Hey everyone...

I noticed where Roland has what appears to be a new ARRANGER out...the E-50 (61 key) and E-60 (76 key)

Anyone know anything about it sound-wise, how it stacks up to its rivals and what the MAP will be for both units??

------------------
Steve A

http://www.soundclick.com/stevealtonian

Steve... they've been out for quite a while now (though you wouldn't know it from Roland's advertising). Several posters here either have or had one of these. If you do a Forum search for 'Roland E60' or 'E50', you are likely to get plenty to give you some ideas.

But, long story short... the E60 is probably the best, 76 key, mid-line speaker-ed arranger out there (in fact, it's one of the only mid-price 76's!). They are VERY different from Yamaha's, in a lot of respects, but are tough to find.

Play one if you get the chance...

Steve,
I own a music store in southern california. I sell the Roland E series. The E50 Maps at $1299 and the E60 Maps at $1499. Both keyboards have the same interface as the G70 and the E80 but don't have all the features of the more expensive models. However, for many, the price and quality of sounds, styles and features more than makes up for a few less features.

------------------
George Kaye
Kaye's Music Scene
Reseda, California
818-881-5566
www.kayesmusicscene.com

I own the E 80 Roland Keyboard and I see list price on this unit at 4490.00 at several places. Why then is it so much more expensive then the E 50 and E 60?
Bebop

Steve, I own an e60. I've had it just about a month now. I previously owned a G70. I can tell you that for about half the price of a G70 you get most everything you want or need on the e60. Sounds are excellent, almost identical to the G70. Styles are also excellent. There are fewer onboard styles, but there are a few e60 styles not on the G70 that are outstanding. And, because you can store styles, registrations, on midi on floppy disk or memory card there is no reason not to have as many styles as you want ready to load and go.

The keyboard is different than the G70. It has a slightly lighter action, but still feels good if you want to play a paino part or whatever. There are no drawbars or VK organ section on the e60, but the organ patches are very good and you can still use the D-beam to swith the rotor sim from fast to slow. Most of the other features on the G70 and E80 are resident on the e60/50. The e60 weighs about 25 lbs, that's about 10 lbs lighter than the G70.

If you can live without Rolands's excellent harmonizer and a few minor features, the E60/50 offer excellent value for the money. The E80 has the most features; the G70 is a pleasure to play; the e60 is the next best thing to eith board at a much more affordable price and weight. The e50 is like the e60 but with 61 keys. You choose.

------------------
Cass www.cassponline.com/

cassp, the e60 is 28 lbs compared to 45 for
the G70. 17 lbs lighter..not just 10 lbs. the only things I feel at a loss on my e60 vs. the g70 are the mic input, and the optional multi-foot controller. unfortunately,
using midi pedals instead is not a viable option the way the e60 midi is programmed.
bummer that Roland got paranoid about including those 2 features, which would not add to the
weight or cost in any significant way. I guess they just were scared to lose g70 sales.

------------------
Miami Mo

Great input everybody....

Ok then the question is how does the E-50 & 60 stack up to the Korg PA 500 and the Yamaha PSR-900 which are the others I'm kicking around.....WHICH IS BEST

It's a songwriting tool first and foremost

------------------
Steve A

http://www.soundclick.com/stevealtonian

Steve,
The E-50 & 60 don`t have a vocal harmonizer , and I don`t think it displays notation , the E-80 does.

If your looking for the best song writing tool , then you might want to consider the Motif XS6 Synth.
You will need a computer with notation software.

The other route is the Tyros 2 , same great FSX key-bed as the Motif , but it displays both lyrics and staff notation and has a vocal harmonizer.

The T-2 is well made but getting old and might be replaced later this year , no time frame has been given.

The PSR-S900 has most of the T-2 features , but lacks the build quality , you lose the FSX key-bed and quality control surfaces. But you will save almost 2K.

The Pa500 has no vocalizer and does not display notation , lyrics I`m not sure , the Pa800 only does lyrics and not staff notation .

So by now you must be fairly confused , misery loves company !! LOL
Welcome to the world of arranger shopping !!

I hope I have helped , best of luck !

Gary 

that is a good queston, i wonder also, i previoulsy had the pa50, and now i have the E60, and i like the sounds of it (drums are soo good!) but i still have the feeling pa50 did a little bit better. just my oppinion.
compared to pa500, i believe the difference would be even more noticeable.

anyway, E60 is still a great deal. you get 76 keys (be aware that the keys are different than E50, longer, nicer feel) you get great styles, good sounds, light weight, great build quality, beautifull design (i think is the best apart from "big boys" arrangers) nice OS and very good support and advice on www.roland-arranger.com, non-official roland forum.

if you need to buy without see, highly not reccomended, you need to listen to the demos vrey close and compare with whatever options you have. pa500 seems appealing, at about the same price, you need to balance very carefully what you get with either of these two keyboards.

Mo have you thought of adding the
NEW TC Helicon Harmony M unit to the E60? This combo could make the E60 much more desirable for vocals & fill the void!
http://www.tc-helicon.com/VoiceToneHarmonyM.asp