Does anyone know of any rumors of a new sampler from Roland? There were rumors this winter, but I haven't heard anything else. I sure hope they come out with something that will combine sampling and synthesis, like a workstation similar to the Kurzweil K-2000, only better. Any thoughts?

I have not heard anything . Everyone is making these ridiculous groove samplers for people who have no creativity or ability to play . I use a KORG DSS-1 which combines sampling , wave form drawing , additive synthesis with analogue filters and amplifiers . I remember when samplers were used to create new and never before heard sounds , now they are just used to steal other people's drum lines and grooves .

Bitchy, bitchy 800dv! I have managed to use the S2000 to create damn fine never before heard grooves! I don't know about any new roland samplers, the last one I heard of was a the "dr. sample" which was a bit of a toy! The S2000 synthesis capabiliteis are awesome (I also own an SY77) To be honest I think you'd be hard pushed to find a recently released sampler that doesn't offer atleast some of the "old synths" features, only better!

I can't stand music created on samplers , it always sounds poor and wimpy and repeditive in a bad way . I'm an analogue man , I got rid of that DSS-1 because their ain't no damn cheap shit sampler that can do what an analogue synthesizer can do . Sampled music is unimpressive , it just sounds duplicated but analogue synths make you WORK for your sound , not a bunch of bullshit program windows . I can't stand MIDI either , What a joke .

Yea. New sucks. Ever since electricity came along, music has just gone downhill. You wanna pipe-organ sound? Play a fkin pipe-organ! You want some strange flutey sound? Chop down a tree and start whittlin away! That's what I call TRUE analog. THAT'S working for your sound. I bet most synthesists out there didn't even build their own instruments!

How about gluing a fkin alpenhorn to a slide whistle? I got your physical modeling right here, bub! But nooOOOooo, your got your ring modulators and your lfo's and your resonance filters.... Whatever happened to just beatin on a hunk o'metal, and bending it from time to time?

I've seen my grandpa do more with a couple of whisky bottles and some old silverware than any of these newfangled electric "turn a nob, flip a switch" contraptions.

This new shit just isn't music anymore. It either sounds different from the old stuff, or sounds just like it with less effort. Whatever happened to the old days where you went out and killed and animal, pulled its skin over a hollowed out tree and beat on it with its own forelimbs?

I love classical music , I love the sound of Cellos , violins , pianos , flutes , guitars , horns , saxophones , and all the others . When synthesizers were introduced , THEY WERE NOT MADE TO RECREATE ACOUSTIC SOUNDS !!!! Synthesizers were made to offer the musician NEW SOUNDS . But the NON-CREATIVE did not know what to do with them , they would ask " how do I make a piano sound " . So the birth of at first preset synths and then digital synths starting with that piece of shit DX-7 where all you do is push a button to get your piano sound or your organ sound . The old synthsizers , you can push all the buttons or throw all the switches and it still will DO NOTHING until you PLAY IT . The old one offer you the user interface with SOUND and PLAYING just like any acoustic instrument . Using technology to recreate the middle ages is RETARDED !!!!!!! Samplers , MIDI , digital synths with no real time control is for the non creative push a button crowd - you know who you are because you all sound the same !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I've got nothing against analog. But I'm not about to go all digital either (as if I could afford to). Basically, I could give a groundhog's gonads how a song is made. Are composers lame because other musicians are paid to do their performances? I'm sure there was a day when people went ape shit over sheet music: "It doesn't show the tone!!!!!!!!! People will just play the same crap over and over again!!!!!!!" Then when Edison figured out how to record sound: "HOLY JESUS!!! Those losers can't even play the fckin sheet music!!!!!!!!!" Lame is lame, no matter what your instruments are (look at Yanni). I'm content enough to listen to some street kid beat on a bucket for crack money. If you don't like the music, don't blame the gear, blame the choad that's playing it.

Here's a few questions for you. Where do you draw the line between using a prerecorded sample and doing multiple takes when recording to get the best performance? Are all the tracks on everything you've ever recorded been written and performed exclusively by you? Are you sure your precious analog sound is that unique? I can tell by your conviction that your music doesn't sound at all like any of the millions of repetitive knob-tweaking analog shit that's already been made.

God forbid anybody should make music any differently. Making music should definitely be a chore. I can tell you personally, that I sure as hell can't play anything worthwhile 'til I've whipped myself for a good half hour and shoved a hungry squirrel down my trowsers. What's the point in doing anything if you don't have to suffer and toil for it.

Syrupdude, I loved your first post. I almost fell off of my seat laughing my ass off.

Okay, seriously though, I have to agree with both sides. While I love the analog sound,
I see nothing wrong with the digital side either. Im a K2000 owner, and I use both analog and digital sounds. And while it would be great to hire my own symphony orchestra, it of course is not possible.
With all of the work that I do both at home and in the studio, the results are quite impressive. I get a nice dance beat going,add analog sounds, alittle orchestral and weird shit, and then real guitars. All put together, the sound is huge and believe me, the average club worshipper is not going to stop in the dance moves and say, "hey thats a real TR-808, or hey hes using a Kurzweil. No, if the music sounds good, thats all that matters. I do confess though that I own a Roland JX-3P, but I took those sounds and put them in the Kurzweil by sampling them. They sound exactly the same.
The Roland is for sale.

What we need are better sampling editor functions, and better filters or effects processors in a workstation. But that would probably put recording studios out of business. There is nothing wrong with analog simulations, and digital. Please be assured
while all of these "new" synth companies are creating analog synth reproductions, other didtal synth companies like Roland, Kurzweil,
and Akai are working on much better advances in technology that will soon blow them away.
As for classical music, Im a big fan as well,
but lets not get too hasty here either. If Bach had the oppurtunity to own a synth that
recreated the sound of a tracker organ or hell, even a hammond, he would be delighted.
Now, instead of having to walk 4 miles to a church to practice, he could put the synth under his arm and take it anywhere. Its how you use the technology that counts.

[This message has been edited by Chris Attison (edited 09-14-1999).]

[This message has been edited by Chris Attison (edited 09-14-1999).]

Oh come now. What are you all talking about. The real sampler is out there, it has and always was the Emu range. The new E4 Ultra makes the S6000 look like a toy (the S2000 could not even begin to compare).

The E4 Ultra is a modular synthesiser that uses samples as the sound source. I have looked at the AKAI, Kurzweil and Roland offerings and there is absolutely no comparison. Belive me, the E4 absolutely walks over all of the competion.

Since none of you mention this machine I can only assume that none of you know anything about it. If your not happy with the samplers you have I strongly suggets you try one out (you'll need about 1 week to study the basic features and editting capabilities)

Roland are not going to produce anything that 'blows this away'. Developement of products with the fire power and versatility of the E4 take hundreds of man years of developemt time. Roland have nothing that even compares to build on.

I can only assume that your comments on the likelyhood of the afore mentioned companies producing products that 'blow' the others aways is based on the fact that you own gear made by these companies.

Synth and electronic music equipement is basically very straight forward to design. The creative part comes from the intelectual input of the design team not the technology.

There is no up and comming sound technology which is going to emerge in the next few years. All that is happening at the moment is that DSP chips are getting more powerful enabeling synths and samplers to add more features, polophony etc.

Of all the companies out there Roland appear to be the most 'guilty' of producing kit that 'makes things easy'.

Music is not about kit. Slagging off equipement in discussion groups is pointless. If you have not heard great music that uses samplers then you don't know what to listen to (or, more likely, you could not tell samplers were made used to make it).

Also, samplers are just great but they can't do evrything (and nor should they). If you think you can sample everything the Roland JX-3P can do then you havn't discovered what the JX-3P can do. The whole point of analogue synths is subtle (or sometimes not so subtle) variations over time. You cannot capture the true nature of a great analogue synth with a sampler.

Personally I absolutely love the new physically modeled synths. Certainly old analogue synths are great but there not nearly as good as many people suggest.

The 'new analogues' offer a perfect combination of convienient features and awesome sound. I am fortunate enough to be able to compare old and new in my own studio.

By all means carry on complaining about the products that have already 'blown away' the digital toss (yes I even own some of that too) turned out by your favourite companies during the 80s. Meanwhile, I'll keep using them to make music.

Music and music technology are two different things. Personally I love both of them.

Paul

I must admit that Ive never played around with Emu, but then again Im happy with what I have. If you think the Roland JX-3P is so
great then mines for sale, I know what to do
with it, and now that its sampled to another
keyboard, I now have different and newer ways of using that sound whethter it be new effects or new LFO triggers and what have you. And trust me, many of todays analog buff
artists that you have come to be inspired by so much by use Akai, Kurzweil and Roland synths. And, you know very well that unless
you are a millionaire, that none of us can
line our studio walls with vintage synths.
Better yet, even if I was, I wouldnt do that
anyway because its a hassle and it leaves you limited to what you can do with todays digital synths, just as many of these artists suchas Chemical Bro's, Photek, Crystal Methd. And Ive seen their inventory
of equipment and its 80% digital; I see alot of NordLeads in there as well. I have always loved the analog sound, but the pompisity of
the whole scene makes me sick.