Once you get used to it, it’s fine. However for a quick sketch pad you will need to put in some work before-hand. Maybe a starter project or two with a drum kit, bass and lead already chosen. Otherwise choosing between 4000 odd presets for every sketch will get old, fast.
In my experience, it is way sturdier than the Kaossilator 2S, not that I’d recommend carrying either without a case. If you’re using a case, the OP-Z can live in a backpack.
Exactly. It’s either the OP-Z they had before, or the Woovebox.
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Well, I was treating my OP-Z with extreme care and still the power switch broke, I still don’t know why. Maybe I psychologically worry less because it’s cheaper, but the KS2 is pretty flat and compact all around so I’d be comfortable carrying it in my pocket, whereas I wouldn’t take the OP-Z anywhere without a sturdy case.
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I stopped dialing through the presets and just use the patch generator, every few clicks you will find a new inspiring sound. It’s an infinite pool of sounds. I really like my mc101.
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I need to try that feature
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Yeah it broke on mine as well, but at least it’s easily replaceable. While the side buttons of the KS2 (not the plastic button covers, but the actual tiny SMD buttons) can easily come off the mainboard from a minor bump, plus the display may die (not sure whether it’s a display issue, a mainboard issue or a connector issue). It makes the OP-Z with all its flaws look well designed in comparison. I’d never toss the KS2 anywhere without a case, and probably wouldn’t risk carrying it around at all.
If you are into those, you might like the Ono Sendai. Spherical Sound Society has a few other devices that are equally weird
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1649811408/ono-sendai-generative-groove-box
And another option is the Nunomo Qun mk2, which has its own thread
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Ah, it seems I was too carefree with the KS2 then… now I worry 
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Look for a padded case, maybe an HDD case or something like that.
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I had a phase of cheap, weird, portable stuff about 8-10 years ago, mostly Bastl stuff. I still have some of it, but I never use it. The novelty wears off after just a few months/weeks and then it feels like a one-trick pony.
For me those desires split off into weird -> modular and portable -> M8 (the portable endgame imo). With modular, you get more mileage out of the weird stuff because you can patch it and make it more useful. And with clever patching, even more normal stuff can get weird. And the M8 seems like a kind of big purchase up front, but it’s hard to overstate just how useful and versatile it is, how much it can do. Plays well with all sorts of stuff too, even just as a recorder/arranger.
As far as cheap stuff, I rarely find stuff that catches my eye these days, but I still have a soft spot for the POs. The Nunomo Qun mentioned above has piqued my interest, but I’m concerned it might be fiddly to use. Looks and sounds great, though.
No screen, but powerful graphic interface when needed. Battery powered. Cheap. Plastic means light to carry. Decksaver has it covered for less than $60.
I don’t own one, but thinking about it to be the perfect companion to my OT.
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Learned about it already a couple of months ago, wish the price was lower tho.
This got my curiosity for the Roland groovebox.
Is there an actually GOOD overview on YouTube?
The ones I’ve watched so far are a bit of a mess
I didn’t understand at all the ZenCore thing, is that a subscription?
For the 101 this is the one channel that goes over each and every feature
https://youtube.com/@teabreakbeats?si=psxM_xySKsmgbz2O
Zencore is the name of the synth engine which lives in hardware (mc101, mc707, mv-1, etc) and software Zenology. There is a lite version of Zenology which does not let you edit a synthpatch. Both Zenology’s require a subscription, for pro it is more expensive and lets you edit the patch.
The mv-1 Verselab does not let you edit the synth, all other hardware does. However all the grooveboxes have a random patch generator on board.
Yeah a big thing with the M8 is I don’t feel like I am drawing attention in public using it… the nanoloops and lsdj are also nice options for on the go on gameboy. Maybe the EP medieval if you end up at renaissance faers often
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Well said. I always thought that about e.g. LSDJ as well (just looks like you’re playing a Gameboy game) and it’s a natural evolution of that concept. It’s especially great on a bus/train.
For Roland MC 101 users. How’s the menu diving for quickly selecting a specific preset in 2024 with the last OS? I don’t mean editing a patch, but just browsing.
Talking about tone presets everything is two levels down.
- You can choose to see all 4000+ presets ordered by ‘number’ (A-001, A-002 …)
- You can choose to see all 4000+ presets ordered alphabetically (‘101 bass’, ‘106 bass’ … )
- after that in the 1st level menu are the categories (‘01: Syn Bass’, ‘02: Syn Lead’ … ) which divide up the presets into smaller groups. But they are still large groups. ‘01: Syn Bass’ has something like 490 presets in it.
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In my opinion, there are too many options crammed into the MC-101 for it to be really user-friendly, but the basic stuff (select a sound for a track, record, etc) is easy. It’s clip-based, so a track contains clips, you can record any sound + beat/phrase into them. I like how it sounds.
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