alex-ball 42 years ago
vintage synths #Synths and Effects

Roland | The Roland MC-4 Microcomposer (1981)

The Roland MC-4 MicroComposer was an early microprocessor-based music sequencer released by Roland Corporation. It could be programmed using the ten key numeric keyboard or a synthesizer 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 CV/Gate sequencer.


Notable users:

- Aphex Twin

- The Cars

- Suzanne Ciani

- Vince Clarke (Yazoo, Erasure)

- Depeche Mode

- Devo

- Rusty Egan

- Die Form

- John Foxx (The Garden Studio)

- Front 242

- Heaven 17

- The Human League

- Kontour

- Kraftwerk

- Landscape

- Adrian Lee (Toyah, Mike & the Mechanics)

- Daniel Miller

- The Monitors (first use on a recording, programmed by Ralph Dyck)

- Giorgio Moroder

- Masato Nakamura

- Rational Youth

- Martin Rushent

- Tears for Fears

- Isao Tomita

- Toto

- Wang Chung

- Yellow Magic Orchestra

Alex Ball
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