Roland MC-505
Encyclopedia
The Roland
MC-505 is a combination of MIDI sequencer/arranger
, synthesizer
, and drum machine
with built-in real-time Arpeggiator, LFO, VCF
and Envelope Knobs for tweaking. It has no Sampler
feature built-in.
Released in 1998, it is the successor to the Roland MC-303
and is a compact version of the Roland JX-305
Groovesynth without the full set of 61 keys.
It has a small LCD screen, and two big red LED displays
.
It is a predecessor to the Roland D2, Roland MC-307
, Roland MC-909
and the new Roland MC-808
.
. The size of the LCD screen makes it difficult to read each feature setting, and over time the LCD screen would lose pixels (which in some cases renders the screen unreadable). This issue is due to the heat on the LCD screen-PCB
board, the lamination between the crystal and the PCB
is opening/splitting up from the little heat inside the Roland MC-505 from prolonged use. Roland
has fixed this by updating the LCD screen component
.
System Version Procedures:
While holding TEMPO/MIXER, PTN/SONG, and PATCH, press keyboard pads 12, 14, and 16 in order. Repeatedly press pad 16 to access SYS version, CPU version, and DAT version. The latest OS is ver. 1.07 to this date, no further updates have been reported, or any plans to make another OS update.
The current unsolved problems at the present moment are:
Other Links:
Roland Corporation
is a Japanese manufacturer of electronic musical instruments, electronic equipment and software. It was founded by Ikutaro Kakehashi in Osaka on April 18, 1972, with ¥33 million in capital. In 2005 Roland's headquarters relocated to Hamamatsu in Shizuoka Prefecture. Today it has factories in Japan,...
MC-505 is a combination of MIDI sequencer/arranger
Music sequencer
The music sequencer is a device or computer software to record, edit, play back the music, by handling note and performance information in several forms, typically :...
, synthesizer
Synthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
, and drum machine
Drum machine
A drum machine is an electronic musical instrument designed to imitate the sound of drums or other percussion instruments. They are used in a variety of musical genres, not just purely electronic music...
with built-in real-time Arpeggiator, LFO, VCF
Voltage-controlled filter
A voltage-controlled filter is a filter whose operating characteristics can be controlled by means of a control voltage applied to one or more inputs...
and Envelope Knobs for tweaking. It has no Sampler
Sampler (musical instrument)
A sampler is an electronic musical instrument similar in some respects to a synthesizer but, instead of generating sounds, it uses recordings of sounds that are loaded or recorded into it by the user and then played back by means of a keyboard, sequencer or other triggering device to perform or...
feature built-in.
Released in 1998, it is the successor to the Roland MC-303
Roland MC-303
The Roland MC-303 is the first of a series of musical instruments known as a Groovebox. It combines a simple sound module with a sequencer to record and store notation, along with controls aimed at encouraging the musician to improvise the music while it is playing...
and is a compact version of the Roland JX-305
Roland JX-305
The Roland JX-305 Groovesynth synthesizer was produced in 1998 by Roland. It is very similar to a Roland MC-505 with an additional set of 61 keys. The keyboard is sensitive to velocity and has channel aftertouch...
Groovesynth without the full set of 61 keys.
It has a small LCD screen, and two big red LED displays
Light-emitting diode
A light-emitting diode is a semiconductor light source. LEDs are used as indicator lamps in many devices and are increasingly used for other lighting...
.
It is a predecessor to the Roland D2, Roland MC-307
Roland MC-307
The Roland MC-307 is a combination of MIDI music sequencer, synthesizer, drum machine and control surface produced by the Roland Corporation. This combination is commonly referred to by Roland as a 'Groovebox'...
, Roland MC-909
Roland MC-909
The Roland MC-909 groovebox combines the features of a synthesizer, sequencer, and sampler. It was released by Roland Corporation on October 8, 2002. This product was announced at the AES Fall Convention in 2002...
and the new Roland MC-808
Roland MC-808
The Roland MC-808 is Roland's latest Groovebox, announced at the Winter NAMM in 2006. It is the successor to the late Roland MC-303, Roland MC-307, Roland MC-505 and Roland MC-909. Though cheaper than the Roland MC-909, it has a number of features the Roland MC-909 lacked including double the...
.
Features
The key features of the MC-505 are:- Sound generator with 64 noteNoteIn music, the term note has two primary meanings:#A sign used in musical notation to represent the relative duration and pitch of a sound;#A pitched sound itself....
- voiceSpeech synthesisSpeech synthesis is the artificial production of human speech. A computer system used for this purpose is called a speech synthesizer, and can be implemented in software or hardware...
polyphonyPolyphonyIn music, polyphony is a texture consisting of two or more independent melodic voices, as opposed to music with just one voice or music with one dominant melodic voice accompanied by chords .... - 8-track MIDI sequencer + Mute Ctrl Track
- 714 onboard dance music patterns, 200 user patterns, 50 songs
- 512 built-in sounds and 26 rhythm sets (includes the Roland CR-78Roland CR-78The Roland CompuRhythm CR-78 is a drum machine launched in 1978. Although primitive by today's standards, the CR-78 represented an important advance in drum machine technology at the time...
, TR-606, TR-808 & TR-909) - Digital subtractive synthesis engine for creating original sounds (similar to the Roland JD-800Roland JD-800The JD-800 was a digital synthesizer released by Roland in 1991. The synthesizer featured many knobs and sliders for patch editing and performance control - features which some manufacturers, including Roland, had been omitting in the name of 'streamlining' since the inception of Yamaha's DX-7...
) - D-BeamD-BeamThe D-Beam Controller is a Roland Synthesizers interface that controls sound and effects via hand movements interacting with an infrared beam of light. Although controlled in a similar manner to a theremin, it should not be confused with one. The theremin operates with radio frequencies.It was...
Controller - MEGAMix - function for intuitive realtime mixing of beats and patterns
- 5 volt SmartmediaSmartMediaSmartMedia is a flash memory card standard owned by Toshiba, with capacities ranging from 2 MB to 128 MB. SmartMedia memory cards are no longer manufactured.- History :...
card slot for expanding user patch and pattern memory
Criticisms
The Roland MC-505 has no SamplerSampler (musical instrument)
A sampler is an electronic musical instrument similar in some respects to a synthesizer but, instead of generating sounds, it uses recordings of sounds that are loaded or recorded into it by the user and then played back by means of a keyboard, sequencer or other triggering device to perform or...
. The size of the LCD screen makes it difficult to read each feature setting, and over time the LCD screen would lose pixels (which in some cases renders the screen unreadable). This issue is due to the heat on the LCD screen-PCB
Printed circuit board
A printed circuit board, or PCB, is used to mechanically support and electrically connect electronic components using conductive pathways, tracks or signal traces etched from copper sheets laminated onto a non-conductive substrate. It is also referred to as printed wiring board or etched wiring...
board, the lamination between the crystal and the PCB
Printed circuit board
A printed circuit board, or PCB, is used to mechanically support and electrically connect electronic components using conductive pathways, tracks or signal traces etched from copper sheets laminated onto a non-conductive substrate. It is also referred to as printed wiring board or etched wiring...
is opening/splitting up from the little heat inside the Roland MC-505 from prolonged use. Roland
Roland
Roland was a Frankish military leader under Charlemagne who became one of the principal figures in the literary cycle known as the Matter of France. Historically, Roland was military governor of the Breton March, with responsibility for defending the frontier of Francia against the Bretons...
has fixed this by updating the LCD screen component
Electronic component
An electronic component is a basic electronic element and may be available in a discrete form having two or more electrical terminals . These are intended to be connected together, usually by soldering to a printed circuit board, in order to create an electronic circuit with a particular function...
.
Unsolved bugs
It has been reported that the Roland MC-505 will lock up during recording operations if the transport (Stop, Play, Rec, Fwd, Rev) buttons are pressed quickly in succession during a recording process. Upgrading to OS v1.07 fixes this to some extent, as will slowing down button presses when changing Recording Modes.System Version Procedures:
While holding TEMPO/MIXER, PTN/SONG, and PATCH, press keyboard pads 12, 14, and 16 in order. Repeatedly press pad 16 to access SYS version, CPU version, and DAT version. The latest OS is ver. 1.07 to this date, no further updates have been reported, or any plans to make another OS update.
The current unsolved problems at the present moment are:
- If the Roland MC-505 does lock up, there is no solution but to turn it off and start over. For this reason, it makes sense to back up regularly while recording.
External links
MC-505 PDF Manual Links:Other Links:
- Roland US Corporation, MC-505 site and files.
- http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/mc505/Roland MC-505's discussion Group Forum, at Yahoo! GroupsYahoo! GroupsYahoo! Groups is one of the world’s largest collections of online discussion boards. The term Groups refers to Internet communication which is a hybrid between an electronic mailing list and a threaded Internet forum, in other words, Group messages can be read and posted by e-mail or on the Group's...
] - Various Usage Tips
- Roland MC-505 FAQ v.1.041
- Sound on Sound review
- "Roland MC505 - next up from the mc303 comes the 505 - same thing, more power". - (Dancetech.com "A London, UK Independent Product Reviews site". - Date: March 16, 2000)
- At Home With the Groovebox - Compilation of artists using only the MC-505 featuring BeckBeckBeck Hansen is an American musician, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, known by the stage name Beck...
, Air, Sonic YouthSonic YouthSonic Youth is an American alternative rock band from New York City, formed in 1981. The current lineup consists of Thurston Moore , Kim Gordon , Lee Ranaldo , Steve Shelley , and Mark Ibold .In their early career, Sonic Youth was associated with the No Wave art and music scene in New York City...
, PavementPavementPavement may refer to:* Road surface, the durable surfacing of roads and walkways* Sidewalk, a walkway along the side of a road, in British English or Philadelphia/Baltimore dialect* Pavement , a floor-like stone or tile structure...
, Jean Jacques Perrey, Gershon KingsleyGershon KingsleyGershon Kingsley a contemporary German American composer, is well known as a pioneer of electronic music and the Moog synthesizer and founder of the First Moog Quartet, as a partner in the famous electronic music duo Perrey and Kingsley, and for his rock-inspired compositions for Jewish religious...
, Cibo MattoCibo MattoCibo Matto are a New York City-based band formed by two Japanese women, Yuka Honda and Miho Hatori, in 1994...
, Sean LennonSean Lennonis an American singer, songwriter, musician, guitarist and actor. He is the only child of John Lennon and Yoko Ono. His godfather is Sir Elton John.-Early life and education:...
and others. Released in 2000 by Grand RoyalGrand RoyalGrand Royal was the Los Angeles, California based vanity record label set up in 1992 by the Beastie Boys in conjunction with Capitol Records after the group left Def Jam Recordings....
.