I received a new brochure from Roland today with the new products for the rest of this year.
"

The GW-8 Version 2 now features a Style Composer to create and customize Styles. New Preset Styles. The NTA (Note to Arranger) function allows handsfree control of the arranger engine from external MIDI gear such as Roland's PK-5A pedal and Roland V-Accordions. Create muti-track rhythms for a complex drums/percussion ensemble. Edit SMF files and save them as new songs."
The price was not included with this mailing but I would imagine it would still sell for under $1,000.00.


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

George,

Thanks for this great info! Looks like gigasonic-outlet (out of San Jose) is already selling the GW-8 version 2 on eBay!

Michael

Interesting George because the Roland techs told me when I asked them about 2 months ago about the NTA not being on the GW-8/Prelude, they said it was not going to be a part of the OS for these keyboards

I think I still have the email reply somewhere.

And NOW they say they WILL include it...

Makes one wonder sometimes where their collective corporate heads are at.

I always said that, were it not for the styles being uneditable without conversion to MIDI (and back), the GW-8 was a pretty good bang for the buck...

No info yet whether these new abilities approach the Makeup Tools of the E/G series, but any improvement is a plus...

Does this mean there's the possibility of getting the styles off the GW-8/L and onto the E-80/G-70?

George - 1. When is version 2 due and will it be marketed as such?
2. Can previous GW-8's be upgraded to version 2?

I guess that remains to be seen. It is possible that only the edits will get stored (as offsets to the style) and the style data remain unavailable, but it is also possible that the whole style gets stored in a user accessible area. This ought to mean that, finally, we will get a chance to use them in our E/G series...

One problem that is likely to remain unsolved is that, especially with the GW-8L, there are a large number of new kits that feature the Latin percussion unique to this product. Without those samples in the E/G series (and no SRX with them on), translation with the Makeup Tools is going to be iffy at best...

[This message has been edited by Diki (edited 08-30-2009).]

George is this going to be a PC program or will it be on the keyboard. Regardless, with a style making program, this will be one of the better arrangers with its size, sound quality and price.

The download of Version 2 is now available at http://www.roland.com/synth/GW/index.html

But still no definitive information as to whether you can access the arranger section from an external keyboard. IE to be able to set an NTA channel so it can be controlled.

This function was NOT available on the original GW-8 and I can find no mention of it being any different with this update.

Only 16 new styles, all in the "World' category, so likely to use the proprietary Latin kits, IMO...

Newly added functions in System Ver.2
Creating a User Style
• You can easily create a new Style by accessing the STYLE MAKEUP screen for an
existing style, then changing the sounds or modifying the way the sounds are
produced.
• Dedicated MFX (Multi Effects) for Styles are now provided, allowing you to apply MFX
to the sound of a style independently from the keyboard performance.
• You can use realtime recording or step recording to create a new Style by recording a
performance for individual parts.
• You can now specify two or more Style parts as drum parts.
• You can use editing functions such as quantize and copy to create Styles efficiently.
• The STYLE MICROSCOPE screen lets you edit the individual notes of a Style in
detail.
• You can use the EZ Convert function to create Styles easily.
Recording or Editing a Song
• You can access the SONG MAKEUP screen and easily change the sounds in a song or
adjust how the sounds are produced.
• Dedicated MFX (Multi Effects) for Songs are now provided, allowing you to apply MFX
to the sound of a Song independently from the keyboard performance.
• In addition to “realtime recording,” which records your performance just as you play it,
version 2 provides “step recording,” which lets you enter notes and rests one at a time.
You can select the recording method that’s most appropriate for the part you want to
record.
• You can use editing functions such as quantize and copy to create songs efficiently.
• You can use the SONG MICROSCOPE screen or SONG MASTER TRACK screen to
edit a song’s individual notes or tempo data in detail.
Other Added Functions
• The “STYLE FINDER” screen has been added, allowing you to select a Style from a
list sorted by number, name, or tempo.
• The system pedal setting now allows you to assign BEND MODE to the pedal.
• A place for making MIDI settings related to the performance of Styles has been added
to the system settings; it’s named “SYSTEM STYLE MIDI (NTA).”
• The performance settings now provide a “Chord Zone” parameter, which lets you
specify the key range for chord detection.

So far, I can't seem to glean from the manual whether the WHOLE style is stored in a user area, or just the offsets, but it SEEMS like it stores the whole style... good news, if so.

Dramatic news, though. This upgrade is, AFAIK, the FIRST Roland system to allow TWO (or more!) drum tracks in a style. About bloody time!

Also, we get SOME of the power of the E/G series' Makeup Tools (but nowhere near the visual and tactile ease of use), but without the drum kit editing that makes the E/G so powerful. Still, as I thought in my review of the GW-8L a while back, now that styles CAN be edited (including the all important MFX insert effect), this is one HELL of a good bang for the buck...

BTW, The NTA parameter is fully explained in the manual for the update, and seems comprehensive (except for no Zone recognition area from the NTA channel - so you'll have to set that on the source instrument or computer). P.43 of the manual explains it all...

One small disappointment... The 'Bend' parameter assignable to the footswitch input is NOT a pitch bend (which would have been great for hands free bending). It merely toggles between the three modes of pitch bending which still need the lever to operate.

But all in all, this update is incredibly good news from Roland. For a start off, it shows their continued interest in the arranger form (despite them STILL not wanting to acknowledge that it actually IS an arranger ), something I had almost given up on! And it shows their continuing interest in making hugely significant upgrades at no cost (take note, Yamaha!) to the user.

Kudos, Roland...

deleted because the info I wrote was wrong...NTA is NOW available

[This message has been edited by miden (edited 08-31-2009).]

You MIGHT want to simply read the manual. an NTA channel HAS been added...



If you are basing your info on what Roland support techs have told you, good grief! You should know better than to accept anything they tell you..!

Yeah I just read your post on the other thread...downloading the update now...

The Roland people told me it was not going to included EVER on the GW8 even with updates. It was why I got rid of the GW8 I bought. I was going to run it with a Yamaha NP30..

This is just crap that NOW that decide to include it ##@$#%^%$^#$...I saved Nigel and the software the trouble of editing that !!!

Division PC#
INTRO
1 67
2 68
3 65
4 66
MAIN
1 1
2 2
3 9
4 10
FILL
1 97
2 89
3 98
4 90
ENDING
1 75
2 76
3 73
4 74

These are the PC#'s that trigger different divisions (and can't be changed, dammit! ). Anyone know what Yamaha uses? Or Korg...?

THESE are why we need a cross platform standard, then you could easily hook two arrangers together and have them work as one...

Is there a guitar mode on the GW8, like on E-60?

No

But you CAN put an amp stack insert effect on style guitar parts (and change their sounds to clean or lightly distorted guitar sounds) and get some pretty crackin' good rock guitar parts...

[This message has been edited by Diki (edited 09-03-2009).]

And, I'm sorry, Stam, but personally, I find the Guitar Mode a HUGE waste of time, as it isn't integrated into the Style Mode. You can only play it in realtime, or record it into a sequencer, but the minute you use it to make a style, all the guitar specific NTT's and associated inversion features (my favorite feature - higher you play in the chord recognition area, the higher on the 'neck' the chords go) go out the window.

Roland need to integrate it with the style engine before it's of any real use, IMO...

Hi! Sorry for the thread digging, but I have a question about the possibilities about GW-8 V2 and this forum has been a reference to me.

I'm thinking about buying Roland GW-8, but I read its possible to use a Pedal System like Roland's PK-5A. I've been reading about it, and I understand its possible to use the PK-5A to control some aspects of the GW-8 through the use of NTA. But what I'm really interested in knowing is if it is possible to use the PK-5A to play bass notes, like in this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3O1_86b42yw

Regards

[This message has been edited by mauro1855 (edited 08-28-2010).]

Very good and full marks to Roland - the GW-8 V2 has far better style editing features than my Tyros 3.
Yamaha insists that there is no call for features such as this - I disagree.
Hope that Roland will soon address the lack of a top end arranger.