Roland MC-909 Groovebox: Indie-Pop Dream or Outdated? (featuring Moon of Vega) 

This machine was used to score Kill Bill and create countless hits in hip-hop, r&b and techno/trance.

This is actually a pretty solid machine. The bits on the left side can be used on drum sounds as well. You can modify any sound on it. In fact, I'd recommend it since many of the preset patches are not really something you'd want to use. But a little tweaking here and there and you have some really crazy cool stuff from this machine. It's true that Roland's grooveboxes can be a little bit unintuitive at first but if you read the manual whenever you're stuck you can totally learn these things inside out fairly quickly. Everything is modifiable. Run a drum beat through the arpeggiator for truly crazy stuff. The only thing I don't like about the 909 is the pads. I get why Roland wanted something more velocity sensitive vs the older groovboxes which hard keys but these pads have failed over the years and now they will trigger multiple times with one press. These machines really need an external midi keyboard these days because of this. I do agree that this machine was basically made obsolete right after it came out. So many DAWs were really taking off around this time so the idea of one box to do drums, synths and sequencing (and in this case, even sampling) just seemed a little "yesterday". I've used the 303, 505 and 909 very extensively and prefer the 505. The 303 is fun but can be overwhelmed sometimes with too much programming and start to glitch out and drop notes. The only bad thing I can say about the 505 was the craptastic ribbon cable on the screen. These machines are still fun to mess around with today and really don't require you to master them to get any utility out of them. Just pick the functions you care about and ignore everything else. Good times!

RZA from Wu-tang used the 909 for the Afro-Samurai soundtrack and Kill Bill if I remember correctly

There are NO problems with the menus. I have this apparatus right now in front of me and it took two days to learn it and it is fun to use. What I cannot say about the freaking MV-8800 !

I like it, is the Roland Mc-707 ancestor and I love that machine. The 909 was ahead of its time in many ways.

I love the Roland MC-909 Groovebox and only people who read the manual can really grasp the machine. moon of vega your sitting on a very powerful machine.

The MIDI piano roll on the calculator LCD screen was surprising! You really have to love and be familiar with a piece of gear like that to get the sweet stuff.

Its an amazing machine, I got it back in 2003, an still use it. patience is a virtue

I love my MC909 :) Must be so great to have a brother that's into making music too. Your channel is awesome man

You gotta master that Shit+Wheel+Tap hand work lol I have been producing with a Grooveboc (Roland MC-808) and you have no idea how much I would have LOVED work with this!!!

Was wondering if this was the unit used by Peaches and MIA, but quick google check and that was the simpler MC505

I personally have an MC-505 that belonged to my paternal Uncle. I disagree with the notion of it soundind "outdated or unusable sounds". But I agree with the phrase "work with what you have got" the MC-505 was a gift so can't complain but I tend to use it like a sound module or a drum machine as it has midi. The one good thing about the sound pallatte is that many of these sounds are from SRJV expansion boards like Hip Hop and Vintage Synth so at least I don't have to hunt down those cards for my JV-1080 ( which is most likely what Destiny's Child's producer would have used, that or a JV-2080 ). But I managed to do more modern chart song covers using my MC-505 from the last decade, it's possible to cover anything produced by Calvin Harris entirely on a groovebox without it even sounding "cheesy or dated".

Thanks!

THUMBS UP NOW ..YOU DUDE'S ARE HAVING FUN....

This is an incredibly deep machine, I have the 505 and it can do quite a lot.

Great machine..at least you dont hide the size of your pupils...😊

That glass table was putting in overtime lol That machine is HUMONGOUS!

Cute vid...not much meat on the mc909 part though, but will most likely get one myself sooner or later, I believe it's extremely capable, albeit the mc505 may sound better or just more lo fi? Loved the soaked track and dope bassline, the bass chorus reminded me a bit of some early 2000's house tunes...

HOOK IT UP TO A KEYBOARD CONTROLLER..AND PLAY REAL STUFF

Talented family! Grooveboxes are fun.

You can also change the frequency of the metronome with the arrows and generally use it instead of the wheel. And if you install an 05 expansion board, then increase the banks of instruments, especially drums, since out of 13 boards, this card was created for ms909. he also has a great panorol and the same section for drums, so you can write everything just like on a regular DAW. The 909 has very good compressors and effects that work and sound really good.

Best groovebox ever made

I have always wanted one

have you guys tried the rs7000?

You're on my top favourite channels

Everyone is so "oh 808 hes really kickin it" Whereas there are many nice sounds...I use a lot of roland..."numbers" 303's. I like the thought of workstations and limitations. I'll be back later to see this. So I might be a fan of your brother. Tame Impala guy is uber... Do you like King Gizzard and the Lizzard Wizard. Quite a minblowing band. Ill be back to check it out and the comments later. Looks like a great video.

I'm brand new subscriber from Australia!...you are teaching me heaps

The MC 909 isn't even that big when you consider all of the jobs that it does. If you got a multitimbral, polysynth, a sampler, a mixer and an effects unit, that would be taking up a lot of space. The MC 505 and 909 have a very immediate workflow once you know your way around. And those synth engines can be quite powerful in the right hands. The presets are pretty corny for the most part, but that's why you get in there and dial in your own with all of those hands on synth controls (and some menu diving). I've never owned the MC 909, but I've messed around with it and have always wanted one. I had the MC 303 and then the MC 505, and I absolutely loved the 505. that's the machine that I mastered subtractive synthesis on. I filled the memory to the max several times over, making all sorts of beats. I used to play shows using nothing but the 505 and it was a lot of fun. All the DJ dudes would be tripping out on it. I wish I hadn't broken it when I was moving. I've been wanting to upgrade to a 909 forever, but now I'm going down the Elektron rabbit hole.

when this line of products came out, an 808 was already 1K$ if you could even find one. 1K for an 808 seems like a pittance today but in the late 90s it was a princely sum to have on hand in case a rare 808 sale crossed your path. So, despite the cheap look and feel 90s Roland, their marketing promised a kind of all-in-one digital version of a 808/909/303, with MIDI, for $500. When you actually put them through the paces, turns out they're mostly just Romplers with extremely low quality digital filters, terrible MIDI spec, and very poor external connectivity. By contrast, the devices Korg released, like the ER-9, were forward looking inexpensive digital synths/rhythm programmers with X0X grids and professional features.

whoa this thing sounds cool

You okay mate?...I got health issues myself...but hope you're well. I agree on cymbals...especially crash cymbals. Ride can sound ok.

Great video!! He's definitely your brother!!! You guys must have a good time 👍🏻🤣

FYI: RZA scored the Blade Trinity movie as well as Kill Bill... Source: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-BkeCHZpdX8M.html

You young guys don't know what you are doing.....I made realistic music with the MC909...IT IS AN ALL IN ONE STUDIO AND IT CAN MASTER YOUR MIX YOUR MUSIC.. WHEN WE DO REVIEWS WE SHOULD KNOW HOW TO USE THE EQUIPMENT... I MASTERED THIS ...I HAVE A FEW VIDEOS ON RU-vid WITH THIS... BABY BOYS STOP CRYING....

A great tool if you know how to use it, I still have it in my studio. I also have 9 is 13 tone expansion boards. it also connects to a PC and can be adjusted through it; there is a special software.

they should get the nay sayers to try and design one... then they will appreciate it.

New sub here I think I want a 909 now

I want a mc 909 soooo bad..... heck even a mc808 would do.....but dont know if they are worth the money over a new mc707 or one of the many other "grooveboxes" out there for the same price as a used one of these

I've just started to check out this baby (owned 30+ synth)...the hardware is impressing...but the sound is not, I don't know what Roland did to it, it sounds tired and outdated. (Listened to HD sound videos on YT) I like the interface though, this is how a groovebox should look like, with pots, mixig faders and a nice big display. Peace

Never realised you have a fro! 😃

Evidently it was used to create the entire Kill Bill soundtrack.

Seems Roland is plagued with their bad choices of what proper dimensions for their gear' s interfaces should be. The boutique line of vintage synth recreation products is fine example is of that, my U1 rack space fantom XR full blown sampler is another

is this the roland groovebox that glitches when it goes from one pattern/part/section to another?

OUTDATED... please.

Hi, quantize only ?????