Today I play 3 hours with my own G70. It is available in Moscow at 3040 euro. I am first Russian that used to buy this device. Thanks to SZ I know about it more than dealers and not think much before buying

I was more interested in G70’s style section than in sound one (I am not like Roland's sound concept, Yamaha’s sounds better for me) but nevertheless it have several nice sounds that can compete with my psr9000.

In style section it lacks style morphing -- and styles present less diversity to my ear. Moreover, 4 variations very similar one to another at many styles, like at PA1X, only minor change from variation to variation. Cover feature is very useful to change sound -- but this change not very dramatic, not such refreshing as with style morphing. Styles more smooth than at VA-76 (that mean more boring for me: less drive for a play, less human band feeling).

Sound of a style many times better than at VA-76 due to more sample quality.

Makeup Tool -- this is simple pages with reverb, pan, effects, volume, etc. settings for every instrument in style. It is not for live performance, it is about (fast?) tweaking style to prepare it to performance.

G70 has very strange default settings: e.g. too much reverb in every style.

"Pad" assigned to IR sensor: hand swish to elicit finger clap or guitar strum or vocal scat (along chord played) of even DJ effect sounded like LP 33rpm with played song stopped by hand.

Verdict: in style section Roland did one step forward and another step backward.
Tomorrow I will try to load old VA-76 styles to this beast. With Cover feature it should add diversity to the arranger.

Oh.. So, G70 doesn`t have all the old styles?

Today I spent several hours to study sounds and styles. After it I agree with Roel: styles are very simple and less vivid. And G70 have all new styles -- with 4 variations that differ less then 2 variations in VA-76. And if you used Cover that not will change style bass part.

Sounds much better quality (layered samples, better bitrate) than at VA-76 -- but mainly the same. It sound more CD-like, but you should tweak your setup to elicit great sound.

Verdict: original style presets are of bad quality (for me) due to tweak needed. But platform (hardware) is very good. This is for professional musicians: 10 hours of preparing, 1 hour to play. Definitely not for home entertainment after work as in my case. And I still will use my psr9000 for many sounds that are absent at G70.

Then I want to transfer old styles from my VA-76 to G80. I tryed to find original VA-76 styles online, but failed. Now I consider use floppy disk to do the job. I think many users will try do the same. May be somebody already have perform this task and have loadeble style archive that I can download from the Net and load to G70 via USB (not using floppy)?

But shure, it will be much work for tweaking VA-76 styles for G70. I think that somebody here in SZ (not I -- I am too amateur) can do this tweaking once and then share it with other G70 users via Web.

Others, have mentioned a global setting[compression] adjustment ,brings the G70 to life...Have you tried this?

BTW I can send you original VA styles if you need them..

To Fran Carango:
Thanks, compression + reverb + chorus etc. -- this was first that I did with G70 (especial not compression but reverb -- it was like "stadium" settings in presets).

Now it is good with sound at arranger section. It is bad with music of factory preset styles.

Yes, I need factory preset styles of VA, and that on VA-76 original zip-disk (additional factory styles). I like VA-76 styles more than psr9000's due to musical drive/swing/life in it. I wonder why it was several reports that styles at G70 better than at VA76. Sound is better, greater. Arrangement of separate one of variations -- may be better. But then they at Roland a) simply copy this arrangement to all 4 variations with almost no changes (Roel already report about it) b) perform this via Cubase programming, not via live playing (Roel tell this too: that this is programmer-made styles, not musician-played).

There are errors in several styles (never listen this with Yamaha, but listen with G70 and with VA-76. It is OK, there are not too many of errors: mismatching chord voicing with one of secondary acc part).

Thank you in advance for VA-76 styles sended. I wonder: there are many Yamaha's style sets posted on Web but no Roland's.

Ailev,
Congrats with your G70.
For me it's good to hear at least someone agrees with me about the simple styles

You made a perfect statement about the ratio 'preparing' / 'playing'.... I fully agree !

In my (limited) view this is abnormal because most of the players are PLAYERS and no 'programmers' (tweakers).

I owned Technics, Solton and Ketron. All of these machines were 'ready to go' right away.
(the same for Yamaha's)

About the hardware :
Ailev do you think the hardware (buttons, sliders, shuttle-wheel etc.) are very good ?
The potentiometers and wheel all feel a little toyish... I think.

Please keep reporting your findings here.

Roel


[This message has been edited by Roel (edited 01-20-2005).]

To Roel:
yes, I am not programmer, I am player. Other devices (Yamaha and even Roland VA-76) was plug-and-play: quality presets with deep tweaking if you prefer it. If you prefer not to tweak, there is presets that take all featers of device.

Not with Roland. E.g. I can't find aftertouch used in presets. But keyboard is having aftertouch feature: you can appoint it to you discretion.

Moreover: after 2 days with keyboard I not knowing how to save permanent keyboard split position! It seems to me that I should change it separate for every style and OTS, there are no global settings (I understand that for program it may be retained intact).

Hardware is really good: it is not a toy. All device is not a toy at all, namely that is really bad

By the way: there are exist long intros and endings in G70: you should push Intro or Endings button followed variation button. This will not change current variation but elicit intro or ending with different length (1 -- shortest, 4 -- longest).

Brighter sound you can twiak with Mastering Tools Equaliser (set it to Jazz, for example) -- this change sound dramatically.

Worst of all, I can no understanding how to keep my tweaking (there are too many different memories in G70 and too few places with Write/Save button to survive power off). I think that it is my default, but this is 6th my arranger and it is first time I have difficulties with it's tweaking).

But after tweaking there is nice sound, this is not instrument default, this is musical styles/programs pogramming in deficit at G70.

But I think that there are many people that like Reverb Hall:2 at all styles and no aftertouch and even 4 similar variations (this is kind of new fashion -- PA1X have similar variations in one style too).

I will keep efforts to use G70: eventually I'll tweak it for me

Verdict: in style section Roland did one step forward and another step backward.
Tomorrow I will try to load old VA-76 styles to this beast. With Cover feature it should add diversity to the arranger.

[/B][/QUOTE]

Hi,
isn't it funny, Roland included a lot of tools on G-70 to provide the possibility building an
individual Instrument, but some user don't like to work with. Remember: It's called:
'Workstation'. I think there are a lot of Keyboards, people can buy with less money, of cource
without that tools. Some words about the VA styles: I find out, there are a lot of that styles
within the G-70, but all of them have a different name. LIsten to 11 Styles of Bossa/Samba
group named 'Sweet Bossa' to 'Piano Latin' for instance and you will hear the same musical
variations. The two Inro/Endings of the VA Instruments are now Intro/Ending three and four.
Intro one you can use also as a break because it's always one bar drums. During running
Intro/Ending two you can play your own chords to match your song. (Not written down
in the manual) Indeed, the styles sounds much better, making a good basic preparation.
I think, basic rhythm guitar has normaly to play the same within the four Variations of a style.
If you don't like it you can change the style within milliseconds beginning at the next bar.
(Please fix the tempo). I own my G-70 three weeks. And I can tell you: "I like it from day to
day more and more". Regards: Hanspeter

most of us are musicians, or want to be anyway, and not programmers. Like Roel and others stated so well the ratio between "Playing" and "Programming" is utterly absurd. I sat behind my friend's G-70 a couple of times and I got completely fed up with it. I am not saying it has no good sounds or styles, though nothing spectacular even there imo. But like I mentioned on earlier occasions I think ALL the Roland presets and defaults sound absolutely crap. Which means an incredibly amount of programming to be done. My friend, and many others I am sure , are leaning back, confident that others (globally) will make the effort, but in my experience, and I did very extensive programming of "performances/user programs"for both the Roland G800/G1000 and the Korg PA-80, very few get down to really programming in this respect. In other words, most of you will have to do your own, and the G-70 will give you more than ample opportunity, too much in my opinion.
I also agree with someone saying that the sliders and screen are way too small in comparison to the whole keyboard.
I am sure most VA and Roland diehards will be glad to have a follow-up to their now obsolete keyboard, but I am convinced that Roland will lure away very few keyboard players using other brands and in my opinion righly so. I don't like it, that's for sure.


[This message has been edited by john smies (edited 01-16-2005).]

O.K. John,
I understand some arguments against the Roland G-70. So for instance: the small screen and
some of the crappy presets. But I own a Yamaha Tyros too. The screen of it is bigger and
some styles and presets sounded very good to me, in the first time. After a while the same
things became boring and I was very happy to have the opportunity to change most of them.
Now nothing is like it has been two years ago. And, I never got it, didn't I have a good board
(VA 76) to play the Yamaha via midi instead using the incredible keys. Nothing is perfect.
I hope, Roland will read your critics. It will help to make the next software release much better.
Thats my advantage, thank you.
Regards: Hanspeter