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The MC-09's audio looper section is capable of playing back four mono phrases of up to six seconds in length each. You can resample the internal sounds, or use the audio inputs to roll your own. If you correctly enter the BPM of your audio source before you sample it, the MC-09 makes looping easy by stopping record on the beat. Once inside the Phraselab, your loops can be triggered by the step sequencer at any point in their duration, as well as pitch-shifted while still retaining original tempo.
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PhraseLab
Pros: Great analog modeling monosynth, sampler, sequencer, and effects in one compact box. Smart media backup.
Cons: Too few controls for too many parameters.
Bottom Line: A cool little loop studio in a box.
Roland Corp., www.rolandus.com
$445
Ten years ago, any self-respecting producer would have given their left leg for so many features in a small box like the MC-09 Phraselab. It's packed with the essential tools you'll need to record and loop audio, construct synth lines, and slather them all in tempo-matching effects. With live performance written all over it, the MC-09 is perfect for laying down some yuletide groove.
Coming out of its package looking like a little mixing desk, with four faders for mixing audio parts, a 3-element LED display, 16-step sequencer/keyboard, and eight solid knobs for realtime parameter tweaking, the MC-09 begs you to lay your hands on and twiddle. Plus, the Phraselab is perfect for Christmas morning, because the buttons lights up like the proverbial Christmas tree.
The MC-09's audio looper section is capable of playing back four mono phrases of up to six seconds in length each. You can resample the internal sounds, or use the audio inputs to roll your own. If you correctly enter the BPM of your audio source before you sample it, the MC-09 makes looping easy by stopping record on the beat. Once inside the Phraselab, your loops can be triggered by the step sequencer at any point in their duration, as well as pitch-shifted while still retaining original tempo. The Chop function works much like Propellerhead's Recycle software, cutting the loop into 16 slices which can be modified to create new breakbeats and strange melodies.
Also under the hood is a powerful monophonie modeling synthesizer which can sound a lot like Roland's coveted old-school TB-303 (very cool!), as well as ten drum kits.
The six control knobs do multiple duties, acting as controls for oscillator tuning, envelope mod, accent, filter cutoff and resonance, and envelope decay, as well as kick, snare, and hi-hat volume. Synth and rhythm sounds can be played via the MC-09's pads and 32-step sequencer or MIDI. Synth and drum patterns can be programmed with Roland's tried and true TR-REC method, (otherwise known as step entry) using the 16 numeric pads.
Since you can't use the synth and effects at the same time, yovi have to capture your synth lines into the audio looper, where effects - filter, isolator, phaser, and slicer - can be applied to any of the four audio loops or to live inputs, and you can control the effects in real time with the knobs. Roland has included effects technology from their EF-303 Groove Effects under the effect control parameter. Effect control is basically a step-modulator sequencer with up to 16 stepped events, where each step can change an effect parameter. Imagine being able to freeze a phase-shifter's phase over 16 steps, all synced to clock. This feature really expands the usefulness of the MC-09's basic effects palate.
Working with the MC-09 is pretty slick once you get a grip on its various levels of menus and functions. Get a synth line and drum pattern going using the step sequencer and capture them in the audio looper. If you fill up the four loop slots, you can bounce them down to a single track and keep adding sounds. Use the audio inputs to sample a CD for some breaks and you're set. You can drop tracks in and out using the faders and mute buttons, and start tossing in effects for all sorts of live mix mayhem.
When you get something you like, you can save your work - including synth/effect patches, sequences, and audio loops using a SmartMedia card (up to 128MB, not included . . . bummer). It would have been real sweet had Roland decided to make the MC-09 operate on battery power, since it's so teeny and portable you could blow tracks in a phone booth, but maybe next Christmas, eh? KENT CARMICAL
Copyright CMP Media LLC Dec 2002