Thinking of it as a multitimbral synth is cool. You could even sequence it from the Octatrack if you want the Elektron sequencer 
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Yeah I donāt get why suddenly you need a song mode for something to be a groovebox? Song mode is like an arranger keyboard feature that some grooveboxes have in my mind. I suppose this is more just Rolands marketing calling it not a groovebox.
I still am not fully sold on zencore as a an engine for someone who likes deep sound exploration. It is a step above Rolands old pcm based 4 part engines but not a huge step beyond it, stuff is very compartmentalized still. Feels less exploratory than an engine found in like an old digital waldorf synth to me. Wish they had found a way to get like 24 voices of ACB into a device like this at a reasonable price, give people some cross patching freedom like what you could possibly do on a system 1m but between parts with in a multitimbral synth. It would probably be hard to actually make that approachable though, Roland is probably after the quick easy fun crowd a bit more with this, which is fine. Would also like to see Roland shove the n/zyme engine into something like this.
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I almost never use built sequencers on gear anymore unless it for a quick jam pattern. There are a million great M4L sequencers I would rather use. If I donāt feel like using a computer I will use the Octatrack or Polyend Play.
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I think by default it sounds clean, but Iāve heard some gritty demos. Especially the sync and ring models with a bitcrusher effect and some LFO doing some modulation.
Canāt you just copy the pattern? My understanding is that you can actually save the new patches and access them throughout projects even.
But the 101 doesnāt allow saving any of the tones you design. Well you can save in projects, but thatās a nightmare for management.
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The first groovebox was invented and marketed by Roland as such and was the MC303, it had a song mode. Now Roland claims this aināt a groovebox cause itās not marketed as such. Weāll see how Roland makes it evolve. But clearly maybe more time should have been spent on implementing a song mode rather than that useless D-Motion. Even a D-beam would have been more usefulā¦
I systematically sequence all my VST with hardware gear, because itās just simpler than using a DAW for sequencing.
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Well I preordered it. It aligns with what Iām looking for in my next device. I think the sequencer and performance workflow is good. This is definitely more of a performance device.
- 4 tracks with controls for most parameters available without menu diving or toggling between multiple screens. Gotta love the hands on control for each model.
- Most models can morph between sounds across a song and you have easy muting ability to support that transition.
- On the rhythm track you have 26 mutable drums/synths that you can individual mute. The additional sound sculpting and performing here has me pretty excited. One thing Iām curious about here is how muted sounds influence the total polyphony. I canāt imagine they would?
- The per track effects and global eq/compressor is chefās kiss
- Battery powered should just be on all devices unless you are analog and need the juice.
- An actual good UI from Roland. Seriously this is some thoughtful UX. Like the lack of endless encoders is annoying, but they added a key combo so you can move to the value without effecting sound
- Interest arpeggio options that are playful and dynamic. Pong anyone? I can see doing this when I feel stuck.
- I actually like the gyro for a tactile interaction. I hope they add it to the mod matrix. Imagine triggering some distortion on all tracks with a twist of the unit? Though I do agree a joystick might have been a better option here.
- The performance view so that the screen displays adjustments to all effects and levels further supports the idea that this is meant to perform and not program.
The sequencers are more like instruments to play vs programming a whole performance and ordering the sequence in song mode then making minor adjustments as your whole song plays out. Both are musical and creative in their own right, but itās just a different workflow.
Hopefully it ships in a reasonable time frame and we arenāt looking at a year or more until itās actually available.
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I saw that an Australian retailer said that stock has landed in the country so maybe only a week or two wait I guess.
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Price is less than 2 x Roland boutique synths here in Aus which is pretty good value considering what you get
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Curious. Can you side chain the synths to the kick drum like on the T8?
You can save the clip with the tone in it and import in another project.
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Its interestingā¦ My road to the MC101 started with the purchase of the Ax Edge Keytarā¦ I loved the sounds, but to access the partial editor via iphone app, or menu preset scrolling was horribleā¦
So I got the Mc101, because it had almost double the tones! And a sequencer to boot! But I was coming from the TR8Sā¦ and thought there would be some parallelā¦ boy was i wrongā¦ The sequencing and pattern forming and implementation is dogshit.
I got it for its wonderful sounds of legacy Roland synths, and its real instrument emulationā¦ It sounds amazing, but Id much rather sequence it from either the Syntakt or the Keystep Proā¦ any filtering, I will do via the DAWā¦ until I got the SP404ā¦ then it handles any Roland effects I needā¦
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Was it intentional to use mutable meaning ability to change and mute as in silence sound?
Thats pretty clever wordplay!
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I donāt think itās so tedious. Itās pretty straightforward imo. Maybe it lacks some cool elektron features but the elektrons lack some stuff too that the mc101 offers
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I had the MC 707 and even that was a pain to edit. Simple things like you had to turn a knob 300 times to low cut a snare, menus in menus in menus. Even the MC 505 is easier to make basic sound shaping and mixing on (filter, amp envelope, lfo, pitch, fx etc)
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If they ever make an MC 909 with acb drums, some nice VA, sample playback, proper hands on control and a decent sequencer, Iāll be all over it 
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Yes!
Regrettably you are right regarding the full feature set beeing distributed over several Elektron boxes.
However it might be that later on ST will be canibalized by Sh-4d or whatever will be launched by competitors this year.
Elektronās relatively high prices are an unmissable invitation to enter their markets.
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Can we request a video on exactly this: SH4D sequenced by the Octatrack.
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$930 AUD = Hard Pass