There have never been so many grooveboxes—nor have they ever been so sophisticated. From portable devices to standalone production stations and performance instruments, here’s our selection of the best grooveboxes available today.
Although the term “groovebox” first appeared with Roland’s MC-303 in 1996, its origins can legitimately be traced back to Akai’s MPC-60, designed in collaboration with Roger Linn. Some would even go further back, to the Linn 9000 or the E-mu SP-12, as early as the second half of the 1980s.
While these machines didn’t always use the same technologies—synthesis for some, sampling for others—the philosophy was already well established. In a relatively compact format, they offer everything needed to produce electronic music, with a particular focus on performance and the playful joy of creation.
After a period of relative decline during the first decade of the 2000s—when increasingly powerful music production software seemed to have relegated them to the background—grooveboxes have made a strong comeback. Today, they are clearly on the rise.
Somewhere between a synthesizer and/or sampler, a drum machine, and a sequencer, these machines are particularly effective for composing and producing music independently, without necessarily using a DAW. They’ve also found their place on many stages, where their immediacy and ease of use have more than proven their worth.
Here’s a selection of grooveboxes chosen for their current relevance, user-friendliness, and musical appeal.
