The Search for the Best Groovebox
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- Опубліковано 18 жов 2020
- I recount my journey to find the best groovebox ever while becoming a part of the UA-cam synth nerd community. I talk about my experiences with the Novation Circuit, the OP-1, the Korg Electribe 2, the Roland MC-101, the PO-33 KO, and the Model:Cycles, as well as exciting future of the groovebox and standalone music production station world.
Check out the Novation Circuit: www.zzounds.com/a--3972602/it...
Check out the Korg Electribe 2: www.zzounds.com/a--3972602/it...
Check out the Roland MC-101: www.zzounds.com/a--3972602/it...
Edited by Coastland Creative: www.coastlandcreative.com
I am aware that the title is pretty similar to the Knobs video about grooveboxes... I hadn't come across it until this video was already finished, and the focus is pretty different. His video is well worth a watch: • A Playdate with Percus...
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I know that the title is pretty similar to part of the title of the video by Knobs, which I hadn't seen until after finishing this video. I double checked, and his video goes in a pretty different direction, and is well worth a watch: ua-cam.com/video/BgdwEZ3J2lg/v-deo.html
Would love to see Gabe and others rank their grooveboxes in categories like, sound quality, workflow, what styles they work best for etc.
Lol , go away with you toys and try a radikal tech. spectralis
LOL at op-1 ...It haa the crappiest dsp algoritms ever ..
@@WARDISWARD go home you're drunk
I don’t think the Cycles sounds dinky. I think the bass sounds huge for me. I actually have a hard time dialing it back to make room for synths in the mix. My only gripe with it is not really being able to control the amplitude envelopes super well. I think the metallic drum timbres sound really natural and have lots of nice texture, especially if you use the LFOs wisely. I just wish the sound design went a little deeper, but then you’d probably lose a lot of the immediacy of it, which makes it so brilliant, and it’d probably be more expensive. It’s really dirt cheap for what it does. You can always get a Digitone if you want to dive deeper. But I think FM is actually really amazing for bass. The fundamental really comes through. I think a lot of analog wave forms have a hard time holding up in a mix with heavy synthesizer sounds compared to FM.
Hi Gabe, my opinion ... you speak really well but I miss to listen at least for some seconds the devices when you are speaking about them. Honestly, sometimes I don’t understand what you mean exactilly but it would change if I can listen it. Thank you, good luck.
I’m a guitar live-looping hobby artist, and ‘ve never been into the electronic music world. I was looking for a machine to make beats to play along with, and your channel sold me on the Circuit.
Thank you, thank you, thank you! I’m having so much fun with it and it fit and enriched my guitar playing significantly. I’m not too good at sound design or finger drumming or whatever else electronic producers do, but this device is so easy to use for a newcomer like me that it does not matter. It’s capabilities grow along with my skills and I would instantly buy Circuit 2 if it is ever released.
Your passion is contagious. Keep on keeping on, man!
Don’t do it sir. Go with the Deluge. Your looping will only be limited by your memory if you do.
Daw in a box? MPC. They are far more than hiphop machines. The ability to have midi over USB makes it an ideal brain for your synths. Quickly recording, Undo or overdubbing are so awesome to have and help just trying things until it works.
Def. Mpc.
The MPC controls my entire external hardware collection and controls the tempos
I agree totally. I got an mpc500, and an (unfortunately) half broken MPC2000.
And they can be used only as hiphop-machines.
but u can use sampled synths (I got a 128mb sample and project-example CF-card with synth sounds, trumpets etc) or sampled anything.
also drumming is great on the mpc(at least after modding my MPC500s rubberpads with bike-rubber).
I also wish my Circuit tracks had an Undo-button as the MPCs has. And I wish it could have a count-in before recording on the Circuit, as any software has as any MPC has.
pet peeves maybe..
MPCs, I only vouch for the used older ones because I think the new ones are way too expensive imho.
Check out the Polyend Tracker. I love it and it just got a major update.
Great video! As much of a fan of the Electribes as I am, I’d say one negative is Korg’s lack of ongoing development in this line. Still, they are wonderful machines.
Honestly GarageBand is super innovative and way underrated and I really hope they make something like a GarageBand groovebox with the ability to load new synth and drum sounds on top of its large library in the future.
Yeah I used to make music on my phone for around 3 years up until December 2023. Something happened and now I can’t make music on my phone, so I moved to my computer and noticed that making music with my hands was way more fun. Now I’ve ordered a novation rhythm, and the future for me is dawless!
For me the Akai Force (especially since october) is the “groovebox” i always dream, its incredibly powerful for performing, and for secuence complete songs and at the moment is pretty cheap, check it men.
The macros function is mind blowing.
The “downside” could be that this machine is huge and heavy (but i dont care really), its the real Daw in a Box.
Yes i 110% appreciate with you,, i like that. Machine very much !!!!
Idk if it qualifies as cheap, but it does look dope. It's definitely something I need to look more into
@@GabeMillerMusic
Yeah right 😂
I mean it is at the level of MpcX and M+ for half and 2/3 of their price respectibly
This kind of “cheap”
3.05 is a gamechanger for Akai Force which i also recently bought... I’m going to team it up with the MPC And a TR6S.
@@GabeMillerMusic there is nada like the Akai Force - Circa + Post THE LAST HUGE UPDATE! Its in a League Of its Own + A COMPLETE BEAST - Gush, Gush, Gush! Oh + Did I Mention That The AF Onboard Synths IMO Surpass or Are Defo On PAR With The Roland MC101 Et Al. 👀 My Guy - in Short “You Need The Akai Force in Yo’ Life” AND I Can Guarantee CLUNKY Or Not - It’ll Earn its Place in Yo’ SYNHEART 🤪😉 Oooops Heart As Yo’ “GOTO DAW Right Up There With The Novation Circuit - But With A Mo’ POWERFUL, Diverse + Pristine Sound + Workflow - G Luck 👑 - Ayyyye! 🥳❤️⭐️💎 PS: Also #JustForFun + £109 (At Gear4Music) “I’d Also Suggest You TRY + BUY The Zoom Arq 48 Groove Box” (Theres Also A 96 ARQ version That’s Obselete) But Theres Many Vids On Here With Folks Challenging Themselves To Produce With BOTH OF These Quirky Audio Tools - That May Not Be The Popular Choice For All - But ???????????? Do The UA-cam And Google Search And See For Yourself What I Mean - There Are Even Some Vids Comparing it (Zoom Arq) To The Digitone 😂😂😂 + IMO it’s A No Brainer At That Price : Sampler, Synth, Drum Machine + Velocity Sensitive Pads, Step Sequencer, Over 140 Kits, FX, A Midi Controller Space Ring With A Gyroscope in There, Arp + Many Mo’ - Again Y’all - COP THAT...🎛
let's see, maybe Novation will finally launch newer & greater Circuit ))
heh
this aged well
The BEST the "ABSOLUTE BEST" groove box without question is the synthstrom Deluge. No other groove box comes close. mine has changed my life and made a one man band an actual achievable goal. If you play guitar bass and piano with vocals and midi synth you NEED a deluge.
Everybody needs a deluge.
Have you ever had it crash because you used too many unsaved synths? Trying to find out if its normal
@@LucIndustries I haven't come across this issue yet. Did you wind up getting it resolved? I haven't saved any synth patches I've made outside of the project they're made in...
@@RSKT_art yes and no, I figured out what the issue was, it was not saving songs before adding a bunch of shit and also not saving synths and kits as different iterations if i want to move between songs a lot.
I think not saving the workbench as a new song causes the RAM to get overloaded and not saving different synth and kit iterations after tweaking them also has a chance of causing a freeze.
Example, you use kit 44 on song 123, then create song 124 and use kit 44 again but tweak it on 124, then load 123 again the memory has two different things stored in the ram for 44 which might cause problems.
The solution is to save the tweaked versions as 44a on 123 and 44b on 124 and you wont have an issue.
Sent back the first one because i was worried they sent me a new one, i did the things and haven't really had a major problem since.
Except for a freeze today because i didnt save before adding kits to a few midi lines but nothing too tragic.
Tl;Dr: didnt really resolve it but saving a lot is a reliable way around those problems.
@@RSKT_art if they are saved in the project its fine but be careful when using the same patch on different projects, always save them with different names or numbers 44a, 44b and so on
@@LucIndustries thanks for the big write up. That's definately an interesting bug you've potentially found. Wonder if Synthstrom are aware of it.
I said it before, but we gotta find a way to get you a Synthstrom Deluge man. As a Circuit-lover, I think you'd dig it (although it doesn't have velocity sensitive pads). Otherwise I think you could do some real damage with it.
Agree 100%. The Deluge is an amazing groove box
A lot of the tutorials compare Deluge workflow with a DAW (Gabe's "DAW in a box" idea). It tries to put DAW concepts into a 16x8 light grid with good results. I've had mine for only about a week, I'm not anywhere near Gabe or most of your levels, but I'm impressed, much more so than I was with Circuit. The thing about Deluge is when so many functions are mapped to all the different pads and knobs, it gets overwhelming pretty quickly. No individual task is that difficult (an exception might be adjusting velocity, the most criticized missing feature), but putting it all together is going to take quite a bit of time.
@@geraldclark5812 adjusting a notes velocity is as easy as holding the note down and turning the knob (if I’m not mistaken]
@@bartjanc you're right, but it would be much more efficient if velocity-sensitive pads could have been implemented to capture that data at time of entry. Having to change velocity after the fact on potentially dozens of individual notes is daunting to me, especially since a lot of groove boxes have that feature already. Again I'm a newbie to Deluge and by no means an expert on any of this, I'm sure every question I have has a simple answer, it's just that I have like 10,000 questions...
@@geraldclark5812 agreed. I only have had mine for 6 weeks as well and haven’t tried any of the sampling or using the synthesizer to make new sounds, I’m still slowly going through the manual... and having lots of fun with the presets!
In regards to the velocity, I simply use a midi controller. But I’m used to a piano anyways, thus that’s easier for me either way.
Even without velocity keys it’s still the best groovebox 🙂
If you get the money together for a Deluge, it's definitely worth it. The workflow is actually really good - you have to dedicate a bit of time to learn it of course. Once you know it, like Circuit, it becomes really fast to put a track together. Anyway, whatever your next groovebox will be, I'm sure you'll put it to great use!
Yeah, gotta get him a Deluge and MPC. He missed out on the two most powerful grooveboxes on the market. Then again, it could be argued that they're not really grooveboxes at all, since they're closer to a DAW than just a groovebox.
I'm getting a Novation Circuit next week as my first Groove Box and i am very ecxited about it :)
Just got the new circuit tracks!!! I LOVE IT!!! this IS my perfect groove box. i would like to thank you and bo beats for helping me decide.
Was originally looking at an OP1 however the price was off putting, watched a lot of your videos and chose to go with the Novation Circuit, have had it for about a week now and am starting to get to grips with it, i appreciate the library of information you have put out about it and tutorials, they have been really helpful.
Ottot op 1 synth clone
Is opensource
He's a real good communicator. I like his vibe, easy going young man. He's obviously very knowledgeable in the creation of music through grooveboxes and beat machines. I'm also impressed by the quality of these videos, they are very professional. Merry Christmas
🎅.
I love my Electribe 2. I've had a MPC One now for about 2 weeks. Wow! It is literally a DAW in a box. Fantastic bit of kit.
Hi there, great video! I also love grooveboxes, bought an MC-303 in 1997 as one of my first electronic instruments, then had an MC-505 and a 909, a Korg EMX and ESX and many more... I made UA-cam tutorials for the Korg EMX and the Roland MC-505. If you're looking for best value for money, in my opinion nothing beats the MC-505! They are probably considered vintage by now, released in 98 and they have quirks, (you might have to get the screen repaired) but they sound amazing if you make your own sounds instead of relying on presets! The sequencer is more powerful than in most modern devices (like the Electribes or Digitakt), flexible grid programming, (also unquantized if needed) and comes with many fun features like a complex arpeggiator, groove templates, D Beam can act like a theremin for any of its sounds... There is a learning curve but well worth it! If I was looking for something new I'd probably go with the MC-707 though.
Gabe - I love your videos. You are very thorough but also quite a natural at spinning all this tech into a story. It makes it very enjoyable to learn about gear. Keep up the great work!
I'm a new hobbyist who was looking for a drum machine to add to my DAWless setup. The more I look, the more I think I should just get a groove box that I can use as a drum machine that will work on it's own as well. Not sure yet which one I'll go with, but the videos on this channel are certainly helping along with my decision.
Keep up the good work!
the new features on the MC-101 with upgrade 1.6 are amazing. Love it.
I'm in love with the Deluge rn, and I think it's a great pick if you have any other hardware synthesizers. I use a mixer to bus 2 external synths into the Deluge's stereo line input, that way I can put sidechain compression on them within the Deluge for extra slappp.
Circuit is a great device especially find it useful when start struggling with ideas in the box, the way you can play around with sample and making it completely different and unique is amazing
Deluge!
I have the sampler version of the Electribe. Even though it is limited in synthesis (Only 16 Oscillators, 3 BP filters), the ability to tweak samples in thousands of new ways is fantastic.
I've got one and I love it. I make jungle/drum and bass and the electribe has just become a drum machine for all my break beat samples
@@jimibirbeck1996 One of my favorite things to do with the ES2:
Make a 4 bar loop for each drum sound in my DAW (I use FL for tempo, tuning and randomization) then import the loops to ES2. Slice the loops and put them to track/ sequence. Then I can add or subtract hits and make variations of beats based on those individual loops.
I was in the same boat as you for many years. Bought a few Groove box's and for me so far I would have to say that the MPC1000 with JJOS was the one I have been using for a while now. It has it's limitations but it gets the Job done. The step editing is my favorite feature. Well good luck on your search.
You know your stuff. I like that. Keep it up. Thank you.👍
I really wanna watch this guy react to the Roland MC-303 (literally the first groovebox ever made)
that was my first groovebox, and I loved it! ... makes me ponder getting the MC-101
Today the algorithm was good to me. Loved the video, subscribing. Looking forward to future content!
Buuut 12 minutes of talking and 0 minutes of showing me the sounds of different grooveboxes might be a little too much. Loved the video anyway, this is just my two cents ✌
I've done a ton of jam videos, tutorials, and reviews that demo the gear I talked about... This vid was meant to be a summing up of what I've tried and what I think of it so far. Hopefully you enjoy the backlog of videos!
As a beginner I'm stuck with this exact question so I can't wait to watch this. Thanks!
Hope it helps!
@@GabeMillerMusic no
Thank you for helping people find groove boxes. I need to find an inexpensive one to start my musical journey
my favorite box is 707.
little self-contained machines are cool, but sometimes you need a bigger one to pair with some analog synth(s).
Fair enough. The 707 does look really awesome.
Same. The MC-707 is awesome.
@@GabeMillerMusic Agreed The MC707 it is Awesome And The Closest Akai Force Competition IMO - But Also Lacking The HUGE Lot Of Force Functionality!!!! 😍
Deluge is amazing. You'll love it
I really appreciate your videos and input !
I really feel at home with the MC101, I think it help it's my first real first groovebox (unless Twisted Electrons Hapines Slim counts) since I have 0 point of reference. Coming from a bass player background the 4 tracks and portable factor are awesome to work song ideas on the go! :D
Yeah I've really been loving the 101 lately, especially with the last couple of updates added samples chopping and algorithmically generated patches.
@@GabeMillerMusic I agree , 1.60 really offers what was strongly lacking / holding back the 101. :)
I’m on the same quest man. I repeated buying and selling my electribe2 for three times! I wanted to fall in love with it but the limitation in voice and the slightly heavy formfactor plus six AA battery just didn’t cut. I’m revisiting the daw less game now in 2021 where there are more options in the market. Just bought circuit tracks yesterday.
I’m excited to make it my all in one hardware music production system! Thanks for the video,
Hey Gabe! Congrats! I searched "Groove Box" and your videos popped up first! 🙌
Great presentation. I have the old MC-303, while the sounds are pretty dated the actual workflow and processes are real deep. I bought the MC-303 in1997 and never read the manual ( big mistake ) until recently, after reading the manual you can do so much with it, the arpeggiator and sequencer is amazing, I plugged in my Blofeld and my mind was blown. There are so many features in the MC-303 that I wish to see in contemporary grooveboxes, it seems some basic functions have been forgotten. I recently bought a MC-101 and love it, it would have been so good to have the same recording functions as the MC-303, in particular, the loop/rest at the end of the sequencer recording so you know when the recording bars have finished which is then blended seamlessly into a loop.
You should check out the Polyend Tracker, it’s amazing!
Yea baby! Great video! You are on the right track avoiding DAWs to make music. I have made 70 albums in the last 4 years using ALL hardware, including a 24track hardware recorder. Total number of albums made with a DAW previously = none. My first CD was produced on an old Roland VS880 hard disc recorder before the DAW age. I too went on the quest for the perfect groove box and found total frustration. I was ready to give up and take out a loan for a MPCx, and discovered high end arranger keyboards have pattern sequencers that you can program from a blank, they ARE the most powerful sequencers on the market allowing me up to 32 measure long sequences and much more (that is continuous 32, NOT a song chain)........BUT....still not sufficient to complete a pro recording. So the next discovery was; "there isn't the perfect grove box"!! You found out too. Combining just the right groove boxes and using the strengths of each one, plus the big sound of laying and now, I (you) have the perfect groove boxES!!. My music is diverse from all original; ambient to classical to EDM. So my groove combination is: 1) KorgElectribe2Blue 2) CasioMZX500 3) 1010MusicBlackBox 4) Casio XWP1 synth. Plus other synths played live for chords and melody as needed.
Great video. I use an MPC live 2 and am very happy with it.
I have my MPC One and i love it. although the learning curve is super steap, once you get into it, it might be most powerful device on the market especially for that price range (almost half the price of the machine+) . It‘s also great for sequencing other stuff and akai is really committed to keep improving the software.
The best is the Akai Force now that the 3.0.5 update is here, this unit is very under rated.
I got one yesterday ! This is my only dream machine
I got one 2 weeks ago. I love it
I was about to sell my Force, so finally at time AKAI !!
Damn, it's selling like hot cakes after the update :) Bought mine a week ago...
I second that. Akai force is all in one stand alone DAW.
Really good Gabe. Great Video. I made albums this year on Korg Volcas , Model Sample, Model Cycles and just finished an album on the MC 101. Still love the samples best as the packs are cheap and make it really punchy. Never had a circuit so maybe I should get one next and take your advice on how good it is. Keep these great videos up. Regards AL
I'm fairly new to all of this. However I'm not a young person. I was around for the birth of alot of electronic sound. I use cheap gear and still have muddy mixes, however I am aware of this and plan to fix that. Which is half the battle. Thank you for the video. I have the same gameplan as you do. Trying my best to keep it "LIVE". Respect to that.
I have been on a similar journey and ended up with the Digitone as I found I really enjoyed the sound design aspect, it ticks most boxes for me except for the samples, but you can easily hook up and have audio through with the Circuit and Electribe to make up for that.
I also did a side track to the Circuit Mono Station which is a very odd device but kind of fun but not sure if I would recommend it as it is a hard beast to tame. I have recently been hooking it up to the Circuit to make use of its Pattern options (like random, different scales etc) , hopefully the Circuit gets these options in an update at some stage.
Love the sound design on the digitone. So much to dive into. A little challenging to make full tracks but it makes you make weird decisions, which can be great, or a bit annoying.
@@warpigs330 I wanted a challenge with the machine. All my other grooveboxes I pretty much discovered all I could do in a month or so, with Digitone I figure it will be years invested until I work it out! I found before I got the Digitone that I was never happy with the other machines and was always lusting after something else, now I am happy going back and using the other machines for a few weeks and then swapping them around, I find that I learn more about each machine that way. I love the audio in on the Digitone so I can add nice reverb to my Circuit or Electribe, plus then go straight into the computer with the USB out from the Digitone.
Hey Gabe, as always, great video. It provides a really nice overview of some of the more modern grooveboxes today. I would say I have about 15years on you, but we are similar in preferring hardware based setups. I’ve used the previous generations Electribes (with the tubes) for everything. What stopped me from getting the newer models was the lack of a song mode. Now the thought is that when I pick one up, I know that luck will have it that Korg releases a new one. Lol. However, about a month ago I did pick up a Circuit. This purchase was largely inspired by your videos. There actually was a pretty big learning curve for me because the Electribes were all I knew. Upon getting over the curve I have to say that I’m absolutely in love with the Circuit. It’s just immediate, it makes sense, mistakes can be rewarding, the amount Novation has put and continues to put into it is unbelievable (session chain PLEASE!), but most of all it has broken my routine for creating music and re-inspired me again. So if I had to pick just one groovebox right now, It would definitively have to be the Circuit. (But yes, everything about the Deluge makes me drool uncontrollably. Lol)
Nice round up, for me though the best groovebox is the Synthstrom Deluge, by a long shot :) The quality and capability of the device is matched only by how well supported it is. It has transformed the way I make music, then transformed itself again in terms of what it is now capable of due to some unbelievable updates. If you haven't tried it I sincerely recommend it. 👍 Keep the vids coming, love your output!
Hey Gabe! I've got an Electribe 2 Sample and am Looking into getting the Circuit to pair with it. I was curious on your set up when using these two devices together. Do you use the Electribe as the "brain" to control the two or do you keep them separate and just clock sync the two?
Synthstrom Deluge. Absolutely changed my life. Think you'd enjoy it.
Right!?! I can’t take a groovebox video seriously that doesn’t mention Deluge. It’s the box to judge all other boxes by in my opinion.
Thank you for posting! I have yet to jump into the groove box/drum machine yet. Oddly I thinking of diving into the deep side of the pool with the Native Instruments Maschine + (for the self contained groove box and the normal NI control interface for Maschine....). I see and know the advantage of an interface for a DAW, but there is something more “Real” for myself to have a groove box... that and my computer is often doing video editing and rendering, and when I do that.. obviously using a DAW at that time would be sluggish beyond reason. That or a 2nd newer computer for music. The roland gear looks great.. I have been looking online at Roland’s TR8 when it came out, and the TR8-s... now their other newer products.. I have the Roland VT-4 which is a great voice changer box (all live, no recording then playing with filters in post) so I can change my tone live and adjust the filters/reverb etc live. For me more enjoyable than recording 10 versions and then playing with 10 versions with 20 different filtration paths in post. I’ll look closer at the Novation as a stand alone starter groove box as well. Thank you again for posting...
OP-Z hands down. Shelved my circuit after using them both for some time.
Great video, i really love your style!
Have you had the chance to experiment with the 1010 music Black Box, it really seems to be the DAW in a box you are talking about
Yeah I've looked into it a bit and it's probably as close as we're going to get, although it's maybe not as hands on as I'd like. It still looks dope though.
I only recently became interested in grooveboxes, first mainly in software ones. I am beginning to look at hardware ones and I bought an Elektron Model:Samples, I am still learning it, it seems pretty cool. I am tempted by the MC-707 but I was not able yet to convince my wallet (or credit card) to go for it . The deluge you mentionned looks very intriguing.
Have you ever thought about the Polyend Tracker? I don't know if trackers are something you'd be interested in. I've been eyeing one and kind of find the workflow interesting.
I'm a big fan of my Roland MC-707 as a main brain / sequencer for my other synths. It's also got awesome built in synth engines but I have a lot of hardware so I just use it as a very good sequencer for now.
great video man
You should look into to bigger Elektrons. The Rytm is super versatile. Analog4 Synthesis puts almost everything to shame. And the Octatrack is its own cosm
Great breakdown. My mouth dropped almost permanently open when I first saw the OP-1. Had to have it. Got it-but for this Logic Pro X head, it was a weird workflow. Then a chance download of the iMaschine OS app and the sound packs that came with that thing 🤯 ...made me buy a Maschine Mikro. I’ve barely touched Logic since. Never been more creatively prolific or produced better sounding stuff. Toyed around with the Circuit, eventually sold it. Wasn’t a live jammer per-se.
So coming from using an 8-track Ensoniq ESQ-1 and all those limitations in the late 80s, now at 53, I don’t know if I’d have the same life if I had these tools back then. You young lucky bastards😂😂😂😂😂😂👍🏽
Good discussion, also look into the Synthstrom Deluge and the Isla S2400, smaller companies, big possibilities!
This is the first comment I've ever made on a youtube video and I'm 47 and have been on here for 15 years. My favorites at this time #1 Korg Volca Sample, #2 Akai MPC 1000 and #3 Korg Electribe Sampler Black.
What U think about the Akai Force ? Would Love to see u making a Video about the Akai Force.
Nice video ... I used to have A Groovebox back in the 90’s that is worth checking out if you are able to find one ... the Roland MC303 ... From what I remember it’s the one that started it all ... there was also a Groovesynth range (JX-305 & EG-101)
Currently I still have a MC-808 and a Electribe EM-1 (might be worth looking in to those classics as well)
The Electribe’s from the past were made to all work together since they were similar but different (synth EA-1/ER-1/ES-1)
The closest Groovebox to a full Daw would in my opinion Be the MC-909 but it’s not that portable as units are nowadays
Enjoy my Circuit and MC-707, but Maschine Plus is now my go to unit. Definitely get your hands on one for a week!
Had them all as well, except for the mc101. My searched stopped when I got an mpc live. 1010 blackbox is close 2nd. 3rd to the opz for extreme portability. Sold my op1 but don't regret it
I've also been on the quest for the best groovebox for two years and i think i found my perfect one with a combo : digitakt + mpc1000 (JJOS2XL). I use the mpc for everything sampling related (which is unmatched by any other groovebox imo) through the digitakt sequencer which brings in all the programing and randomness i enjoy. Also with the ability to Parameter Lock a single step through cc command directly to any of my synth, i can sample it back into the mpc, chop it to the mpc pad and sequence them back throught the digitakt, it's my dream come true. I don't even have to mute/unmute tracks, the combo plays by itself with the probabilty trigger.
Haha, yeah, me, I placed an order for another sort of MIDI controller: An eDrum set and now besides playing the edrums and being blown away by drum sampler software like Toontracks EZDrummer2, I have a Novation LauchPad Mini and the AKAI MPK MK3 here ... I completely fell in love with MIDI and samplers and nice RGB blinking buttons and I am DIYing edrums.
Yeah! Subscribed!
I stumbled on the ultimate groovebox that went under the radar and goes for dirt cheap these days because people have no idea what’s lurking under its’ tiny frame, the Akai Miniak paired with the Patchbase editor on an iPad is actually a full-fledged synthesizer that grants you a groovebox with a flexible polyphonic sequencer you can compose and assign entire multi-bar phrases to a single key on, the only limitation is an 8-voice polyphony. I haven't tried writing an entire song on it yet (I'm a stickler with saving patches and you need to save patches to call them up in multi mode), but the potential is there. That compulsive urgency to get more gear was tempered for me because of how feature-laden it is and how much ground it can cover sonically, serious game-changer with ludicrous sound-design capabilities.
jesus thank god i saw your latest upload. I've been sitting here theory crafting a move from Ableton and I have fallen down a 12 hour rabit hole. I told myself fuck it, I'm doing it your way. I gotta start somewhere. Korg Electribe II (synth version) and the circuit.
I cant believe this hasn't been metoned, but I believe, by far, the best "groovebox" currently available new, is the ROLAND JD-Xi. It gives you the feeling of stepping into a music store in 2002, and just getting into every groove box on display, along with the JP8000 that was usually sitting there next to them. I use mine with an MPC500, and a microkorg s on the side. No DAW about it! I highly recommend checking it out, if only it didnt come with the keyboard....haha!
Heya! Im would like to start my journery into this groovebox club! But unfortunately finding a circuit is almost as expensive as buying the mc-101. I already own a roland VT-4. Would it be beneficial to stick to Roland? I am a bass head like you and that lack of bass worries me. I would like to see a video of performing the same track on both to see the differences in sound?
Great video. Can I ask a stupid question (or 2...sorry, I'm a newbie). Can I import midi files from my DAW into any of these groove box (for example my kick midi track and snare midi track from a song I did on my DAW and want to work on / play live from the groove box? Also, is it possible in any of these to import a super long sample (like 5 minutes) of a full backing track, trigger it on beat one of the first bar to play all the way through and "play the groovebox" on top of it? (or is it only short sound samples that can be assigned to pads?
Just one note, you can laod either firmware on the electribe so you can switch from sample to synth and reverse.
I’m a huge Elektron fan, and I enjoyed the M:C but it’s super niche like you said. But I have a Digitakt and Digitone (and have had Octatrack and RYTM) and think they’re both perfect grooveboxes, Digitakt especially
I've heard a LOT of good stuff about the Digitakt. I definitely wouldn't mind giving a Digitone a go myself.
Waiting for my M: C, after a month thinking about it and seeing a thousand reviews I think it has to be on my team !! I also have Digitakt and Digitone that are being difficult for me to learn but the potential they have seems spectacular. Someday I will try the Circuit. Greetings
No one regrets a digitone.
Even the model samples is nice, if you don’t mind the limitations, it’s really easy and quick to use, but the digitakt has 8 audio tracks and 8 midi tracks, the m:s only has 6 audio and/or midi shared, the model samples doesn’t have the midi capabilities that the digitakt has like being able to send CC, and also just sampling directly into the box without using the transfer software. But using both, the model: samples has basically one knob per function and despite the 6 track limitation, you can use up to 26 samples per pattern, using sample locks.
The model cycles is like a streamlined FM synth groovebox, which is fun, but you can do a lot of crazy stuff with the model samples and digitakt. Or if you want to go really crazy, the octatrack is probably the best if you don’t mind spending 1400.
Polyend Tracker
Can I connect a MIDI keyboard to the Novation Circuit? I am interested in the Circuit, but I want to be able to expand and use an actual keyboard in my music production.
for years and years as i was learning music production, i stuck to pc and software.
I know that has basically unlimited possibilities... but I also rarely feel inspired. I don't even enjoy launching my DAW anymore.
something you can get your hands on and is immediately accessible, something that is fun to use, that is where it's at!
It's also good to remember the old Roland SP series can be used as groove boxes.
And the old MPCs with the JJ os are crazy powerful for dawless music
Great video. The circuit is great but i like your openness to try other instruments. I’m a keys player not previously a drum guy- DX7 (from birth), Motif, MODX, Virus TI, Kronos X, JD Xi, Mininova, Kharma)... So not a drum guy... However, I had a circuit...use launchpad app on the iPad, Reason etc. I have Ableton live 10, Reason 11... But I bought the Akai Force ..updated to OS 3.05. This is a gamechanger. It is now my standalone production hub. I am going to buy an MPC One now too. But I really think give Force a try. You wont regret it. Great workflow but UA-cam helped. Thank you for your videos. Superb.
I was using my friends blackbox and allowed him to sample all my basses and guitars for it one day and showed him my circuit. We kind of traded for a second and I felt the blackbox is the closest thing I ever personally used that felt like a daw in a box. It's pretty rad.
I make music with synths dawless with an arturia keystep as well as with DAW's and the thing that changed my approach and got me feeling creative again was the Korg ds10 on nintendo DS. Somehow it just turned out the sickest melodies and textures, I'm working on sampling them I to machine scenes and then adding a few analog synth parts. Bring able to sit anywhere with the nintendo and have to work within it's sixteen steps and patterns made music more fun.
My personal Groovebox is a Yamaha reface dx providing FM duties MIDI controlling a Roland MC 303 with a vocal sample midi’d up to for good measure.
None of classic or modern Grooveboxs could do it all so I made a budget 80s-90s rig
I run a music programme focussed (though not exclusively) on teaching disablwd people how to make music on electronic music tools, and have large variety of tools for it. The Electribes are by far the best, with JDXis in second slot. Far less complicated/distracting than using the DAW, and a really nice amount of knobs per function and clear if this/then that. Tons of fun.
That's awesome! I've heard from a few of my blind/sight impaired followers that the Circuit has been super helpful as well.
Good video, Gabe! 👍 I don't know about you, but I'd have to say
The best groovebox is really the tracks we made along the way. 😇
(I debated whether to put "tracks" or "friends" in that spot, but music production won out. 😂)
Also, if I had to pick one device, I have a positive association with The Circuit and Gabe Miller,
And the Maschine+ is German, so one of those two would probably be what I'd pick out. 😁
That being said, I don't know if a groovebox is really my thing, so I'm just fine with whatever.
Thanks! They're not for everyone, but I'm obsessed.
I have the MPC one and it is a complete dawless, with dirt adding, sound shaping, plug-in effects, all. If you don’t care about some limitations on the audio track numbers, it will satisfy your search.
I love 'DAW-in-a-box'. In my case, I'm focused on building powerful semi-pro field recording / live production equipment that can fit in a few backpacks along with the USB/12V battery bricks that power them (TalentCell makes some great musician bricks, with USB power out, 12VDC in/out, and 9VDC out (use a simple polarity flip cable to power even weirdo reverse-9V instrument connections). I just built a field-case/platform and battery-brick powered PA system for my full-size midi controller keyboard, and I'm looking for the best midi sound module for the keys, that runs on 12V DC barrel-connector power or USB power from not necessarily from a host, but from a USB battery-brick. The Zoom R16 is pretty outstanding for phantom mic inputs and 8 recording and 16 playback/playthrough channels, all on batteries or a (only slightly hard to source) USB-from-12V battery-brick
I share your fascination with the perfect groove box, and the circuit is also my favorite. The Elektron and MC-101 both lack song mode, which is an issue if you play other instruments along with it. The Elektron boxes also really struggle with music that changes keys frequently - no way to easily transpose, like with the circuit. Overall, dig your channel.
Thanks for sharing! You mentioned if you were starting from scratch you'd get an Electribe 2 along w/Novation Circuit (now Tracks, NCT). Now that the Novation Circuit Rhythm is out, would you pick E2 plus NCR, or, stick to the E2 w/NCT? I already have an E2, trying to decide between the other two. Thanks!
These days, I'd probably get a Circuit Rhythm and an MPC One if I could only have two.
@@GabeMillerMusic Thank you very quick response, much appreciated! Certainly makes sense. (Been also looking at the Maschine Plus, longer term)
sold my circuit finally, but I'll never ever part with the OP-1 - too much fun. however, judging by your preferences, I think either the Akai Force or the MC-707 will eventually win your derby. also, I do think more is coming...hoping Yamaha jumps back into the game. a modernized RS7000 could be a competitor in this space.
I wish I'd seen your videos sooner, as in 1-2 years ago. I was unable to get a Circuit recently (they seemed to be sold out everywhere), so I bought a LaunchPad Pro Mk3 instead. Over the years, I've also bought other controllers (Seaboard Block, Novation Impulse, Alesis Keytar, BeatStep Pro), groovebox-like systems (Mikro, Jam), and a couple of hardware synths (MiniBrute 2S, Minilogue XD Module). So far, I haven't felt I can get the kind of control I'm looking for outside of a PC/DAW that would help me produce interesting music. I haven't really put the LaunchPad through its paces yet though, still in the learning phase. I could still buy some other tools that I've had my eye on, but the learning curve on each system slows down buying too much stuff at once.
I am an Electribe fan and have all of them with the exception of the last two samplers. My last purchase was the MPC Live which I believe to be the closest to being a DAW in a box, however mastering the MPC is like mastering a DAW.I think the basic rule is the more a kit can do the harder the work flow. As I own the Roland SPD-15 AND 20 Handsonics I may purchases a Roland box as the MC-101 and or 707 literally have 90% of the current Roland sounds. For performing live an efx unit like the Pioneer rmx 1000 can completely remix a track with just a button press and or knob twist.
Gabe...great video! I own both the electribes and they are fab...the synth especially sounds great to my ears - but the "functionality" is restrictive (no MIDI thru..damn!). You answered your own question... DAW in a box for not a lot of cash (well, way less then an OP1..) is the Akai MPC ONE. Polished? Yes. Rough? Yes...if you want it to be... Deep? Definitely! (still learning mine!). Bugger the rest, get the best...
I've been using Digitone Keys and Digitakt lately. Digitone Keys is not portable by any means, but I use it at home usually with Digitakt. The sound design on both devices really ticks all the boxes for me.
Digitakt is somewhat portable with an energy bank and ripcord which makes it a groove box the way you define it.
I use RK-002 from Retrokits via midi loopback to make Digitakt polyphonic. If you don't want to play songs live, the midi loopback also allows for a DIY song mode, that is, sending program changes from midi tracks to inform the Digitakt which pattern to play next.
For me, this is the perfect setup at the moment. I think I'm 'stuck' with them for a while as I feel like I haven't used even half of the potential Digitakt and Digitakt Keys have to offer.
I appreciate you sharing your perspective, Gabe. I'm perhaps a different viewer, finding myself going "wow, I'm old enough now that people much younger than me can still be old enough have a lot of knowledge to share!" And I very much dislike edm. Not what I enjoy listening to, or making. I'm more bedroom strange, and uneasy sounds. All that said, I very much enjoy and appreciate your vids, and learning from you!
gonna have to give another plus 1 for the Deluge. there's nothing else like it
I love the immediacy of the model:cycles. No sample juggling, just paramaters and enough knobs. But imagine: Just use it as a sequencer. You'd have a 6-track mono sequencer with LOTS of controllers PER TRACK, but you could control other virtual or real instruments with it. And you could multiply the instruments by making use of arp vsts or hardware, like the NDLR. You can feed the NDLR with a tone and it makes cords, arps, drones etc from it. This, maybe, could also be done with pure software.
I was recently trying to find a groovebox after watching several videos online of people working with the OP-1. As an amateur, I found the OP-1 majestic but definitely way too expensive for me, as I just wanted to be able to make a couple of simple tunes and beats to use in future videos. I then examined the Roland TR-6S as an alternative because it kinda looked like it would work for me, but I still considered the cost to be a risk if I wasn't going to get much use out of it.
So I decided to spend a harmless 15 euros on FL Studio Mobile to get me started and if I manage to make some decent beats then maybe I'll get to buying a groovebox after all.
Circuit, Electribe, MPC and OP-1 will definitely still be on the wishlist, but price will remain the key factor for me.
The MC 707 seems like the most appealing to me, looks like a bank of polished sounds, enough FX, enough channels, the workflow looks well layered out where things can either be accessible or dived into the smallest detail.
I don't own one, I don't own any groove boxes and only had experience with some PO 12. But It's the only one that's currently got my eye.
I want to love the MC 101, but it just doesn't look convenient enough :/
nice review - the better Electribe was the EMX and for sampling the ESX or SP-404 as a companion
for now the true DAW in a box is the Akai Force with Ableton features (and some cool new update features), 8 tracks of audio (samples/loops/tracks), internal VSTs, full MIDI and CV/gate modular connectivity, 128 MIDI tracks, etc. - lots of stuff - it's big but with a decent case, a 19.6V bpwerbank, and a few accessories it's a true mobile studio
Machine+ and MPC Live or One are close, but the force is pretty impressive
I'm an original Circuit guy too (and Circuit analog companion) so I appreciate your tips and demos - thanks
Elektron Digitakt and Digitone are a perfect combo if you want to get more of that type of stuff - I got one used pristine for cheap and one new with a coupon so the prices weren't bad :-)
my OP-1 finally needs some servicing after 8 years o so but it's great - the OP-Z can be even more fun once you grasp the flow and it's smaller and IMHO more powerful than the OP-1 but I like them both - check out my demos on YT under SynthAddict
I am a Unity Developer and I love the OP Z. If you ever get it in your hand, please make a Video.
Form a Developer Perspective this is like a Big Door Opener for Groove Boxes.
You should try the older, 2000s electribes! They're not as "capable" as more modern grooveboxes but they have really, REALLY interesting sounds. (they're also super cheap, $150-350 or so)
i rig my mx 1 with an mpc one at times the circuit as far as a groove boxes and with the mpc now integrating in my daw (reason) everything should be coming together smoothly, maybe some interesting time gap challanges but none the less i could always just go audio with midi synch or bpm detection. emx1 of 2000 has all that still.
They sound amazing, but they are a pain to program. Lack of good pads for finger drumming is a bummer too.