The Roland MC-303 is the first of a series of musical instruments known as a Groovebox

Groovebox

The term Groovebox was originally used by Roland corporation to refer to its MC-303, but the term has since entered general use. It refers to a self-contained instrument for the production of live, loop-based electronic music with a high degree of user control facilitating improvisation.A groovebox...

. It combines a simple sound module with a sequencer

Music sequencer

The music sequencer is a device or computer software to record, edit, play back the music, by handling note and performance information in several forms, typically :...

 to record and store notation, along with controls aimed at encouraging the musician to improvise the music while it is playing. Despite the number in its name and the hype it received at its launch, the MC-303 has more in common with other MC prefixed synthesizers (such as the Roland MC-202

Roland MC-202

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), which contain built-in sequencers, than it does with the famous Roland TB-303

Roland TB-303

The Roland TB-303 Bass Line is a bass synthesizer with built-in sequencer manufactured by the Roland corporation from late 1981 to 1984 that had a defining role in the development of contemporary electronic music.-History:...

.