Roland MC-101 Groovebox Drum Machine, Sampler and Sequencer
Pocket-sized battery-powered production toolkit!
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Want to Click and Collect or try items at our Guildford Store?
The store is open 10am - 6pm Monday to Saturday and 11am - 5pm Sunday and bank holidays.
The stock information shows the quantity of units that are available to purchase at the Guildford store and the quantity of units that are available at our off-site Guildford warehouse. These stock levels are updated in real time.
Our Click and Collect service is available at our Guildford store from 10am - 6pm Monday to Saturday, and 11am - 5pm on Sunday. You can either choose click and collect as your delivery option online or, during store opening hours, call our sales team at 01483 456777 to place a 10% deposit.
If you have placed your order online, you will receive a confirmation email of your order and a separate follow-up text or email to confirm when your item is ready for collection.
Please do not come to the store before you have received the follow-up message, as your order may not yet be ready at the store.
If the only available stock is in our off-site warehouse it can be brought to the store location for you to try - you just need to contact the store within opening hours. Please note any requests received after 3.30pm will not arrive at the store until the following morning.
Please be aware that, unless you have paid a deposit to reserve the item, it will continue to be free, both online and in-store, for another customer to buy. Therefore we would advise you to place a 10% deposit by either using the on-line click and collect service or calling us 01483 456777.
SKU: MC101
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Product Description
Roland are responsible for some of the most iconic drum machines and production gear of all time. With the MC-101, they’ve demonstrated their groovebox prowess, combining classic Roland sound with cutting-edge functionality. Equal parts drum machine, synthesizer, sampler, sequencer and controller, this is a production powerhouse that’s armed to the teeth – it even runs off AA batteries!
Portable Beat-Making
Just like the classic 707, 808 and 909 drum machines, the MC-101 is designed with quick, punchy groove-making in mind, but with a pocket-sized portable form factor. You’ve got 4 assignable tracks at your disposal, with 16 ultra-sensitive pads for playing or sequencing drums, basslines or chord progressions.
Add a wealth of onboard sounds, easy sequencing and sampling tools, and 5-hour AA battery power, and you’ve got the ability to create a professional-sounding track end-to-end.
Studio Quality Synths & Effects
The MC-101 comes equipped with a mixture of classic and state-of-the-art sounds with DAW-like flexibility, all in one place. And yes, it includes the Roland classics: TR-808, TR-909, TB-303, JUNO-106, and SH-101.
You can take these incredible sounds a step further with the MC-101’s built-in effects. All 4 tracks have independent effects processors with a huge number of variations. From lush modulation to mind-bending ambience, amp simulation to wild distortion. Add the final touch with master effects like filters, bit-crushers and bus compression for polished punchiness.
Intuitive Controls & Connectivity
Those familiar with Roland’s line-up may recognise the control panel as being similar to their Aira series but in a pocket-sized design. Vibrant backlit pads, intuitive faders, an easily-navigable button layout. The addition of a handy screen makes tracking and composing easier than ever.
MIDI in/out, stereo output and a headphone connector allows you to easily integrate the MC-101 into your existing rig. Whether you want it as a DAW controller or a fully-fledged centerpiece, it can hack it. You can connect it via USB and use as an interface; all 4 tracks can be individually recorded into your DAW.
Work with Samples
Import your own sampled sounds to use them within drum and tone tracks to create your own custom kits and synths.
Clip Chain Function
Each of the MC-101s 4 tracks contains 16 slots for sequences called Clips. You can chain your clips together, so they play in a specific order, allowing you to create a song by automating changes between different sections.
Intuitive Performance Tools
Bored of playing with a chromatic keyboard? No problem, set the MC-101 in any number of different scales to perform in new exciting ways whilst always staying in key with your track, while the chord designer function lets you create custom chords and assign them to a single key press. If you are a traditional keyboard player, plug in an external midi controller to play the MC-101 sounds and change parameters over its MIDI input.
Whichever way you choose to record, you can either work quantised to a grid, completely unquantized to capture the true human performance, or somewhere in between for a little natural shuffle.
Computerless Setup
The MC101 can be used in a computerless setup with a Midi controller allowing you start your creative workflow wherever you are.
Share & Collaborate
Download additional sound packs from Roland Cloud to expand the 3000 built in tones. Even better, save and export your own custom sounds to share with friends or use within the Roland Cloud Zenology plug-in.
Version 1.60 Update
With the new Version 1.60 update, the MC-101 GROOVEBOXES continue to evolve with inspiring features for music creation and live performance.
A powerful new arpeggiator livens up your productions with tasty melodic lines and real-time control over motif, rhythmic variation, octave, and hold on/off.
USB generic driver mode lets you connect your MC GROOVEBOX directly to a smartphone or tablet, great for producing with Zenbeats app (available on IOS, Android, Windows, and Mac) or your favourite DAW.
Random Tone Generator sparks fresh ideas with multiple algorithmic options that create interesting new tones on the fly.
Expanded ZEN-Core compatibility lets you import Sound Pack drum kits in addition to instrument tones.
Video Manual
Want some help getting started with your MC-101? Roland have created a full video manual to help you along the way.
Specifications
- Sound Engine: ZEN-Core (Tone, Drum Kit)
- Maximum Polyphony: ZEN-Core: 128 voices (varies according to the sound generator load), Looper: 4 (varies according to the available number of Looper track)
- Tracks: 4 tracks
- Clips: 64 clips (16 clips per track)
- Preset Tones: 3,000+
- Preset Drum Kits: 80+
- User Sample (as a Tone or Drum Kit): available by importing form SD CARD
- Looper Sample (as a clip of Looper track): available by importing from SD CARD, recording via EXT IN/Tracks
- Available total time for User Sample: 12 minutes in mono, 6 minutes in stereo (44.1 kHz)
- Available format of User Sample: WAV 32--96 kHz/16-bit, 24-bit (mono, stereo)
- Available total time for Looper Sample: Approx. 60 sec (44.1 kHz)
- Available format of Looper Sample: WAV 44.1 kHz/16-bit, 24-bit, 32-bit, 32-bit float (mono, stereo)
- Track Multi-Effects: 90 types
- Chorus/Delay: 9 types
- Reverb: 7 types
- Master Effects: 90 types
- Master Compressor
- Master EQ
- Step Sequencer Maximum Steps: 128 steps
- Looper: Time Stretch, Pitch Shift
- Display: 16 characters, 2 lines LCD (with backlit)
- External Storage: SD Card (SDHC supported) for saving Project Data and Audio Data
Connectivity
- Phones jack: Stereo 1/4-inch phone type
- Mix out (L/MONO, R) jacks: 1/4-inch phone type
- MIDI (IN, OUT) connectors
- USB port: USB B type (Audio, MIDI)
- Power: USB Bus powered
- Battery Power: Alkaline battery (AA, LR6) x 4 / Ni-MH battery (AA, HR6) x 4
Dimensions & weight
- 224(W) x 132(D) x 61(H) mm
- 8-13/16 (W) x 5-3/16 (D) x 2-7/16 (H) inches
- Weight: 716 g / 1 lb 9 oz
Accessories
- Owner's manual
- Alkaline battery (AA, LR6) x 4
- SD Card (installed in the product when shipped from the factory)
- SD Card Protector (installed in the product when shipped from the factory)