what else could i get

[draind]

besides a mc -505
like whats on par with it?
just in case i cant get one on the bay
i wanna know what my options are
i might save up for a 909

but yeah what other groovebox/sequencers are ther in the same price range?

[chordmemories]

Quasimidi Rave-O-Lution or Polymorph? What kind of music?

[Blue Monster 65]

Really need more info here, sport.

There are LOADS of boxes out there that "do it all" but each of them do it all differently. I've gone through a stack of them and settled on the MC-909, but others love the Yamaha series or the Korgs or EMU, etc.

You need to tell us what you hope to do (squencing-wise), what kinds of sounds you're looking for, examples of music, etc. That would help us help you. And your budget would be good, too!

Scott

[killanator]

shouldnt this be in buyyers guide?

depends on what you want. do you just want drums, do you want drums and sequencing?

[draind]

i like
minimal techno
chiptune
and dub reggae( i know its ganna sound electronica)
uhmm
around $600
preferably less
maybe more

i also really dig ambeint

[chordmemories]

My 2 cents that may be worth more or less to some:
Yamaha: My personal favorite of the big 3 but I never liked their groove boxes. Every track I have ever heard from one sounds like a demo. This can be corrected with outboard gear but that will not help in the short term.
Roland: I can at least understand why the 303 and 505 would be good choices but they are not for me.
Korg: I think I like their groove boxes the most. The EMX1 might be a good place to start. There are a few minimal artists that have made excellent use of these.
Quasimidi: Haven't heard these in a long time but you get drums and synths and can do a whole track on them.
Akai: MPCs are possibly too beat-oriented.
Ensoniq: ASRx/ASRx Pro ditto (?).

Both the EMX1 and the Quasimidi boxes can be had for under your budget, which is a good thing. You will find that no box will do everything, so you can put aside that extra money and start saving towards your second box. Once you know your first box inside and out, it will be easy to pick the next.

[draind]

ooooo
what about a yamaha rs7k?
is that about the same as a 505?
or a 909?

[Syn303]

If your gonna do minimal, an elektron machinedrum sps-1 will fit your bill,
if you want bass and synth sounds as well, the uw version will fit your bill.

forget the mc series of grooveboxes they won't do it, unless your prepared
to spend days programming your own user sounds and kits. And the MC909
is a b***h for creating patterns (so many buttons presses just to make one)

There is also the EMX/ESX by Korg.

[JSRockit]

You need the Korg EMX-1... based on your needs.

[clusterchord]

i can recommend a tleast u check out Yamaha RS-7000 next to any of the Rolands MC-XoX series. Fantastic sequencer. real time midi and audio manipulation. Xox programming etc..

[Blue Monster 65]

I have an MC-909 and it's not difficult once you get your head around it, just like any other machine. The synth engine is deep, which is both a plus and a minus. You're not going to get instant gratification out of it, if that's what you're looking for - you have to spend time with it.

That said, I think you're going to have to spend time with ANY machine you're going to get in order to get the most out of it. BE PREPARED!!!

The EMX-1 was the easiest of all the machines I've used listed here (the only ones I haven't are both the Quasimidi 309 and the Yamaha RS-7k). The EMU series was probably the most menu-driven (for features upon features upon features). The RM1x was pretty simple, but I found sound programming frustrating for my needs. The 505 was good, but I had to dig into the engine to get the sounds I wanted (presets didn't cut it). Machine Drum I didn't spend enough time to get to know, but it seemed fairly straight-forward.

There are demos of all online - search for them, watch them, listen to them and then search out the manuals and read them. Unfortunately, most of these machines are not available for you to just walk into any old store and try out. That will be the ultimate test for you, so you may have to spend some money, buy one, give the run-through, and - if it doesn't suit your needs - sell it and get another one.

Been there, done that, you know?

In the end, it will be down to YOUR PERSONAL CHOICE as to what unit is best suited for your needs. What I like is not what you like is not what Chord likes is not what Kill likes, you know?

We've given you plenty of our opinions and now it's up to you to get out there, do the research yourself, and figure it out from there.

Good luck!

Scott

[aredj]

I'm about to pick up an E-mu mp7 ... I never really looked too close at them before...

But looking closer - they seem really powerful. (no sampling mind you)

The sound sets look ok... The synth engine is crazy detailed, lots of eg lfo matrix - although menu driven, but I'll be driving external synths mostly... and the sequencer looks full on. Flexible control. Lots of assignable knobbies...

The biggest turn on for me with this box is being able to punch in and out of recording at any point (realtime or xox style)... something the MC's lack...

I'll be paying under $300 in the next couple days for it.... Perfect

[chordmemories]

I totally spaced on the E-Mus. They are pretty powerful and, if they are really going for around $300, then it would be easy to add a cheap sampler like an ES1 or any Akai and keep things under the original poster's budget.

[aredj]

There's one on ebay right now thats about to end... sitting at a pretty $179 (of course that will change by the end... I'm watching just to see where it goes)

Like I said.. I'm picking one up for <$300 from my local CL - and there's another slightly junky one going for $250!

Get em while theyre cheap...

[Blue Monster 65]

You'll love that EMU - those are great units.

As always, remember that you can go deep into the programming and get far away from the presets!

Scott