This is where you can tell Roland what you want from the next MC707 firmware update

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pbjncake
Posts: 2
Joined: 10:43, 24 December 2021

Re: This is where you can tell Roland what you want from the next MC707 firmware update

Post by pbjncake »

-Multi select in clip mode to highlight a group of clips to quick copy and paste, set, cue etc ( shift arrow buttons)

- Undo button, (maybe Shift Note + < )

- Continue Button (Shift play when stopped) to pickup scene/ track where it left off

- Multi Color / shader when using step mode to see timing while selecting first & last note with options to set # of repeats, and allow multiple firsts/lasts in same clip that can be shuffled, have repeats set, chains, etc.
-and when in note mode, to show timing and follow, with options to indicate current scene, or side chain settings

- when in note or chord modes, show timing on top of hit pads with second color of choice / shading to have an extended view of timing - starting with sequence for 1-16 then the hits showing 17-32.
-also in note mode: second color/ flashing buttons to indicate notes with mods, filters

-in scatter, the pads flash or alternate 2 different colors to indicate if the scatter button is stacked or combined with another scatter

- when using Type 2 scene launch in scatter mode , launch and hold 2 or more scenes to invert/alternate the clips/scenes for a scattered mixing algorithm with fx

- With type 2 scene launch in clip mode, click a scene, then hold a second to blend + fade between the scenes: first out, next in
-also for going between clips, but when the clips are inside the same track

- drum Roll designer, or maybe at least more presets with roll speed option (crescendos- up, down, alternate, inverts, flat, lofi hifi analog, directs, phrases, fills, flams)
-capability to import and load external drum roll midi messages/data by dumping from older Roland midi machines

- in note mode, options for multi color pads as well, like it is in Chord Mode

And, If there's ever a second gen 707 it would be cool to see a couple added buttons or switch controls like:
-an Undo button (with shift undo to Redo)
- an fx set on-off button (fx on/off + clip /scene)
- an alt on-off button (shifted to control loop holds/beat repeat)
- LEDs under knobs that can show parameter levels

That's all, for now.

Thanks Roland, Happy Holidays !!
Terostat
Posts: 1
Joined: 10:31, 28 December 2021

Re: This is where you can tell Roland what you want from the next MC707 firmware update

Post by Terostat »

  • Shift-Lock !!! Simply double-click.
  • Edit values for several steps at the same time.
  • Full sysex implementation.
  • A mode to load new projects during playback. Very important to use the MC-707 as a live machine. The 707 is so performance oriented & would therefore be much more suitable for live use.
  • Roland !!! Shame on you that there is no multilingual manual for a device in this price range and with this range of functions !!!! A PDF for download would be sufficient.
  • Save Your own drum kits and tone patches.
  • Load entire sample folders (similar to the Tr-8s).
  • Delete several samples from the sample memory at the same time (select several samples + delete).


Thanks ROLAND
wakiza
Posts: 1
Joined: 22:54, 29 December 2021

Re: This is where you can tell Roland what you want from the next MC707 firmware update

Post by wakiza »

Hello. (je suis fra,cai traduction goole traduct)

On my side I am waiting for the clamping of the machine to be removed: The sd storage limitation has 32GB which for a sampler is still very limited. The recording limitation of 60 seconds while 180 seconds are required. From real clip chaining utilities as well as a real scene chaining utility, these having also been limited to almost nothing.

etc for all limitations and clamps of the machine

Please there is still no documentation en to use the mc, I think that the current documentation also does not include the updates made. For now, I'm waiting for the updates. The current stage chaining is still ..... Please, could you please offer serious sequencing utilities, on your sequencer? it's been 2 years that we wait, at least, a real song mode. Thank you I remain very attached to my 808

thank roland
tedheshi
Posts: 2
Joined: 07:19, 1 January 2022

Re: This is where you can tell Roland what you want from the next MC707 firmware update

Post by tedheshi »

Howdy
The ability to audition sounds from the sound packs like you can with default sounds

Love this device!
Divine Sounds
Posts: 4
Joined: 16:45, 14 August 2020

Re: This is where you can tell Roland what you want from the next MC707 firmware update

Post by Divine Sounds »

I'm using MC 707 as a performance tool. Please anybody responds to these general questions …

1. File utility (Project folders, Renaming, Copy, Delete…)
2. How can I select other samples on a drum track (Octave + or -)
3. Scene chaining order options (Forward, backward, Random…)
4. Please make total measures on Drum and Tone tracks up to 32…
5. Single hand operation for Tap Tempo, Drum Mute.…
6. How to save MIDI user settings .....

Please consider these concerens for future updates...

Thank you
Jon
w31x
Posts: 1
Joined: 14:29, 23 January 2022

Re: This is where you can tell Roland what you want from the next MC707 firmware update

Post by w31x »

  • I really would like to see a Undo button at the next update!
  • One of the most annoying things are the progress indicator LEDs of every channel. Although I have activated the lowest brightness of the LEDs, the progress indicator lights up so extremly bright, that you can no longer see the active progress.
    My suggestion would be: Activate only the LEDs that really indicate progress and leave all others off.
  • Wouldn´t it be amazing if we get more information out of the nice colourful LEDs?!
    In demo mode i see that each fader has 2 different leds. It would be great if one LED (e.g. the lower one) marked the channel color and the other LED (upper one) displays the beat of the respective track in a luminous rhythm or turns red if it is at a to high volume level.
  • An easy way to create a new project out of lines or clips from different saved projects. Would be much easier for putting together live setups!
Thank you Roland!
Stef
7blkks
Posts: 2
Joined: 16:02, 31 January 2022

Re: This is where you can tell Roland what you want from the next MC707 firmware update

Post by 7blkks »

hello to you all, I'm new here, hope you all are doing great!

my 707 is still on the way and I already have requests ;)

one is, that when chaining patterns, overlapping notes won't get cut, also not when jumping back to the first pattern,
or within one pattern, when jumping from last to first step again.

the second is, that not only random patches are created, but existing ones "altered"
a very elegant way, which leads to great results, is the randomizer in the FAW CIRCLE synth, see here:
https://www.amazona.de/wp-content/uploa ... 10/2_2.jpg

besides that, I'm really looking forward to getting my hands on the 707!
7blkks
Posts: 2
Joined: 16:02, 31 January 2022

Re: This is where you can tell Roland what you want from the next MC707 firmware update

Post by 7blkks »

Got my 707 today and it sounds so great, but how do I save my own patches? a way to do this would be quite useful. thank you Roland !
Padre
Posts: 9
Joined: 02:52, 7 August 2021

Re: This is where you can tell Roland what you want from the next MC707 firmware update

Post by Padre »

oohhh ok... this is neat, i'll be here all day... fml...
Ive written afew essays about this and was in talks with Roland a while ago about what can be done with the limited storage on the eprom.
Thing is, the device management of memory IS a REAL problem here...
Not sure of the algorythms at play, but Im gna start with basics and keep adding to the list..

i read afew requests and I can actually reply to those, but lets stick to topic...

So, as im an oldskool Roland user, i will be refering to systems, processes, methids etc which Roland ALREADY utilise. As these dont mess with copyrights or patents, then what i mention shouldnt be an issue to implement.

1) Sounds banks, prtials, tones and patches,

ok, so as we know, ZEnology is the only way to edit patches and save them as our own presets (that answers afew questions here) BUT (shame on Roland for this) its a paid app. Much like the Gaia and MC909 JV editor, I anticipate this app will be obsolete in under 5 years.
Find an alternative.

In any case, the ONLY way to save a patch on its own at this time, is to save it to a clip when using the hardware, then importing that clip to a new project.

This defeats purpose of creating banks of sounds or creating a variety of hybrid patches or even creating a bank of *hybrid) multisamples or a drumbank of samples (be they loops, hits or whatever).
In theory, this unit SHOULD be able to give us 4 banks (octaves) of 16 (pads each octave) which can be managed as a drum bank.
Put it this way, If a 20yr old RS7000 can do this, theres no reason the MC cant either.

Other than that, we gta use Zenology as a standalone editor, create/edit a patch, and import it to a clip...
This is counterintuitive as we typically CREATE or edit patches as we work on the project.. not the other way around..

SO.... if we can extract a patch/tone/sample/sample bank/loop from a clip, that would be great..
So how do we do that??
How about a MC Clip import tool in Zenology that works the same way as it does in HW?? If you can access a clip from a Project A and toss it into Project B, theres no reason it cant be exported as a file. Further, theres no reason why it cant be dismantled with ONLY the patch data in tact.
Youve got Ableton linkability in your Fantom workflow, so theres no reason this machine cant do the same.

Yes, this could compromise the security of the patented clip management (through reverse engineering of the SW), but trust em when i say, people dont care and anyone who decides to 'hack' an app, is actually DOING Roland a favour anyway...
Anyways, Thats one way..
Another is to create a user bank in the MC and allow us to export the clip or a series of clips as a 'performance' , We can then go in and manage those individually or just strip/dismantle the clip into a patch.
Either create a basic librarian or do a direct xfer to the MC unit or PC through USB.

Now, to do this, you'll need to consider storage, meaning that the preset banks, (which most people only use a part of), SHOULD BE unlocked from read only, and for us to be allowed to REMOVE banks or sounds we know will never use.
Not everyone wants most of the stuff on this unit, and it IS takin up precious space.
The other, is that some patches use samples, and then there are loops, and one shot hits.
Saving those patches direct to card shoudlnt be rocket science, but internally, they could be a problem.
So IMO, if we want to save our own banks, it might be best to do it on card, and not internally.
And ONLY if the project is loaded up, do those sounds load in.
BUT we need that internal storage as a temp RAM, so some of those presets need to be cleared

What would be nice, is to use zenology as a VSTI, contolling ALL aspects of the HW, down to the scatter function.
Have a master plugin we latch to our master output (in the daw) which allows us to remotely access or trigger other functions such as scatter. This way we can set up another device to be a scatter trigger, while controlin mutes on the actual device itself or through the daw directly.

I think that covers the SW bit.

2) Midi
a) Umm.. not sure how the MC does this, but to set a midi channel in the MC to play its internal sound AND to send that same signal out of its respective channel, linked to that track. If youve ever used a Yamaha HW sequencer, u know what im talking about here

b) Allow us to configure scatter through SW and to allocate respective scatter into one of the 16 smaller step buttons. This way we can mute AND trigger scatters live. Even better would be to have the 3 rows of buttons 16 small, 8 top row of the 8 on the lower.
Top row is currently used to trigger scenes right, but what if we could swap that to trigger scatter?
The top row of 8 buttons can be mute, and the lower can be scene memory or mute memory. This allows one to mute, scatter and trigger scenes without having to jump from mode to mode.
If not, at LEAST have a CC to NRPN/SYSEX internal translator which lets us set a CC with a respective number, which we can program into an external sequencer or controller which us to trigger scatter remotely.
As it stands, one must chain patterns , let it play, and use scatter to create a fill and then let the MCs sequencer change the scene.
Other than that, one must allocate scene memories, and be in scatter mode and switch that on the fly.
My suggestion here, saves that process.
IN any case, i can do this live on the RM1x and RS7000 which are literally hitting the 20yr mark, so theres no reason this cant do the same.

I should point out, that NONE of the oldskool MC functions and workflows are present here..
If u set the 16 steps to scatter, the top row of 8 pads to mute, and the bottom row to be a drum track mute, that'll return the MC303/505/307/909 mute features AND give u access to scatter.
To change a scene, simply press the scene button to reactive those 16 buttons to control scene, or simply use the arrow down and use the screen to see where youre at...
Simple aye and it WILL make life easier and save on the excess clip copypasta co zu have to move from scene to scene and cut certain clips down to create space for the drops u create with scatter... coz not everyone works in 4/4 and not everyone works in 4, 8, 16, 32...
If youre a doing psytrance, gabba, dubstep, jungle etc you'll KNOW that we often create a 4 measure loop (as an example) , which, at the start of the 4th measure, before a change, we toss in fills, risers, fx or variations of that initial loop BEFORE the next section or before a break.
As there is no scene interrupt and there is no way to trigger a mute memory before going into another scene (as an example a 4 measure loop plays, at the 12th step, u hit the scatter or mute key for one measure before triggering that new scene) ...
So u cant even interrupt...
THIS type of live performance tweaking in between scene changes (or just before) cannot be done on the MC as one is required to CHANGE pad modes.. Cant even mute and scatter ffs... like wtf??
Fkn ridiculous...
I can do this on 20yr old gear, i CANT do this on the Rolands latest and greatest... smh

Yeah im whining but the way i work live, it sounds like its sequenced on a DAW, and thats coz i can literally interrupt a quarter measure (1 beat) with another and drop loops in and out or mute whatever i want BEFORE changing to whatever scene/section i might need to go to. I might have 3 variations or a one measure fill right.. but theyre all set at different mute memories. Its still the ONE scene, but mute memories let me reuse it without gettin boring...
To do that same thing here, i gta write a 4 measure clip, AND a 3 measure clip... and toss that 3 measure clip in the scene to be played BEFORE my fill... so im limited in what scenes play before these fills, and im limited to where i go afterwards... Its doublehandling for no good reason..

At least bring in a clip/scene interrupt, or give US the option to pick which buttons and sliders do what... smh

Roland dropped the ball with the OS on this one...

c) Allow us FULL editing of the controller knobs and cntrl1 2 3 is LABELED with wtf its actually doing. Further, forget the ridiculous mixer.. srsly, what a stupid idea... if i wanted a TR8s, id buy one... I know u think its legacy, but its pointless, and has taken up 2 perfectly good knob slots.
So with that, let US decide wtf that slider does. Not everyone needs to use faders and more often than not, theyre a waste of of space and resources.
To do this labelling and configuration, you simply provide a 'clip info' area on the front page, like the rest of the clip management. Easy..

BUT in this clip info spot, SHOW US the Program Change numbers created for that patch/clip. This way, we can remotely switch patches or clips on that same track, using that same midi channel thats sending out the note data.

c2) That last one is so important, its not even funny.. If i cant set up a program change, then this unit cant operate as a standalone synth sound moducle, and considering this has potential to puke all over an access virus Ti2 when it comes to horsepower, multitimbrality and sound sets, Program Change should have been the first thing on your menu indexing list.

D) Recording.
Going back to the ancient mc303, bring back the recording features found on it.
Specifically, bring back the 'record on note' or 'not' in the MC's LCD display.
What this does is trigger recording when a note is played. This ensures perfect timing ALL the time.
Imagine tryin to trigger an arpeggio on another synth by playing the MC and sending out midi. In many cases, you DONT want to quantise the recording, coz that'll screw the arp, BUT you DO want perfect timing. ATM, one must slow RIGHT DOWN, do the count in, hit the key and edit it and hope you get it right.
Why didnt you people just keep the MC standard recording modes?? Seriously, youve taken a step back with ALOT in this box..
Dno if youre doing a deliberate cripple hammer here, like Canon do, or if its just an ignorant oversight.. who knows.. but i havent touched the surface of what this machine NEEDS to at least keep up with 20yr old gear and no, im not even kidding..

Not everyone is recording at slow BPM and not everyone wants to quantise and entire loop. Whats the point in having a realtime record function if you have to go back and edit a loop to refine it??

And if you can record audio when a certain input gain is met, (be it hitting a key or reaching a gain threshold) then u can ADD to that existing scripted macro and add a 'record on note'.
Instead of gain, the system waits for note.. simple... and again, Roland ALREADY have the tech so its not a copyright or patent issue..

D2)Oh and toss in a 1 second "pre-record' for these record on audio input coz sometimes inputs arent read correctly when levels are low or theyre marred by noise or unbalanced audio. Youve added pre-record in the SP404mk2, but all we need is one second of prerecord just to be on the safe side...
BTW sp404mk2 is solid beast... Roland shoulda put that in an SP808 form factor to take on Akai or offer upgrades to MC users to take their units to swap out the eeprom for an upgrade. Then use those returned eeproms in the mc101's or other boutique units...
Saves landfill and other processing needs considering the chip shortage... ...
but i digress...

D3) Give is a piano roll view, with accent and slide UNDER the key display.. or at the very least, have the damn pads BEHAVE as the TB step recorder.. FFS... the accent and slide arent even recognised/registered when using step record ... smh...
Back t odisplay.. You did it for the MC909, or u can do one better... Go check out Orion Pro (now defunct loop sequencer from Synapse)and launch its 'bassline' tb emulator.After u cry at its accuracy, have a look at the piano roll and you'll see each key step has a check box under it which allows for accent and slide. Simply check a box to activate it.
This literally programs a portamento on/off signal alongside a velocity boost, all sendable via midi.
Obv doesnt have to be used, but its there.. this FIXES the crap and very basic step recorder of the MC

Theres PLENTY more.. but these are the key issues...

E) Arpegiator.
In reference to setion D, and refering back to the mc303 again, how hard is it to inject the MC303's arpegiator?
Like, the WHOLE thing... not some half arsed lame script rolling garbage... srsly...
do better... smh..

No joke, 25yrs on, and i STILL use it to create fills and rolls and dynamic changes in loops, literally by simply tweaking a knob.
Once u work this way to create rolls and risers, you wont turn back... not even scatter is this flexible and dynamic...
There are easy ways to do this as there are only 3 functions you need to consider, gate, velocity and note/pitch range. .
3 knobs..
U can add shuffle by tweaking the existing shuffle OR do it after you record your midi arp..
So how do we do this?? Easy... We turn the controller knobs into arp knobs... Hold down shift, scatter and sound all at once, and the arp is launched.
Voila... now the 3 control knobs are active and u cycle through patterns and their variations with just the arrow keys. Or just put them on the control knobs under the display... but then cycling throgh patterns and variations would need to be done by button, not knob...

TADAA. not rocket science (can u tell im getting jaded the more i talk and think about what needs fixing here??LOL)
Anyways..
Roland HAS the technology and the input knowhow to get this working on an ancient mc303, and its sadly laughable that the most basic function of 'easy' music making tools is missing on this MC....
Srsly.. were talkin 25+ yr old tech here... so im not askin for much... and I kid u not, do a store demo with this slashing out a trance or gabba lead or a tb303 loop thrashing alongside a JP8k sounding lead driving along a 909 kit all coming out of the one box, and more often than not, those shopping for decent gear will stop and listen and take notice..
ThinkIm kidding? Go and do it.>
Take a MC707 pattern programmed correctly into a store and pump it through their system and watch the reaction...
I say this coz its what i used to do for a living with Yamaha and Sony at SMPTE shows almost 20yrs ago.. LOLLL
In any case, its trully astonishing that this basic staple of Roland is not even worth looking at in its current state...

To advance this proposed arp function, add a grid groove function on the next page.
If you dno wtf that is, check out the Yamaha RM1x and RS7000 arpegiator. They work like most soft synth patterned arps these days, ( think Sylenth, Nexus2/3 ) which cycle through a loop and you literally tweak up and down on the note range, add or remove notes per step, gate, velo, shuffle, timing, add a portamento etc.
If u want to advance THAT even more, add a key effects section which lets u tweak a range of notes, or multiple notes/chords, swing, gate, midi delay, multi key unison, octaver (basically mimicking exisitng chords at different ranges, instead of or on top of your existing key range etc.
Hell just rip the Yamaha RM1x/RS7000 ffs... LOL
Phenomenal pattern programming which is why i use both the MC303 AND the RM and RS arps combined to get some insane loops going.


OK thats the first lot...
Theres more... MUCH more..
BUT point is, what im asking for isnt miraculous.
This is tech already in use, already in existing, are simple scripts and macros, already available in SOME form SOMEWHERE...
Its nothing new, these just make life easier...

More to come when i find all my notes... LOLLL
Padre
Posts: 9
Joined: 02:52, 7 August 2021

Re: This is where you can tell Roland what you want from the next MC707 firmware update

Post by Padre »

GMayle wrote: 16:36, 3 July 2021 I thought of another couple of thing, though I don't know if technically possible

1) Alternate Pattern(s). For each clip you have 1, 2 or 3 alternate patterns, which you select, and then program in the same that you do now. Once stored, you have a way of alternating, randomising etc the alternate clips with the main one. This would effectively make the sequencer 512 steps long for any clip (if there were 3 variations). Copying one to another would be really useful.

2) Scene Save - This would save all the scene/linking info to a file on the SDCard. Very useful if you wish to change the function of a single track (from Looper to Drum, for example), as doing this currently wipes out the Scene info and sets it back to default.

3) Auto EQ - An automatic EQ on the Output FX that has genre dependent EQ settings, listens to the track and roughly sets the ouput EQ to an appropriate curve. Really useful for live use, where the rough output of each song's EQ curve could be set to the same genre settings. Alternatively, some sort of display when setting the Output EQ to see each band's level and to be able to set them appropriately, or uniformly for each song.


Any more, MC707 freaks?
Good ideas here...
1) this can be done with a program change, BUT these clips will require Program Change numbers to be allocated so as to be launched where needed. As it stands, we can obv use different clips on whatever track, but only one per scene, if however that scene had a program change message linking to a patch or a clip, then your prayers would be answered.

In video editing terms, this is considered a 'take'. On the same point within the same track on the timeline, your audio track is flagged with a number. That number correlates to various tracks within that same space.
Now this is great for multiple mic sources, or when blending mics or creating surround sound etc.
But the basic premise is multiple takes per clip.
Neat idea...

Not sure how cubase does it, but in Ableton, its easy just to copypasta a new variation and move on. ie virtually limitless cells to mess with.
... But in THIS case, and to reiterate what i mentioned earlier, what youre asking for is multiple takes of different clips to live on the one track, within the one grid allocation.
Am i gettin you right??
To do this, there would be limitations, but its def possible.. hell i can do this on 20yr old gear, so no reason why THIS cant do it, BUT your gna need Program Change messages.
I mention this in my wishlist..

I think its a good idea BUT those extra clip takes WILL take up space, so it might be limited to a tone track or a non sample based sound/clip.
I actually mentioned this in my wish list (program change) which would then allow one to use the MC707 as an external synth without having to program clips with their respective patches within them but everything else is left empty... the clip is literally just a tone... and u change the clip to change the tone...

My idea of program change turns the MC707 into something like a Virus ti2, basically...
WIth no need to actually touch the unit itself...
If done correctly, this has potential to turn Roland into an Access killer...

In any case, the idea is to use program change messages to switch sounds around as the track plays along...
in the MCs case, either internally or from an external sequencer,
In its current form, were limited to creating clips, putting those on a track, then accessing those from midi.
Aside from factory presets, I cant find anything that lets me find or use my own sounds through program change.
I might be missing something.
In turn my description of settin up clips with sounds and playing those from an external controler seems to be the only method I can think of atm.
Its ridiculous tbh.. and has crippled this unit to literally take it out of a high end synth module market tier which this could demolish within 3 months..
Like i said, this could kill the VirusTi2 if it was set up properly in the first place...
So yeah.. youre idea IS workable... Dno how it'd be displayed, but once u create a clip, it SHOULD have a program change series of corresponding numbers... well, it actually DOES but we cant see it.. and i know it does coz we CAN use DIFERENT clips with different sounds and settings within the same track.. so to do that, we gta access that clip data.. to do that , we need that program change message...
So it IS there...
In any case, I mention the extraction and or dismantling of clips into user banks in my wish list.....

Whoever designed the menu system here, obv has no clue wtf they were doing.. or thought we were all hipster doofus noobs thriving on Roland presets... smh...
They SERIOUSLY dropped the ball with this unit when it comes to refined management...

2) Good idea.. Theres no reason why this cant be implemented with the project, or exported to card, then reimported into Ableton. The Fantom does something similar, but only when its playing back live... maybe we might need to do this do, and its really only a macro/script running sending tonnes of midi data to teh DAW to decipher and put into place...
What your asking for is scene edit to be specific. This would be good, but TBH, I dont see any use for a looper track when you have a drum track which can do the same thing only difference being pitch algorythm/control. Further, the drum track gives u 16 pads to plonk your loops on, where as looper only gives u one.. If u use Tone track, youve got 4 but u gta set up your key split range... Either way, looper tracks were stupid to begin with IMO. They should have cracked open 4 banks in the drum track, giving us 4 banks of 16 pads on a drum track, which literally works like a SP404.
It COULD have been done but for some ridiculuos reason, they didnt think ahead.
TBH, whoever designed this units guts and track setup, should be sacked. Im not kidding..
Totally ridiculous IMO.
Thnk about it.. looper gives u one loop in a clip... tone track gives u up to 4 samples/loops per clip, drum track up to 16... And they COULD have moved the pitch shifting tempo algorythm of the looper to THOSE tracks and save the silliness of looper tracks... hell they could have forced a resampling and save some damn processing power.. smh...
THIS is why its IMPORTANT for manufacturers to talk to users...
Stupid marketing dept putting their 2c in when they got no idea wtf this is all about.. smh...
Yeah, im kinda annoyed with the MC707...and its just little niggly things that carry ALOT of weight...
check my wish list for mroe info... LOLLL

3) Not gna happen Im afraid. CPU isnt powerful enough and you honestly DONT want this.. just trust me..
If u want an auto leveller, grab a proper hardware limiter (berhinger make some decent units from back in the day, so you should find them cheap) and hook ur unit through that. Some are multichannels so if ur just on ur box, u cn allocate the outputs and set different levels for each of the MCs outs..
Another option, is to run it through your PC and use the PC an effect box...

Aside from that I can suggest much else... but like i said, u DONT want auto levels and if ur going live, ALWAYS run a sound check.. even if it means goin early and stealing channel to test with. Speak with the engineer at the venue.

What WOULD be nice, would be a FULL proper internal mixing board, with proper levels and EQ (like an RS7000 or mixing console in Cubase or Ableton.
It just needs to be basic. We dont need to see routings or auxillaries, just a pre-fx eq and a post fx eq.
Hell, you can even use the hardware knobs and sliders as a HW controller for levels and this EQ per channel..
Just give us a damn global display OF A MIXER and in THIS mode, set each pot to high mid and low EQ (ie like a REAL MIXER) & the slider being level.. Voila, instant internal digital mixer... like a proper mixer... IM A REAL TOY NOW JEPPETO!!!

THIS is why i thought the sliders were ridiculous on this, coz they take up 2 knob spaces for one function...and the bloody things arent even viewable like a mixer...
Absolutely ridiculous...

I could go on... as usually but imma stfu.. good ideas here man...
GMayle
Posts: 139
Joined: 21:46, 20 May 2021

Re: This is where you can tell Roland what you want from the next MC707 firmware update

Post by GMayle »

Some great ideas, tech knowledge and contributions on here. The MC707 is my favourite piece of music making equipment. In my view, it's the best thing Roland have made (ever). Its limitations are part of its charm. You have enough features to make a tune, but not so many that you never finish it! It's a great little box. Whatever Roland put on the V2.0 firmware will improve it for me. The one I'd most like to see is the ability to select a Scatter preset (and the individual tracks that play through it) on the Scene. By this you could automate the Scatter to come on for 4 steps only etc, thereby making many different fills for a single pattern. And on the Scene also, if you could store the mute state of each drum pad (on or muted), that would allow you to build a very long drum track using only the Scene Linking (if when you save the Scene it remembered the mute state of drum pads). But whatever Roland decide to do, it will hopefully only improve a brilliantly designed machine. In 20 years this machine will be seen as 2019's TB303 or TR808. The MC707 is a sort of hardware Ableton. Really great little box.
GMayle
Posts: 139
Joined: 21:46, 20 May 2021

Re: This is where you can tell Roland what you want from the next MC707 firmware update

Post by GMayle »

Sorry, as a final point, dunno if Roland are listening;

The Scene Linking upgrade in the firmware made the biggest improvement to the MC707 so far. That's probably the easiest thing to upgrade further. The sonic capabilities and sounds of the MC707, and the clips, are more than good enough to make a tune. There are probably many things and options that can be added to the Scene menu that would take this machine to a better level of composition. If the Scene Menu could automate Scatter, store Mute state of drum pads, fade a track in or out, alter or speed up/slow down tempo, disable/enable effects and such like things, you could use a single Project to hold half a dozen tunes, making the MC707 Project capable of doing half an album, or many remixes of the same track. I think the Scene Linking being upgraded will most improve the MC707

Cheers Roland
paintchipsandbeandip
Posts: 3
Joined: 03:51, 6 April 2022

Re: This is where you can tell Roland what you want from the next MC707 firmware update

Post by paintchipsandbeandip »

bruh, there's so much stuff that it's already got packed in that one little box, like dang, pump up the jams. I think my neighbors are getting all poopy pants about it. It would be cool if it could like make phone calls or something. Idk., But Roland has done thought of everything already. Maybe, just a time warp portal or like a Oppenheimer & Otis Spunkmeyer Collab Cookie Oven and it would be complete.
Padre
Posts: 9
Joined: 02:52, 7 August 2021

Re: This is where you can tell Roland what you want from the next MC707 firmware update

Post by Padre »

GMayle wrote: 01:05, 7 March 2022 Sorry, as a final point, dunno if Roland are listening;

The Scene Linking upgrade in the firmware made the biggest improvement to the MC707 so far. That's probably the easiest thing to upgrade further. The sonic capabilities and sounds of the MC707, and the clips, are more than good enough to make a tune. There are probably many things and options that can be added to the Scene menu that would take this machine to a better level of composition. If the Scene Menu could automate Scatter, store Mute state of drum pads, fade a track in or out, alter or speed up/slow down tempo, disable/enable effects and such like things, you could use a single Project to hold half a dozen tunes, making the MC707 Project capable of doing half an album, or many remixes of the same track. I think the Scene Linking being upgraded will most improve the MC707

Cheers Roland

the recording of sysex as well as NRPN (how the scatter and fx are manipulated internally or by remote) would be nice, and it wouldnt be difficult as its literally a text file written as a script (like an oldskool tracker) which plays back and triggers certain parameters based on timecode.
THing is, noones been able to confirm whether or not the MCs export these signals, meaning that the automation youre asking for, (and the data values within) are sent out to a DAW (as an example) which then records those messages.. BUT to THEN have those recorded back INTO a clip/clips, so as to trigger internally as you've dscribed..
As there is no way of knowing wtf that sysex & NRPN messages were, and theyre not recordable as a motion control or controller lane wihtin a track/clip, the only way to find out the numbers is to check the midi implementation, or reverse engineer the midi signal and analyse THAT so as to re-create it within tha clip...

Now, back in the day of the older MC units, there was a thing called RPS (Realtime phrase sequqncing) and the way this worked was that it used preset mute memories and controller automation changes & settings (be they automated sweeps of a knob, or a patch default ... however you set it) and youd use the KB to trigger these loops along WHILE the actual playback of the same or other tracks within that RPS.. So hit play, and the device plays back like a song mode, BUT you can live trigger loops on however many tracks you want...
NOW... If roland implemented that, then the mc707 could theoretically trigger a drum roll (as an example) during song mode, saving you he hassle of editing that drum roll clip INTO a scene , wich THEN needs to be lego'd into a daisychained patternchain/song

What id like to see, is Legacy Rythm tracks...
This has to be the DUMBEST thing NOT have included.. You cant mute individual drum sounds while a scene is playing... thats like THE biggest WTF moment ive seen... hell evne the ancient mc303 does this... smh...

Its a waste of clips if one must create a clip just to mute a hat and snare... Half the idea of freeform sequencing and loop triggering and loop creation goes out the window...
THEN theres the redundant 'choice' of mute clip or Stop/start clip... if i want to mute, id mute.. if WHY would you want to stop a clip (other than to hide a loop carrying a looping clip with a program change message, which inherantly resets said Program change at each loop cycle...) There is NO reason to stop a clip if u can loop it..
If it CHANGED the timing of the trigger, maybe u can have some fun with chord timing triggers or offbeat launching of certain clips, but noone making money with this thing works asynchornously..
Im just being real here...
Bring back drum mutes..
As it is, i gta use an external controller device just to mute elements of a drum track by sending volume up/down messages via sysex to find the drum part, & CC for the actual control.. .smh...
fkn ridiculous BS..

NB* the Rythm track on a Legacy MC used to turn the mute buttons of ur tracks into rythm mute buttons, unless it had dedicated rythm track buttons.. Like the MC505...
... or u could use RPS with muted or unmuted patterns playing back thru the RPS, giving u access to synth parts on their respective tracks AND drum parts at the same time thru that RPS trigger..

THIS setup currently doesnt let u do EITHER of these.. be it through mutes by allocating a mute button for a drum sound (like the legacy MC units), or with RPS (as RPS doesnt exist here.
You could do it with a clever use of scatter, but then in scatter mode, there are things u cant do live..
In mute mode, the top layer should control each track mute in full, and the lower 8 pads SHOULD be mutes for drum sounds.
Instead they give us mute or stop of an antire drum track, without access to control the mutes for individual drum sounds...

And to reiterate afew other definite needs...
!) RECORD ... Theres no "record on note" (rec sits in standby UNTIL you hit a key, knob, pad, which then triggers immediate playback for recording <from the moment you touch a control or hit play>...,
Theres no break or blank measure in between loops while recording, meaning loops continue without a break in between , nor do they stop at the end of the meaure, stopping the rec when done... instead, it jsut loops and rec replace keeps on going...
what this means is that knob tweaks timed badly, or arpegiator playback or recording scattered loops to audio could accidentaly rollover from one loop to another, doubling up or making error of note inputs or tweaks or whatever...

theres no record replace or record overdub, (its ALL replace) ..

theres no erase in realtime other than going thru step by step (ie on the nacient MCs you hold shift while recording, then hold the key/note/knob u want to erase while it plays back and it removes the offending notes... or tweaks/parameter while playing back (even the MC303 can do this..)

2) The arpegiator is garbage and is trully astonishing that a basic script of less than 50kb isnt even here.
A staple for Grooveboax performance for the simple fact the KB is so crap & arps have always been a roland thing...
Again, check out the mc303 arpegiator. Its dead simple but better than the JP8000's... (i got both units and i STILL use the MC... smh.. )
U got a variety of Arp banks, from basic steps, to patterns to full blown randomisation and even glissiando's and reg styles through to basic eurotrash dance patterns and triplets etc...
Then those series of patterns withing each aforementioned bank...
You then have note type variation within THAT.. THEN, via knob, youve got velocity range (awesome for drum rolls, fills, basslines, breakbeats, jungle, etc) WITHOUT the need to tap tap tappy this or that hit hoping u can record a neat clean automation and your riser doesnt overlap the loop point else u screw up your recording and have to start again (see part 1.. above..)
WIth this, you literally write and record a variable bassline or drum loop, or drum patterns or risers or build up etc or whatever at the twist a knob ...
Believe me, once u work with it, and figure out its logic, you wont go to any other Arp (unless u have an Ultranova/MiniNova and program your arp AND gater , as even those dont have this level of arp...
You listerally Scroll through, pick what you want, play along and mess with the arp in realtime WITH A KNOB ... (and you can record or send via midi...) AND works phenomenally well when xfering arps to other devices...

Its phenomenal, yet remarkably absent on the 'flagship' 707... smh... So time to dust off the mc303 and find a free pwer socket.. LOL

3) Drum track mutes. Theres only a global drum track mute, not an individual mute within said drum track
Get rid of the mute vs stop clip option in mute mode, its REDUNDANT (& like i said, only useful to avoid looping messages you DONT want to look, like Program change)
In operation, this function on THIS machine would let u select the drum track, where by the lower 8 buttons/pads become track part mute buttons.. Hit the top left button/pad (track one) and theres your selected drum loop...
Now, the LOWER layer of those pads are your mutes.. HOW HARD IS IT TO DO THAT??
Even better woudl be to allow us to set these mute memories as individual scenes WITHOUT having to write a new clip if all we want to do is introdce a highhat or something..
To work it out isnt rocket science and its already been done on a 25yr old machine, so WHY isnt drum part mutes here??

4) Scatter quantising is finally here, but what would be nice, would be to have the scatter trigger a new scene. As we can set clips to trigger certain other clips, being able to do this via scatter, would be great and would make single measure random breaks before bringing in somethign else (classic technique of triggering a 1 or 2 measure break before a major transition or drop. This is a Godsend considering the limited number of tracks...

5) oldskool synth models.
The display can draw anything. How about a preset clip, and a preset inerface GUI which ONLY shows and grants acecess to certain paramters relevant to that modelled synth. this can be acessable via clip import, and the interface could mimic the 'easy' oscilator layout, but instead of all 4 partials and itsrespective Envelopes filter options etc, THIS modelling only displays osc and LFs relevant to siad modelled synth.
Obv if u want to grow on that, u can go to the advanced osc edit mode, but the base model GUI would ONLY show the odds and ends of the device being modelled. ie SH101 1 main oscilator with very limited options, or Juno106 showing ONLY those paramters of the Juno VSTi or Phantom model...

6) tone/patch/clip save and import as individual file. Id like to create a patch, save it as a patch, and import it to Zenology.. .OR I dlike to use Zenology pro and use THAT to edit the patch using the HW directly, THEN i can export that finished patch sitting on the HW as a patch.. NOT a clip..
A librarian and the option to cut and past and move PCMs and the like would be nice..

Theres plenty more, but this should suffice for now...
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