MC-808 was released in the 2008. It has 8 faders and 16 sequencer buttons. The groovebox also has a "D-Beam" and a large "Tap" button. D-Beam allows the user to control filters and pitch with smooth vertical hand movements right above the "sensor" itself. The device comes with a large number of presets (256 patterns), a library of 622 waveforms and a set of 128 percussion sounds, thanks to which MC-808 seems to be a powerful device. Having accumulated experience for a couple of decades in sequencers, Roland definitely knows how to create a good working interface.

As for sampling capabilities, MC-808 has 512 MB of memory, as well as various "tricks" in the manipulation of samples, starting from the usual creation of multi-samples, and ending with automatic looping (elements are assigned to 16 buttons ready for reprogramming). In addition, they can be reversed, modified by BPM, and twisted any way you like (for example, you can apply compression, reverb, and filters). All this is done much easier when used together with editing software (PC/Mac).

The outputs of MC-808 are not perfect – they give out a lot of noise. The second is the LCD screen, which is almost invisible at any angle, and to see something, you need to look straight upright. And RAM – it offers a tiny space of 4 MB. But you can close your eyes and forget about all these shortcomings, given the number and variety of presets, an intuitive interface, and the peculiar technology of D-Beam.

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