Novation Circuit Tracks vs Roland MC-101 (2021)

The long-awaited, excruciatingly detailed comparison of the Novation Circuit Tracks vs the Roland MC-101. They're both fantastic, hands-on, portable, and standalone grooveboxes with a ton of features, and while I think most people will have a good time with either, they have different strengths and design philosophies that you should be aware of going in.
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00:00 Intro
00:40 Price
01:30 Samples
05:09 Sidechaining
07:09 Batteries
08:00 Workflow
12:24 Live Performance
17:28 Sound Quality
18:30 External Expansion
21:30 Quantization and Microsteps
22:00 Scales, Chords, and Arpeggiators
23:09 Probability and Mutate
24:04 Which Groovebox is Right for You?
26:57 Audio Examples and Outro

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[GabeMillerMusic]

Quick correction, the MC-101 DOES have probability for drum tracks and that's my bad for missing it.
And in general, to be clear, I don't think one device is objectively better... They're both the gold standard for budget, hands-on, surprisingly powerful gear. Hopefully this helps you decide which one fits your specific needs better.

[jimkocherful]

I've recently been watching many of Gabe's videos about Grooveboxes. All very helpful (especially the "Terms" one). This was the one where I finally felt like I decided on which one would work best for me and my budget (the Novation Tracks).

I am a beginner, no music training, never learned an instrument. But I've always enjoyed electronic music (especially Todd Terje) and remixes, and want to try getting my music ideas out of my head and onto recordings. His description of the easier live jamming and intuitive interface with Tracks is what sold me! Thanks for your informative and easy to understand videos Gabe! 🙂

[DrwPrry]

I was actually looking for exactly this kind of comparison. This is super informative, so happy I found this channel. definitely deserves more subs. keep it up, you're doing everything right.

[elsantoproductora]

I bought an Mc101 and, even though I was worried about the menu diving, I got used to the shortcuts and button combos really quickly. On the other hand, Circuit's workflow is a thing of beauty. That's why I really wanted chromatic sample flipping, direct sampling and more synth tracks. I really don't care about having side chain inside the box since I prefer to mix and master outside the device. Of course that depends on the way you use the machine, from a performance stand point having side chain compression it's very handy. Thanks for the video!

[TheSieza]

I ordered my Circuit Tracks as a complete newb and was kinda unsure wether the 101 would have been better for the money. Nonetheless I went on a 6 hour binge with my Circuit today. Its just such a fun and intuitive device.

[benjaminbrand]

Love this! It's honestly impressive how quickly you got something this deep and well done in such a short time!

[MichaelMoore-bxst]

What is nice about the circuit is the FREE offline editor. Roland's subscription model for an offline editor alone disqualified the 101 for me. I had the 707, and IMO the Roland Zencore sound is unapologetically digital, more so than other digital synths I own. I never fully loved any demos of the circuit engine, so for me could only be a scratch pad, but one with amazing workflow. I could see using one for writing on the go, then using that midi to send to my other synths to be used for their sound. Best of both worlds if you don't mind the extra steps. Nice video as always!

[kevinraum]

Me watching this already owning an mc-101 knowing damn well Im buying a tracks eventually too.

[jnspincliffe]

I appreciate your honesty about the design and user experience with all these devices. Love your videos

[OttosTheName]

On the 101 you can use the 4 macro's to change different parameters for each track. I sometimes tweak decay on the bass and filter on the arp for instance. When it's on 'filter' it can still change any parameter you want. So that could be a selling point for the 101, albeit something very specific.

[TheOriginalEUrban]

OP1+ Electribe+Model Cycles+ Both Circuits+ MC101+ (whatever else I'm missing here)=The Megazord/Voltron of set ups.

[SwiftDreamer]

This comparison is pretty spot on. I never owned a circuit, the but workflow seems really fluid and a definitely better performance device than the mc101. If you're new to music production and want a device you can lay down ideas fairly easily, i would probably go with the circuit tracks, if you want to do more sound design in a box and dont mind menu diving and really learning as many aspects of a device as possible, i would say shoot for the mc-101

[SummerHeart]

Thanks for another great video Gabe! Just got me a Circuit Tracks and I think it's perfect for finding inspiration when you've been stuck inside the box for too long!

[JoshIsMakingMusic]

It's really interesting to see each device's strengths and weaknesses knowing these differences can be nice since it makes it easier for someone to chose between them based on what that person is specifically looking for.

[Thomasabraser]

Gabe, you really have the talent to explain things very very clear without being boring at all. I really appreciate the fact, that you always clarify if it is an objective difference or your personal opinion. I agree, that the most powerful addition to the circuit is the possibility to sequence two external devices AND mix them with the internal effects. I own an MC-101 and love it. But, when i want to use it for example with my modal craftsynth 2, I need a mixer, a lot of cables and an additional sequencer (with a different workflow) because the craftsynth doesn't have one built in.

[EmilioNorrmann]

damn I have the 101 and that audio input from the tracks would be an awesome feature to have! I hope the Rythm improves on that and add the ability to live record samples from that input as well.. that would be the perfect setup for me !

[kevinanderson]

Hey Gabe, relative newbie to electronic music production. Been having great fun with Logic, but have been watching your content for months. Love your style and your approach. Was looking for a good place to start my groovebox journey. Opted for the Circuit Tracks and I’m absolutely loving it. Will you have dedicated Tracks packs for sale soon? If so, I’ll be first in line to buy them. Thanks again and keep it up Gabe. 👏👏👏👏🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[Thomasabraser]

Thank you very much for this very informative video. At the MC-101 you can also change the settings for the knobs, so that all 4 control one track at the same time. So you can be able to change the cutoff and resonance at the same time for example. For the circuit tracks I am still unsure how I think about it. I feel like they optimised some things but not as much as they could have. We still don't know all the details about the new Rhythm but I think one machine with the capabilities of both would have been perfect.

[ItsJustEmK]

A thing that has me still considering the MC-101 is running via USB bus power. I think it would go really well with a USB power bank but I don't see a lot of talk about using it that way. Really seems like Roland underplayed it as a feature

[tekrahmuzik]

I have the mc101 and the mc707...still gonna get the Circuit Tracks too...great info video