Some people have 500 plugins, 4 DAWs, and a $2000 computer, yet they still can't manage to finish tracks or even create something that comes close to this one. Yet, you just proved with the MC-303 that gear and software are merely tools. It's how you use them. And if you sit down long enough with one tool, you can master it and use it to its fullest potential. Terrence Dixon would be proud.
Incredible!! Never thought anyone _actually_ absorbed all that stuff in the manual 🙃 (I've been scraping by using *nothing* but realtime recording + quantization... for like a decade now... no joke. 🤦♂️) 🙏🙏🙏👍🏆
Thanks a lot 🙏🙏 Oh god, you remind me I forgot to add owner's manual links 😳 clearly without it, it's a mess ^^ Just for the screen, I needed a translator 😂 Would like to see how you use quantization, lots of people (like me) never found how to use it properly.. Cheers !
@@krostifmusic Oh, man! I doubt I know how to do anything properly compared to someone at your level! Honestly, I'm not even proficient at my own approach, I just mess around once in a while. Still, if I had any ability to record or post video, I would definitely embarrass myself by trying to demonstrate. But right now, the best I can do is to try and type out whatever I can remember... This will probably just prove that I actually know _less_ than everyone else, but here goes nothing: (Also, I'm probably including a lot of stuff that's WAY too basic 🤷♂️) -Select your Part & Tone -Hit [Shift+2] to set GRID for the part you're about to record (GRID=quantization division, like 8th or 16th note resolution) -Press [Exit] -Go to the top "PLAY QUANTIZE" section -Click the button until GRID lights up, then turn TIMING knob (fully clockwise = tightest quantization) *To record the part with a different feel, choose GROOVE (swing) or SHUFFLE, then dial in the amount using the TIMING knob (changes can also be recorded in real time) **make sure "FUNC" button is not lit, or the timing knob won't have an effect -Record the Part (Press REC, set your tempo, etc., then press PLAY to Realtime record) *While recording, you can press REC to alternate between Rehearsal Mode and Recording without stopping playback **While Recording, you can fix any mistakes by holding [FUNC+SHIFT+TRANS-POSE], then use the keyboard to hold the range of notes which you want to delete as they play (then hit Exit to continue recording) -Repeat process for recording the other parts.. you can set different "GRID" resolutions and "PLAY QUANTIZE" settings for each part, and they will be sequenced & play back as intended, even with "Play Quantize" turned off (although during playback, manipulating "Play Quantize" settings seems to affect all the tracks at once) I have ZERO clue if I just helped anybody with anything! 🙄 ...other than making you remember about the manual, that is ;)
This video is the best example, that it doesn´t matter what you use for making music but how you use it. It´s not the machine but the person behind it. It´s such a beautiful song you created with the MC-303. Thank you for sharing that!
J'ai gardé ma MC 303 pendant des années sans jamais avoir pu en sortir ce que tu fais. Je suis admiratif de ta maitrise ! Bravo, mais je râle quand même 😜
Merci beaucoup pour ce compliment et désolé que tu n'aies pas réalisé le potentiel de la bête quand tu l'avais entre les mains 😕 mais ne regrettes rien, tu as bien mieux maintenant 😉
In step 2 and 3, you could simply make longuer notes by pressing bwd (backward), you will see the light moove to the right and the mesure increase on the digit display. its much easier than the gate method. You can also adjust the lenght of the step by pressing scale.
This is the best Tutorial on the MC 303 on the whole internet!!! thank you for taking the time and patience for making this video, I think it will help many people (myself includued :) )
Thank you very much, really glad this is helpful to you 🙏 It is not complete, still things I don't use or even know, but I think the basics are there 🙂
@@nastyfinger it's not a shame, it requires time, inspiration, etc. We all can't make music anytime we want, myself included :) I'm sure the time wii come ;)
I had one of these , gave it away 11 years ago because I just could not figure the thing out, just bought another one on eBay. This is a great lesson. I can't wait to try it.
2021, heck yeah! I still have my MC-303 from way back, and I still use it to this day. I am glad to see others continue using such an amazing syth as well.
Yup, I like it too and I'm thinking of getting one. Just not sure about this constant rapid blinking of the display. If you check this guy's videos - it's blinking like crazy in some and completely steady in others. Do you know how to make it steady?
@@martin984 HAHHA.... That isn't the 303 with a bad display, that is the camera with a bad refresh rate capture. Ever take a camera and point it at your TV? Yeah same deal. In real, you won't even see the flicker as the video shows.
Dude, this tutorial shares so many insights of this awesome groovebox. So many things I did not even grasped yet.... For me, this will be like my operators bible to the MC-303, everytime I will use it. Thanks so much for using the feedback and creating something so great!
This was such a helpful demo. Thanks. I think the MC303 has the best UI out of all of the grooveboxes. It's compact enough and I like the piano keyboard on it. Prefer it to MC808 or 707 or even 909. Knobs are nice and chunky. They got alot right. Be nice to see a modern version of this not like MC101. It still sounds so great.
Congrats on this great tutorial. There's a huge crowd out there wanting to have this kind of information. Besides that you've taken the time to make it very accessible. A big applause! BTW, I brings me back to 1997 when I had the MC-303. The sequencer can also trigger external instruments. Something very interesting.
Thank you so much Rogier 🙏 Really glad you felt it like I try to make it, such words by you are very grateful to me ! You're right about the midi section, it was also requested but I'm not able to explain as I know almost nothing about it. But it is something I can try to make with one of my volca for example.. And if successful, I could share it later, why not ! Thanks again man, for checking it and for your words 🙏
Huge and massive thanks to you for this generous and excellent tutorial! I picked up a busted mc303, nursed it back to helath with my soldering iron and have been diving deep into it by following this tutorial, it is phenomenal thanks so much for sharing!
@@AnalogFlava I only tried mc303 & mc307. I don't know the others, but I think They're all good. When I bought mc307 20 years ago, I was wanting mc505 but was sold out and internet wasn't exist to save my life 😂 but I had great times with it all these years and still happy to have it again today :)
@@krostifmusic and you totally nailed it mate,really nice breakdown. I must admit though,seems hard to sequence this MC.Harder than the 307 which has the advantage of the screen. Which one do you like it better overall?
@@wallbrown1876 mc307 is my fav, it has more effects, saved in patterns, more paramaters to program for tones, you can build them with 4 different waveforms, with different parameters for each ones that are real possibilities for sound design, 4x more user patterns, more possibilities with rps in live.. I'm sure there are other things but these are the most important to me :) Cheers bro !!
@@krostifmusic Cheers my bro,thanks for breaking it down ;) Can agree too,I love the 307 but never had the 303.But I’m such a sucker for grooveboxes that I would happily play with both anytime:)
This is a great tune. I just got one of these machines and it is testing my patience like no other. I’m getting some good stuff out of it but it sure has me stumped often. Not sure if I will master this thing like I was hoping. Anyway thanks for sharing the knowledge. 🤙🏼
Thank you so much you are the best teacher for finally understanding how to do it properly it's really cool this video made me just play on my mc303 and enjoy it wish you all the best 💚🤴💚🏆🙏🔥
Thank you for your work man! I love this track. I think, it was the first, I´ve heard from you. Got instantly hooked. I`ve never managed to get the delay working on my mc 303. Amongst many other things, around which I could not wrap my head around. I did not eaven know, it had such nice flanger. It is a beautiful sounding machine. You´ve mastered it pretty good.
Thank you very much Paap 🙏 yes, fx section is a bit capricious. There are still things I don't understand, like for some reasons, time is changing in the next power on, even you have saved your settings.. Mc307 doesn't do that. Every setting is saved with the pattern.. But next to that, I enjoy the sound a lot too !
Thank you ! Sorry I don't know anything about mc909. But I have an mc307 and apart few buttons and parameters located differently, things can work the same :)
Wow this is so informative. I didn't realize I can step record and do micro adjustments. Must go try it myself :) When you step record (as you scrub through the timeline) - are those ticks? Example: 24, 48, 72...
Thank you !! Not sure of what you mean (I'm not english 😅) these times you mention in step record mode are the perfect 1/16 steps on grid.. You can change grid with scale button if you want to make swing and I think the marks will be adjust.. Never tried to be honest 😁
Muchas gracias. Que forma tan práctica de explicarlo. Ya logré poner 2 bases. Disculpa sabes con qué debo limpiar por dentro las teclas porque la tuve guardada por años y si funcionan pero creo están sucios por dentro. De cualquier forma gracias por tus videos
Muchas gracias ! Limpiar el interior es muy complicado. Nunca lo he hecho, miedo a cometer errores. prueba con un spray de aire comprimido (Google traduction, possible mistakes.. 😅🙏)
Mine were gone yellow after 20 years of partying in the studio haha. I tried everything to remove the staining by using all common cleaning products and household remedies but noting worked but then 'My Mother' said why don't you try Nail Varnish Remover so i gave it a go. I stepped them in a bowl full of Nail Varnish and left them for a couple of hours then i removed them and got a wire brush (brillopad) and started to scrub the keys and you wouldn't believe it, it started to come off but with 16 keys to do i got inpatient so i boiled the kettle so i could pour some boiling water over them in the bowl of Nail Varnish then paused for a min saying ' i don;t think this is a good idea' lol but me been me i just poured it over them. What a bad idea haha they all literally turned into what looked like cauliflower so i taught there were gone beyond repair at that stage. I then looked closer and noticed what had happened it was like the animal had all melted on top of all the keys so i got my wire brush and started scrubbing and it all came off easy enough leaving me with spotless white keys but without the shine or smooth finish but i was happy with that in the end. So be careful if u open it to clean it the ribbon cables can break handy enough too but the Varnish did work at first before i poured boiling water on them so if you took your time they would come back up nice and white. Hope this can help
One thing I've noticed is the 303 has somewhat of a toyish sound to it. I've heard others call it thin or hollow and lofish. If you were looking for something similarly capable of 90s dance sounds would you pick the 307 or 707? My only thought is the 707 might have a too polished/hi-fi sound for 90s rave/techno
I also have mc307 since 20 years. This mc303 was a bonus from a friend, and is at another friend's home now, who needed it more than me. I'm sure mc707 has a better sounding but i've never tried it :)
I like your music! Considering a 303 myself. But I'm not sure I can handle the constant rapid blinking of the display like that for hours. In some of your videos the display light is steady and in others it's rapidly blinking. Is there a way to make it steady? Thanks so much!
Quick question, do you have any tips for when you are making your own RPS patterns (around 24mins)? I have made some in a new pattern and sved into a slot on the RPS as shown, but mine seem to "break" the sequencer (cause it sto stutter and parts to crash out) in a way that the roland supplied rps patterns do not. I have tried several ways of programming them but this always happens, do you have any advice? Many thanks:)
I really don't understand what happens here.. It is simple as shown with mine : program a track in a pattern. Mute all other tracks, press rps button and "key" location and it should work. Maybe something like "voice stealing" can cut some sounds.. sorry, i don't speak english very well and it's not easy for me to explain.. and sorry that this doesn't work for you 😔
@@krostifmusic Your English is excellent! I can do exaclty as you say and write my own rps prt and assign them to the different keys. My problem is that when I use them for a drop for example thye cause the sequencer to stutter or smtimes random notes play. I Think the issue is likely with my mc303. I have tried making rps patterns of different lengths and by making them with the step recrding or live mode but always the same result. I think it is something to do with the voice stealing you mention. It is all good, there are enought other rps parts for me to use, many thanks again fo providing such an amazing tutorial, without your hel I would have been lost with this unit!!!
I can’t seem to get the effect knob or real-time modify knobs to work. I’m not sure if I’m missing a step in activating them or if I have to attempt to repair it but I bought the unit in really good condition so I’d be surprised if it was broken. If you could give me any suggestions it’d be greatly appreciated!
I didn't set anything special with mine to make them work but they are not responsive on little subtle moves. If you make some big moves with knob and don't see the real time modify red light (at the top of cut off) it says it doesn't work.. Maybe try a reset factory before (you can find easily owner's manual pdf). Maybe there's also parameters you can change but I don't know them, sorry. Good luck !!