presets amount is vast and you have custom samples. If we get a software editor at some point, even custom tone making might become an option? Someone swapped SD cards between the 707 & 101 and the 101 reproduced the 707 projects perfectly (as long as they only had 4 tracks), so the support for customizable tones on the 101 is already onboard… there’s just no way to access all the parameters on the 101 itself.
Someone with a 707 really needs to start making decent tone soundpacks for us 101 users!
Per track EQ, Cut Res and ADR plus vibrato, portamento etc. I think per pad for drum tracks (ie samples).
So limited but can be effective, depending on your goal, particularly if you then mangle with FX.
It is the sheer number of presets (thousands I think) that frees you up.
Not synthesis tweaking though but you can find sounds that fit any purpose.
In a way this reminds me of the times I started making music with Cakewalk MIDI seq and a Yamaha CS1X. The multitimbral engine on the CS1X was very weak, so all we could do for “sound design” was to endlessly cycle through presets to find a sound that worked.
That was aight and all - in 1994 Today it feels very limiting. Well at least we can do it on the couch/bed now and the sequencer is integrated, but… meh
I haven’t used my 101 in weeks… kinda forgot I bought it already. If it wasn’t for the programmable scatter mode, I would have returned it already. I REALLY hope we get an editor at some point to unlock the synthesis…
I wonder whether a Roland editor might merely be a librarian to upload a file and thus a bit useless…
I’m still in honeymoon phase with the 101.
With some tweaking of what’s available you get right away from the stock sounds. Though you travel the path the machine has rather than control anything verging on actual synthesis.
I guess I might be a cheesemeister at heart as romplers still excite my creativity in composing beyond a few bars of a loop. Real synths I just get lost in making patches and then lose my enthusiasm to make an actual arrangement
I know what you mean… and I do like rimplers myself. Its just that at the end of the day, I think I prefer making “rompler submerge d tech” in Gadget as layering the rompler stacks is so satisfying! I could easily blow all 4 tracks on the 101 for just one rompler layer stack, leaving no tracks left for drums… 707 would be much more ideal for this than the 101, as you could make rompler stack sounds directly on one track (not to mention 8 tracks vs 4).
i can relate to that a lot.
But similar happens to me when fighting through a endless list of boring presets. I haven‘t had a synth yet, where the presets met my taste.
I will not go to 707 because I’m already committed to Akai and elektron. The 101 was an impulse buy for me that will keep my OT safe from casual gig hazards. The 707 would been one big box more that I would have to divide my attention with, and I couldn’t justify the larger price either. Once the force gets songmode, I won’t be missing much, and the scatter I only need for one specific project I’m cookin up.
If making custom tones ever becomes possible on the 101, the diff between the 101 & 707 will be entirely tolerable.
Played around with MC-101 for a week, then returned. For portability - wasn’t bad option (esp w/battery), but was a little “too big” to carry around in workbag/play on a commute. Literally comes with no cables which I thought was weak. Quality of build is plastic like a Volca. Knob and sliders weren’t bad (medium quality), pads were stiff and probably not something you want to play on for a long time.
The synth sounds were fun, and not bad honestly. You get a LOT of presets in this guy. And the lights are sure perty. For deeper review - Bo Beats did a nice review on the unit, so I’d recommend checking it out.
However, pains for me…
menu diving
knobs were really close together
stiff pads
issues with buzzing with USB cable (when batteries were also in the unit)
issues with buzzing with stereo outputs
definitely a groove box which is how it’s marketed, and has the limitations of one.
I could have had a defective unit (tried multiple cables, went direct to monitors, etc.).
Love my MC 101, wont go the 707 route, it isnt worth the price diff imo.
101 just needs a lil editor, or nice 707 users (or people cross using both, it seems some people have both and find both useful in different ways) that share their 4 track tones or projects to 101 users. Even if that never happens, the FXs and the ton of presets you can use, the fun you have going in and out of breaks with the faders will keep me busy for a while.
Menu diving isnt that bad at all, most features are a shift and button away or mod wheel scroll away. That is way people should expect with such a small form factor.
For people with nice big studios with fixed space for machines the 707 is probably the better choice.
My studio instead is more of a big table around a big screen with a decent Ableton operating laptop and decent monitoring speakers.
A lot of stuff moves around.
Only A4 and AR MKIIs stay put, the rest gets moved a lot.
The next day a couple portable machines could be interconnected next to the sofa to play around with glimpses of ideas before recording the output to Blackbox and back to the studio for more fun…
All in all I suggest you get the machine you ll feel you ll get the more fun with.
I’ve completely lost it and gone all MFB now. Tanzgear all over the desk, and the Club as well. 707’s on sale, but no one’s biting, despite my price drop.
The locals here just can’t be bothered with Roland’s new effort, it seems. While in the end it wasn’t for me, I still think the 707 is an impressive accomplishment in terms of what a funk box can do. Now, how to do it, though … that’s where Roland lost me. Or potentially, where I got lost. Either way, someone lost something. Me, money. On an impulse buy. From which I’m still redeeming myself.
Been using the mc-101 now for a day. While it is still very early especially for me to even give an opinion - I must say I’m captivated by this little machine.
Had a trap style beat laid down with some melodies within 10 minutes of switching it on. a very easy to pick and get stuck in kind of machine. And super fun. The scatter effect is just Amazingly satisfying and fun to experiment with.
And the presets… Jesus Christ the presets. Could maybe be said that there are too many, but the choice is immense and there is a lot of classic Roland gear in there too. At this point I will only be adding a small number of my own samples as there is just a massive number to work with already.
Build quality I’m actually impressed with. It is plastic but it’s a very dense plastic that feels exceptionally rigid. There was a mention above about pads feeling stiff on the 101 but I would disagree, as they are not VS they are like a squidgy button that has some travel to trigger a sound. But still very nice for basic finger drumming.
Knobs and faders all feel great, the rgb lighting actually proves to be incredible Useful especially as you can designate a colour to a track.
Haven’t scratched the surface beyond some basic loops as I have had it 24 hours. Haven’t even looked at the clips section or even used the effects heavily. Going to put it through it’s paces over the weekend.
In summary, I love it so far. I’m very excited.
Now strongly considering getting a 1010 music blackbox to pair with this. To think you can have both of these boxes for less than an octatrsck with essentially massively more functionality and a smaller portable footprint with no computer is just insane.
I’m already picturing my trip to Amsterdam in January, jamming in the hotel late at night with both these bad boys.
had no buzzing issues at all… so u must have had a groundloop somewhere. these are easy to solve with ali express dongles removing the groundloop for audio… or for usb
for a preset machine the presets are pretty awesome … i have owed quite a few romplers over the year… this one sonically being very deep and versatile and representing Roland Synt history
the drum-tracks could have been using the tr-8 algoritm… tuning down the drum-samples on the mc-101 doesnt keep the same transients and becomes a bit to grainy (for my taste)
Totally agree on the sound profile. The presets were REALLY good. Just didn’t like having to twist the knob on multiple iterations before landing on what I wanted (used to Maschine and Ableton - so perhaps I’m just not used to solo hardware yet). Thanks for feedback on the groundloop.
I am mostly using it with the Blackbox.
Its a great match.
Sampling with the BB is so easy, you can just play something with the 101, sample it right away, mangle it a bit, and build up weird variations in a heartbeat.
I love the fact that you can get a solid beat going pretty fast with the 101 and then have a shit ton of presets to sample to the BB and superpose or play at different times, litterally quadrupling the 4 tracks if needed.
and then you can take the projects on the computer to refine later on if you feel that the jam went somewhere
Today it feels very limiting. Well at least we can do it on the couch/bed now and the sequencer is integrated, but… meh