Synth Grooveboxes (Roland, Korg etc.)

[NoSleep]

Yes, I've read about that CZ series, some of the best value for money vintage synths.  Well maybe not so much now that people have caught on.
Even though they look a bit toy-ish they're meant to have good sounds.  I imagine they're a bit like the DX-7?  That's got an incredibly big range of sounds it can make, but an absolute bugger to program.

The CZ is lot easier to get around if you already have a knowledge of how to tweak sounds out of analog synths. It's all digital, but not FM synthesis. For instance it has a function similar to a cutoff filter, except the waveform isn't filtered, but morphed, from the fully open version of the waveform at the very top of the range, down to a sine wave at the bottom of the range. It sounds a bit like a filter but is its own thing.

[momatt]

Oh right, that sounds cool.  I'll keep an eye out then.

[the]

I am quite tempted by a TB-03, just for the hands-on twiddliness and authentic acid brap. A bit opulent as I know I'll never be arsed to try and incorporate it in my lo-tech DAW setup.

Someone near me on Gumtree was selling an original TR-606 recently for a really decent price - unfortunately I didn't get my arse in gear, and it disapppeared within a few days.

The first Roland groovebox the MC-303 is a prime example of following behind trends. [...]

Yes, that was probably the earliest attempt (?) by a hardware maker to muscle in on the roaring trade in discontinued gear. I think it sold well, though didn't it have some ridiculous functionality oversight in that the filter couldn't transmit/receive MIDI messages or something? May be misremembering.

The MC-303 also heralded the dawn of the era in which I couldn't be arsed reading Future Music anymore. Every issue had some woman on the front cover modelling the latest techno preset groovebox on the bandwagon, as if it warranted the attention.

Oh yeah, both the TR8 and Drumbrute have "scatter" functions which are fine and dandy, except you have little access to programming the function to behave as you wish.

Yep, I got the distinct impression the Scatter function was put in as more of a performance feature.

[momatt]

TR-606s are usually the most affordable of those old roland machines.  They look and sound great too.

MC-303s are fun, but as you and NoSleep say, they're copying existing musical trends rather than being original and their own thing.

I think the best best is the two new Cyclonic machines.  There's a new mkII TT-303 and a 606 clone too.  They seem great in demos, but I'd also imagine they'd be more reliable than their 30 year old counterparts.  Plus they have MIDI and new features.

http://www.cyclone-analogic.fr/

[the]

I am quite tempted by a TB-03, just for the hands-on twiddliness and authentic acid brap. A bit opulent as I know I'll never be arsed to try and incorporate it in my lo-tech DAW setup.

I bought a TB-3 today. Went for it over the TB-03 as I thought I'd get more out of it, and I think I've made the right choice.

Already had a nice jam by looping up some breakbeats on the CDJs and just keeping it in time with a little nudge here and there (and occasionally breaking into beat-scratching while the the TB-3 burbles away). Good for an antidote to all the demo vids on Youtube - where literally everyone seems to synch to a techno drum pattern and does a funkless stick-up-the-arse bit of head nodding.

I also like the way you can throw notes in from the pad that override the pattern, to spontaneous it up a bit.

[NoSleep]

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2017/apr/02/roland-founder-and-music-pioneer-ikutaro-kakehashi-dies-aged-87

[the]

*solemn cowbell*

[BlodwynPig]

Anyone want my red and blue Korgs? In good condition - PM me

[Norton Canes]

We all need, a thread resurrection (even though it's a rules contravention)

Been listening to a couple of tracks on Bandcamp that sound really good - if basic - and were apparently made on a Volca Sample. Never used any groovebox type things before but I thought, yeah, that looks like fun, gonna get me one. Then when I Googled for more info I realised that there's a whole range of Volcas for different things. So now I'm not quite so sure which one to get, though I still reckon the Sample looks great to play around with.

Let's say I wanted to make some tracks like these (which aren't the tracks mentioned above), which according to the blurb were recorded on "a modest set up of Roland MC-909, a four-track porta studio and an array of pedals". Could I do it with just a Sample? What other Volcas would I need?

[Johnny Textface]

I've got the volca drum. Not got into completely yet as not had much time. But it's basically an FM drum synthesizer and sequencer. You could make alot of those angry sharp drum sounds fairly easily and there's a also a bit cruncher to get that lo fi vibe.

Good tuturial here:  https://youtu.be/S-JahgND1X0

[Non Stop Dancer]

On a related note, can anyone think of a better rompler style multitimbral synth than the Roland JDXI, at the sub £500 Mark? No rack mount, but desktop module fine. Don't say the Waldorf Blofeld because I had one for a bit and it's an absolute pig to use.