From jimg@galt.com Mon Jun 17 09:05:19 1996 17 Jun 96 12:04:43 +0500 11 Jun 96 19:01:54 +0500 ID ; Tue, 11 Jun 1996 18:23:45 -0400 (EDT) ID ; Tue, 11 Jun 1996 18:21:37 -0400 (EDT) id <01BB57C2.690DBAC0@jimg.pc.galt.com>; Tue, 11 Jun 1996 18:18:38 -0400 From: Jim Gourgoutis Subject: RE: blah blah blah sequencers blah blah blah mmt-8 :) Date: Tue, 11 Jun 1996 18:18:36 -0400 Again, I'm going to toss in my vote for the Roland MC-50. It does most = of what you=20 guys have all been talking about, save for phrase recording (i.e., = playing sequences with keystrokes) and starting a sequence on the first = beat of the next measure. It DOES have step recording, real time recording, a dedicated drum track set up = just like any standard digital drum machine (I NEVER sequence my drum = tracks from my drum machine anymore), a 3.5" disk drive, a dedicated = tempo track, mute buttons with lights on all 10 tracks (that's 8 plus = tempo plus rhythm). It'll record 16 channels on each of the=20 8 'normal' tracks...so it's 128 parts total. The only downside I've = found to mine (and this is based on my very limited understanding of the = MMT8) is that it's NOT pattern-based (save for the drum track). The = looping ability it has consists of setting up 'blocks' in your song = where it will loop. During the live performance mode, you can = supposedly control the looping with a footswitch...so I suppose, say, = you could set up a nice long intro to your track that's more or less = linearly built, then the meat of the track could be one big loop or sets = of loops. The MC-50 will hit the first block and loop indefinitely = through it until you hit the footswitch. Then it'll go to the next = block if there is one, loop repeatedly until the next footswitch punch, = etc. Oh...almost forgot: The blocks are global...that is, they affect = ALL tracks simultaneously. I've never used this feature, but I think it's documented in the manual. = The MC-50 has two modes: Super MRC and super MRP or something like = that...basically, one's the recorder mode, and the other's the = performance mode. The footswitch-looping thing works in the performance = mode...though you can set up a block in the recorder mode. In the perf mode, you supposedly can also set up song order, time = between tracks, etc. The track mute buttons aren't huge (about this big---> [ ] ), = but they have a nice feel to 'em. with respect to starting tracks on the beat. the mmt-8 will start = playing=20 back a track as soon as you hit the button (doesnt wait until the next=20 measure or loop). however, since they're all running together, the = timing=20 will still be on. that is, if you're halfway through and you unmute = track=20 5, it will start halfway through track 5, in sync with the rest.=20 This is how the MC-50 works, also. i usually see mmt-8s at $150. $125 i'd call a fine price. $100 is a = deal.=20 i usually see q80s at $250+. the place i checked out had a q80 for $275=20 and a q80ex for $325 (the ex adds more memory and midi file playback). I bought my MC-50 for $250 used. There's also a mkII version that sells = for around $500-600 new. The mkII version adds more memory, and = reads/writes standard midi files. The original version doesn't. =20 the mmt-8 DOES NOT HAVE STEP RECORD. kind of scary for us unskilled=20 techno boffins. in other words, you take a pot shot at what you want in=20 real time, quantize, and then move it around in edit mode if you must. = or=20 you record it elsewhere in step mode and record that into the mmt8.=20 The MC-50 DOES! It also has tape-sync, 2 midi outs, and one midi in. = The 2 outs can be configured to send midi through data or not. Oh, Juan Atkins uses one, too! ;-) -Jim