[This is a continuation of the topic started by epu (last post 10/3/00). When administration changed the forum title to include XV, it was no longer possible to post to that thread.]

I have not tried many of the expansion boards, but I did get the SRX-02 Piano card for my XV-88. I agree with the posts in the previous forum: this is a fantastic-sounding piano, maybe the best anywhere short of an actual piano. (Of course, Brand K sounds pretty darn good, too....) As far as there being "only" 50 patches, how many variations of a great piano sound do you need, for goodness sake?

I was in the market for a better B-3, and based on epu's review, I recently bought an Experience II card. I must say there are some pretty good patches here. (Most impressive: bagpipes. Not that I can think of any real use I would have for this sound.) I believe, though, that the XV series synths include many similar (better?) patches, especially pads, EP's, and leads. Still, I'm looking forward to experimenting with the new sounds.

{Question for epu: Is the organ sound that you refer to Patch #27, "VryBS&R"? Also, I'd be interested to know about some of the applications you have used with the sounds on this board.}

Hey dan-o, I think I was one of the ones that made a comment about there only being 50 patches. But it's not just about only 50 patches.... it's that (at least from what I've heard) there is nothing on this board besides acoustic pianos. Maybe I'm wrong.... are there any e.p's or keyboards on this board??? Maybe some organs??????? It just seems wierd to have an expansion board for $300+ with only one kind of sound.

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John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Actually, Thanks for giving me credit on the post. What applications do I use the B3 on the Experience II card for? well, just about anything. I know a couple of B3 players that won't touch anything but a B3, but I'm not like that. I think that one sample on the Exp II is enough for me to have that and not jump out to by the 60s 70s board.

As for the SRX-02 board, I think that the 50 patches is plenty. The reason is, this board was meant mainly for classical, new age playing. This is nothing like the Piano board which was an assortment. I think they could have used more samples, but that would have defeated the purpose of having a 64MB piano board.

The Infamous EPU.

Okay..... I was just curious.... I love playing classical stuff, but I don't think I'll be shelling out $300 for that board anytime soon....... I'd probably go with a dedicated piano module to get some other sounds too. Thanks epu.

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John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Yeah KF. You know I love my Roland, but I too think that $395 for one ecxpansion board is a bit too much. The Alesis NanoPiano, Roland P55 and Kurzweil Micropiano are all great piano modules.

From what I've read here, the Session board is a good source for a killer piano. The Piano board is great IMO. It has the piano from the RD600 (Roland's Flagship Digital Piano) and has a huge assortment of pianos.

Personally, I love my Roland SC880 module. It has at least 75 Piano/Eps. And they all sound damn good. Have fun deciding!

The Infamous EPU.

Can't remember where I read this, but the approach to the SRX boards is different from the JV boards. The JV boards are "genre" specific, while the SRX boards are instrument specific. Despite having four times the memory capacity, the SRX boards will have fewer samples and patches and probably less sonic variety. The tradeoff is that the sounds should be better. I think this approach makes sense, since the new base units have pretty thorough sound palettes. On the other hand, if it is going to be one instrument per card, more than four slots will soon be desired. Of course, that is the (financial) point.

You're right Clif...... that makes a lot of sense..... although I wish they were a bit cheaper. Oh well.... I'll be interested to see what they come out with next. My #1 wish would be an awesome Electric Piano board..... not the wierd "plunky" ones, but the soft rock kind of stuff, maybe a few synth pads too. I doubt we'll be seeing that though.

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John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

I'm telling you guys - you all really need to check out the Roland SC880 (or even 8850) modules. These are really the biggest bang for the buck when it comes to sound modules.

The Piano and Electric Piano stock are huge. So is the Organ stock. You'll be amazed at the sound quality of all of the sounds there. The Guitars rock (there's got ot be at least 100 of them). The Piano'sare superb.

With some exceptions, I would get this module over any expansion board. The Orchestral is must. Some of the loop boards are also a must (i.e. - Hip-Hop). But many of the waveforms on the new XV come from the SC880.

The module orignally retailed for $1099. Most retailers were blowing them out for $399 at the end of last year. You can usually pick them up on Ebay for near $400-$500. If you ask me, this module is way underrated and should cost much more.

On top of that, you get five individual FX processors. If you try out the organs, use the [Rotary] effect, this maks the 100+ organs in the unit scream.

The Infamous EPU.

So, epu, is the B-3 patch you use #27 on the Exp. II card, "VryBS&R"?

Also, for those who might be thinking about getting the SRX-02 card: The demo XV-88's that the music stores get (maybe the 3080 & 5080 too?) come with the SRX-01 and -02 installed (in addition to two SR-JV cards). If you shop around, you can find a store that will sell you a demo card at a good price. I got my SRX-02 for "only" $225 (US).

You better believe it's patch #27 - Very BS&T.

The Infamous EPU.

Thanks, epu, I knew that had to be it!

Note to KeyboardFreak regarding SRX-02:

All 48 waveforms on the board are stereo sampled sounds of a grand piano, with various microphone configurations and dynamic gradations. (p to ff)

The 50 patches are based on these waveforms, although some of them also include other XV patches (eg Grand w/Str). Almost all employ velocity switching using two to four piano waves.

About 15 of the patches are what I would call standard acoustic pianos. The rest are piano waveforms with different effects and/or other sounds added. 4 patches are categorized as EP's, 5 as pads, etc.