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"So, what's new on this machine?
Aside from the stellar paint job and wooden ends from
http://www.customsynth.co.uk I applied a mini breadboard to give the MC-505 a patchbay for the nineteen or so newly-added contacts. This was a lot harder than it sounds, considering the casing is metal (always a risk of shorting connections) and there's not a lot of space to work with when reassembled. In the end, I'm extremely happy with the way it turned out..even if it took a few months.
This machine now allows you to short out only the sounds, but keep all the other functions intact. Everything behaves as normal when the breadboard is or isn't in use. The resulting audio is largely unpredictable but can be reproduced if noted. Think of it as the heaviest sequencer Roland never made.
Furthermore, all green LEDs were replaced with red (except for the main playback indicator at the middle top), the white buttons/keys were whitened with
retr0bright, and the LCD screen was replaced with a snazzy, new red-on-black unit.
This project was something of a proof of concept which turned out to be pretty fun. This is certainly a one-of-a-kind piece that I never really intended on keeping for very long. Now it just needs a good home where someone will use it on a regular basis.
Those who might be interested in this unit would also be a fan of Metasonix gear, NIN's Year Zero album, Ed Banger-style techno, EBM, Nitzer Ebb among many other noisy electronic styles. /namedrop
All audio below is direct from the MC-505 with absolutely zero post-effects/EQ. Expect to hear some patch switching, knob twiddling and adjustments on the breadboard though. All patterns used were simple presets.
So, what's included?
- Modified Roland MC-505
- Power cable
- Nine mini jumper wires for patch creation
- A copy of each vinyl release on Radiograffiti
- A free copy of each album released by our DIY label from now on.
So, anything else I should know?
There are a few minor paint errors on the front panel which happened while at customsynth. I tried to take photos of this (apologies for the grainy shots), so please look them over to see if this is going to drive you nuts. I found that it's barely even noticeable when in use.
If you have two or more connections on the breadboard, please remember to remove the jumper wires before you power up the machine. Sometimes it will hang on power up *if* you forget to remove them. It's completely harmless...but it will cause a small heart attack when you forget and see that it's not powering on. Simply remove the connections, unplug the unit, wait a minute, and power it back up.
The breadboard has seventeen rows with five tie points in each row. Because there are only about nineteen connections made, only the center nine or ten rows (of five each) have any effect when used. This should be an ample amount of connection points for anyone.
The value wheel has been replaced, but the values still skip by two when cycling through at high speeds. This leads me to believe that it might be an OS issue, but don't quote me on that.
I've used this particular unit extensively for over three years now with zero issues, but considering the nature of circuit bent gear, the sale will be final with no returns. Contact me in the off-chance something does happen."
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The sound of the Sonica can best be described as somewhere between a sitar and violin. When run through a simple delay, an amazing array of soundscapes are derived. The front panel features a Key/Pitch Knob, and an On/Off Volume Knob. It also features three buttons. "Slider," which is a tremolo type effect, "Tone," which is actually a tonal boost, and "Half-Step," which raises the note an octave. It features a built-in speaker, with an 1/8 inch output to connect to an amplifier or recording device. It runs on one 9-volt battery which is installed by accessing a plate on the backside of the device. The Sonica really shines when sent through a tube amplifier, producing a crystalline sound unlike anything I've heard before."
