I really appreciated the second lesson from Zoe - I love doing sound design, but very often I get stuck endlessly perfecting sounds and never get on with the music creation. Having to transfer the sounds to the hardware, where they are much harder to edit, is a very nice psychological way to say, Ok, that part's done, now I have to make something with these sounds.
Yes, I love this idea as well. Very good to have these ideas to direct the process. I’m like you. Spend lots of time playing with sound creation. Don’t get much work done unless I use presets. Surprising it never occurs with me to make my own presets then work just with those. I’m inspired.
Me: Okay lets do some sound design... 20 minutes later Me: This is a sick bass patch! Oh I just gotta throw a quick beat on this to see how it feels. Sound design: Whelp, I guess I'll see myself out!
I adore the mc101. Even without the zenology software I've squeezed full on black metal, industrial, dungeon synth, jungle, and acid out of this crazy little thing, all in the box. The Roland sound palette is *diverse*
Heheheh, another MC303 owner here. Picked up in 1999 for a hundred quid used. Recorded stuff on it when I had even less clue than I do now. Long envelopes and taping the notes down is lovely, it gets fantastically grainy once you pitch it down. Still drag it out every now and then.
Ha! Same here. Trip hop, gabber and breaks... It was a good machine for the time and good size I took it a small pair of Alesis monitors to all the house parties! It had fun presets which were fun to play with after my 20 minutes of user patterns.
Great timing! I just picked up a 707 off the ‘bay to complement my portable modular sessions. 62hp Palette and this, with a Norns on send & return (& MIDI) and bloody hell what an amazing live production suite.
It's my home away from home... I work as a train driver, so I sometimes have to travel far as passenger or wait for a couple of hours until the next task. This is perfect for working with ideas and them produce them when at home.
This video helped me move off the plateau ive been stuck on for awhile 😊 After putting the principle into practice (creating sounds separate from composition), I’ve gained a valuable insight: Asking myself “what kind of sound do I want to create overall” instead of “what sound do I want to create that will work for this song” is a straighter line to my ultimate goal of finding a good patch for a piece of music. You would think the opposite but when you just focus on the sound you really start to delve deeper into the what, whys and how’s of a sound. My focus goes to what I think really matters- what is the character of this sound and what is it’s potential usefulness in a musical context. The next time I’m searching for a patch for a piece of music or creating a patch, I’ll have a better and more complex understanding of what I’m looking for and how and why it will be a good fit.
Amazing!! Please do as many mc101 vids as possible. Its a super underrated tiny beast. Pair it with a drummachine an you can do a whole live set off one project!
The TR-6s is perfect for the MC 101 in those terms. I have it, and the 8s as well. There amazing. So tomorrow I got the MC 101 arriving in the mail. My friend just ordered the MC 707, so altogether we plan to work out a full set with them eventually. So I totally agree with you. I never really thought about using these Roland units until recently, but after the used purchase of the 6s I fell in love with how easy it was to use, and how amazing it sounded. It really took me by surprise, considering the other gear I own. Never thought I’d be using Roland like this.
The MC 707 has a really good and fast interface to the Zen core engine, once I got used to it, it's as good as the zenology plugin, but you don't need to switch between the computer and the machine. Plus the 707 gives you all the songwriting goodness in a more direct and hands-on way.
Yeah it does seem the ideal one if you want it all in one - I guess the 101 has the edge for super portability, that idea you can load it up and escape to a cabin in the woods. Get both?! 🤪
@@BenCoeMusic anytime! Youre the reason i got the mc101 and showed us all why its the fucking best. I really wanna see a vid of you doing the latest update etc plz do more!
Oh my, a few years in and I didn't realize that you can bring Zenology patches into the MC-101! I knew about the Sound Packs, but this is a revelation to me... On the other hand, I suppose that's probably the secret as WHERE those sound packs originated from, hehe. As for Zenology Pro, I have to say, I am a fan, despite only having touched the surface of what it can do. This, combined with the release of Zenology FX is truly a Candy Land for the ears. So yes, while Roland Cloud has its share of detractors, I must say that I am a happy Ultimate subscriber three years running now. 😁 Thanks to their Play4Life program, I've also managed to get some lifetime keys for a few of their legendary Plugins to boot!
Aside from the amazingly useful lessons you've thought in this video, it helps you sound like a Dark Souls character, which is amazing in itself. I think you single-handedly sold me on buying a 101.
I own a MC-307 and the Synth engine is unreal. So many functions even on that '99 issue from them ( Roland JV-1080 engine). Song mode on the 307 is great & the RPS too (16 x 1-32 Bar patterns on the fly ). With in depth everything from Quantize,LFO,FX,Sequencing,Groove for beats, and a crazy 4 Tone synth engine, Epic! With 8 external midi channels if u wish. A Roland Groovebox should exist in every studio. :) Regarding the 101, a very capable music machine as all in this family have always been. Nice sounds, thank you!
@@rchd7764 Yea BT thought so. With a little attention to details the menu diving is no issue. Rythym sets can be tuned to perfection and patches can sound complex like a Wavestate or as organic as a Monosynth. 307 Love 4 ever :)
@@soniklink-WKD4496 yes, i was looking about wavestate and get the same insight, stack 4 voices, infinite tweaks, hehe, ... and the menu diving after you get used is easy...lovely machine
Great sounds! I've got its bigger brother the 707 and being able to fully edit tone racks on the machine + the 4 extra tracks are definitely worth the upgrade imo. The possibilities are insane, with different filters, envelopes, 2 lfos per partial etc. Bonkers stuff.
@@turquoisetorrent7679 Really depends. I love being able to edit on the 707 itself, but I'm currently hardware only. So if a computer is part of your setup the plugin might suffice as well.
@@lennartverhoeff well I'm hardware too actually.... I meant actually just using the zen plug-in to make patches and import them to the 101. The 707 u can apparently do all the sound design on it right?
Honestly the MC101 taught me this just by getting one... I kept falling into endless rabbit holes with my other gear. Always forever stuck trying to make patches...(which I'm absolutely thrash at...😅 ) The 101 forced me to just focus on not only making a track but actually trying to refine it into sounding like something more than just a bunch of loops to be muted on and off...lol
Awesome video! Glad you're getting the word out to people about how powerful the MC-101 is, and some useful writing advice as well! I've spent a lot of time doing what you describe here with separate sound design sessions, which is great, but I do a lot of editing on the device too! Others have mentioned the random tone generator, but you can actually also do quite a bit with mod lanes and the basic parameters available. I've also been working on patches that make clever use of the sys-ctrl parameters to offer a lot of sound design available right from the front panel. Excited to see where you take Zenology, I've been working with it for 6 months or so and I'm still constantly blown away by it, looking up at Mount Olympus is an apt metaphor.
This video explains precisely why people really shouldn't sleep on the MC-101. Roland's really got a knack for making these unassuming little boxes that should be blown out of the water by their competition, but they've always got one or two quirky little features that make them stand out.
MC-303 was my first proper sequencer and drum machine. When MC-707 came out, I had to return to my roots. I love the machine and the workflow is really fast once you get into it. I think Zenology should be free for MC-707 owners though. But yeah, the fact that the MC-101 basically has the same synth and effects as the 707 is pretty nice.
Zen Core partially (also in the true sense of the word...) goes back to digital synth technology found in the D-50 and JV-880. This goes to show just how great these Synthesizers of the late 80ies and early 90ies were.
Glad you're shining a light on the new MCs. I have a 707 and constantly sing the praises of the synth engine. If it had an Elektron style sequencer it would be close to perfect.
@@mylarmelodies pretty sure probability is only for drum parts, not tone tracks. Not sure how it works on the 101, but on the 707 you can hold down a step and hit a note pad to define pitch in each step
I started with an MC303 and recently got the 505 to re live some of that joy. Oddly enough it’s a bit similar with the 4 tones to a sound. I need to really find time to experiment with it.
Really great to see what the 101 is capable of - cant believe roland put the editor behind a pay wall though. 😖. This is very much how I write with the Novation Circuit and TR8S (free editors with both of those!)
I guess the difference is the editor makes sound - so it’s a product in its own right. potentially someone might be able to make an editor for the 101 using sysex?
Great video! It seems insane to me that Roland doesn't make any software to control the 101 or 707, you have to buy a 3rd party VST or find a max4live device, because Roland doesn't see any money in making us a software controller. Tal Pha just came out, 3rd party software to control the Alpha Juno, better than anything Roland offers, and you can send your Alpha Juno patches with one button, unlike the Zenology synths, where you have to save the patch and then export it on a disk, or go into "disc mode" like some primitive 90's hardware. Roland could do so much better with software integration, it's a pity they don't seem to care.
Awesome. I’d never even considered one of these for a micro second. Now though? I want one and the software editor. Just to have a different way of working. More time away from the screen (well, once patches created) is always a positive. I think you’ve just become Roland’s best marketer of the MC-101. Great video.
Hah thanks - I was the same before I got it. One of those things that you only appreciate when you actually give it the time of day. Mad props to what Roland are up to these days, but then I am a Roland fanboy at heart - I have an almost eye watering array of ACTUAL historic Roland gear and even modules based on the sounds of…got plans to do videos on the vintage gear like JV-1080, MKS-7, and the Juno-60!
In my experience, separating writing + sound design can lead to situation when you've designed a bunch of sounds which are not actually useful for the music you're making. Also, most of the time certain melodies and parts are better fleshed out by certain sounds, and not the others, which means that you can either compose around sound or let sound drive the composition. I usually go with 2nd because I use tons of effects on my synths and cannot blow arpeggios as it would quickly go into clipping, so this setup directs my writing. But if i'd try to write it so it's a complete music piece with regular piano sample with no fx, that would be 3 notes on a span of 6 minutes of silence.
Since you have to download the sound list perhaps some owner's of the 101 don't realize that it has literally thousands of sounds, that along with the chord designer is why I am keeping it, because I absolutely hate the work flow.
Although Japanese companies do their market research, I have the strong feeling that their target audience has small and pointy fingers. The way you operate this instrument suggests that I will have an even harder time.
Hi, Roland has been a leader in innovative sound design. The deep dive started with the JV series 4 partials etc. XV was even more amazing and so on. They even have the similar design in the GR series of guitar synths. The Roland Integra-7 is the nuts.
@@mylarmelodies V synth was very innovative at the time. I remember the D-50 it was the start of this type of synth architecture. At the time of all this advancement I worked at a local music store (Fun Job). Anyway I remember when you first demoed the Morphagene. I was amazed at the capabilities of that device. That type of thought has set the course for where music is headed. Early composers like Morton Subotnick and Delia Derbyshire knew where music needed to progress to. We are just starting to turn that page of the book.
It’s pretty crazy that with a sound engine this capable Roland packages so many truly crappy stock sounds in the 707 out of the box. You can actually hear the loop points on many of them! Takes me back to the JV 1080 days, and those weren’t that good. Jerk move though charging people to use the plug-in.
Personally I can see why the plugin wouldn’t be free - it produces sound by itself therefore has value beyond using as an editor, you don’t need it to have a good time with the MC-101, you don’t even need it to actually create sounds on the 101 (there’s an auto-patch generator built in!), and you can just subscribe to the cloud thing, do some sound design and unsub at will. I do think it would be cool if there was a special editor version that could remotely program the 101. But also you could make a case that many folks who want the 101 may not be fussed about sound design. 🤷♀️
While I appreciate the awesome video on this little device, I still can't find myself being any more interested in actually buying and using one. I think it's a massive shame that we are expected to payfor a 500-ish Euro box and only have access to it's full potential if we either subscribe to the Roland Cloud for 20 Euros per month or buy the Zenology Pro standalone plugin for another 250-ish Euros. But I guess that's modern Roland for you.
That's the downside to the Aerophone AE-30 too. I don't do software subscriptions on principle. Not just price, I don't trust them to still be available after newer products get released.
I know what you’re saying but to be fair, it’s only the exact same thing you get if you buy a console, you don’t get the games/multiplayer free. And that cloud sub gives you a lot more than just Zenology (and Zenology is a plugin that makes sound, which also tend not to be free)
@@mylarmelodies I get your point as well, but when I buy, let's say, a PS5, I do that fully aware of it being nothing but a vehicle for the software I want to run. When I buy a groovebox, I really want it to run and work properly out of the box, and I think it's an unfair business model to make one of the most interesting features an equivalent to paid DLC without making that clear beforehand, even more so if that relies on a subscripton. Which also might not work anymore in 5 or 10 years because Roland might decide it shouldn't: Going back to the games consoles comparison, all SNES games work as long as the hardware works, but good luck trying to regain access to games you bought digitally for your otherwise fully working PS3. However, I am of course absolutely fine with other views on this. Just because I don't like that business model, I don't expect others to share my view ;-)
@@jimboblivesforever there’s a synth engine inside the 101 which you can edit and have the 101 create brand new random tones for you if you want. The benefit of Zenology Pro is you unlock the opportunity to do incredibly deep edits and sound design. You can also move the patches between the Jupiter synths, Fantom, 707 and Verselab. As @mylarmelodies stated, Zenology also offers additional features such as the entire FX engine being available for use with your other software plugins. You don’t need Zenology or Zenology Pro to make great sounding tracks and enjoy the machine. Roland is a business and wants to make money, just like any other business. Just because a restaurant has dessert on the menu but doesn’t give it to you for free, they’re not wrong. If Roland sells you a piece of equipment then offers additional upgrades to enhance your experience, they’re not cheating you out of anything.
@@jimboblivesforever also, you can run zenbeats on your phone and tablet so all the patches can be edited and shared across the hardware and software devices which is another great feature. I’m not a fan subscriptions myself but this is one subscription that’s pretty well thought out as far as patch storage, transferring and designing goes.
For five glorious minutes i was like, "wow is Roland going to win me back?! 😱🙌" Then, you tell me I have to pay for the editor or a subscription 🙄🤦♂️ Nope, Roland still being the same lol
Hi, is it possible to edit the MC101 with Zenology Lite? I know it will have a minimum amount of parameters. Zenology seem expensive and buying the MC707 might be a better option. I would like to use the MC101 for live work as the small format would be suitable. Atb Tez
question 1) Were the Zenology sound patches transferred to 101 via SD card or USB? Question 2) As you were sound designing, were the sounds coming from the actual MC-101 via USB connection or were they coming from the Zenology Pro plug-in software alone, PC soft synth style? ie: Was Zenology Pro GUi programmer control the MC-101 directly via USB? I find the MC-101 interface annoyingly awful but I like the sounds but the thing seems so unintuitive. Maybe that’s just me. Am going to persevere with it a bit.
1) SD card, IIRC! 2) From Zenology Pro! // Yeah the 101 interface is defo a compromise within the limited confines of a two line LCD - akin to 90’s gear. Worth sticking with as I think it’s a great sketchpad with legit sound capability.
Agreed! The 707 is bonkers in terms of power. I have to say - I am reluctant to purchase because they don’t have a great track record on the ( important) computer software support side. My VSynth is sad because they dropped support after only a few years. Contrast with Novation and Elektron
To be fair, if they want you to subscribe to their services - eg Cloud - then they by default have to maintain support for the software inside it. But I guess there’s always a limit to how far back it can go. With that said - I think of Chris Randall of Audio Damage who recently built an early 00’s mega computer to run old DSP platforms like Powercore! There’s always a way.
@@mylarmelodies you say that but Roland dropped support for the TR8 within a year, I think. You can't even buy the expansions any more. Once Roland have your money, they don't care at all.
@@mylarmelodies I seem to recall paying £550 for it when they first launched, you can pick them up on Ebay for like £125 now. I did a little FL too but never really got with the workflow. I found a bunch of MC303 minidisc recordings of my music the other week hahaha.... I won't be uploading those!
The very basic level of sound editing available in the standard Zenology is also possible in the 101. The full featured editing available in Zenology Pro is not possible in the 101 but is possible in the 707. The menu system used in 707 for sound design is very well thought out and quick to navigate. Like Zenology Pro, the 707 has an "easy" sound design mode which can be switched to a more in depth mode with the full list of parameters.
Second lesson is the most important, ever since I started I would have 2 different sessions, sound design and tune writing. That 101 looks good though. That sound engine is crazy, looks like a kind of JV engine
Ta - it’s a tune I wrote for the UA-cam audio library! If you find the UA-cam Audio Library and search for Mylar Melodies you can grab all the tracks for free! It’s also on bandcamp for pay what you want (ie: Free).
Wonderful, wonderful sounds. It’s just too much for me. Give me a stack of thrift shop records and a sampler or a tracker and I will make a track. Give me a computer and a million options and I’ll go watch tv.
I think 101 is too tight for me. Mid sized solution between 707 and 101 would be nice. 6 tracks, more informative screen, less menu diving , at least one track for live looping and resampling. Great synth engine though!
Ignoring the Roland software. Could you make your sounds in any DAW or app, load them into the MC-101 and it works just as well? Or are Roland steering you towards their own software?
You can absolutely make sounds and save them as WAV samples and load them in yes - and you can either have them as 16 one-shots, loops on the looper or you can load them as pitchable samples too, that little acid bleep riff toward the second half of the tune at the end is actually an EDP Wasp Sample from a collection of synth samples I own.
The MC-101 has thousands of presets onboard with basic editing. The software let's you create new sounds from scratch. The MC-707 lets you create new sounds from scratch on the device.
another great video - I love the little MC-101 for portable standalone stuff or mixing it with other gear I even had fun with it recently having a plant drive the modulations ua-cam.com/video/l9Sz33UshiI/v-deo.html& with different light sources using a PlantWave unit via MIDI out to the MC-101 :-) like a photonic plant D-Beam
@@mylarmelodies I love mine, it is now the center of my studio, with modular, synths and samples all controlled from the mpc. Will also be using it for a live gig in October too
I have the MPC one and I’ve just bought this , because it’s so portable and I can live with its limitations , having a bunch of samples on an SD card and 3 synth tracks is enough for work breaks and sitting on the crapper
As far as I found out on my research for the 707 it isn´t possible because the "patches" or whatever they are called in Rolands way are only savable in a project. Which is funny because the device still allows the import from the software made patches.
Funny, got myself MC-101 literally a week ago having no clue that it has a synth built in, just needed a compact sampler, and then went on discovering the zenology pro. It sounds better than any of my Elektron boxes so they're not seeing much use since then, and the ease of assigning the knobs to the macro controls makes it a brilliant live performance tool as well. Unfortunately patches designed in Zenology don't always translate to the 101 directly, at least that's my experience with the pcm partials, after importing the pcm sounds are not there, have to experiment more and maybe report it as a bug to Roland, or maybe the engine inside of 101 is not completely identical. Thanks for the entertaining video anyways.
Sounds like you’re massively under-utilising your Elektron boxes! But whatever works for you. I’ve kept my old D-110 just because…it’s not worth very much and has the odd interesting sound.
Nnbveh Masala - whoops, you misunderstood - I never professed to any kind of superiority personally. Guess the Elektron workflow isn't for everyone. But like I said, it's whatever works for you. No offense meant.
I’m genuinely starting to think about this, wrapped around the cirklon and some table bits - would be wicked to use 101 as a sound module and sample player in this - 128 note polyphony!
@@mylarmelodies (in case it seemed that is was...) the random snark was definitely not aimed in your direction. My first Roland was an aJuno2, and Im very happy they updated my TR8S with the FM. But Roland cloud just pisses me off. Maybe it shouldn't, but it does. I'll probably be picking up a 707 at some point and don't like the idea of paying for an editor.
I’ve had mine for about two months , I’m not that impressed with it to be honest , no synth editor onboard, not being able to name your own drum kits, small amount of steps , I want bars not steps , I am not a massive fan of it and I think it will be sold on ,it’s a nice little toy , but I have a Yamaha qy70 from the 90s that cost me 60 quid and has features I would actually use , like 16 track midi sequencer , and not having a silly step limit , having presets on the MC101 might appeal to some but I find them pretty annoying , the drums are awful , I’ve never used them , it runs off batteries but it gives you next to no warning that they are running out and switches off losing all your work , the Qy70 doesn’t do that , I’ll stick with my MPC one as my main machine , I might buy an MPC live 2 for portability
It's a shame you're not able to do much on that tiny ugly screen though. Reminds me of Volca FM a bit. Very capable FM machine but the handling of it is horrible, you're better off loading sysex patches from the computer, which kind of ruins the idea of having a physical synth...
Whether or not you consider it horrible depends on whether you expect to just write tunes on the thing, or do sound design - it’s pretty clear the goal of this box is portable writing, sound design as the video explores can be a separate process should you wish to, or you take advantage of sounds others have made. If you want to do sound design on the unit itself, there’s the 707…
I really appreciated the second lesson from Zoe - I love doing sound design, but very often I get stuck endlessly perfecting sounds and never get on with the music creation. Having to transfer the sounds to the hardware, where they are much harder to edit, is a very nice psychological way to say, Ok, that part's done, now I have to make something with these sounds.
Yes, I love this idea as well. Very good to have these ideas to direct the process. I’m like you. Spend lots of time playing with sound creation. Don’t get much work done unless I use presets. Surprising it never occurs with me to make my own presets then work just with those. I’m inspired.
Me: Okay lets do some sound design...
20 minutes later
Me: This is a sick bass patch! Oh I just gotta throw a quick beat on this to see how it feels.
Sound design: Whelp, I guess I'll see myself out!
Love the inclusion of oblique strategies
Love this. Everyone who owns an Oblique Strategies deck is part of the same weird, happy family. My favorite card was always 'Emphasize the flaws."
I adore the mc101. Even without the zenology software I've squeezed full on black metal, industrial, dungeon synth, jungle, and acid out of this crazy little thing, all in the box. The Roland sound palette is *diverse*
Heheheh, another MC303 owner here. Picked up in 1999 for a hundred quid used. Recorded stuff on it when I had even less clue than I do now. Long envelopes and taping the notes down is lovely, it gets fantastically grainy once you pitch it down. Still drag it out every now and then.
Ha! Same here. Trip hop, gabber and breaks... It was a good machine for the time and good size I took it a small pair of Alesis monitors to all the house parties! It had fun presets which were fun to play with after my 20 minutes of user patterns.
That outro jam!!! It's like Orbital meets Aphex Twin 1995. SO GOOD!
With a bit of Black Dog thrown in for good measure!
The MC-303 was my first piece of music equipment. Loved that box! Used to make “songs” on it and record them directly to a stand-alone CD burner….
Great timing! I just picked up a 707 off the ‘bay to complement my portable modular sessions. 62hp Palette and this, with a Norns on send & return (& MIDI) and bloody hell what an amazing live production suite.
It's my home away from home... I work as a train driver, so I sometimes have to travel far as passenger or wait for a couple of hours until the next task. This is perfect for working with ideas and them produce them when at home.
Amazing, what trains do you drive?!
This video helped me move off the plateau ive been stuck on for awhile 😊 After putting the principle into practice (creating sounds separate from composition), I’ve gained a valuable insight: Asking myself “what kind of sound do I want to create overall” instead of “what sound do I want to create that will work for this song” is a straighter line to my ultimate goal of finding a good patch for a piece of music. You would think the opposite but when you just focus on the sound you really start to delve deeper into the what, whys and how’s of a sound. My focus goes to what I think really matters- what is the character of this sound and what is it’s potential usefulness in a musical context. The next time I’m searching for a patch for a piece of music or creating a patch, I’ll have a better and more complex understanding of what I’m looking for and how and why it will be a good fit.
Amazing!! Please do as many mc101 vids as possible. Its a super underrated tiny beast. Pair it with a drummachine an you can do a whole live set off one project!
The TR-6s is perfect for the MC 101 in those terms. I have it, and the 8s as well. There amazing. So tomorrow I got the MC 101 arriving in the mail. My friend just ordered the MC 707, so altogether we plan to work out a full set with them eventually. So I totally agree with you. I never really thought about using these Roland units until recently, but after the used purchase of the 6s I fell in love with how easy it was to use, and how amazing it sounded. It really took me by surprise, considering the other gear I own. Never thought I’d be using Roland like this.
The MC 707 has a really good and fast interface to the Zen core engine, once I got used to it, it's as good as the zenology plugin, but you don't need to switch between the computer and the machine. Plus the 707 gives you all the songwriting goodness in a more direct and hands-on way.
Yeah it does seem the ideal one if you want it all in one - I guess the 101 has the edge for super portability, that idea you can load it up and escape to a cabin in the woods. Get both?! 🤪
Random tone generator is also there for those who wanna stick to in the box tricks!
That’s the one feature I’m kicking myself for not including! I love random patch generators too.
@@mylarmelodies this guys channel is great in particular this demo of raw zen sounds you can tweak in the box ua-cam.com/video/k6rjIg9kJ74/v-deo.html
@@NeoLudditevisons Hey Neo, thanks for the shoutout!
@@BenCoeMusic anytime! Youre the reason i got the mc101 and showed us all why its the fucking best. I really wanna see a vid of you doing the latest update etc plz do more!
That FIRST jam was just awesome...
Oh my, a few years in and I didn't realize that you can bring Zenology patches into the MC-101! I knew about the Sound Packs, but this is a revelation to me... On the other hand, I suppose that's probably the secret as WHERE those sound packs originated from, hehe.
As for Zenology Pro, I have to say, I am a fan, despite only having touched the surface of what it can do. This, combined with the release of Zenology FX is truly a Candy Land for the ears. So yes, while Roland Cloud has its share of detractors, I must say that I am a happy Ultimate subscriber three years running now. 😁 Thanks to their Play4Life program, I've also managed to get some lifetime keys for a few of their legendary Plugins to boot!
Aside from the amazingly useful lessons you've thought in this video, it helps you sound like a Dark Souls character, which is amazing in itself. I think you single-handedly sold me on buying a 101.
I own a MC-307 and the Synth engine is unreal. So many functions even on that '99 issue from them ( Roland JV-1080 engine).
Song mode on the 307 is great & the RPS too (16 x 1-32 Bar patterns on the fly ). With in depth everything from Quantize,LFO,FX,Sequencing,Groove for beats, and a crazy 4 Tone synth engine, Epic! With 8 external midi channels if u wish. A Roland Groovebox should exist in every studio. :) Regarding the 101, a very capable music machine as all in this family have always been. Nice sounds, thank you!
I dindt watch yet, but came here to praise the 307, trick to learn, infinite menu diving, but a sound design weapon,
@@rchd7764 Yea BT thought so. With a little attention to details the menu diving is no issue. Rythym sets can be tuned to perfection and patches can sound complex like a Wavestate or as organic as a Monosynth. 307 Love 4 ever :)
@@soniklink-WKD4496 yes, i was looking about wavestate and get the same insight, stack 4 voices, infinite tweaks, hehe, ... and the menu diving after you get used is easy...lovely machine
Great sounds! I've got its bigger brother the 707 and being able to fully edit tone racks on the machine + the 4 extra tracks are definitely worth the upgrade imo. The possibilities are insane, with different filters, envelopes, 2 lfos per partial etc. Bonkers stuff.
Just got my own too!
Holy moly it feels like it has infinite potential.
damnit dude I have a 101 but I feel like I need a 707 too... or should I just get thr plug-in. I pair my 101 with a circuit tracks
I want live sampling too so bad
@@turquoisetorrent7679 Really depends. I love being able to edit on the 707 itself, but I'm currently hardware only. So if a computer is part of your setup the plugin might suffice as well.
@@lennartverhoeff well I'm hardware too actually.... I meant actually just using the zen plug-in to make patches and import them to the 101. The 707 u can apparently do all the sound design on it right?
Honestly the MC101 taught me this just by getting one...
I kept falling into endless rabbit holes with my other gear. Always forever stuck trying to make patches...(which I'm absolutely thrash at...😅 )
The 101 forced me to just focus on not only making a track but actually trying to refine it into sounding like something more than just a bunch of loops to be muted on and off...lol
Yeah track limitations are critical for that. Amen to having hard limits!!
Awesome video! Glad you're getting the word out to people about how powerful the MC-101 is, and some useful writing advice as well! I've spent a lot of time doing what you describe here with separate sound design sessions, which is great, but I do a lot of editing on the device too! Others have mentioned the random tone generator, but you can actually also do quite a bit with mod lanes and the basic parameters available. I've also been working on patches that make clever use of the sys-ctrl parameters to offer a lot of sound design available right from the front panel. Excited to see where you take Zenology, I've been working with it for 6 months or so and I'm still constantly blown away by it, looking up at Mount Olympus is an apt metaphor.
Brilliant video mate ❤
This video explains precisely why people really shouldn't sleep on the MC-101. Roland's really got a knack for making these unassuming little boxes that should be blown out of the water by their competition, but they've always got one or two quirky little features that make them stand out.
Holy beaching holiday, this sounds pretty darn good
MC-303 was my first proper sequencer and drum machine. When MC-707 came out, I had to return to my roots. I love the machine and the workflow is really fast once you get into it. I think Zenology should be free for MC-707 owners though. But yeah, the fact that the MC-101 basically has the same synth and effects as the 707 is pretty nice.
Great video - That flute and accordion patch was amazing!
Zen Core partially (also in the true sense of the word...) goes back to digital synth technology found in the D-50 and JV-880. This goes to show just how great these Synthesizers of the late 80ies and early 90ies were.
Bote: You can now tweak/edit the sounds directly on the MC-101.
It's not much fun with so few knobs, but you can do it.
Agree! It’s so fun doing partial editing.
Your track is amazing
Great video! I love the 101. For everything you mentioned here. And it sounds great
Very nice video man. Love the separation of sound design from the actual music.
I love your nature documentaries narration
Glad you're shining a light on the new MCs. I have a 707 and constantly sing the praises of the synth engine. If it had an Elektron style sequencer it would be close to perfect.
I love that the sequencer has probability tho! The only thing I was missing was per step pitch sequencing of the samples - can that be done?!
@@mylarmelodies pretty sure probability is only for drum parts, not tone tracks. Not sure how it works on the 101, but on the 707 you can hold down a step and hit a note pad to define pitch in each step
Love the quote chilling by the MC-101, so very true.
That engine looks and sounds crazy fun
I have the Roland Verselab MV-1, which has the same Zen Core engine at the heart of it and it is excellent.
12:55 keep on playing. Beautiful simplicity. Simplicity is beautiful.
My first comment was removed because it was a weird Aphex Twin style track name… lol. Great video!
I started with an MC303 and recently got the 505 to re live some of that joy. Oddly enough it’s a bit similar with the 4 tones to a sound. I need to really find time to experiment with it.
Really great to see what the 101 is capable of - cant believe roland put the editor behind a pay wall though. 😖. This is very much how I write with the Novation Circuit and TR8S (free editors with both of those!)
I guess the difference is the editor makes sound - so it’s a product in its own right. potentially someone might be able to make an editor for the 101 using sysex?
Just got myself an MN-101.. I guess I’ll the zenology plug-in too… Thanks for the vid!
Have to now confess I succumbed and bought one of these 101's
sounds quite amazing for such a small package!
Great video! It seems insane to me that Roland doesn't make any software to control the 101 or 707, you have to buy a 3rd party VST or find a max4live device, because Roland doesn't see any money in making us a software controller. Tal Pha just came out, 3rd party software to control the Alpha Juno, better than anything Roland offers, and you can send your Alpha Juno patches with one button, unlike the Zenology synths, where you have to save the patch and then export it on a disk, or go into "disc mode" like some primitive 90's hardware. Roland could do so much better with software integration, it's a pity they don't seem to care.
Awesome. I’d never even considered one of these for a micro second. Now though? I want one and the software editor. Just to have a different way of working. More time away from the screen (well, once patches created) is always a positive. I think you’ve just become Roland’s best marketer of the MC-101. Great video.
Hah thanks - I was the same before I got it. One of those things that you only appreciate when you actually give it the time of day. Mad props to what Roland are up to these days, but then I am a Roland fanboy at heart - I have an almost eye watering array of ACTUAL historic Roland gear and even modules based on the sounds of…got plans to do videos on the vintage gear like JV-1080, MKS-7, and the Juno-60!
This is like the David Attenborough of Synth World.
In my experience, separating writing + sound design can lead to situation when you've designed a bunch of sounds which are not actually useful for the music you're making. Also, most of the time certain melodies and parts are better fleshed out by certain sounds, and not the others, which means that you can either compose around sound or let sound drive the composition. I usually go with 2nd because I use tons of effects on my synths and cannot blow arpeggios as it would quickly go into clipping, so this setup directs my writing. But if i'd try to write it so it's a complete music piece with regular piano sample with no fx, that would be 3 notes on a span of 6 minutes of silence.
great demo. this software looks amazing
Shakuhachi FTW!
Oblique Strategies, ACE!
14:00
INdeed it is not wavefolding , it's phase distortion
Does zonology also act as a full librarian to the mc101? Or is there no official librarian to move sounds around, organize them, delete them, etc.
Since you have to download the sound list perhaps some owner's of the 101 don't realize that it has literally thousands of sounds, that along with the chord designer is why I am keeping it, because I absolutely hate the work flow.
Absolutely insane
Although Japanese companies do their market research, I have the strong feeling that their target audience has small and pointy fingers.
The way you operate this instrument suggests that I will have an even harder time.
Roland apps have serious interface issues which is too bad since they sound good. I hope they can make them more user friendly someday.
Thats a nice jam at the end
#17 should have been called
‘Mylarmelodies presents: Mylarmelodies’
Hi, Roland has been a leader in innovative sound design. The deep dive started with the JV series 4 partials etc. XV was even more amazing and so on. They even have the similar design in the GR series of guitar synths. The Roland Integra-7 is the nuts.
And not to forget about the V-Synth too. Need to snag one of those before long…
@@mylarmelodies V synth was very innovative at the time. I remember the D-50 it was the start of this type of synth architecture. At the time of all this advancement I worked at a local music store (Fun Job). Anyway I remember when you first demoed the Morphagene. I was amazed at the capabilities of that device. That type of thought has set the course for where music is headed. Early composers like Morton Subotnick and Delia Derbyshire knew where music needed to progress to. We are just starting to turn that page of the book.
I wish Zenology Pro was available as an iPad app that can connect directly to the MC-101
It’s pretty crazy that with a sound engine this capable Roland packages so many truly crappy stock sounds in the 707 out of the box. You can actually hear the loop points on many of them! Takes me back to the JV 1080 days, and those weren’t that good. Jerk move though charging people to use the plug-in.
Personally I can see why the plugin wouldn’t be free - it produces sound by itself therefore has value beyond using as an editor, you don’t need it to have a good time with the MC-101, you don’t even need it to actually create sounds on the 101 (there’s an auto-patch generator built in!), and you can just subscribe to the cloud thing, do some sound design and unsub at will. I do think it would be cool if there was a special editor version that could remotely program the 101. But also you could make a case that many folks who want the 101 may not be fussed about sound design. 🤷♀️
Brian called and wants his Oblique cards back.
Hello, do you know if I can put a whole song to release live? I ask this because I would like to use it sometimes as a V.S. player
While I appreciate the awesome video on this little device, I still can't find myself being any more interested in actually buying and using one. I think it's a massive shame that we are expected to payfor a 500-ish Euro box and only have access to it's full potential if we either subscribe to the Roland Cloud for 20 Euros per month or buy the Zenology Pro standalone plugin for another 250-ish Euros. But I guess that's modern Roland for you.
That's the downside to the Aerophone AE-30 too. I don't do software subscriptions on principle. Not just price, I don't trust them to still be available after newer products get released.
I know what you’re saying but to be fair, it’s only the exact same thing you get if you buy a console, you don’t get the games/multiplayer free. And that cloud sub gives you a lot more than just Zenology (and Zenology is a plugin that makes sound, which also tend not to be free)
@@mylarmelodies I get your point as well, but when I buy, let's say, a PS5, I do that fully aware of it being nothing but a vehicle for the software I want to run. When I buy a groovebox, I really want it to run and work properly out of the box, and I think it's an unfair business model to make one of the most interesting features an equivalent to paid DLC without making that clear beforehand, even more so if that relies on a subscripton. Which also might not work anymore in 5 or 10 years because Roland might decide it shouldn't: Going back to the games consoles comparison, all SNES games work as long as the hardware works, but good luck trying to regain access to games you bought digitally for your otherwise fully working PS3. However, I am of course absolutely fine with other views on this. Just because I don't like that business model, I don't expect others to share my view ;-)
@@jimboblivesforever there’s a synth engine inside the 101 which you can edit and have the 101 create brand new random tones for you if you want. The benefit of Zenology Pro is you unlock the opportunity to do incredibly deep edits and sound design. You can also move the patches between the Jupiter synths, Fantom, 707 and Verselab. As @mylarmelodies stated, Zenology also offers additional features such as the entire FX engine being available for use with your other software plugins. You don’t need Zenology or Zenology Pro to make great sounding tracks and enjoy the machine. Roland is a business and wants to make money, just like any other business. Just because a restaurant has dessert on the menu but doesn’t give it to you for free, they’re not wrong. If Roland sells you a piece of equipment then offers additional upgrades to enhance your experience, they’re not cheating you out of anything.
@@jimboblivesforever also, you can run zenbeats on your phone and tablet so all the patches can be edited and shared across the hardware and software devices which is another great feature. I’m not a fan subscriptions myself but this is one subscription that’s pretty well thought out as far as patch storage, transferring and designing goes.
Note: now you do get full control as of the 1.8 update!
Nearly. You don't get keyboard zones, step LFO's and some other things I don't remember but yes, nearly full control.
Awesome video sir. I wanna learn more and create sounds too!
Did Roland finally nail it? Or is it easy to go deep and then the 101 707 just crash during a live set
Or you create new interesting sounds with the 1.6 update feature «Random Tone Designer», I love it!
For five glorious minutes i was like, "wow is Roland going to win me back?! 😱🙌" Then, you tell me I have to pay for the editor or a subscription 🙄🤦♂️ Nope, Roland still being the same lol
Sweet tune dude! , Cheers :)
I wonder if there's much of a difference between the 101 and the 707 in terms of DAC/AMP quality...
Hi, is it possible to edit the MC101 with Zenology Lite? I know it will have a minimum amount of parameters.
Zenology seem expensive and buying the MC707 might be a better option.
I would like to use the MC101 for live work as the small format would be suitable.
Atb
Tez
Yeah! And the most powerfull thing of this machine...carring with u...to...
what about the 1.8 update ?
question 1)
Were the Zenology sound patches transferred to 101 via SD card or USB?
Question 2)
As you were sound designing, were the sounds coming from the actual MC-101 via USB connection or were they coming from the Zenology Pro plug-in software alone, PC soft synth style? ie: Was Zenology Pro GUi programmer control the MC-101 directly via USB?
I find the MC-101 interface annoyingly awful but I like the sounds but the thing seems so unintuitive. Maybe that’s just me. Am going to persevere with it a bit.
1) SD card, IIRC! 2) From Zenology Pro! // Yeah the 101 interface is defo a compromise within the limited confines of a two line LCD - akin to 90’s gear. Worth sticking with as I think it’s a great sketchpad with legit sound capability.
Do I need to buy zenology pro with mc707 or does it itself have this plugin inside standalone?
Agreed! The 707 is bonkers in terms of power. I have to say - I am reluctant to purchase because they don’t have a great track record on the ( important) computer software support side. My VSynth is sad because they dropped support after only a few years. Contrast with Novation and Elektron
To be fair, if they want you to subscribe to their services - eg Cloud - then they by default have to maintain support for the software inside it. But I guess there’s always a limit to how far back it can go. With that said - I think of Chris Randall of Audio Damage who recently built an early 00’s mega computer to run old DSP platforms like Powercore! There’s always a way.
@@mylarmelodies you say that but Roland dropped support for the TR8 within a year, I think. You can't even buy the expansions any more.
Once Roland have your money, they don't care at all.
@mylarmelodies is it possible to load the JD08 (JD800) zencore version in the MC101? thank you. F.
No, not possible. But technically all the pcm samples the JD800 used are inside the MC101. And some of the 3000+ tones sound quite like a JD…
@@bat-powmusic4925 thank you!
Nice! Oblique Strategies!
MC-303, I started there... after Rebirth338.
Nice, Rebirth followed for me (then FL Studio!). I actually have my bro's MC-303!! Need to find which infernal box it's in and fire it up.
@@mylarmelodies I seem to recall paying £550 for it when they first launched, you can pick them up on Ebay for like £125 now. I did a little FL too but never really got with the workflow. I found a bunch of MC303 minidisc recordings of my music the other week hahaha.... I won't be uploading those!
Hello. Zenology pro is not free available plugin, right)? What is the main differences between pro version and just Zenology? Thank you
The very basic level of sound editing available in the standard Zenology is also possible in the 101.
The full featured editing available in Zenology Pro is not possible in the 101 but is possible in the 707. The menu system used in 707 for sound design is very well thought out and quick to navigate. Like Zenology Pro, the 707 has an "easy" sound design mode which can be switched to a more in depth mode with the full list of parameters.
video title - roland mc-101
video content - roland cloud vst plugin synth.
That’s where the “deep sound design” happens, m8!
Second lesson is the most important, ever since I started I would have 2 different sessions, sound design and tune writing.
That 101 looks good though. That sound engine is crazy, looks like a kind of JV engine
Yeah exactly!! I actually own a JV-1080, one day will do a vid on it.
@@mylarmelodies I have an even older JV-880 and though I don't get it out often I wouldn't part with it.
@@DocBolus - hhmm, maybe it’s time to upgrade my D110 🤔
@@leftmono1016 maybe not an upgrade, just an addition to!
Would this be considered a viable live music engine?
Defo, could be enough to play a set on all by itself.
ace!!
also what is the song in the background during chapter 4 from 3:17..
Ta - it’s a tune I wrote for the UA-cam audio library! If you find the UA-cam Audio Library and search for Mylar Melodies you can grab all the tracks for free! It’s also on bandcamp for pay what you want (ie: Free).
Wonderful, wonderful sounds. It’s just too much for me. Give me a stack of thrift shop records and a sampler or a tracker and I will make a track. Give me a computer and a million options and I’ll go watch tv.
Well that’s sort of the point - sit at the computer and make sounds, then go and lie on a sofa and make tracks with them…
I think 101 is too tight for me. Mid sized solution between 707 and 101 would be nice. 6 tracks, more informative screen, less menu diving , at least one track for live looping and resampling. Great synth engine though!
Ignoring the Roland software. Could you make your sounds in any DAW or app, load them into the MC-101 and it works just as well? Or are Roland steering you towards their own software?
You can absolutely make sounds and save them as WAV samples and load them in yes - and you can either have them as 16 one-shots, loops on the looper or you can load them as pitchable samples too, that little acid bleep riff toward the second half of the tune at the end is actually an EDP Wasp Sample from a collection of synth samples I own.
Another thing you can do is randomly generate sounds on the unit itself with a menu setting, which is fun
Do you need both the software and the hardware? Or do you get the sounds with out so much tweak ability on the 101?
The MC-101 has thousands of presets onboard with basic editing. The software let's you create new sounds from scratch. The MC-707 lets you create new sounds from scratch on the device.
@@madvibepro cheers
another great video - I love the little MC-101 for portable standalone stuff or mixing it with other gear
I even had fun with it recently having a plant drive the modulations
ua-cam.com/video/l9Sz33UshiI/v-deo.html&
with different light sources using a PlantWave unit via MIDI out to the MC-101 :-)
like a photonic plant D-Beam
so you can design things on the pc and load it into the roland mc 101?
That’s right! You do need their plugin however
Sold mine and bought the MPC one instead. Wish i had that synth engine though
Those new MPCs do look amazing as well
@@mylarmelodies I love mine, it is now the center of my studio, with modular, synths and samples all controlled from the mpc. Will also be using it for a live gig in October too
I have the MPC one and I’ve just bought this , because it’s so portable and I can live with its limitations , having a bunch of samples on an SD card and 3 synth tracks is enough for work breaks and sitting on the crapper
...still havent found a way to export my patches *off* of the MC707 🤦♂️
As far as I found out on my research for the 707 it isn´t possible because the "patches" or whatever they are called in Rolands way are only savable in a project. Which is funny because the device still allows the import from the software made patches.
17:43, i must now listen to windowlicker
Funny, got myself MC-101 literally a week ago having no clue that it has a synth built in, just needed a compact sampler, and then went on discovering the zenology pro. It sounds better than any of my Elektron boxes so they're not seeing much use since then, and the ease of assigning the knobs to the macro controls makes it a brilliant live performance tool as well. Unfortunately patches designed in Zenology don't always translate to the 101 directly, at least that's my experience with the pcm partials, after importing the pcm sounds are not there, have to experiment more and maybe report it as a bug to Roland, or maybe the engine inside of 101 is not completely identical. Thanks for the entertaining video anyways.
Sounds like you’re massively under-utilising your Elektron boxes! But whatever works for you.
I’ve kept my old D-110 just because…it’s not worth very much and has the odd interesting sound.
@@leftmono1016 sounds like you have the false idea of your own superiority...
@@leftmono1016 typical elektron fanboy attitude, lol
Nnbveh Masala - whoops, you misunderstood - I never professed to any kind of superiority personally. Guess the Elektron workflow isn't for everyone.
But like I said, it's whatever works for you. No offense meant.
New mylarmelodies album?? :D
I’m genuinely starting to think about this, wrapped around the cirklon and some table bits - would be wicked to use 101 as a sound module and sample player in this - 128 note polyphony!
interesting that you made this video the same week that the wavestate editor came out.... for free?
It’s a coincidence I’m afraid - had the 101 for months but only just managed to get this out!
@@mylarmelodies (in case it seemed that is was...) the random snark was definitely not aimed in your direction. My first Roland was an aJuno2, and Im very happy they updated my TR8S with the FM. But Roland cloud just pisses me off. Maybe it shouldn't, but it does. I'll probably be picking up a 707 at some point and don't like the idea of paying for an editor.
We are the synths who say NI... ...ce!
I’ve had mine for about two months , I’m not that impressed with it to be honest , no synth editor onboard, not being able to name your own drum kits, small amount of steps , I want bars not steps , I am not a massive fan of it and I think it will be sold on ,it’s a nice little toy , but I have a Yamaha qy70 from the 90s that cost me 60 quid and has features I would actually use , like 16 track midi sequencer , and not having a silly step limit , having presets on the MC101 might appeal to some but I find them pretty annoying , the drums are awful , I’ve never used them , it runs off batteries but it gives you next to no warning that they are running out and switches off losing all your work , the Qy70 doesn’t do that , I’ll stick with my MPC one as my main machine , I might buy an MPC live 2 for portability
If you got a QY and a JV1080 it would be like a mega version of this.
It's a shame you're not able to do much on that tiny ugly screen though. Reminds me of Volca FM a bit. Very capable FM machine but the handling of it is horrible, you're better off loading sysex patches from the computer, which kind of ruins the idea of having a physical synth...
Whether or not you consider it horrible depends on whether you expect to just write tunes on the thing, or do sound design - it’s pretty clear the goal of this box is portable writing, sound design as the video explores can be a separate process should you wish to, or you take advantage of sounds others have made. If you want to do sound design on the unit itself, there’s the 707…
@@mylarmelodies right. I guess there's just better alternatives out there :)
What do you recommend?
@@mylarmelodies Most Elektron boxes tackle both things brilliantly IMO
A digitone would be very nice
Pay $500 for the MC-101 and then pay Roland even more to edit and create “Tones”. No thank you to that money trap.
Creepy narrator…,find him a bit weird
Thank you