Is there an inexpensive synth modual (new or used)I can buy to MIDI with my X1 to give me better pianos and guitars?

Tom,
there are alot of different sound modules out there in all different price ranges. You can hook up to midi out of your board to midi in of the module and access all the sounds.

You'd really have to go down to a music store and listen to a few to pick out a "good" piano.
Terry

Tom,
try the Roland XVs or the old JVs. The guitars are outstanding and the pianos are OK (if you want a really good piano you could try the digital module by GEM).

How about a Roland XV-2020 with SRX-02 installed?

I purchased a Roland XV-5080 for $749 and the SRX-02 piano for $289 from my local Guitar Center. I use the Roland A-33 controller and plan to add a Tyros. The VX is a superb sounding box with hundreds of excellent voices/patches. The SRX-02 is the only digital piano I have found which lets me close my eyes and pretend it's the real thing. I have extensively AB'd it at home with the Steinway B and Bosendorfer for GigaStudio and for me there is no contest. It is sampled from an unspecified "European piano". The tone is very warm. It's less than perfect from c5 up, but 90 percent of my playing is below that note.

I like the Tyros piano based on the MP3s and Yamaha acoustic pianos (until recently I owned a C7).

Find comapritive MP3s of this and many others at:
http://www.purgatorycreek.com/pianocompare.html

Tom,

JFYI, as an alternative to the purchase of a synth module, Ketron sells addicional soundbanks that you can load in RAM or in a flash card. It's a rather inexpensive solution, and among the new voices, there are some good pianos and at least a very good nylon guitar. I will put an mp3 demo of the X4 pianos available online when The Pro/Simon make their midi files available to us.

-- José.

Tom, Clif and jphardy have the right solutions..

jphardy

Wow! a 5080 for $749! What a deal. I am envious. Does this herald a replacement? Roland has reissued most of its JV boards 4-at-a-time as SRX boards. Thus, it is no longer necessary to have JV slots (the 5080 has four). So Roland may be set to introduce a high-end (8-slot or more) successor to the 5080 having only SRX slots.

Tom, maybe it's not a bad idea to check what real users think of the SRX 02 expansion board (of course once you are there, you can check other instruments as well).
http://www.harmony-central.com/Synth/Data/Roland/SRX-02-Concert-Piano-Wave-Expansion-Board-01.html

Sorry Cliff and everybody...

It was an XV-5050 not 5080. A 5080 for $749 would indeed be a bargain!

[This message has been edited by jphardy (edited 11-07-2002).]

Thanks for the link, Dreamer.

There does seem to be a split between those who want bright piano that "cuts through the mix" and those who want a piano as a piano. Even amoung acoustic grands, there are lots of flavors and one person's trash is another person's treasure.

The SRX-02 is decidedly "European", dark and rich rather than bright and crisp. I love it, but others may hate it.

Listening to comparative MP3s (such as those at the link I gave before)can help, but actually playing the pianos through quality headphones or monitors is far more revealing. As I said before, I own the Eastwest Steinway B and Bosendorfer as well as GigaPiano which are often heralded as SOTA. I absolutely prefer the SRX-02. The others sound like they're coming out of a box. The monitors I use are Mackie HR824 which are extremely accurate and neutral.

Regarding comments in the H-C reviews about abrupt velocity switches, I found it very simple to fix this problem by adjusting the velocity switch points in the patch. The XV-5050 includes a USB port and easy-to-use patch editor program.

jphardy

Well, after I wrote my last note, I guessed something was wrong. I thought maybe it was the 5080 for $1749, but still the 5050 seems like a good deal given its features.