DonaldS, TheXP80 is a great keyboard, Anyone who has programmed patches and performances,Know's that the keyboard is better than the competition[Korg , Yamaha, Kurzwiel,Alesis etc.] And as a controller[routings,up to 16 per patch] and 16 external midi channels,with their own parameters as well as the 16 parts internal. The RISC 32 bit processor can handle these ,more efficiently then the others. The actual pcm samples are cleaner and acurate[ compare with no effects to the Korg]..The instrument , probally not suited for novice in programming, but there are great patches in the presets..The exspansion boards offer the best sounds barring no one....As for buying a XP80, the only drawback ,the rumor of a new model, which I have no verification at the present[Most likely a June-Sept release , if there is a new model]....Fran

Donald, I would hold off on the xp-80.
I think Roland is asking a bit too much for it, and alot of the sounds are dated sounding.

Granted, it does have an excellent synth engine, but it is inferior compared to the Kurzweils V.A.S.T. engine.

The xp's are supposed to be quality, affordable professional instruments. Well, with the apparent sound decay defect(yes, many people in other groups mention this harmony central reviews www.harmony-central.com(synth reviews)
Thats cuts out the main reason for purchasing a roland, the sounds.

Rolands built in effects for the xp's arent anything special either.

roland could always rely on GOOd SOUND. But when you put cheap parts into your synths that cause distortion and tearing, you take yourself right out of the market.

Like I said, people buy Rolands mostly for the sound. Take that away, and Roland has zero pluses.


After listening to the Korg Triton, I realized that is sounds much better and more "up to date" than the Roland. Plus, the Triton has a 200 note sequencer, a built in sampler, ribbon controller, better effects, upgrade able pcm cards, 6 outputs.

The sampler will keep the Triton "up to date" for many, many years to come.

YOu can also upgarde the Triton with the MOSS card, which ,makes the Triton a virtual analogue synth. Pretty sweet.


The Roland xp-80 is going for 1700 U.S., while the Triton is going for 1995 U.S.

The extra 300$ is WELL worth it. YOu get a sytnh with ALOT more features, and no decay bug.

Hi!

Everyone keep talking about how Roland have used cheap parts in the XP's, and that this is the reason for the decay-noise-problem. Do we know this? I don't think so. The super-JV synthesis is fairly complex, and the noise could come from anywhere in the system. I have noticed that not all patches are affected the same way, which leads me to thinking that it is no problem with the output-circuitry (DA's) or effects section.

The problem is more likely to be caused by the synth engine itself. Maybe even from one single parameter?

Besides, I hear people talking about the Triton all the time. It appears to be a regular wonder-synth. Well, sign up on a Triton mailing-list, and you will see that it has problems of its own. I will just mention a sequencer that does not read/write SYSEX, drum-sets that can not have individual filter settings for each key, noise on the output, and so on.... Don't get me wrong; I am sure the Triton is a great synth, but so are the XP/JV's. But every synth ever made has its own problems. I will just mention Yamaha EX, which has more than its share of problems... I have even seen people on this BBS refer to the EX as the ultimate synth. Well, all I can say is good luck; they will need it.......!

The perfect synth has never been built. Has anyone tried to listen for decay-noise on so called "classic" digital synths? I would not be surprised at all if decay-noise really is a decade-old problem on digital synths. And then the analogue synths have their very own problems...

The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence!

If you can live with the decay-noise (as I can without problem), then the XP's are great synths that have nothing to be ashamed of when compared to other synths. It is highly recommendable.

Stig,
the proud owner of a Roland XP-60 :-)

I never said the xp's are bad synths. They are great synths. BUt apparently roland is using cheaper d/a converters, and that is the problem.

I spoke with a guy who had the same issue on an xp-30. He took it to a non-roland dealer and had the problem traced to a cheap d/a converter. The converter was replaced with a higher quality one, and the noise and tearinwent away.

HE had the same problem as I did, as do many with th xp's. I just had the luxury of having 30 days to return it.

Synthesizers are all about sound.
Its their most important feature. You can mess up the sequencers, you can mess up the features, but NEVER, EVER mess up the sound.

If you are going to cut corners, cut corners on features, NOT sound quality.

I love the xp synth engine, that is why I purchased one in the first place.

But I was already keyed into the defect tearing noise, and I could stand it no longer. I create pieces that have long , quiet decays, and the xp with the patches Iwanted just could not do this without that problem. When Roladn told me to " use another sytnh for the quieter passages", I had to laugh.

I'm still not convinced that the DA-converters are the source of the problem. We have extremely cheap CD-players that do not have any decay-problems. Besides the noise is different with different patches, and on some there is no noise at all.

But I have to say that when Roland suggests using another synth for quiet passages, they must have missed the point. Some of us only have one synth.... This is a workstation! :-)

I (also) wonder: Are some XP's /JV's worse than others? (Different production batches maybe?) My XP-60 is not bad at all. I really have to turn up the volume of the amp to max as the sound decays to hear it at all; on normal levels I have never heard it. I would not have noticed it at all if I had not read about it and decided to listen for it. I do not have "symptoms" anywhere near those described by some other users.