianvandalstrom8337 I agree with you full-heartedly. When I heard the first snippets before the album came out, I couldn't believe it was music by Jarre....
@@pakey423 you're correct. a lot of us who heard samples declared 'wtaf???' and when we got the album, we all collectively looked at one another through our computer screens and no words were needed.
however, 'vintage' is the only track on that album that's a step into the JMJ we know and admire.
but as it was one of those 'you need an album to end the contract', well, for what it's worth, it sounds like he had a couple of months to get it together and out there. and it was. and some of us refuse to acknowledge that we bought 'the album we don't want to name'. 🤣
You are a production genius on every level. Your tracks are great...
Thank you so much!!!
@@AudioPilz could I borrow your ears sometime on my productions?
His genius is not limited to production
@@CrusaderGeneral no it is not indeed!!
Did you ever know why he throws around that odd sort of ‘can’t put my finger on where’ accent that he has made one of his key distinguishing features?!? The truth is, the Mr. Pilz is just one of an unknown number of alter egos belonging to one Mr. Alex Ball. Someone once threatened to blackmail Alex by rendering his social credit score too low to cope with, by threatening to accuse him of being a bot. So Alex caught onto the cyber bullies and with quick thinking he hatched his plan. To create yet another other synth gear enthusiast who would seem in every way unique on his own. BUT, he added this distinct accent of Mr. Pilz as a defensive sort of distraction for anyone who might actually look into the legitimacy of Mr. Ball for themselves. He is hoping that doing so would reveal to the curious one Mr. Audio Pilz, with his Bad Gear channel. SO Mr. Balls’ intentions all along were to Create a trap for cyber delinquents of the most sinister magnitude. If I recall correctly, I can remember he said that it was a “plan troll for trolls by implementing a red herring!”
For real. It's gonna be hard not to subconsciously steal the bassline from the jam2 segment
I love my two MC 808's.Along with my Electribes, my MC 307, Alesis Micron and other miscellaneous "bad gear".
Pretty soon, you will have reviewed my entire studio lol.
Nothing personal;)
Why do you have two MC 808's?
This channel is criminally underrated
I agree;)
@@AudioPilz
I agree, but it's anchored to synth sales, and if you look at the stats on sales, this show has a corresponding upper limit on views.
Can’t forget how JM Jarre took a bunch of the stock patterns, noodled over them a bit and called it an album 😅
True that!
A bit like the album Revolutions and the Roland D50
In the hands of someone who knows what they're doing, the Roland MC-808 is actually straight up legendary. A lot of these devices would complement a hardware based studio setup quite well. Even today.
Agreed!
I almost always watch your videos more than once. I find them equally entertaining, interesting and inspiring. Honestly this is rare for me. Kudos on the great channel.
Thank you so much!!!
I was not ready for a eurobeat jumpscare at 5:28.
That really solid industrial hit/stab during the epic techno part is so nostalgic to me. Love it.
Thank you!!!
damn the jams in this episode were on another level
Thank you!!!
I must say, the McBOB is one of the cooler things McDonalds sold. Better than that fish sandwich thing.
Perfect with Szechuan Sauce
McBob 🤣
It was great in 8 Mile too, aside from shooting itself in the groin.
@@AudioPilz Fallopian sauce even better!
I mean Polynesian sauce...
What’s crazy is that in the process of reviewing these things you have to learn them well enough to make actual good music. The second and third grooves on this were legit awesome. Enough to make me want one 😄
It becomes second nature;)
@@AudioPilz I just can't imagine learning a new synth every week and making 3 good tracks while producing a video, while still having time to reference so much pop culture. Amazing.
@@RCAvhstape well once you've played 200 of them, it gets easier to learn.
The inbuilt soundset on this one are like the rejected leftovers of a black eyed peas album. Horrid. Stay clear
The Techno Finale is fire, You combined the best parts of synthwave and 2000's techno PLEASE finish it and release it so we can listen to it....
Thank you!!! There's a full version on my Patreon (shameless plug;)
That 30-second jam was proper turn-of-the-century trance man, bravo!
Thanks!!!
Good to see Roland was able to repurpose those displays for the MC-101, I love the box but man the display and menu diving is a real mood killer
So true!
I was thinking exactly the same. MC-101 also has CR-78 😀
Groovy weekend.
@@artisans8521 The MV-1 at least can sample through something other than USB, I imagine the screen makes loop editing just a smidge easier. They sound great but that workflow is something else entirely.
It's honestly worth paying the extra for the MC-707 just for the slightly bigger screen
@@rorz999 I can believe it, didn't have the cash on hand right atm, but the 707 is on my list after tracking down a SH-01A or MS-1. I have a need for a SH-101 style synth and Zen-Core stuff gets close but not close enough for what I'm after.
That jam with the Rocket is the most smooth ass late 90s, UNKLE/Massive Attack/Sneaker Pimps Underground Bristol Lounge Trip Hop Critically Acclaimed Tongue in Cheek British Crime movie track I've ever heard
Thank you!!!
The warehouse with the leftover 80's displays is located inside Roland's Industrial Center, just north of D-Beam Storage Complex 6.
...and the software support graveyard
@@AudioPilz It makes you wonder if they bought a huge supply of displays and were working through the stock for over a decade.🤪
Roland figured, they’d use those displays on the 101 and tr8s to save money
loved that second jam. was like Ocean's Eleven meets Portishead. really made this machine sing.
Thank you!!!
Tristan X - Strange Mood
Sounds more like Massive Attack...but get u.
@@Noise-Conductor all Bristol musicians.
Another cool episode! Classic Roland groove box. This one looks like a lot of fun. Dig the jams!
Thank you!!!
I've disabled the motorized faders on mine and use the faders manually, which is an option not mentioned here.
I seldom remember that the faders are motorized, just like I forget that there's a Dimension Beam on board, since I use neither. Consequently, I've never seen them as weak points.
If you put the time and effort in, you can get amazing results with these units.
Great episode.
I bought one last year...it looked brand new, manual still in its plastic...I found it fucking hard to use but as I unlocked it, it yielded plenty of inspiring loops...I have a Deluge now so that's the focus but I'm never getting rid of the 808...it's clunky but there's some magic in it
Thank you!!! Will deactivate them too for future use
I love this channel so much. The presentation, the content, the editing, the memes, everything.
Thank you for all the entertainment. Your team deserves all the success.
Thank you so much for watching!
Motorized faders we need more of!
...but maybe good ones;)
the sample that starts jam 2 reminded me of can's "future days" and the fact that you could make this motorized slider machine take me there just shows again why you rule
Thank you so much!!!
My first bad gear video after joining this mad man Patreon, you go you!
Thank you so much for the support!!!
Just what I needed today, felt a bit down this morning but your video helped. Thank you again ☺️🙏
Thanks for watching!!!
5:32 90's is calling for their sounds back
FInale is a banger as always
Thank you!!!
full on gamer convention party tune 👌
That 1st jam was so different from what we usually get on this show. Gosh damn i was into it. I wonder about the devices longevity but i think u proved it can still be pretty useful. Lets watch those prices shoot up now lol
Thank you!!!
@@AudioPilz ur most welcome
Drum and bass so authentic that hospital records is jealous.
It's amazing...You went from a "content creator" with great videos, to influencing the used synth market, to being in different memes each time I open Facebook. That's so awesome! Congratulations to you. Can't wait for your next video.
Thank you so much!!!
That final jam was absolutely incredible, and I for one would love to hear more✨
Thanks!!! Full tracks can be found on Patreon
Before the MC-808 release, I used to work on several occasions for Roland, next to other work areas, I did some sound, kit, and pattern preset programming for some of their groove boxes and synthesizers, hence you may find some of these within the later MC-808 factory ones.
The predecessor MC-909 was a powerful and somewhat underrated piece of gear, I've been using it quite a bit and found the programming via the MC-909 EDITOR extremely convincing. It has a lot under the hood.
The major dealbreaker for me was that after switching between patterns, faders and knobs wouldn't allow for smooth value pickups and this was making the MC-909 a no go for live performances, especially the faders for track volumes were useless in this regard. Something that companies like Elektron got right by using endless encoders.
In one of the meetings with Roland, I expressed my frustration about what I felt was the biggest handicap of using the MC-909 live. Then, it must have been a year or two later, just before the opening of the Namm Show the MC-808 was introduced, I've been attending an internal meeting with Roland, and they showed me the MC-808.
I was like, what the hell is this? The lack of a display and interfacing via any kind of knobs or faders (other than the motorized ones) felt like a terrible mistake, regardless of how much I was into the software editor. So I've been rather underwhelmed and to the surprise of the present Roland folks showed no excitement.
After some moments of confusion one guy said, but it was you who mentioned that motorized faders could be a solution for your problem, didn't you suggest us the concept? My mind went "f...k" what the hell did go wrong? They took on the motorized faders I mentioned in a footnote, but forgot about the rest?
Long story short, Roland gave me an MC-808 and I worked on additional patterns for them, but I never felt comfortable with that thing and it didn't stay long.
Great insights, thank you so much!
@@AudioPilz Most welcome & pretty much forgot about the MC-808 and that story, it came back to my mind whilst watching. Then how did I end up here - the routine of a long-term subscriber. Nothing could be bad in a better way than Bad Gear!
@@tubelog Are you telling me the one reason why my MC-808 delights me so much when those knobs fly up and down is because you brought it up in a meeting?
Thank you ,sir...
Thank you.
@@CaidicusProductions Well, that's what I've been told back then and happy to hear that there is at least one soul out there enjoying those flying parameters. For me the MC-808 never worked as a performance instrument, and by solving one problem, they crippled the whole product around that. It's been their last MC for a long long time, so it also killed that product line somehow - says enough.
I have them both and the 909 looks like a Big Daddy compared to 808.
909 is REAL. The reverb is spacious and dense, compressor works as it should, lo fi compressor has that crunchy punch. I couldnt get that quality outta 808, and it’s not completely standalone.
Looks surprisingly good. My MC303 days and the scars from them prevented me from diving into this generation of grooveboxes though.
I can relate to that!
I swear you're like the only channel with videos i could watch all the way through without skipping through
Thank you so much!!!
Had a good chuckle over those factory demo tracks! Fantastic episode and music examples!
Thank you!!!
5:28 *eurobeat intensifies*
This is clearly the king of all grooveboxes!
Also I love the dope on plastic inspired tune at 7:20 too!
Thanks! Had DoP on heavy rotation back in the day
I used to own one of these, I paid 540 for it and after 2 yrs I gave it to my friend. It was so hard to edit using the silly APP that went with it. All writing on it was nothing like my MC-307. I found it super hard to get into, poor sample memory though i did add a card to extend it and would often have to re-insert the card upon boot up. Glad I have Ableton now :) Them sliders are sooooo noisy too LOL
That sums it up pretty nicely!
I was there this was my first piece of hardware. Used it for almost five years. Ugh.
The first preset you showed was incredible. I want one of these now
Try to find one with working faders and full RAM;)
Amazing channel, amazing reviews, amazing tracks each time!
Thanks for your work and inspiration!)
Thank you so much!!!
8:21 Salute to this Jam, that's what we expect from Bad Gear, long time no see 😄
Thank you so much!!!
5:28 That’s got to be the most Roland take on Eurobeat ever. Honourable mention of the genre, to say the least 😉
I liked it, most MC default tracks are kind of poo, that was not.
Yeah, they nailed that one!
great video. Also I absolutely loved that second jam, wish it was a full track
Thank you!!! Extended jams can be found on Patreon
Oh, my head, impromptu Friday night drinking..under 500 still. Excellent vid for a groggy Saturday morning.
Thank you!!!
The second preset pattern was used on Jean Michelle Jarres "Teo and Tea" album. Most of the tracks used Mc 808 presets. The whole album is on CZcams.
It blew my mind when I heard that
Really loved the jams. I have a soft spot for that kind of late 90s-early 00s sound. Also, those motor faders are freaky!
Thanky you!!!
Another awesome show! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
No, thank YOU!
That eurobeat preset is a banger.
Agreed!
That first corny preset pattern almost made me spit out my coffee. Incredible.
E U R O B E A T
Yet again you manage to make a piece of gear that seems so janky sound so damn good. That Finale track was freaking BOMB!
Thank you so much!!!
those tracks at the end kill it every single time !!!! dunno how you do this :) but big ups !!!!
Thank you so much!!!
That first preset pattern was full on DDR!
😍
MC707 deserves a look. Owned one for a year and it is just not a device which makes you want to make music. It’s like riding your bike uphill. After using it for a while I went back to MPC Live and went “aaaaaah. FUN!”
Great suggestion, the 707 is moving up my list!
Awesome video & awesome jams. I loved it. Great episode!
Thank you!!!
Once again great job on jam 1, that was just fine 👌
Thanks!
Ahhh was wondering when I would see this on here lol
This one found me;)
few days ago, i just started to think about MC-808 and MC-909 and wondered what use I could possibly get from one, and if they're available - and in fact checking if you did a review of one of them. A prophecy.
It's magic;) Expecto Rolandum!!!
The Roland MC-909 is amazing! One of the best grooveboxes ever made
I have a MC909 and it is the best groovebox ever made.
Believe it or not, 909 would be the only groovebox you would need until 909 MKII released
+1 for 909
Thank you ! Great episode :)
Thanks for watching!
GREAT episode.
Thank you!!!
Is it me or polyphony shrunk over time ? In those days, everything had extreme polyphony. Nowadays, something like the Digitone has, what, 8 voices ? They have of course more to offer in other areas, but I still find it kind of weird.
I’ve noticed this trend too. It is certainly perplexing given the huge increase in microprocessor capabilities these days.
Absolutely - when you have 128 voices, a synthesizer feels cheap and like software. If you only provide 8 voices, they must be special voices.
We have unlimited polyphony in computers so it's not worth anything anymore;)
@@AudioPilz these days I have to explain what multi-timbral means. It's gone from essential to wassat?
elektron puts potato chips in their boxes and sells them for $1500000
My bank account is really starting to hate you. Lol
Same!... stop making me crave more gear @audiopilz my solicitor will be sending you a cease and desist
Hey, these are surprisingly cheap;)
Roland MC 808?!? I didn’t know that my SP808 and MC505 went behind my back, ate after midnight, and had this monstrous love child! Motorized faders?! OOOHH?¡DUDE! This came out in 2006? That would render it bad, I guess. THIS THOUGH? THIS looks like the very groove box that would be an easy MV8800 killer for me, with the row of 16 buttons in a row 808 mode?!! I hope I can still buy this!
Yeah, it's both awesome and horrible;)
Love your "Every Roland sound into a song"!!!!
Thanks!!!
You do realize you'll eventually have to review everything bad in the end to sustain this channel. Its an inevitability
I think there's too much Bad Gear for one lifetime
This was seriously the smoothest cleanest intro you've done.
Thank you!!!
I had to give you an extra view because I forgot to hit *LIKE.* This is my favorite CZcams channel and I’m proud to have been with you from the beginning! (On a different account before my last got permanently suspended for fighting online with NOTSEEZ) 🤪
Hey, thanks for the support!!! Much appreciated!
OP1 fans envy undo with the pic! LOL Next level man.
The jams, as always are tops.
Thank you!!!
Great ! Really interesting for me to discover all the MC's familly thanks to your videos. Finally my 101 seems to be only another re-interpretation of those predecessors. Funny to find the same sounds and the same display over and over again ;-)
Thanks! The 307, 909 and 707 are a welcome exception (hope I didn't forget about one)
I really dig the parts where you demo fx and stuff by applying them to the narration 👌
Thanks!
your series made me buy: AN-200, D2, DR-202, RM1x and now MC-808, the sellers should pay you for this content ;)
Wow, I really need to find a way to monetize this;) Thanks!
Meier and Blank certainly appreciate your nice jam n°2. MAkes me want to buy this bad gear
Thank you so much!!!
That second jam had some Sirius Massive Attack vibes. Nice.
You make a pretty solid Voldemort. Respect.
Thanks! I'll still need a nosejob for that;)
RPS demonstration and jam 1 were amazinggg very good music! very nice video! plzz do korg m1
Thanks!
Never used this, just had to comment that "SPK Rules" made me smile.
Yeah, had to include this
Always wanted to try one of these. Watching this I'm glad I didn't bother!
You dodged that bullet;)
@@AudioPilz 😂😂👌 it sounds pretty good but the workflow looks exasperating! Fair play for getting some good tunes out of it!
Awesome video about an awesome instrument!
Thanks to the masters of awesome instruments!
Wherever those 80s displays are, they apparently couldn't spare any for the JD-08, the most complex Boutique they've ever made.
Isn't the D05 more complex?
Great video 👍 I don't foresee the used prices going up for this one!
Thanks! Yeah, a Roland JV-1080 is still much more affordable.
Its cursed with rising prices now its been featured on Bad Gear!
I think you're overestimating the reach of this channel;)
For some reason, that thing brings a bit of soundtrack nostalgia for a few PS-1 racing games.
That happens quite often on this channel;)
That second piece was sooooooo NIIIIIIIIIICEEE. Ugh, can't get enough of that groove.
Thank you so much!!!
Another great video showing how you can make some old hated hardware sound great! I agree... those auto-faders will be the first thing to die. I'll stick with my MC-09, thank you!
Thank you!!!
Jeden Freitag-Abend meine Chill-Show. 😀
Freut mich!!!
I sold it a few years ago and I really regret it. I loved this machine.
Maybe get one of the similar-sounding rack units?
@@AudioPilz I might buy one again.
The reverb is pretty decent! Great video.
Thanks!!!
The yellowing with age of the Oxy-8 matches the yellowing if the 808 buttons. "Nice."
Another great BG episode!
Thanks!!!
Audiopilz the english-speaking Thorsten Sträter of the Synthworld. I love your entertainment so much and I am glad for the passion you have for it. Keep it going!
Thank you so much!!!
Man, you are the Master! You know how to get out the whole cream from these machines, this is very inspiring ;)
Cheers! :)
Thank you so much!!!
Great episode and jams. You should do one for the OG Minilogue.
Thanks! Great suggestion!
It's cool to see what my mc707 evolved from!
Yeah, they needed a break after this one;)
bro one of the best jams on this one
Thank you so much!!!
So amazing episode again, thank you! (offtopic:and I also tried out my new bong:)
Lol;)
With that sound when you hooked up the Rocket I instantly waited for either Robbie Williams or Adele start singing and giving us the new James Bond theme....😬🤷🏼♂️🤫🤣🤦🏼♂️
Like always, thanks Florian for your great work♥️
Thanks for the support! Much appreciated!
fantastic bit of hardware enjoyed very much indeed:)
😀
aw man, I wanted one of these back in the day.
Now is your chance;)
2:51 - Winamp icons for that distinctive 00's feel
Vintage;)
Shout out to SNOWMETAL! Dude is awesome. You gotta do a Korg esx 1 sometime if you haven’t already
Although the esx is the opposite of bad gear...to me haha
Very informative!
I recently read an article that said Austria has the best water for bathing. Congratulations!
We also have Fiji-water - grade tap water here in Vienna (not joking;)
This video was enjoyable