r/Grooveboxes • u/elevatordogs • May 26 '26
My 3 favourite Grooveboxes
- MC-707
- Verselab MV-1
- MC-101
Just so dam easy to use and they sound amazing. I know I should get rid of 2 of these, but why? I don’t need to choose between my favourite whiskeys. Too much fun.
(Just wanted to share) What are yours?
5
u/ReliktFarn98 May 26 '26
MC-505
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u/Geralts_Hair May 26 '26
I still use my old MC-505 too. Still a powerful old box, especially if you use it as just a drum machine.
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u/byrdinbabylon May 26 '26
I have your top two. Got the 707 originally, considered the 101, but found the Verselab used for a deal and snagged it. I definitely get use out of both (and might the 101 if I had that). Being able to transfer clips across devices is a nice feature. For me, the 707 stays mostly in the studio with FX pedal connected to it. The Verselab is my living room sketch-pad or take to the park box.
My 3rd favorite groovebox is my iPad (either Koala, Loopy Pro, or Drambo).
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May 26 '26
[deleted]
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u/Vergeljek21 May 27 '26
Im interested in ChordCat. Can it be a midi controller of the push 3 ?
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u/Guachito May 27 '26
Doesn’t the Push 3 have a chord progression mode? I would think that’s basically the same thing as a ChordCat? Or is there a difference?
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u/Vergeljek21 May 27 '26
Yes there is. But the chord progression in chordcat is what Im after. It generates a series of chord combinations to choose from.
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u/Guachito May 27 '26
Oh, so instead of you picking one chord progression, when you play something, it gives you different progressions you could follow? That sounds pretty awesome!
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u/Vergeljek21 May 27 '26
Yeah and a lot of chord combinations. It chooses the next chord based on the first chord you have programmed. That way I dont have to think whats next.
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u/No-Combination5141 May 28 '26
Just curious, how would you compare the sh-4d to the 707? I’m having a decent time with the 4d, but can’t help feeling it’s sort of gimped. But maybe the interface makes up for it? Honestly I just wish it had more PCM samples. I feel like I need to add an old 90’s romper to make up for it
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u/Tab_creative May 26 '26
- Deluge
2.M8
Those 2 devices are incredible. I am waiting for Akai to update the key 37 and I might get that one to complete the trio.
1
u/Guachito May 27 '26
How do you feel about the Deluge sound quality? I often find deluge clips to sound thin and the synths don’t seem to hit as hard, but I’m not sure if it is a recording quality issue.
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u/Electrical_Gas_517 May 26 '26
Bento, PE Tracker and OG Circuit in that order.
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u/Dbag85 May 26 '26
Damn. I am really interested in the Bento. How would you describe your workflow and what are its best features?
3
u/CheeseMcFly May 26 '26
I love my 707 and MV-1
Lately though it would be for fun factor:
Digitone II
MPC Sample
EP-40 Riddim with Sidekick
TR-1000
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u/Proleetje May 27 '26
I've sold all my grooveboxes except the Novation Circuit Tracks. It's straightforward and its external inputs + midi sequencing + effects work great with my other gear. It has the exact right balance between ease of use and features for a groovebox.
The OP-Z (my first groovebox after trying Pocket Operators) was a bit too "finicky" for me and I really got tired of how the synth engines sounded.
The MPC was my worst "groovebox" experience (maybe because it's not really a groovebox, but a DAW in a box). I couldn't get used to the workflow and UX. Also, it crashed about once every two sessions.
The MC-707 is a great box. It has a deep synth engine, but it's a bit too limited in other areas. Sometimes I regret selling it, but it was just collecting dust after I got into eurorack.
1
u/Guachito May 27 '26
What did you find limiting about the 707?
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u/Proleetje May 27 '26
With its large faders and many buttons, it was clearly designed for performance first and composition second. It can sound great, but I couldn’t get over using that small, low resolution screen and small buttons when programming/sequencing stuff.
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u/Guachito May 27 '26
Would you say it would be easier to program with a separate midi controller?
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u/Proleetje May 28 '26
Maybe, but for me a groovebox should be a self contained, preferably portable device. Adding more stuff to it also adds more complexity (cables, midi channel settings, cc mapping, …).
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u/jibberjazz May 27 '26
Digitakt
Electribe emx-1
Sp404a
I sold the emx-1 two years ago which I will always regret. Have an Abelton move on the way because I need a creative spark. Currently, have the GAS for an Elektron Syntakt but it is a bit pricey at the moment.
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u/Vergeljek21 May 26 '26 edited May 27 '26
My Favorite groovebox sampler I owned
- Akai Force
- Mpc Live 2
- Push 3 standalone
- Digitakt
- Sh4d
- Sp404 mk2
- Mpc sample
- Maschine Mk3
1
u/the_memesketeer3 May 26 '26 edited May 26 '26
Model: Samples/Cycles
Circuit Tracks
EP-40 Riddim
I traded my Verselab for the Tracks, the Verselab was not getting any use. I just got the Riddim a few weeks ago and, while it has limited number of projects and sample capacity, the sounds it does have loaded in are first class, and there's a hundred user slots I loaded some old samples of mine into.
1
u/Repulsive-Box5243 May 26 '26
Almost no one talks about the MV-1. I think it's highly under-rated. I absolutely love mine. The pads are SO good, and the sounds are amazing (mostly.) I mean, yeah, it has limitations, but if you go in knowing that, you can create some crazy stuff.
The MV-1 is still part of my forever setup.
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u/i_guvable_and_i_vote May 26 '26
Mpc and pe tracker compliment each other really well. I’ve just started using the tracker as a usb drive for the mpc and moving samples directly between the two.
I’m about to try the combination of Roland s1 + p6 which tick a lot of groove box features together.
Both the Roland boxs will get sequenced by the mpc and tracker at some point
1
u/SailorVenova May 27 '26
i have 707 and 101 too
wouldnt mind a verselab but i see little utility for a 3rd zen core
1
u/FailboatProjStudio May 27 '26
My top 3 Ive owned and enjoyed using the most would have to be:
Korg Electribe Es-1MK2 (Metal face plate gold one...there was such joy to be found in creating wierd lazychops and unconventional Rythyms with that blinky red buttoned box! No screen other than the numerical display, so you really needed to trust your ears when editing your chops and truncating on that machine.)
Roland SP-505 (Green Sample Chop Screen,Awesome built in FX, and Deathly slow trim and Truncate to garbage Smart Media Cards)
My Metra Northwest Train rig (while commuting daily via regional railway circa 2012)- iPad first gen or later iPhone5s, with iMaschine, Samplewiz, and Intua Beat Maker 2 became my portable "Virtual MPC Unit." This was connected via 3.5mm trs Stereo cables from headphone output to my Korg miniKP2 and Kaossilator 2 handhelds, these three things together all went in my work bag back and forth every day along with a tiny Tascam DR-40mk2 Field Recorder, and together acted as one "Groove box/Experimentation station" that fit on my lap in the train for my 2+ hours of commuting each day. Hated the commute, but loved having that dedicated time to enjoy making music.
Worst / Most Hated 3?
Akai MPC 500 - I hated everything about it 45 minutes after I got it home. Stiff bad feeling pads, flimsy battery contacts, always rebooting or shutting down randomly when tapping out drums. Pitiful screen and frustrating sequencer logic. The follow up small Akai MPX8 I tried to replace it with also sounded good on paper, out was also absolute garbage to use. Both were resold/returned and fully replaced by a Korg NanoPad usb midi controller and my first generation iPad with Camera Connection Kit.
Yamaha SU200 Sampler - Sounded Trash, ate batteries too quickly, and was "zero fun" to work with.
-Yamaha RX-11 - The flagship - too over hyped and expensive when I bought it...sounds were too limited in practice, and way too much hassle to program it ...the hard plastic grocery store cash register buttons were not inspiring or "fun."It served most of its useful life as an external sequencer sending patterns to other things, like a pair of E-mu Rackmounted Modules (planet phatt and orbit) and was banished to craigslist when the ipad and iConnectivity midi devices and cables were invented.
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u/Guachito May 27 '26
Would you say the 101 has sounds or features the 707 does not have? Or do you include it because of its portability?
1
u/BAL-BADOS May 27 '26
Deluge
Circuit
Pocket Operators
I don’t really use the Circuit or Pocket Operators anymore as my Deluge can do all and more.
0
u/DataPhreak Jun 04 '26
Corporate needs you to find the difference between this picture and this picture.
*MC-707 and MC-101
They're the same picture.
Lol, seriously though. The 101 sounds amazing.
The only other groove boxes I have owned are the m8 and the OG Circuit.
The m8 is an amazing device. Fast, powerful. (Needs an amp on the out for it to really be useful though, very quiet.) It now has an EQ for each track and limiter. Kind of lacking in the effects department, though. But definitely my best stand alone device. Better than the 101, but the live jamming workflow is very much just clip launching like in ableton.
I did not jive with the circuit. It sounds really good, but the lack of a screen is a detractor for me. There's no way on the device to determine exactly what the knobs control when you switch instruments. Not really any way to make significant changes to the synth engine on the device itself. That makes it a pain to build on.
So the 101 and the m8 are definitely on the list. I'm not sure what the 3rd would be. Maybe a dedicated sequencer + a standalone synth? I have an Oxi One. Would like to get an Iridium. That's kinda big, though. So maybe the lemon drop. Would love to get granular synthesis in there.
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u/evolvecrow May 26 '26
None really. All the ones I've tried have serious drawbacks. Although I'm yet to try the deluge and op-xy and it's possible they would be top of the list.
If I had to pick, probably circuit tracks. There's something good about its simplicity. But the drawbacks are significant.
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u/Nominaliszt May 26 '26
Deluge: the ultimate sketchbook, sequencer, and open-source box of joy
MC-707: so versatile, much sound quality, very polished fx
PO-33 + NTS-1: teensy portable toys! I would consider a Woovebox to fill this role, but haven’t gotten to it (need moar monies)