The Search for the Best Groovebox 

I know that the title is pretty similar to part of the title of the video by Knobs, which I hadn't seen until after finishing this video. I double checked, and his video goes in a pretty different direction, and is well worth a watch: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-BgdwEZ3J2lg.html

I’m a guitar live-looping hobby artist, and ‘ve never been into the electronic music world. I was looking for a machine to make beats to play along with, and your channel sold me on the Circuit. Thank you, thank you, thank you! I’m having so much fun with it and it fit and enriched my guitar playing significantly. I’m not too good at sound design or finger drumming or whatever else electronic producers do, but this device is so easy to use for a newcomer like me that it does not matter. It’s capabilities grow along with my skills and I would instantly buy Circuit 2 if it is ever released. Your passion is contagious. Keep on keeping on, man!

Daw in a box? MPC. They are far more than hiphop machines. The ability to have midi over USB makes it an ideal brain for your synths. Quickly recording, Undo or overdubbing are so awesome to have and help just trying things until it works.

Check out the Polyend Tracker. I love it and it just got a major update.

Honestly GarageBand is super innovative and way underrated and I really hope they make something like a GarageBand groovebox with the ability to load new synth and drum sounds on top of its large library in the future.

Great video! As much of a fan of the Electribes as I am, I’d say one negative is Korg’s lack of ongoing development in this line. Still, they are wonderful machines.

If you get the money together for a Deluge, it's definitely worth it. The workflow is actually really good - you have to dedicate a bit of time to learn it of course. Once you know it, like Circuit, it becomes really fast to put a track together. Anyway, whatever your next groovebox will be, I'm sure you'll put it to great use!

The BEST the "ABSOLUTE BEST" groove box without question is the synthstrom Deluge. No other groove box comes close. mine has changed my life and made a one man band an actual achievable goal. If you play guitar bass and piano with vocals and midi synth you NEED a deluge.

For me the Akai Force (especially since october) is the “groovebox” i always dream, its incredibly powerful for performing, and for secuence complete songs and at the moment is pretty cheap, check it men. The macros function is mind blowing. The “downside” could be that this machine is huge and heavy (but i dont care really), its the real Daw in a Box.

let's see, maybe Novation will finally launch newer & greater Circuit ))

I said it before, but we gotta find a way to get you a Synthstrom Deluge man. As a Circuit-lover, I think you'd dig it (although it doesn't have velocity sensitive pads). Otherwise I think you could do some real damage with it.

I have the sampler version of the Electribe. Even though it is limited in synthesis (Only 16 Oscillators, 3 BP filters), the ability to tweak samples in thousands of new ways is fantastic.

Today the algorithm was good to me. Loved the video, subscribing. Looking forward to future content!

He's a real good communicator. I like his vibe, easy going young man. He's obviously very knowledgeable in the creation of music through grooveboxes and beat machines. I'm also impressed by the quality of these videos, they are very professional. Merry Christmas 🎅.

I'm getting a Novation Circuit next week as my first Groove Box and i am very ecxited about it :)

Was originally looking at an OP1 however the price was off putting, watched a lot of your videos and chose to go with the Novation Circuit, have had it for about a week now and am starting to get to grips with it, i appreciate the library of information you have put out about it and tutorials, they have been really helpful.

Deluge is amazing. You'll love it

Deluge!

my favorite box is 707. little self-contained machines are cool, but sometimes you need a bigger one to pair with some analog synth(s).

I really wanna watch this guy react to the Roland MC-303 (literally the first groovebox ever made)

I got started with an Electribe EMX-1, about 7 years ago. While I do like the idea of having 1 box for everything, I don't feel like it's as practical in a dawless world. Having dedicated boxes for different jobs means they're going to do the job a lot better. Ex, a dedicated VA synth is going to have generally a lot more polyphony and control over the sound than the synths you'll find in a groovebox.

I use a Roland MC808 for about 10 years now still happy with it. 20 years ago I took my first steps with the MC303 and used it til it got worn out completely. The MC303 is a toy compared with theMC808. But perfect for beginners

You should check out the Polyend Tracker, it’s amazing!

I love the immediacy of the model:cycles. No sample juggling, just paramaters and enough knobs. But imagine: Just use it as a sequencer. You'd have a 6-track mono sequencer with LOTS of controllers PER TRACK, but you could control other virtual or real instruments with it. And you could multiply the instruments by making use of arp vsts or hardware, like the NDLR. You can feed the NDLR with a tone and it makes cords, arps, drones etc from it. This, maybe, could also be done with pure software.

OP-Z hands down. Shelved my circuit after using them both for some time.

I'm a new hobbyist who was looking for a drum machine to add to my DAWless setup. The more I look, the more I think I should just get a groove box that I can use as a drum machine that will work on it's own as well. Not sure yet which one I'll go with, but the videos on this channel are certainly helping along with my decision. Keep up the good work!

Hi there, great video! I also love grooveboxes, bought an MC-303 in 1997 as one of my first electronic instruments, then had an MC-505 and a 909, a Korg EMX and ESX and many more... I made RU-vid tutorials for the Korg EMX and the Roland MC-505. If you're looking for best value for money, in my opinion nothing beats the MC-505! They are probably considered vintage by now, released in 98 and they have quirks, (you might have to get the screen repaired) but they sound amazing if you make your own sounds instead of relying on presets! The sequencer is more powerful than in most modern devices (like the Electribes or Digitakt), flexible grid programming, (also unquantized if needed) and comes with many fun features like a complex arpeggiator, groove templates, D Beam can act like a theremin for any of its sounds... There is a learning curve but well worth it! If I was looking for something new I'd probably go with the MC-707 though.

I gotta say the Korg ESX is still my favorite. Such a versatile machine.

Great presentation. I have the old MC-303, while the sounds are pretty dated the actual workflow and processes are real deep. I bought the MC-303 in1997 and never read the manual ( big mistake ) until recently, after reading the manual you can do so much with it, the arpeggiator and sequencer is amazing, I plugged in my Blofeld and my mind was blown. There are so many features in the MC-303 that I wish to see in contemporary grooveboxes, it seems some basic functions have been forgotten. I recently bought a MC-101 and love it, it would have been so good to have the same recording functions as the MC-303, in particular, the loop/rest at the end of the sequencer recording so you know when the recording bars have finished which is then blended seamlessly into a loop.

Synthstrom Deluge. Absolutely changed my life. Think you'd enjoy it.

This is the first comment I've ever made on a youtube video and I'm 47 and have been on here for 15 years. My favorites at this time #1 Korg Volca Sample, #2 Akai MPC 1000 and #3 Korg Electribe Sampler Black.

The best is the Akai Force now that the 3.0.5 update is here, this unit is very under rated.

"Daw in a Box" 100% get a MPC one

I run a music programme focussed (though not exclusively) on teaching disablwd people how to make music on electronic music tools, and have large variety of tools for it. The Electribes are by far the best, with JDXis in second slot. Far less complicated/distracting than using the DAW, and a really nice amount of knobs per function and clear if this/then that. Tons of fun.

I love my Electribe 2. I've had a MPC One now for about 2 weeks. Wow! It is literally a DAW in a box. Fantastic bit of kit.

I'm fairly new to all of this. However I'm not a young person. I was around for the birth of alot of electronic sound. I use cheap gear and still have muddy mixes, however I am aware of this and plan to fix that. Which is half the battle. Thank you for the video. I have the same gameplan as you do. Trying my best to keep it "LIVE". Respect to that.

The Deluge?

I have my MPC One and i love it. although the learning curve is super steap, once you get into it, it might be most powerful device on the market especially for that price range (almost half the price of the machine+) . It‘s also great for sequencing other stuff and akai is really committed to keep improving the software.

As a beginner I'm stuck with this exact question so I can't wait to watch this. Thanks!

I'm in love with the Deluge rn, and I think it's a great pick if you have any other hardware synthesizers. I use a mixer to bus 2 external synths into the Deluge's stereo line input, that way I can put sidechain compression on them within the Deluge for extra slappp.

I was in the same boat as you for many years. Bought a few Groove box's and for me so far I would have to say that the MPC1000 with JJOS was the one I have been using for a while now. It has it's limitations but it gets the Job done. The step editing is my favorite feature. Well good luck on your search.

I'm on the quest now, I have an EMX-1, an MPC One, Pocket Operators, Model:Cycles. I'm digging my model cycles and I love my EMX-1, i'm definitely getting an ESX-1 eventually but they are kind of big. MPC Im still figuring out but i use it a lot from drums and now i'm figuring out how to use it sequence other gear, but the cycles has been a lot of fun and i'm considering more elektron. Maybe a digitakt.

Circuit is a great device especially find it useful when start struggling with ideas in the box, the way you can play around with sample and making it completely different and unique is amazing

You should look into to bigger Elektrons. The Rytm is super versatile. Analog4 Synthesis puts almost everything to shame. And the Octatrack is its own cosm

Gabe - I love your videos. You are very thorough but also quite a natural at spinning all this tech into a story. It makes it very enjoyable to learn about gear. Keep up the great work!

Polyend Tracker

Sure glad they were able to revive the groovebox movement 20yrs after the first generation. Roland (in my opinion) won that battle -Korg has always had rough parameters with their gear. Looking forward to future developments

I stumbled on the ultimate groovebox that went under the radar and goes for dirt cheap these days because people have no idea what’s lurking under its’ tiny frame, the Akai Miniak paired with the Patchbase editor on an iPad is actually a full-fledged synthesizer that grants you a groovebox with a flexible polyphonic sequencer you can compose and assign entire multi-bar phrases to a single key on, the only limitation is an 8-voice polyphony. I haven't tried writing an entire song on it yet (I'm a stickler with saving patches and you need to save patches to call them up in multi mode), but the potential is there. That compulsive urgency to get more gear was tempered for me because of how feature-laden it is and how much ground it can cover sonically, serious game-changer with ludicrous sound-design capabilities.

My personal Groovebox is a Yamaha reface dx providing FM duties MIDI controlling a Roland MC 303 with a vocal sample midi’d up to for good measure.

Yea baby! Great video! You are on the right track avoiding DAWs to make music. I have made 70 albums in the last 4 years using ALL hardware, including a 24track hardware recorder. Total number of albums made with a DAW previously = none. My first CD was produced on an old Roland VS880 hard disc recorder before the DAW age. I too went on the quest for the perfect groove box and found total frustration. I was ready to give up and take out a loan for a MPCx, and discovered high end arranger keyboards have pattern sequencers that you can program from a blank, they ARE the most powerful sequencers on the market allowing me up to 32 measure long sequences and much more (that is continuous 32, NOT a song chain)........BUT....still not sufficient to complete a pro recording. So the next discovery was; "there isn't the perfect grove box"!! You found out too. Combining just the right groove boxes and using the strengths of each one, plus the big sound of laying and now, I (you) have the perfect groove boxES!!. My music is diverse from all original; ambient to classical to EDM. So my groove combination is: 1) KorgElectribe2Blue 2) CasioMZX500 3) 1010MusicBlackBox 4) Casio XWP1 synth. Plus other synths played live for chords and melody as needed.

You know your stuff. I like that. Keep it up. Thank you.👍

Thank you for helping people find groove boxes. I need to find an inexpensive one to start my musical journey

Hey Gabe! Congrats! I searched "Groove Box" and your videos popped up first! 🙌

I cant believe this hasn't been metoned, but I believe, by far, the best "groovebox" currently available new, is the ROLAND JD-Xi. It gives you the feeling of stepping into a music store in 2002, and just getting into every groove box on display, along with the JP8000 that was usually sitting there next to them. I use mine with an MPC500, and a microkorg s on the side. No DAW about it! I highly recommend checking it out, if only it didnt come with the keyboard....haha!

Just got the new circuit tracks!!! I LOVE IT!!! this IS my perfect groove box. i would like to thank you and bo beats for helping me decide.

You should check out the Polyend Tracker, I think this might kick all the others out of the park.

for years and years as i was learning music production, i stuck to pc and software. I know that has basically unlimited possibilities... but I also rarely feel inspired. I don't even enjoy launching my DAW anymore. something you can get your hands on and is immediately accessible, something that is fun to use, that is where it's at!

As an MPC One owner NOT producing hip hop...I gotta say it's SO much more than that. Just saying!

I've tried almost everything since the MC303 in 97 and the best all in one portable sequencing/production solution around today is the OP-Z. The design features, workflow and sound quality are simple yet so we'll implemented.

I have the MPC one and it is a complete dawless, with dirt adding, sound shaping, plug-in effects, all. If you don’t care about some limitations on the audio track numbers, it will satisfy your search.

Deluge kicks everything else in it’s field in the kisser

great video man

A4 MKII is my bestie. It sounds soooo good.

the new features on the MC-101 with upgrade 1.6 are amazing. Love it.

jesus thank god i saw your latest upload. I've been sitting here theory crafting a move from Ableton and I have fallen down a 12 hour rabit hole. I told myself fuck it, I'm doing it your way. I gotta start somewhere. Korg Electribe II (synth version) and the circuit.

I really appreciate your videos and input ! I really feel at home with the MC101, I think it help it's my first real first groovebox (unless Twisted Electrons Hapines Slim counts) since I have 0 point of reference. Coming from a bass player background the 4 tracks and portable factor are awesome to work song ideas on the go! :D

sold my circuit finally, but I'll never ever part with the OP-1 - too much fun. however, judging by your preferences, I think either the Akai Force or the MC-707 will eventually win your derby. also, I do think more is coming...hoping Yamaha jumps back into the game. a modernized RS7000 could be a competitor in this space.

Radikal Technologies Spectralis!

The MC 707 seems like the most appealing to me, looks like a bank of polished sounds, enough FX, enough channels, the workflow looks well layered out where things can either be accessible or dived into the smallest detail. I don't own one, I don't own any groove boxes and only had experience with some PO 12. But It's the only one that's currently got my eye. I want to love the MC 101, but it just doesn't look convenient enough :/

My perfect groove box would have 2 mono inputs 2 trs inputs,headphone jack, two programmable stereo outs, 6 tracks minimum, real time recording and quantized recording, squarp pyramid style recording for a song mode , a built-in looper, sample editing functions velocity sensitive pads, external sequencing, usb host for a midi controller, the new Akai style arrangement mode and a high quality synth engine all in! And of course Faders!! I know I’m asking for too much

I was using my friends blackbox and allowed him to sample all my basses and guitars for it one day and showed him my circuit. We kind of traded for a second and I felt the blackbox is the closest thing I ever personally used that felt like a daw in a box. It's pretty rad.

Fun to watch it in 2023 ... It was already a statement > A quest for a groove box / daw in a box.

No er-1, no ELECTRIBE sx? Ouch!

Mpc live II and OP-1 perfect combo.

I think the basic idea is to never ever produce the „perfect“ self contained groovebox. So we keep on searching and spending ;)

I'm a true minimalist. I don't think I've ever paid more than $40 for a keyboard at the thrift stores. But now I'm tempted.

If you wanna get serious about being minimalist with gear, owning multiple groove boxes feels kind of redundant. It sounds like you've written off being able to afford the higher end models but if you sold off and consolidated your rig, I bet you could make it happen. Something like the MPC X or Maschine+ can do everything those boxes can do, all in one. I know its a huge investment but the muscle memory you build focusing on only one piece of gear is priceless. The value of learning how to really master something is whats been missing in todays GAS filled youtube gear space. Not that it matters much but I spent 5 years with just the rolland MC-505(back when it was expensive), 6 years with just the DSI Tempest (yes its actually a groovebox trust me) and have recently switched once more. Just saying that I speak as a musician who has performed live exclusively with only 1 premium grovebox at a time for awhile now. Its very rewarding and not as costly as you might think, so as long as your not constantly shifting gear. Anyways sorry for the long comment. I really enjoyed the video!

You should try the older, 2000s electribes! They're not as "capable" as more modern grooveboxes but they have really, REALLY interesting sounds. (they're also super cheap, $150-350 or so)

I've also been on the quest for the best groovebox for two years and i think i found my perfect one with a combo : digitakt + mpc1000 (JJOS2XL). I use the mpc for everything sampling related (which is unmatched by any other groovebox imo) through the digitakt sequencer which brings in all the programing and randomness i enjoy. Also with the ability to Parameter Lock a single step through cc command directly to any of my synth, i can sample it back into the mpc, chop it to the mpc pad and sequence them back throught the digitakt, it's my dream come true. I don't even have to mute/unmute tracks, the combo plays by itself with the probabilty trigger.

I have been on a similar journey and ended up with the Digitone as I found I really enjoyed the sound design aspect, it ticks most boxes for me except for the samples, but you can easily hook up and have audio through with the Circuit and Electribe to make up for that.

Try the Polyend Tracker

What U think about the Akai Force ? Would Love to see u making a Video about the Akai Force.

Just one note, you can laod either firmware on the electribe so you can switch from sample to synth and reverse.

I’m a huge Elektron fan, and I enjoyed the M:C but it’s super niche like you said. But I have a Digitakt and Digitone (and have had Octatrack and RYTM) and think they’re both perfect grooveboxes, Digitakt especially

Hey Gabe, as always, great video. It provides a really nice overview of some of the more modern grooveboxes today. I would say I have about 15years on you, but we are similar in preferring hardware based setups. I’ve used the previous generations Electribes (with the tubes) for everything. What stopped me from getting the newer models was the lack of a song mode. Now the thought is that when I pick one up, I know that luck will have it that Korg releases a new one. Lol. However, about a month ago I did pick up a Circuit. This purchase was largely inspired by your videos. There actually was a pretty big learning curve for me because the Electribes were all I knew. Upon getting over the curve I have to say that I’m absolutely in love with the Circuit. It’s just immediate, it makes sense, mistakes can be rewarding, the amount Novation has put and continues to put into it is unbelievable (session chain PLEASE!), but most of all it has broken my routine for creating music and re-inspired me again. So if I had to pick just one groovebox right now, It would definitively have to be the Circuit. (But yes, everything about the Deluge makes me drool uncontrollably. Lol)

Mpc live is the closest thing to everything in one portable package IMO

I appreciate you sharing your perspective, Gabe. I'm perhaps a different viewer, finding myself going "wow, I'm old enough now that people much younger than me can still be old enough have a lot of knowledge to share!" And I very much dislike edm. Not what I enjoy listening to, or making. I'm more bedroom strange, and uneasy sounds. All that said, I very much enjoy and appreciate your vids, and learning from you!

Thank you for posting! I have yet to jump into the groove box/drum machine yet. Oddly I thinking of diving into the deep side of the pool with the Native Instruments Maschine + (for the self contained groove box and the normal NI control interface for Maschine....). I see and know the advantage of an interface for a DAW, but there is something more “Real” for myself to have a groove box... that and my computer is often doing video editing and rendering, and when I do that.. obviously using a DAW at that time would be sluggish beyond reason. That or a 2nd newer computer for music. The roland gear looks great.. I have been looking online at Roland’s TR8 when it came out, and the TR8-s... now their other newer products.. I have the Roland VT-4 which is a great voice changer box (all live, no recording then playing with filters in post) so I can change my tone live and adjust the filters/reverb etc live. For me more enjoyable than recording 10 versions and then playing with 10 versions with 20 different filtration paths in post. I’ll look closer at the Novation as a stand alone starter groove box as well. Thank you again for posting...

I've been using Digitone Keys and Digitakt lately. Digitone Keys is not portable by any means, but I use it at home usually with Digitakt. The sound design on both devices really ticks all the boxes for me. Digitakt is somewhat portable with an energy bank and ripcord which makes it a groove box the way you define it. I use RK-002 from Retrokits via midi loopback to make Digitakt polyphonic. If you don't want to play songs live, the midi loopback also allows for a DIY song mode, that is, sending program changes from midi tracks to inform the Digitakt which pattern to play next. For me, this is the perfect setup at the moment. I think I'm 'stuck' with them for a while as I feel like I haven't used even half of the potential Digitakt and Digitakt Keys have to offer.

Stop the search . It's the FORCE! ;)

Problem is- I’m scared to buy it, and scared that i would buy it and won’t help me continue my dnb to create for my other songs.

Mista bishi and jay data are amazing with an Electribe. I’ve owned all these as well even buy an op 1 3 times and getting an Mc 707 and 101 and almost every elektron box haha I’d say the electribe could be the best and most fun IF ONLY you could nudge steps just off the grid....you can but it takes a minute. The synth and the sampler are probably my favorites. And I did own the circuit before a bunch of it’s updates

As a huge groove box fan I enjoyed this video and will now be subscribing. In my journey over the last almost 15 years I have come to the conclusion there will never be a "best" groove box. I think it's more about the interaction between the user and the gear. Prime exaple is the Roland SP404 (sampler?) A seemingly limited device with an almost non defined work flow. Once you escape the limitations you can do some fairly complicated and unique tricks. I think limitations in groove boxes are important, if you wanted a DAW in a box, you would get a laptop. The idea of an all inclusive production box is alluring but maybe un-realistic. I'm sure you don't keep all the factory sounds on the Circuit. So if you are sampling or loading sounds you now have to use a second something and therefore your all in one box kind of goes out the window. All this said my personal favorite is the electribe2 for all in one because it has just enough limitations and you can synthesize your own original sounds from waveforms. Now my personal favorite would be the electribe2Sampler because I'm not dedicated enough to create a library of original sounds on the electribe. Also when used with other gear the electribe2Sampler is soooo powerful and useable. Runner up would be the Deluge, it's a DAW in a box, has a powerfull synthesis engine and a SP404 anti DAW workflow. All around though the creative flow from thought in my mind to audio the Korg Electribe2 is my go to. I will be the first to say it is not the best groove box, not even the best groove box I own, but it's my favorite.

Great video. I use an MPC live 2 and am very happy with it.

Great video, i really love your style!

I am an Electribe fan and have all of them with the exception of the last two samplers. My last purchase was the MPC Live which I believe to be the closest to being a DAW in a box, however mastering the MPC is like mastering a DAW.I think the basic rule is the more a kit can do the harder the work flow. As I own the Roland SPD-15 AND 20 Handsonics I may purchases a Roland box as the MC-101 and or 707 literally have 90% of the current Roland sounds. For performing live an efx unit like the Pioneer rmx 1000 can completely remix a track with just a button press and or knob twist.

I am a Unity Developer and I love the OP Z. If you ever get it in your hand, please make a Video. Form a Developer Perspective this is like a Big Door Opener for Groove Boxes.

Have you ever thought about the Polyend Tracker? I don't know if trackers are something you'd be interested in. I've been eyeing one and kind of find the workflow interesting.

MC-707 is the answer

DAW in a box? They used to call those multitrack workstations. Still do. :)