DNJ and VIC83 here is your answer.
As you can probably imagine, after looking on my website, while I'm playing I do a lot of funny things.
I use sounds to ilustrate my music, trains and birds and doors.... I have trains and birds and doors in my MusicBox....
But to do this while I'm playing, I must have buttons.I can thouch a button between two chords, open and close a door touch two more buttons and get back to my chord 1 seconde before the chord change.
With the va7 I can also touch some buttons, but only very simple actions.
To get more you must go on the touch screen.
That is good for one action. But if you want to do 2 actions you must navigate in the navigation screen.
It's a choice : looking you screen or looking at your public.
How can you do a mute, change a sound, acelerate your tempo in 2 seconds ?
And what about Sync Start Stop? one long touch in the Sync button, one touch in the touch screen and then exit.
Supertones ? 1 2 3 4 or 5 and then ? Back ? No, Exit!
Pratical !
How many times do you touch the screen to get the zip out ?
Also the compatibility of the basic channel (n°13) (user program transmit command) to other midi devices don't work. GS2 is not supported by my vocalist and other midi devices.
Voila, that are a few reasons why I don't find the Va7 a good real time playing keyboard.
But the Va7 is a very good keyboard for people that play music in a normal way.
Great sounds, great styles, good zip etc
but a little bit like a mobil-telefone :
You spend a lot of time looking at the screen
before you call anybody.
Thank you for asking.
Luis B

I think va-xx series are for studio only. It's a Roland's "Triton" but for arrangers. If you're into making music and not into gigs - va is the bst choice for you.

That's my 2c.

------------------
New Yorker

I agree completely. The VA7 sounds great,but I still use the G-1000 for live performance, because I can get much better results from it. You can't do two things on VA7 in same time. Some most important functions are hidden on the screen. Screen is large, but shows very few informations at main page. For example, you cannot see tones on the left and right section at same time. No Fill to previous, no Keyboard mode (butons), only one slider for DSP, arranger controls at middle instead near left hand, double function buttons - yes, you're right: you need to look on the screen most of time. And then, picture of selected instrument ... I won't comment.

Very cool-looking and attractive, but too unuseful.

My personal think is that Roland's arrangers sounds better, softer and more powerfull than all others. I tried MANY of arrangers and still think the G-1000 is the most professional machine of all arrangers - great sound, great keys, fast realtime control, no car-style unuseful speakers.

In this era of knobs and buttons on synthesizers, Roland should follow this trend and give more realtime control to user. I said Roland, because they have great full-developed technology on arranger's market, near perfect. Little more opened architecture would be welcome, also. Some other manufacturers included these features on their machines which aren't so good sounding as Roland's (personal opinion).

My heaven machine would be G-1000-style arranger with full editable tones and more effect processors (both G and VA have only one DSP in addition to standard Rev/Cho/Dly). I would like possibility to import samples in .WAV format to flash ROM (64MB, for example) and make keymaps. Why not? This is very near to present boards.



[This message has been edited by Adnan (edited 09-06-2001).]

You're right NY !!

In some situations, we need buttons for fast & easy navigation.

[*]Fill In (To Org, To Prev, To Var)
E-96 : has no 'To Prev' button
EM-2000 : OK!
VA-7 : disappeared


[*]Sync Stop, Fade In/Out, Reset/tap Tempo
E-96 : OK!
EM-2000 : OK!
VA-7 : disappeared


[*]Tone Selection via user program
E-96 : press 'once' (in the same group, same bank)
EM-2000 : press 'twice' (step back from E-96; 'Down-Up' button won't help that much)
VA-7 : press 'once', it's nice...using Super Tones


[*]...etc...etc...

What about 'next EM'? 'next VA'?

Sorry, my English is too bad.

Sulistya
Jakarta-Indonesia

[This message has been edited by Sulistya (edited 09-06-2001).]