Sampling Groovebox

MC-909

TurboStart
11. Turn the VALUE dial to select a patch. 12. Press F6 (Select) to confirm your selection. The MC-909 is now ready to record a pattern. 13. 14. 15. 16. Press RECORD. Press F1 (Realtime)the metronome starts. to select Rec Measure Length. Press Turn the VALUE dial to select the desired number of measures for your pattern. to select Quantize Resolution. 17. Press 18. Turn VALUE to select the desired resolution. Note: We recommend "1/16" if youre not sure what to use. 19. Press F6 (BPM/Click). 20. Turn the VALUE dial to select the desired tempo. Note: Hold SHIFT while turning the VALUE dial to move by whole BPM numbers. 21. Press F6 (Close) to return to the Record Standby screen. 22. Press PLAY to start recording. 23. After the two-measure count-in, play the VELOCITY PADS to record your pattern. 24. Press STOP when youre finished recording. 25. Press PLAY to listen to your pattern.

Its a Fact

The Roland MC-909 Sampling Groovebox is an entirely new type of dance music workstation. At last, audio and MIDI are fused together in an ultra-intuitive environment. Features include: Professional MIDI sequencing with velocitysensitive pads and hundreds of new preset patterns Hundreds of new waveforms, patches and rhythm sets, with SRX-series expansion Large VGA LCD backlit display and realtime controllers, including Twin D Beams and Turntable Emulation for audio and MIDI 64-voice polyphony and 16-part multitimbral 16MB sample memory, expandable up to 272MB USB port for.WAV/AIFF/SMF file transfer Optional SmartMedia storage Dedicated mastering effects, reverb and compressor, plus 2 multi-effects processors New V-LINK feature allows you to control video clips from the MC-909 during live performance

Selecting Patterns

The MC-909 has 1,056 internal patterns. Use the following procedure to select a pattern: 1. Press the MODE PATTERN button. 2. Press F1 (List). 3. Press F1 (Preset) or F2 (User). 4. Turn the VALUE dial to select a pattern. 5. Press F6 (Select Pattern). 6. Press PLAY to begin playback.

Saving A Pattern

The MC-909 has 200 user memory locations for saving patterns youve created. Use the following procedure to save a pattern: 1. Press WRITE. 2. Press F1 (PTN). 3. Turn the VALUE dial to select a first character for the patterns name. 4. Press to select the next character position. 5. Turn the VALUE dial to select the names second character. 6. Repeat Steps 4 and 5 for the rest of the pattern name. 7. When youre done naming the pattern, press F6 (Write). 8. Turn the VALUE dial to select the desired user memory location. 9. Press F6 (Write). 10. Press F6 (Execute).

Creating A Pattern

Use the following procedure to create a pattern on the MC-909: 1. Press PATTERN. 2. Press F1 (List). 3. Press F2 (User). 4. Turn VALUE to select an empty pattern location. 5. Press F6 (Select Pattern). Next, youll select a part and patch. 6. 7. 8. Press the MODE PATCH/SAMPLE button. Press PART SELECT/MUTE so its not lit. Press the desired parts round button, located beneath the faders. 9. Press F1 (List). 10. Press F1 to select the preset patch bank.
2003 Roland Corporation U.S., 5100 S. Eastern Ave., Los Angeles CA 90040

Faxback # 20214

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USB Connection

You can transfer WAV, AIFF and SMF files from the MC-909s internal user memoryor an installed SmartMedia cardto and from a computer using the MC-909s USB port. Note: USB communication with the MC-909 requires a computer running Windows Me/2000/XP or later, or Mac OS 9.04 or later. Use the following procedure to connect the MC-909 and your computer via USB: 1. Connect a USB cable from the MC-909s USB jack to your computers USB jack. 2. Press MENU on the MC-909. 3. Press to select USB. 4. Press ENTER. 5. Press F3 (Internal) or F4 (Memory Card) to select the location of the files you want to transfer. Note for Windows users: A drive named Removable Disk is displayed within My Computer on your PC. This drive contains a folder named ROLAND in which youll find the MC-909s files. Note for Macintosh users: A drive icon named MC-909 USER or MC-909 CARD appears on your Macs desktop. This contains a folder named ROLAND in which youll find the MC-909s files.

Sampling

The MC-909 has 16MB of Flash RAM for storing samples. Use the following procedure to grab a sample from a CD player: 1. Connect the stereo outputs of the CD player to the stereo Inputs on the back of the MC-909. 2. Press SAMPLING/RESAMPLING. 3. Press F1 (Sampling). 4. Play the CD player. 5. Turn the INPUT knob to adjust the level of incoming signal. Note: Make sure the signals level doesnt clip in the meter on the MC-909s display. 6. 7. 8. Press F6 (Start) to begin sampling. Press F5 (Stop) to stop sampling. Press and hold VELOCITY PAD 2 to play back the sample at its original pitch. Now well save the sample into the MC-909s memory. 9. Press WRITE. 10. Press F6 (Sample). 11. Name the sample using the same procedure you used for naming a pattern on the previous page of this TurboStart. 12. Press F6 (Write). 13. Turn the VALUE dial to select an unused memory location. 14. Press F6 (Write). 15. Press F6 (Execute).
Selecting A Background Picture
The MC-909 can display one of 10 background images on its screen. Use the following procedure to select a background picture: 1. Press PATTERN. 2. Press MENU. 3. Press ENTER to display the System menu. 4. Press F1 (Panel/Control). 5. Press F4 (Back Ground). 6. Turn the VALUE dial to select the desired picture. 7. Press F6 (System Write). 8. Press EXIT. Note: Refer to Page 127 of the MC-909 Owners Manual to learn how to import your own background pictures.

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Sequencing

Its possible to capture and record these MIDI messages, and to play them back. Thats what the MC-909s sequencer does. The sequencer records MIDI messages you play into itremembering the order you played them in, as well as your timingand plays them back at your command, causing the sound generator to recreate your original performance.
You play the pads. The pads send MIDI messages into the sequencer.
Play this note. Stop playing this note. Play that note. Stop playing that note.
The sequencer captures the messages.
.and plays them into the sound generator.
The sound generator produces the notes.

. note

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MC-909 Getting Started Guide This all feels a lot like recording audio, since you hit the REC (for RECORD) button, play something, and when you hit PLAY, the MC-909 plays back your performance. But what youre really recording is MIDI messages, not the notes themselves. What youre doing is called sequencing, and what youre recording is called a sequence. Each sequence lives inside one of the MC-909s patterns, as youll see in a few pages. Sequencing lets you do some things that you cant do so easily with audio recordings: You can change the speed, or tempo, of a performance even after its been sequenced. You can change the sound the performance plays. For example, you can easily change a piano performance into a string performance without re-performing it. You can do all sorts of stuff to sequenced MIDI data. You can change its pitch, change its timing, add or remove notes and lots of other things.
Oh, and one more thing. On the MC-909, you can record separate performances for up to 16 different instruments in a single sequence. Each of these performances is called a part.

A Sequence

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Bass Synth 1 Guitarish Main Keys Organ Clavinet Tambourine Claps 9. Lead Vocal Patch 10. Main Drum Kit 11. Background Vocal Patch 1 12. Background Vocal Patch 2 13. Lead Vocal Patch 2 14. Hits 15. Percussion 16. Bells
Since all of the parts play back together, they sound like they were all recorded at the same time, even though you may have actually built your arrangement one instrument at a time.

Outside the Box

MIDI also allows completely separate MIDI instruments to communicate. You might, for example, connect a MIDI keyboard to the MC-909 so you can play its sounds from the keyboard instead of from the MC-909s own pads. You can even sequence on the MC-909 by performing the desired parts on an external MIDI device. When you connect two MIDI instruments, you do so using MIDI cables. You connect one end of a MIDI cable to the MIDI OUT jack of the first instrument and the other end to the MIDI IN jack of the second instrument. For a two-way MIDI conversationsomething you need in certain situationsanother MIDI cable connects the second instruments MIDI OUT to the first ones MIDI IN. These cables carry MIDI messages, not audio, of courseall they care about is the instructions from one box to another.

MIDI plug from the side and straight-on
The MC-909's rear-panel MIDI jacks

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And so.?
The important thing to remember is that audio is something you can hear, while MIDI is merely messages passed between two MIDI devices in a language only MIDI devices can understand. While these messages result in sound, theyre not the sound itself. Now that weve got that out of the way, lets introduce some other important ideas.

Whatza Sample?

In many ways on the MC-909, it all starts with the sample. A sample is simply a digital recording of a sound. It can be a mono recording, or a pair of recordings that make up the left and right sides of a stereo audio image. A sample may be a recording of: something off of a CD. something sung or played into a microphone. an electric instrument such as an electric guitar or bass. the audio output of an electronic instrument such as a synthesizer, a beat box or another sampler.
When you capture a sound as a sample, youre sampling. A samplersuch as the MC-909is a device that can record and play these digital recordings.
On the MC-909's screen, here's what a mono sample looks like.
On the MC-909's screen, here's what a stereo sample looks like.

WAV and AIFF Samples

A sample can also be audio that someone else has recorded and stored as a file on a computer, or on some other sampler. These files are stored in various audio file data formats. The most popular are WAV-format and AIFF-format files. The MC-909 can load and play either type of sample file. It can also create WAV and AIFF samples of its own.

The Bottom Line

In the MC-909, when we talk about a sample, were referring to audio youve recorded yourself, or to a WAV or AIFF file youve imported into the MC-909.

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Whatza PCM Waveform?
Theres another type of audio that the MC-909 plays: PCM waveforms. A PCM waveform is a sample that Roland has created for you, and thats built into the MC-909s ROM (Read-Only Memory). The MC-909 contains 693 of these PCM waveforms. Theyre recordings of all sorts of things, including drum and percussion instruments, keyboards, guitars, basses, strings, oddball noises and on and on. They form the basis of the MC-909s factory sounds, or patches. PCM waveforms, like samples, can be stereo or mono.

Whatza Patch?

When you play a sample or PCM waveform on the MC-909, you play it in something called a patch. The MC-909 comes from the Roland factory with 800 ready-to-play patches, and you can create your own, too. A patch is a group of samples and/or PCM waveforms, and a bunch of settings, or parameters, that determine how each sample or PCM waveform plays. When you play a note, all of the samples and/or PCM waveforms in the patch play together, making one big, interesting sound.

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Whats velocity? MIDI measures how hard you hit a VELOCITY PAD or key, and calls that measurement velocity. Typically, the greater the velocity, the louder and brighter the resulting note. Velocity can also cause other changes to a patchs sound, depending on how its programmed to respond to varying velocities as you play. You dont need to do anything about this now, butjust so you knowyou can adjust the way the sequences parts are mixed by pressing F3 (Mixer), and you can adjust the sequences speed, or tempo, by pressing F6 (BPM/Click). Well discuss these options later. For now, if you cant resist pressing one of these buttons, go ahead. Just press F6 (Close) to return to the TR-Rec Standby screen when youre done snooping around. Starting TR-Recording Here we go. 1. Press PLAYa few things happen: The MC-909s metronome starts beeping as the empty sequence plays over and over. The TR-Rec screen appears and the first of the sequences four measures appears in a grid.
The TOP POSITION readout tells you the measure you're looking at.

Now line

If the box above Note Number isn't selected, press F3 (Note Number).
A vertical line called the Now line moves from left to right across the screen as Measure 1 plays, disappearing off to the right during the sequences other three measures. The Now line shows you your current position in the sequence. In TR-Rec mode, each VELOCITY PAD acts as an on/off switch for one of the sequences beats. By default, each measure in the sequence is divided up into 16 steps, or 16th notes. Each pad represents one of these 16th notes. The black bars above the pads show how each set of four pads belongs to one of the measures four beats.
Beat 1 Beat 2 Beat 3 Beat 4

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MC-909 Getting Started Guide 2. Press and to see the note selection box move up and down the screen. This box selects the note youll be turning on or off. As it moves to each note, you hear the note.

Note selection box

3. Press
to select the closed hi-hat at A#4.
The keys along the left edge are numbered. Each octave starts at C, so you have C1-B1, C2-B2, and so on.
You can see the currently selected note number here.
4. Press all of the VELOCITY PADS, one-by-one, so theyre all lit. You dont need to do this in rhythm, since in TR-Rec mode, youre just setting each notes on/off switch. As you turn on each pad, its note appears in the grid, until it looks like this.
When all of the pads are lit, youll hear the hi-hat on all 16 16th notes in Measure 1. The other three measures remain silent, since you havent yet added hi-hat notes there. Lets replace one of these closed hi-hat sounds with an open hi-hat sound.

Recording More Parts

Exploring Realtime Recording Mode
When we recorded using TR-Rec mode, we entered notes on a grid. Of course, it can be a lot more fun to simply play a part to record itthats what Realtime recording is. Lets add a bass part to Get Started! using the Realtime recording method. Getting Bass-ic Well begin by setting up a bass part and configuring the VELOCITY PADS for bass recording. 1. Press PATCH/SAMPLE to display the Patch Play screen. 2. Press the round PART 2 button beneath the faders so the button lightsthis selects Part 2 on the Patch Play screen. 3. Press F1 (List). The MC-909 presents a list of patches. 4. Turn the VALUE dial to select PR-C:66 PeakofTEBE. This is a buzzy bass sound thatll go well with the drums. 5. Press F6 (Select) to confirm your choice and return to the Patch Play screen. 2003 Roland Corporation U.S.
MC-909 Getting Started Guide Page 22

Drop It

If you play PeakofTEBE on the VELOCITY PADS, youll notice it doesnt sound much like a bass patch. Thats because were playing it too high in pitch. By default, the VELOCITY PADS act like a keyboard playing in the middle of its range. In fact, VELOCITY PAD 2 plays Middle C.
The pads play the notes shown in blue.
Middle C, or MIDI Note C4
For a rhythm set patch, thats fine because thats where youll find the rhythm sets sounds. For a bass patch, though, this is too high up the keyboardbass notes are down low. Not to worry. When youre playing a pitched patchwhich is any patch other than drums, percussion or sound effectsyou can lower or raise the pitch of the notes you play on the pads using the OCT buttons to the left of the pads. Lets lower the VELOCITY PADS down to a more sensible bass range. 1. Play any pad to hear how it sounds, and then press -OCT once. A window pops open on the display briefly to show you that the pads are now shifted downward by one octave.
2. Play the pad again to hear how its pitch has dropped. 3. Press -OCT twice more to lower the pitch of the pads to -3 octaves.
4. Play the pads againnow were in bass territory.

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MC-909 Getting Started Guide Setting Up Realtime Recording The process starts with setting up the way in which youre going to record in realtime. 1. Press REC to display the Recording Menu. 2. Press F1 (Realtime) to display the Realtime Standby screen, and to start the metronome.
As with TR-Rec mode, youve got a variety of options that determine what happens when you start to record. Heres what each Realtime mode parameters does. Rec Beatsets the patterns time signature. You can change this setting only when youre recording a patterns first part. Once youve recorded in a pattern, this parameter cant be changed. Since this is our second part, 4/4 is what it is. Rec Measure Lengthsets the length of the pattern. Since our pattern already contains a fourmeasure drum part, this cant be set to less than four measures. If you wanted to, you could make this part longer, thus lengthening the whole pattern. For now, leave it set to 4, for 4 measures. Rec Modesets your recording mode. In Mix mode, each time you begin recording, or the pattern returns to the beginning, what you play is combined with whats already been recorded. In Replace mode, your new performance replaces anything already recorded in the part. For now, leave this set to Mix. Rec Count Indetermines how long a warning youll have before recording actually starts. Set this parameter to 1MEAS, for 1 measure: the good old 1-2-3-4, go. Rec Loop Restturns a silent measure at the end of the pattern on or off. This is actually quite handy. The MC-909 plays each pattern over and over again during recording, allowing you to add more notes each time. This is especially cool for quickly layering percussion parts. Rec Loop Rest gives you a short break after each playing of the pattern so you can get your bearings before it comes around again. Set this parameter to On. Quantize Resolutionturns quantizing on or off. Quantizing corrects any timing mistakes you make as your record so that each note is automatically planted exactly where it belongs rhythmically. Set this parameter to 1/16 to move everything you play to the nearest 16th note. Quantize Timingmakes quantizing more (at 100%) or less (at 0%) perfect and machine-like. For now, leave it at 100% Rec Velocitysets the velocity value assigned to each note you play during recording. Well leave it set to Real to capture your performance most faithfully.

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MC-909 Getting Started Guide Turning On Realtime Recording

Breathe Deeply

Unlike TR-Rec mode, Realtime mode can be a little scary until you get used to itafter all, the pressures on to play well, just like in a real studio or onstage. Fortunately, the MC-909 offers some tools to make things easier. For now, trust us. Well keep things pressure-free here.

Round and Round

Once we start recording, the MC-909 plays the sequence over and over so you can add or remove notes without stopping.

Here We Go

1. Press PLAYthe one-measure countoff starts and the Realtime Recording screen appears. Dont worry. You dont have to play anything yet. Were just going to let the MC-909 run for a bit to get our bearings.
Each time the pattern reaches its end, you hear an extra, empty measurefour beats of the metronome. This is the result of our turning on the Rec Loop Rest parameter. Its like getting a fresh countoff each time the pattern plays through. On the Realtime Recording screen, theres a keyboard. When you start recording, youll see that when you strike a pad, its corresponding key lights onscreen. You can also adjust your quantizing and velocity settings as you record, though we wont need to do that. Press F4 (Rehearsal) so that it becomes checkmarked. This turns on the MC-909s Rehearsal mode, where you can work out a part without actually recording it. Now that youre in Rehearsal mode, play the pads to work out a bass part for the pattern. Play whatever you like, and take as long as you likewere not recording yet. Once youre ready to record, press F4 (Rehearsal) again to un-check it and leave Rehearsal mode. Wait until the top of the pattern comes around again and play your bass part. Let the MC-909 keep goingyou can hear your bass part play back as the sequence plays.

3. 4. 5. 6.

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Erasing Notes and Adding Notes in Realtime
You can easily fix any wrong notes youve recorded without stopping the MC-909. Simply erase the notes you dont want, and then add in the ones you do want. 1. Press F2 (Erase)the Realtime Erase window opens. 2. Turn VALUE to set Erase Type to NOTE. 3. Just before an unwanted note plays, hold down its pad for a moment and then let go. The note doesnt play, and its erased from the sequence. 4. Repeat these steps for any notes you want to remove. If youd like to remove a group of notessuch as those in a chordat once, hold down the pads for the lowest and highest notes you want to get rid of wherever they were recorded. 5. Press F5 (Close) to close the Realtime Erase window. 6. To add a new noteor to replace one youve just erasedjust play it where you want it to be. Remember, youre still recording. You can open and close the Realtime Erase window at any time as you record whenever you want to quickly get rid of unwanted notes.

Theres all sorts of stuff you can get rid of using Realtime Erase, as described on Page 39 in the MC-909 Owners Manual. Recording Performance Controllers Realtime recording also captures every knob-twist and slider slide in the MC-909s sound generator area, as well as any D Beam moves. Lets record some knob-twists: 1. Locate the FILTER CUTOFF and RESONANCE knobs on the MC-909s panel. 2. The next time the sequence gets back to the top, experiment with the two knobs together and listen to how they change the sound of the bass. The MC-909 records your moves and plays them back the next time the sequence comes around. 3. Keep playing with the knobs until youve got something you like. 4. Press STOP to finish recording. If youd like to keep your recording work, save the pattern againsee Page 19 to refresh your memory if necessary. 2003 Roland Corporation U.S.
MC-909 Getting Started Guide Page 26
MC-909 Getting Started Guide In our example, we recorded the bass part and then stopped. In real-world applications, you can keep recording other parts without stopping simply by pressing the PART button of any part you wish to record.

Before We Continue.

Lets return the pads to their normal octave for the things well be doing later in the Getting Started Guide. 1. Press OCT + three timesthe display shows Octave Shift 0.

Other Ways to Record

The MC-909 offers two other recording modes: Step mode Tempo/Mute mode
Step Recording Step mode allows you to record by entering notes and chords beat-by-beat. This is the slowest way to record for most people, but does allow you to create parts that are just too complicated to play by hand. Its described on Page 41 of the MC-909 Owners Manual. Tempo/Mute Recording Tempo/Mute recording is actually two types of recording rolled into one: Tempo recordingallows you to record changes in a sequences tempo, locking in the ways in which you want it to speed up or slow down as it plays. Tempo changes can make a song more exciting, taking the listener through different grooves and moods. Mute recordingallows you to record parts being turned on and/or off. (Each time you turn off a part, youre muting it.) This is a great way to build up and tear down dance tracks and remixes.

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How to Sample
First, Some Things to Know About Sampling
Before we actually start sampling, here are a few things youll need to know in order to master the MC-909s sampling power.

Measuring Sample Memory

Samples come in all sorts of sizes, depending on their length and whether theyre stereo or mono. Samples are measured in bytes, the way things are usually measured in computer-based devices. Since most samples you record are thousands of bytes in size, the MC-909 counts them in thousands, to make life easier. Each thousand bytes is called a kilobyte, and is abbreviated on the MC-909s display as simply KB, as in 100 KB, 32752 KB, and so on. Here are a couple of examples that show how a samples lengthand whether its stereo or monoaffect its size. The roughly five-second Theres no other love sample that ships in the MC-909 is a stereo sample whose left side and right side are both 257 KB in size. 257 KB means 257,000 bytes, so the samples size is 514,000 bytes in total. On the other hand, the short, mono R&B Guitar sample is only 76 KB. Most samples youre likely to create will be in the hundreds of KBs.
This is a list of the factory preset samples.
Really, though, you dont have to think about all this too much. It is worth noting, however, that the amount of memory you have for sampling and sample storage is counted in megabytes, or MB, so youll need to do a little math to make sure youve got enough memory for what you want to sample. Each MB is a thousand KBs, or one million bytes. That means that even an unexpanded MC-909 straight from the factory has 11,000,000yup, thats 11 millionbytes available for sampling. Yipes.
Forget to Remember to ForgetTypes of Sample Memory
The MC-909 holds and stores samples using as many as three different types of sample memory. This may sound scary, but each one has its own job to perform, and they all come in handy. Lets talk a bit about what they are and how they get used. Thisll help you get the most from the MC-909s sampling power. Itll also help you avoid becoming confused as you start sampling on the MC-909.

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MC-909 Getting Started Guide Sample Storage Memory As you start digging into the MC-909, its likely that youll be building a library of your own samples to use whenever you want. The MC-909 allows you to permanently store samples in two different places. Each has its advantages and disadvantages, and you can store samples in both places if you want. It all depends on how you like to work. You can permanently store samples: in the MC-909s user memoryTechnically speaking, user memory is a form of computer memory called flash memory. Flash memory is very reliable, so its a great place to stash your samples for safekeeping. The advantage of user memory is that its built-in, so its always there when you turn on your MC-909. On the other hand, the MC-909s user memory is 16 MB in size, which may not be large enough for your entire sample library. on 3.3V SmartMedia cardsSmartMedia cards come in a variety of sizes from 4 MB all the way up to 128 MB. There are two big advantages to SmartMedia cards. First of all, they can offer a lot of reliable storage space. Second, if you fill one up, you can just pop another one into the MC-909, providing you an infinite amount of sample storage space. On the other side of the coin, you have to purchase SmartMedia cards separately, although they are fairly inexpensive. You also have to remember to take them along whenever you take your MC-909 somewhere. (The drawing on the face of the MC-909 below the SmartMedia slot shows how to install a card.)

1. Press SAMPLING/RESAMPLING on the MC-909. The Sampling Menu screen appears.

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MC-909 Getting Started Guide 2. Press F1 (Sampling) to display the Sampling Standby screen.
The Sampling Standby screen offers a selection of options that allow you to set up your sampling session. Heres what the parameters do: Input SelectThe setting for this parameter instructs the MC-909 to sample from a specific input. You can choose: LINE IN L/RWhen youve connected your CD player or other line-level device in stereo to the MC-909s L(MONO) and R INPUT jacks, choose this setting. LINE IN LWith this setting, the MC-909 samples a line-level device in mono from the L(MONO) INPUT jack. DIGITAL (OPT)To sample from the stereo COAXIAL DIGITAL jack, select this value. DIGITAL (CO-AX)To sample from the stereo OPTICAL DIGITAL jack, select this value. MICROPHONEUse this when you want to sample from a mic or mic-level device connected to the L(MONO) INPUT jack. For our purposes, select LINE IN L/R, DIGITAL (OPT) or DIGITAL (CO-AX), depending on the type of connection youve made between your CD player and the MC-909. Stereo SwitchThis switch determines whether the MC-909 samples in stereo or mono. We want to set the parameter to STEREO now. Pre Sample TimeThe MC-909 can add a little bit of time to the front of a sample to help ensure that the very beginning of your audio doesnt get chopped off. For now, leave this set to 0ms (0 milliseconds). Stop TriggerThe MC-909 can stop sampling automatically after a specified number of beats or length of time. In our example, well stop sampling manually, so set this to MANUAL. Sampling LengthWhen Stop Trigger is set to BEAT or TIME, Sampling Length allows you to specify the number of beats or duration after which sampling automatically stops. This parameter cant be adjusted right now since weve set Stop Trigger to MANUAL. Auto Trigger LevelWhen the MC-909s Auto Trigger feature is turned on, it automatically starts sampling when the input signal reaches the level specified by this parameter. Well be using Auto Trigger in our example, and the default setting of 5 will be fine for us. Gap TimeThough we wont be exploring this feature in this guide, the MC-909s Auto Divide Sampling feature automatically splits up a longer sample into smaller parts at silent spaces, or gaps, in the sample. This parameter determines how long such a gap must be.

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Setting the Sampling Level
Well set the sampling level using the MC-909s INPUT VOLUME knob. 1. On the SAMPLE SHOW CD, locate Track 27 and play it. As you set the sampling level, you can replay this selection or let the CD runmost of its tracks are roughly the same volume. 2. Adjust the INPUT VOLUME knob until the signal is as loud as possible without triggering the CLIP indicators in the onscreen meters. If CLIP appears, lower the input level until it no longer does.

Clip indicators

Its okay if the loud click at the end of the groove clipswell be cutting that click off of our sample anyway.

MC-909 Getting Started Guide Page 38
To hear the sampled groove, youve got to play the pattern from the top. If you start playback in the middle of the pattern, you wont hear the sampled groove until the next time it starts playing, at Beat 1 or 3.

Tweaking the Mix

Lets adjust the volume balance between our parts to make the mix a bit better-sounding. 1. Press MIXER ASSIGNthe MC-909 presents its built-in mixer.
Faders control the boxed parts

2. 3. 4. 5.

Though well only be adjusting volume here, you can see that you can also set each parts stereo panning, pitch and reverb from the Part Mixer screen. The part mixers eight physical faders can control the settings for eight of the current patterns parts at a time. To select the set of eight parts that the faders control, you press the PART ASSIGN button so its unlit or lit. When its: unlitthe physical faders control Parts 1-8. litthe physical faders control Parts 9-16. Onscreen, a box encloses the currently selected parts, as shown in the illustration above. We want to adjust the level of Part 10, our drum part, so press PART ASSIGN so its lit. You can see that the onscreen box now surrounds Parts 9-16. Using the second faderthe one above Parts 2 and 10set Part 10s level to 55. Ah, thats better! Press STOP when youve had enough. Before moving on, lets re-save our pattern. Well need it in the next section. Press WRITE, then ENTER. Press F6 (Write) twice and then F6 (Execute).

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Resampling
Once youve created some big, monstrous soundby recording a pattern or by playing, or by adding some of the MC-909s amazing effectsyou can resample the whole thing. When you resample, the MC-909 makes a new sample from the audio coming out of its own outputs. Since this is all done digitally, you can sample and resample over and over, and it can sound better and better and better. This is a great way to build up insanely rich, complex sounds. You can also stretch a pattern way beyond its 16 parts by filling up all of the parts, resampling and then creating a new pattern with the sample played by a single partthisll leave you 15 free parts for additional performances, or even more resampled stuff. Lets learn how to resample using Get Started! 1. Press the round PART 8 button to select the unused Part 8. 2. Press SAMPLING/RESAMPLING to go back to the Sampling Menu. 3. Press F2 (Resampling). The Sampling Standby screen appears.

5. 6. 7.

The parameters on this screen are pretty much the same ones we saw when we first sampled. One difference, though, is that we can no longer change the Input Select parameterwith resampling, the MC-909 always listens to its own outputs. Theres also no level to be set turning the OUTPUT and INPUT knobs does nothing herethe MC-909 automatically takes control of levels in resampling. Lets set the other resampling parameters as follows: Stereo SwitchWell leave this one alone since we want to resample Get Started! in stereo. Pre Sample Timeis fine at 0ms. Stop TriggerSince we know the length of our pattern16 beatswe can take advantage of the MC-909s Stop Trigger feature. Set Stop Trigger to BEAT. Sampling LengthThe MC-909 automatically sets this to 16. (Youre not the only one who knows how long the selected pattern is!) Auto Trigger Length and Gap TimeThese parameters have no bearing on what were doing. Press F2 (Auto Trig) and F3 (Trim Sw) to checkmark them. Press TOP to make sure weve returned to the beginning of the pattern. Press PLAYGet Started! is resampled. The MC-909 stops resampling when it reaches the end of the pattern. The pattern also automatically stops playing after 16 beats.
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MC-909 Getting Started Guide 8. Press VELOCITY PAD 2 to hear The Pattern Formerly Known as Get Started!, which is now The Sample Known As Whatever You Name It. In fact, you can play any pad to hear the resampled pattern at different pitches and speeds. When youve resampled as we just haveusing the Stop Trigger featuretheres no sample trimming required; its already perfectly 16 beats long. Also, the MC-909 steals the patterns BPM setting and applies it to the sample, so its already set correctly to 100 BPM without our having to manually set it.

Chopping a Sample

One of the handiest of the MC-909s talents is its chopping ability. Chopping allows you to slice up a groove or a sampled series of sounds into individual samples. Once chopped up, these individual samples can easily be assigned to their own pads for playing. In the MC-909, you can chop up a sample manually wherever you like, or you can let the MC-909 do it for you using its AutoChop feature. Lets see how Auto Chop works using the resampled pattern we just made. 1. Press CHOPthe Chop screen appears.
2. Press F4 (Auto Chop)the Auto Chop window opens.
You can set Auto Chop to divide up a sample by: Levelso Auto Chop divides sample the each time its volume reaches a specified level. Beatso Auto Chop divides the sample at each beat. It knows where the beats are since it knows the samples BPM setting. Divide Xsets Auto Chop to divide the sample into a specified number of equal chunks. 3. For our example, set Auto Chop to Beat. 4. Press and turn VALUE to set Beat to 1/2 notes.

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MC-909 Getting Started Guide 5. Press F6 (Auto Chop). The MC-909 takes a moment to divide up the sample into two-beat chunks. When its done, it assigns each chunk to a pad. VELOCITY PADS 1-8 light up, with each one playing two beats from the sampled pattern. 6. Try twisting the resampled pattern around by playing the pads in any order that amuses you. 7. Since this works fine for our example, press F6 (Execute). When youre setting up an Auto Chop on your own, you can try different Auto Chop settings. Press F6 (Execute) when youre satisfied with what youve got, or F5 (Cancel) and then F4 (Auto Chop) to try out other settings. 8. When the MC-909 asks if youre sure you want to proceed, press F6 (Execute) again. The MC-909 chops the samplesaving each chunk into user memoryand lays them out across the first eight VELOCITY PADS. 9. When the MC-909 asks if youd like to create a rhythm set that plays your chopped-up, resampled pattern, press F6 (Execute), name the rhythm set anything you like, and finish saving it. You can save it to the first rhythm set memory location, USER:001. 10. Finally, when the MC-909 asks if youd like to assign the new rhythm set to the current part, press F6 (Execute). The chopped pattern is now a rhythm set assigned to Part 8. 11. Re-save the pattern by pressing WRITE, F1 (Ptn), and then ENTER. Press F6 (Write) twice and then F6 (Execute).
Automatically Loading Stored Samples into the Live Sample Memory
You may prefer to leave the live sample memory empty on power-up, ready to capture a new bunch of samples. Otherwise, though, you can set the MC-909 to automatically load your samplessuch as the ones we just capturedwhen it powers up. It can automatically load: samples stored in user memory and on any currently installed SmartMedia card. the factory preset samples that the MC-909 demos and preset patches use.
Heres how to set up your MC-909 to automatically load samples at power-up. 1. Press EXIT repeatedly if necessary to display the Pattern Play screen. 2. Press MENUthe main menu appears in the display with System selected.

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MC-909 Getting Started Guide 3. Press ENTER to display the System Menu screen.
4. Press F4 (Sampling) to display the System/Sampling screen.
5. Select the samples youd like the MC-909 to load at startup. To load: the factory preset samplesset Preset Default Load to On. all of the samples in user memory and on the currently installed SmartMedia cardset Sample Default Load to On. Note that when you turn on Sample Default Load, all of the samples from both user memory and your SmartMedia card are loaded. Theres no way to automatically load user memory or the contents of a card separately. It only makes sense that you shouldnt try and load more stuff into the live sample memory than youve got room for. If your live sample memory is only 16 MB, and you try to automatically load all of the contents of user memory and a 128 MB SmartMedia card duhits not going to work. Take care to automatically load only what will actually fit into your live sample memory. Of course, the larger your live sample memorywhich you can expand by adding DIMM chipsthe less of a problem thisll be. 6. When youve finished setting the desired parameters, press F6 (System Write) to confirm your changes. 7. Press EXIT to return to the Pattern Play screen.

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Swapping Files with a Computer
About the MC-909s USB Connection
The MC-909s USB connector makes it easy to swap files with your personal computer. In order to exchange data with the MC-909, your computer must have a USB jack. In addition: Windows usersmust be running Windows ME/2000.XP or later. Mac usersmust be running Mac OS 9.04 or higher.
Every USB plug and jack is labeled with this symbol
By connecting the MC-909 to your computer, you can move samples and sequences back and forth between the two machines. The computer sees the MC-909 as just another removable drivelike a CD or a Zip disk.

Movable Sample Files

As we mentioned earlier, the MC-909s samples are stored in its memory as industry-standard WAV- or AIFF-format sound files. Most audio programs can open and play these files, so: you can move samples from the MC-909 to a computer for more detailed editing, or to process them with software plug-ins before returning them to the MC-909. you can load samples into the MC-909 that youve collected on your computer from any one of a variety or sources, including sample CDs, friends and so on. Both WAV and AIFF files are high-quality formats. If a particular computer software program prefers one over the other, you can set the MC-909 to store samples in the desired format. See the description of the Default File Type parameter on Page 129 in the MC-909 Owners Manual for details.

Movable Sequences

The MC-909 can export its sequences as Standard MIDI Files. Standard MIDI Files, or SMFs, are sequences that are stored in the Standard MIDI File data format. Whazzis mean? It means this: Most modern software sequencers can load and play SMFs, and can export their own 16-track sequences as SMFs that the MC-909 can load. Therefore: you can move sequences (as SMFs) youve recorded on the MC-909 to a software sequencing program for further work or to add additional tracks. you can export 16-track (or less) sequences youve created on a software sequencing program to the MC-909 for more work, or to use in performance. When youve moved an MC-909-recorded sequence to a computer sequencer, you can still use the MC-909s sounds by connecting the MC-909 to the computer via MIDI and using it as a sound module.

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Preparing to Move Data from the MC-909 to a Computer

Getting Samples Ready

Before you begin moving samples, youll need to be able to identify them. WAV/AIFF sample files are named on disk according to the user or card memory location they occupythough a sample uses the name you created when its in the MC-909, its disk file is named after its memory location. To learn a samples WAV/AIFF file name: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Press the SAMPLING EDIT button. Press F1 (Sample List)the Sample List screen appears. Select the area of memory where the sample is stored. Press F2 (User) or F3 (Card) as desired. Turn the VALUE dialif necessaryto display the sample youll be moving. Look to the left of the samples MC-909 name to learn the number of its memory location. This number will identify the sample when you see it on your computer.

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While USB communication is turned on, the MC-909 displays its USB screen. To do other things on the MC-909, you must first turn off USB communication and exit this screen. When USB communication is turned on, be careful not to unplug the USB cables connecting the MC-909 and the computer. Just as important, both PCs and Macs must eject the MC-909 before USB communication is stoppedotherwise your data may become damaged. See your computers documentation to learn how to eject removable media before turning off USB communication on the MC-909 itself.
Moving Files From the MC-909 to the Computer
Since the computer sees the MC-909 as just another disk drive, all you need to do to move files is to drag them to the desired location on your computer, such as its desktop or into a folder of your choosing. To locate and move: a sample filedouble-click the ROLAND folder, double-click the SMPL folder, locate the desired WAV or AIFF file and drag it to the desired location. an SMFlook for the.MID file that has the same name as the pattern from which the sequence was exported, and drag it from the USER or CARD volume to the desired location on your computer.
Moving Files from the Computer to the MC-909
Once again, the computer sees the MC-909s USER or CARD volume as just another drive. As a result, all you have to do to move a sample or SMF from the computer to the currently connected area of the MC-909s memory is to drag it there. We strongly recommend that you drag files to the root level of the USER or CARD volume, and not into the ROLAND or TMP folder. After youve dragged the file to its destination, you should see it in the same folder/view as the ROLAND and TMP folders, as shown here.

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Disconnecting the MC-909 from the Computer
This is a two-step process. First, youve got to turn off USB communication. Next, youll disconnect the two devices physically if desired. You dont have to physically disconnect the MC-909 and your computer. If you prefer, you can leave them connected and simply turn USB communication on or off as needed.
Turning Off USB Communication
We said this already, but it bears repeating: To avoid damage to your data, dont turn off USB communication on the MC-909 until your computer has first ejected the MC-909 volume. 1. On the MC-909, press F6 (Exit).
USB communication is stopped and youre returned to the first USB screen. 2. Press PATTERN to return to Pattern Play mode.
Disconnecting the MC-909 From the Computer
1. Power down the MC-909. 2. Unplug the USB devices connecting the MC-909 to the computer.