Noticed I hadn’t posted in a while I thought that I needed to kick it off again. In this post I will introduce you to the centrepiece of my music world. I will also use this post to welcome my good friend 
INTRODUCING
The Main Interface
The Roland MV8000
In Beat making most people have moved from hardware to Software. I can see the benefits of using software but have always much preferred the feel of physical equipment. The MV8000 Manages to do most of the things that software packages offer and surpasses elsewhere. It’s CV is extensive and I am constantly learning new things. Below is a list of abilities and explanations available on the MV8000;
- Sampler
- Sequencer
- Mixing
- Mastering
- Resampling
- Recording
- Effects
I could go in to so much more with it and over time I probably will. For now however I will just explain what each point above actually means and how it all glues together.
Sampler
Sampling is the act of taking a sound from elsewhere. The MV8000 has the ability to sample audio from a range of areas, including taking directly from CD, auxiliary cable, FLOPPY DISK! (Yes, still rocking those reliable floppy disks!), Direct microphone input. I know that there are more ways of sampling but again we would be here forever!
Sequencer
This is where you put all of the sounds you have collected in to a beautiful pattern and continue doing so until your dancing! The MV8000 has the ability to include 30+ instruments in to one song so there is nothing stopping you but your own imagination.
Mixing
This is where you make sure all of the instruments are coming in at the right volumes. You can be sat there for days listening to the same song over and over just changing small parts only to realise you want to redo half the song. It is a very Love, Hate scenario here! Ha-ha.
Mastering
Mastering is similar to the mixing, however you need the perfect mix before you step in to mastering. As the saying goes “you can’t polish a turd!” And that is exactly what mastering is… The polishing of a song.
Resampling
Okay I know sampling is already here but the ability to resample on this machine needed its own part, be it a little confusing to explain let alone get the point across. So your sample is loaded up in to the MV8000 but you have found another sound that if triggered at exactly the same time produces a sound more amazing than you have heard in your life. You may of tried putting them both on to the same pad (a technique available) but this alters the sound. This is where you jump in to the re sampler and sample from the MV8000 it’s self. Which allows you to keep that sound and even try layering other sounds with it.
Recording
I guess recording and sampling are very similar but I did need to point out the extent of this machine. So you can plug instruments directly in to the MV8000 and record live sessions, this includes vocals, guitars etc.
Effects
This is one of the craziest parts of the Mv8000 and the least explored part by me so far. There are over 200 preset effects to play around with or you can customize your own for repeat use. You can use 3 effects at one time which more often than not should be enough, but if you want to go in to even more that is where resampling would come in. the opportunities are endless.
Overview
This instrument isn’t perfect for everyone however it is a majorly overlooked piece of equipment, and is perfect for me. As soon as I understand Dtube and Dsound you will be seeing and hearing this in use.
KIT CHECK
I hope that this motivates other producers to do the same, so I can see what you are working with and what is possible with your instruments. If you do decide to feel free to tag me in! If you can use the tag #kitcheck.