The Roland MC-4 MicroComposer was an early

microprocessor A microprocessor is a computer processor where the data processing logic and control is included on a single integrated circuit, or a small number of integrated circuits. The microprocessor contains the arithmetic, logic, and control circu ...

-based

music sequencer A music sequencer (or audio sequencer or simply sequencer) is a device or application software that can record, edit, or play back music, by handling Musical note, note and performance information in several forms, typically CV/Gate, MIDI, or O ...

released by

Roland Corporation is a Japanese manufacturer of electronic musical instruments, electronic equipment, and software. It was founded by Ikutaro Kakehashi in Osaka on 18 April 1972. In 2005, its headquarters relocated to Hamamatsu in Shizuoka Prefecture. It has f ...

. It could be programmed using the ten key numeric keyboard or a

synthesizer A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis ...

keyboard using the keyboard's control voltage and gate outputs. It was released in 1981 with a list price of US$3,295 (¥430,000 JPY) and was the successor to the MC-8, which in 1977 was the first microprocessor-based digital sequencer. Like its predecessor, the MC-4 is a

polyphonic Polyphony ( ) is a type of musical texture consisting of two or more simultaneous lines of independent melody, as opposed to a musical texture with just one voice, monophony, or a texture with one dominant melodic voice accompanied by chords, h ...

CV/Gate CV/gate (an abbreviation of ''control voltage/gate'') is an analog method of controlling synthesizers, drum machines, and similar equipment with external sequencers. The control voltage typically controls pitch and the gate signal controls note ...

sequencer. Chris Carter
ROLAND MC8 MICROCOMPOSER
''

Sound on Sound ''Sound on Sound'' is an independently owned monthly music technology magazine published by SOS Publications Group, based in Cambridge, United Kingdom. The magazine includes product tests of electronic musical performance and recording devices, ...

'', Vol.12, No.5, March 1997

Information

This sequencer was released before the advent of

MIDI MIDI (; Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is a technical standard that describes a communications protocol, digital interface, and electrical connectors that connect a wide variety of electronic musical instruments, computers, an ...

, and viewed by some composers to have more accurate timing. The MC-4 has an output

patchbay A patch panel is a device or unit featuring a number of jacks, usually of the same or similar type, for the use of connecting and routing circuits for monitoring, interconnecting, and testing circuits in a convenient, flexible manner. Patch p ...

to the right of the control panel, allowing you to patch the MC-4 to a synthesizer using 3.5mm patch cords. There are four channels of outputs containing CV-1, CV-2, Gate and MPX (multiplex) to control four separate synthesizers.page 1, Roland Microcomposer MC-4 Operation Manual To the left of the output patchbay there are two switches and a control knob. The control knob alters the

tempo In musical terminology, tempo ( Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (ofte ...

of the sequencer. The first switch is for cycle mode (which allows the programmed sequence to repeat continuously until the sequencer is stopped), the second switch is for sync control. The MC-4 can be synced to other Roland equipment such as a drum machine or another MC-4 MicroComposer (offering eight separate channels of sequencing). In the centre of the control panel is the numeric keypad and enter button. To the right of this are two blue keys for moving forward or backwards through a programmed sequence. Below the two advance keys there is another blue button used to tell the MC-4 that you have finished programming a single measure, for example a one bar phrase of notes. To the left of the numeric keypad are six more buttons. These buttons are used for editing the sequence that has been programmed; they include insert, delete, copy-transpose and repeat. The bottom two buttons are for moving the

cursor Cursor may refer to: * Cursor (user interface), an indicator used to show the current position for user interaction on a computer monitor or other display device * Cursor (databases), a control structure that enables traversal over the records i ...

on the screen from left to right.

Concepts in programming

The MC-4 can be programmed with the input of number values, using the control panel numeric keypad. When programming a sequence of notes into the MC-4 numerical values are entered. These correspond to the musical notes on a

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a musica ...

keyboard;

Middle C C or Do is the first note and semitone of the C major scale, the third note of the A minor scale (the relative minor of C major), and the fourth note (G, A, B, C) of the Guidonian hand, commonly pitched around 261.63 Hz. The actual fre ...

would have the value of 24, increasing upwards for higher notes and downwards for lower notes. Note, however, that Middle C as the value 24 is relative to whatever settings one has set on the synthesizer to be sequenced. The second concept in programming the MC-4 are time values. The step time values determine the time interval between each

musical note In music, a note is the representation of a musical sound. Notes can represent the pitch and duration of a sound in musical notation. A note can also represent a pitch class. Notes are the building blocks of much written music: discretizatio ...

, or pitch. To set the time values, one must first set a time base, typically 120. This means that a quarter note = 120, a sixteenth note = 30, an eighth note = 60, etc. Esoteric timings can be programmed by entering any number against whatever time base is entered. The third programming concept is the gate time. This gate time refers to the actual sounded value; whether the phrasing is

legato In music performance and notation, legato (; Italian for "tied together"; French ''lié''; German ''gebunden'') indicates that musical notes are played or sung smoothly and connected. That is, the player makes a transition from note to note w ...

staccato Staccato (; Italian for "detached") is a form of musical articulation. In modern notation, it signifies a note of shortened duration, separated from the note that may follow by silence. It has been described by theorists and has appeared in music ...

, semi detached etc. Alternatively, the MC-4 can record live playing from a monophonic keyboard.

Syncing to MIDI

The MC-4 can be synched to

using a clock to

Din DIN or Din or din may refer to: People and language * Din (name), people with the name * Dīn, an Arabic word with three general senses: judgment, custom, and religion from which the name originates * Dinka language (ISO 639 code: din), spoken by ...

converter. When the MC-4 is powered up the display will show the TB (time base) default of 120. This is the number of clock pulses per bar; this was the standard before Din and

clock came into being. If a sequence is programmed while the MC-4 is set to the default TB it will never sync correctly to Din or

MIDI clock {{No footnotes, date=January 2020 MIDI beat clock, or simply MIDI clock, is a clock signal that is broadcast via MIDI to ensure that several MIDI-enabled devices such as a synthesizer or music sequencer stay in synchronization. Clock events are sen ...

. To sync correctly the MC-4 TB needs to be set as 48/12/6, this sets the MC-4 for Din sync and defaults the step time to 16ths (12 clocks) and the gate length to 32nds (6 clocks).

Cassette Storage

After a sequence has been programmed it must be saved, as the memory is volatile: when the power is switched off, memory contents are lost. An optional digital cassette recorder, the Roland MTR-100 was available for this purpose. The owners manual shows that a programmed sequence could also be saved to a standard cassette deck. This is good news as the MTR-100 is quite rare to find. When saving or loading programs, the CMT (Cassette Memory Transfer) mode must be selected. Programs are saved using program numbers for identification.

Computer-based sequencer programming

In 2011, Defective Records Software release
MC-4 Hack
a software application that enables programming of the MC-4's sequencer on computer. It works by creating audio that is routed into the MC-4's cassette input port. This eliminates the need to use the MC-4 calculator-style keypad to enter sequence information.

Roland MC-4 additional options

The Roland MC-4 Microcomposer was able to be used as a stand-alone CV/Gate sequencer, but as the system advanced various additional options were made available for owners needing to use the MC-4 with new tasks and procedures. These involved things like memory expansion, cassette tape media and synthesizer interfaces. Below is a list of additional options that were made available by Roland. * Roland MTR-100 (Digital Cassette Recorder) * Roland OP-8 (CV/DCB Interface) * Roland OP-8M (CV/MIDI Interface) * Roland OM-4 (Optional Memory that converted an MC-4 into an MC-4B)

Roland MTR-100

The Roland MTR-100 was a

digital Digital usually refers to something using discrete digits, often binary digits. Technology and computing Hardware *Digital electronics, electronic circuits which operate using digital signals **Digital camera, which captures and stores digital i ...

tape recorder used for storing sequence programmes for the Roland MC-4 Microcomposer. It was offered as an optional accessory for faster

data In the pursuit of knowledge, data (; ) is a collection of discrete values that convey information, describing quantity, quality, fact, statistics, other basic units of meaning, or simply sequences of symbols that may be further interpret ...

transfer than a standard audio cassette player. When using a Roland MTR-100, the Roland MC-4 Microcomposer needed to be fitted with the additional memory option known as the OM-4. The MTR-100 used digital computer cassettes, Roland endorsed the use of

TEAC TEAC may refer to: * TEAC Corporation, a Japanese electronics company * TEAC Oval, a sports stadium in Port Melbourne, Australia * Tetraethylammonium chloride, a chemical compound * Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity, a measure of antioxidan ...

Computer Tape CT-300 or

Maxell , commonly known as Maxell, is a Japanese company that manufactures consumer electronics. The company's name is a contraction of "Maximum capacity dry cell". Its main products are batteries, wireless charging products, storage devices, LCD/lase ...

Data Cassette Tape CT-300 or M-90.

Notable users

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(who described it as "like making tracks on a taxi meter") *

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Vince Clarke Vincent John Martin (born 3 July 1960), known professionally as Vince Clarke, is an English synth-pop musician and songwriter. Clarke has been the main composer and musician of the band Erasure since its inception in 1985, and was previously ...

( Yazoo,

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) *

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Rudi Esch
''Electri_City: The Düsseldorf School of Electronic Music''

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(The Garden Studio) *

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(Toyah, Mike & the Mechanics) * Daniel Miller * The Monitors (first use on a recording, programmed by Ralph Dyck) *

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* Masato Nakamura * Rational Youth *

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Toto Toto may refer to: Arts and entertainment Fictional characters Pets * Toto (Oz), Toto (''Oz''), a dog in the novel and film ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' * Toto, in Japanese ''The Cat Returns#Plot, The Cat Returns'' Characters of agency * a ...

* Wang Chung *

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Vince Clarke

began using the MC-4 on Yazoo's debut album '' Upstairs at Eric's'' in 1982. After a good friend noticed that his later albums had changed in sound,

realised this had been due to his having changed from using a Roland MC-4 Microcomposer to using

sequencers. So in 1991 he returned to using MC-4 sequencers for the recording of the

album ''

Chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song) or refrain, line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in which all verse ...

''. After writing the tracks for the album, they were programmed into a

BBC Micro The British Broadcasting Corporation Microcomputer System, or BBC Micro, is a series of microcomputers and associated peripherals designed and built by Acorn Computers in the 1980s for the BBC Computer Literacy Project. Designed with an empha ...

computer, running a UMI sequencing program, to get the arrangements right. The UMI software sequencer was then synced to the MC-4 and all the parts were programmed into the MC-4. The whole theory behind programming with the MC-4 was better timing. Clarke believed at the time that

had timing problems due to data bottlenecks, and CV had much tighter timing. The whole sound of ''

'' is due to the MC-4 not being able to program chords; the limitation of only having four channels of sequencing also contributed. At this time he envisaged touring using the MC-4 sequencer.SOS Magazine, December 1991 Clarke was later quoted as saying that he bullied the spares department at Roland UK to supply the micro-cassettes needed for data transfer and later described the MC-4 as being "a pig to program but well worth it". After the recording of the ''

'' album

went on tour. He took on the challenge of using a Roland MC-4 as the main sequencer to control various synthesizers live. The synthesizers controlled by the MC-4 included a

Minimoog The Minimoog is an analog synthesizer first manufactured by Moog Music between 1970 and 1981. Designed as a more affordable, portable version of the modular Moog synthesizer, it was the first synthesizer sold in retail stores. It was first popul ...

, Roland Juno 60, Sequential Circuits Prophet-5,

Oberheim Xpander The Oberheim Xpander () is an analog synthesizer launched by Oberheim in 1984 and discontinued in 1988. It is essentially a keyboardless, six-voice version of the Matrix-12 (released a year later, in 1985). Utilizing Oberheim's Matrix Modulation ...

and a

Roland Jupiter 8 The Jupiter-8, or JP-8, is an eight-voice polyphonic analog subtractive synthesizer introduced by Roland Corporation in early 1981. The Jupiter-8 was Roland's flagship synthesizer for the first half of the 1980s. Approximately 3300 units have b ...

. For the drums the MC-4 was synced to an

Akai MPC60 The Akai MPC (originally MIDI Production Center, now Music Production Center) is a series of music workstations produced by Akai from 1988 onwards. MPCs combine sampling and sequencing functions, allowing users to record portions of sound, modi ...

II.Music Technology Magazine, August 1992 Before the tour Clarke's collection of MC-4 sequencers were ‘road hardened’ by having the chips removed from their sockets and soldered directly to the circuit boards. Eight MC-4 sequencers were obtained for the tour as back up units, but they were not needed.

References

{{Roland MC-4 MIDI Music sequencers