Electrowerks Review

Electrowerks Review:

Roland MC-505 Groovebox
by Ken Micallef

With Roland's history of manufacturing innovative modules and machines which have defined the sound of techno, house, acid, breakbeat and beyond, it was only a matter of time, and marketing, before this savvy corporation created an all purpose 22nd Century sound box for the masses. The MC-505 builds on the strengths and addresses the weaknesses of the original Groovebox, the MC-303. Many complained about the 303's 28 voice polyphony (too crowded, not enough sounds), dinky array of drumsets, corny presets, and lack of adequate inputs and outputs. But everyone loved the 303's realistic approximation of the classic 909 bass drum, SH-101 bass sounds, and Jupiter 8 strings. Overall, it seemed less than an ideal all-in-one union of Roland's classic sound machines, but still packed a wallop of fun.

The 505 picks up and powers forward the original 303. One look at the 505 reveals a more densely outfitted and feature packed front panel, but looks aren't all. Round back, Roland includes a welcome array of inputs/inputs (three stereo/6 mono), and inside, a new sound chip, LFO, an enhanced sequencing section with increased note storage, step filtering, and ADSR envelope controls. Most welcome is the all new 64 voice polyphony, 512 sounds and 712 presets (over the 303's 448 sounds), and 26 drum sets (vs 303's 12).

One of the coolest new features on the 505 is the D-Beam Controller, which made its debut on Roland's Groovesampler. Acting like an electric Theremin of sorts, the D Beam is an infra-red beam which you control by waving your hand over the beam in mid air, causing whatever sound you have dialed in to contort, time-bend and pitch-bend like you are fingering the pitch wheel on an old Arp Odyssey keyboard. It's a bit gimmicky, but once you get the hang of it, you'll look like a DJ snake charmer and make even cooler sounds.

Retailing for around 1300 bucks, the Roland MC-505 brings the classic sounds of yesteryear screaming into your pro studio or bedroom rig. Guaranteed to lighten the load of the pro who doesn't want to carry his vintage gear from gig to gig, the 505 also enables enterprising musicians to mix and match classic sounds into contemporary dance-ready mixes.