Guess what everyone.......I bought another keyboard today. I got a Roland VA-7. It will be shipped to me on monday!!!
YIPPPPPEEEE.........
If anyone has any feedback on what I might expect from this kb let me know. I am so excited, I can't wait to tickle those ivories....or plastics......LOL

I think you will love the VA-7.

PT...

Where did you find a VA-7? Is it new? What version is it? (2.0?)

I've had mine for a couple years. It's getting getting left behind in the dust by the TYROS and other boards that are more advanced, but it is still a VERY COOL and unique board. You'll love the V-guitars and all the other V-voices, like oboe, flute, trumpet, etc. The touch screen gets mixed reviews here. If you're not a live entertainer, you'll probably love it. The Variphrase is a unique and fun feature, but I've never found much practical use for it. The key feel is very good, compared to any Yamaha arranger. The VA-7 has precious little online support and all the support I've seen on the net is outdated. Mine gets used in a Worship Band setting at church. For that purpose (as a secondary instrument), it works great. You will have a lot of fun trying out the 100's of styles. The morphing feature for the styles is cool. Many of the voices are excellent and authentic-sounding. Good luck on your new board. I think you're gonna love it!

Tim

I am not sure if this kb is version 2 or not. How will I know? I too am going to be playing it in our worship band at church. My pastor plays a EM2000 at church also.
I paid 1200. for the VA-7. I chose it over the VA-76 because it had onboard speakers and 61 keys and I prefer the onboard speakers so that I can use them as monitors also. Is it true that it is basically the same keyboard as the VA-76 except for the keys and speakers?
I got this kb off ebay. The seller cannot find the turbo disc (whatever that is), he said he never used it. Is it possible for me to get one somehow? I am so excited. I heard the 128 polyphony on the VA-76 and was amazed. I too was not impressed with the touch screen, but I made up my mind that better sound would be worth the learning of it.

pat

Pat,
The touch screen works as well as all the other manufacturer's screens. I happen to hate the concept. Too little space for too much access to information. I recommend that you set up as many registrations as you need for all the different styles of play that you need. There are 192 locations, so I doubt that you'll run out...and if you do, there is a zip drive to store more !

The sound set in the VA is simply wonderful, so don't get caught up in the "newer is better" thinking. The internal engine in the VA is much improved over Rolands of the past and can hold it's own with all the newest gear as well. I'd take a VA engine in a 9kPro housing any day of the week. The styles are very, very good and the drums are batter than any Roland predecessor. They rival the Tyros, SD1,& PA80 for crispness. Morphing is WAY cool. Real time change of any drum pattern. Love that feature.

The differences between the 7 and the 76 is only navigational archetecture .... not sound pallet. The 76 has more dedicated buttons. If you set it up the way you need it ... you'll LOVE it for years and years.
Good luck !

Pat,

You will know if it's version 2.0 simply by an orange sticker on the left hand side of the board right above the mod and pitch bend wheels. One word of advice...if you do not need the styles on the zip drive, remove the zip drive while using it in worship. The zip drive, when running, is a bit noisy (a sort of whining sound) which can be annoying. You'll still be able to access all the internal voices and the board is totally quiet. Regarding the turbo disk...that's just a floppy with automatic settings that sets up the kb, enabling you to play popular tunes using the style orchestrator. Not really a neccessity, but if you want, I can send you a copy of mine.
You will love this board and I'm sure when it finally arrives, bro you will be praising the LORD!

Tim

Pat,

One correction...I said to 'remove the zip drive'. I meant remove the 'zip disc' from the zip drive when you don't need it.

Tim

Thanks so much. And yes I would like to have a copy of the turbo disc. Send me your email address to ptmacaw@aol.com
and I will give you my snail address.
And by the way, the name PAT is misleading..... I am a "sis" not a bro.
(grinning)


pat (patricia)
florida

Tim,

I looked at the photos that were on ebay and it does not look like there is an orange sticker on it.
What is the 2.0 upgrade? Is it bad if I don't have it?

I found out that the keyboard does have a version 2 !

GUESS WHAT!!!!
My VA-7 should be here on Friday!!!

I feel like a kid on christmas.

8^

Question please:
Will I be able to use the piano style sustain pedal from my yamaha kb for the
VA-7? Is it compatible??
What about a footswitch? Can a sustain pedal be used as a footswitch?

Ver 2.0 is an Operating System upgrade and give a few more options on the screen. Suggest you contact Roland in your country because they supply an exchange Zip Disk when upgrading the OS.
(At least they did this in the UK)

Graham UK

YES you can use a pedal from yamaha, u can use any pedal, u can even stick a nail into the sustain jack and it will work (no kidding)
Sustain pedal is just a momentary switch it just looks different, YOU can use any pedal U want, AMEN.Enjoy your va-7, I have VA-76 I bet I can Answer Any question about VAs(If I would be able to type faster) I just Don`t like Styles like LATIN, JAZZ, Swing...
When you get your va-7 Check out these styles on Zip Disk: HITMIX , Dt`fox, Ballade, Esapecialy the intros.