To see a great and high quality image of it:
http://www.rolandpolska.pl/images2/exr5.jpg



[This message has been edited by Bluebird (edited 10-12-2003).]

Note some special buttons of new Roland EXR-5:

- V-link button (blue)

- five "COVER" buttons, with five styles of music (acoustic, pop, etc...)

- down these five buttons, you may read: drums, bass, others, left, right.

Any opinion about the function of all these buttons? What are they?




[This message has been edited by Bluebird (edited 10-12-2003).]

Roland’s V-LINK makes it possible to control video clips when
used with an Edirol DV-7PR Digital Video Workstation (sold separately).

Cover function in arrangers is completely new: it is 5 Covers from Roland DisCovery5 instrument. It change in realtime orchestration of all instruments in style midi tracks. I.e. bossa became pop-bossa, rock-bossa, world-bossa (eastern type world etc. I listen live demo of it yesterday (at exhibition here in Moscow), it sound very cool. You can simply multiply styles by factor five due to Covers.

Thanks, Aliev

Cover function seems interesting to more variations in styles.
But I think morphing function was a great advantage too for variation in styles.
And it is a pity that it seems disappeared in new Roland arrangers like this.
Do you say you listen a live demo of this keyboard? What do you think about sounds...?

Well, about EXR-55:

64 poliphony is great (I think) for this level or price, and USB, COVER, orchestator, melody intelligence (18 types!), are interesting things too.

But what about Mb for sounds?.
Technical data don't refer how many Mb, only say it has 8 times more wave memory than the EM-25.
But EM-25 had 1 Mb!!!!
So, it seems EXR-5 has 8 Mb.

But it has: 510 panel voices, 542 XG lite, 256 GM2, 20 drums sets. And a very good stereo voice!!, Roland said.
All of this in 8 Mb?
Which is the Roland's secret?

Mb represent raw wave memory, the additional patches are edited patches using the wave table..

Yes, I listen to this instrument. I will not give you comments about sounds: it is too ear-dependent It always will be people that LOVE that sound and the same amount that HATE it. It is all up to you ears.

Ailev,
Your allowed to give your opinion.
Starkeeper

Piano sound is very good, others slightly better then you can expect from $550 instrument. But definetely overall sound is not comparable with top arrangers.

But styles have drive. Styles is rather vivid -- better then in average cheap arrangers.

The great lack of EM series is that you can't modify style parts (Cheaper Yamaha keyboards leave you modify style parts).
But a man from Roland told me yesterday in new EXR-5 it is possible modify parts of arrangement. I doubt it, because there is no buttons for it, perhaps function button...

Well, another lack is you have only 1 intro, 1 ending, etc.

But... it is not all.
New EXR let you use the "orchestator". With it, you have three levels of orchestation for each variation. So, if you have two
variations (original and variation), you have, in the fact, 2 x 3 = 6 variations.
About intros and endings, I suppose it is the same: you will have three levels for each of them. So, you have 1x3=3 intros and 3 endings.

But it is not all.

New EXR5 have Cover function. This function arrange what you play in one of five styles (pop, acoustic, dance, etc.). So, you have
all variations, intros, etc... x 5. As you see, it is not as simple as may seem.

By the other part, EM-25 (and I hope EXR3 and 5 too) leave you to modify volume of three style parts (bass, drums, arrangement) or mute them. It is another way to make variations in your music.

It is a pity new EXR-5 seems not to have style morphing. It was another way to multiply styles...

But new EXR-5 has a 16 sequencer. It is a plus, too.

Afterwards, this keyboard will have both XG (lite) sounds and GM2 sounds. It is the best of both worlds.
Must I think yamaha styles converted to Roland will sound in EXR-5 very very near they sound on a Yamaha kb?
If so, this is a great advantage.

ALIEV, it seems you are the first person on this forum which played EXR-5. So, your opinion is very interesting now...
- Do you know Yamaha PSR550?
- Are EXR-5 sounds comparable to PSR550?
- Are they better than other Roland kbs (EM-25, EM-55, VA-3...)?.

We need to see new EXR-5. At 600$ it seems a good value.


[This message has been edited by Bluebird (edited 10-14-2003).]