| Manufactured by | Roland |
|---|---|
| Dates | 2002–2006 |
| Price | £1156 UK, $1795 US |
| Technical specifications | |
| Polyphony | 64-note |
| Timbrality | 16-part |
| Oscillator | Yes |
| LFO | Yes |
| Synthesis type | sampler (rompler) |
| Filter | Yes |
| Memory | ROM: 800 patches, 72 rhythm sets, RAM: 256 patches, 128 rhythm sets, Smartmedia cards |
| Effects | reverb–delay, chorus–flanger |
| Input/output | |
| Keyboard | No |
| External control | MIDI in/out, USB |
The Roland MC-909 groovebox combines the features of a synthesizer, sequencer, and sampler. It was released by Roland Corporation on October 8, 2002. This product was announced at the AES Fall Convention in 2002. It is the successor to the Roland MC-303, Roland MC-307 and Roland MC-505, and is the predecessor to the Roland MC-808.
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The MC-909 has a ROM-based sound generator (sometimes referred to as a rompler.) Its patches are built from up to four tones. The tones are based on waves stored in the machine. Patches can also utilize user-created samples. Roland's literature states that the MC-909 has "new-generation XV synthesis", the synth in the MC-909 is a very similar sound engine to that of the XV-5050 64-Voice Synthesizer Module.
The number of PCM waveforms is 693, ranging from vintage synths to strings, drums, guitars and pianos. It can be expanded by adding one SRX card from 12 different cards available.
The MC-909 is the first Roland groovebox to feature a sampler. It can record audio from any of the external audio inputs, SPDIF connectors, or import wav and aiff files from a computer using a USB port. The sampler can be upgraded up to a total of 272 MB RAM (16 MB User + 256 MB PC-100 or PC-133 168-Pin DIMM Module), and the samples can be also be stored on a 128 MB 3.3 volt Smartmedia card. The unit is also able to store on two 128 MB Smartmedia cards, if you have larger than 256 MB DATA in its user memory. There are tricks from user forum sites that have found ways to go beyond this limitation using xD-Picture Cards as other means for storage.
The MC-909's sequencer is based on pattern based composition. Each pattern has 16-tracks (parts.) Each part is set to a specific patch. There are a variety of editing modes: The main modes allow realtime recording, step recording and TR-REC recording. In step recording, notes or chords can be added one at a time. In TR-REC mode, each of the 16 pads represents a point along a musical measure. This speeds up the entry of percussion tracks. Patterns can be strung together into songs.
The MC-909 includes a number of features for real time performance. These include:
The follow features are not available on the MC-505 synth:
The following features are available on the MC-505 but not on the MC-909:
Most MC-909 users agree that both machines are different enough to justify keeping both of them and integrate them using a MIDI cable.
The Roland MC-909 was used by the hip hop producer RZA while working on the movies Blade Trinity & Kill Bill. RZA uses many Roland products including the Roland Fantom, MV-8000 & Roland MV-8800. Another artist that uses the Roland MC-909 is Switchfoot keyboardist Jerome Fontamillas for live setups.
The Roland MC-909 received good reviews at tech magazines like Future Music and Sound on Sound. However it faced serious competition from the cheaper and more intuitive Yamaha RS7000. Many MC-909 users complained about several operating system bugs at the Yahoo! Groups forum and also Roland Clan Forums. In fact, even when the machine was released in 2002, it took Roland Corporation 5 years until some of the more complex bugs (like the inability to store RPS patterns) were fixed in the operating system upgrade v1.23 in early 2007.
Another common complaint refers to the unit's size, which makes it less portable than a laptop with a midi controller.
The sampler, although powerful, lacks the ability to set keyboard ranges for different samples, making it difficult to create realistic sounds from a set of multisamples. There is, however a work-around for this via an external editor on the PC & Mac called: MC-909 Editor Update v3.1, that is freely available for download at this site.
While no longer in production, the MC-909 can be bought these days second-hand at places like ebay for values closer to US$750.00 dollars or higher still if in mint condition.
Several operating system bugs were gradually solved over time; the last operating system upgrade (Version 1.23) was introduced on March 30, 2007.
The current unsolved problems at the present moment are:
There are current unresolved issues with the implementation of effects when switching patterns, but the MC-909 was "designed by specification". Roland might refer to the end users' requests for effects that sustain past the point when the pattern switches as they "developing a future new product".
The last operating system upgrade (Version 1.23), corrected few issue with:
MC-909 PDF Manual Links:
Other links:
Additional MC-909 studio tools:
