I have a home studio and record my own music. I am basically an electric blues guitar player with passable keyboard licks (for rhythm only). Think BB King, Albert King, Jerry Garcia Band, etc.

My equipment is:
Digi001/ProTools LE w/Waves plug-ins
G4 450
Yamaha 01v
Roland 2080 w/exp cards: drums & bass, keyboards 0f 60s/70s,
Axon AX100 guitar MIDI controller
Roland A-33 keyboard controller
Boss DR-660 drum machine
Genelec 1030A monitors.

I use MIDI for drums, bass, and keyboards and I mic guitar and vocals.

I am just not getting what I want from the 2080. The drums and bass just don't seem tight; too reverby and "mushy" (sorry..I don't know how to describe it any better). The sounds aren't crisp and right-on, so the rhythm doesn't drive like it should.

Am I just screwed up, or is there something I can do to improve the sound quality? Do I need to:

1. Get a better drum machine for the drum tracks? I haven't tried the A-33 for drum tracks yet; I just find it easier to use a drum machine than a keyboard. A musician friend told me the DR-660 is "noisy and has limited dynamics" and he would never use it for pro recordings.

2. Customize the patches? I have REALLY tried to avoid diving into this pit. I had hoped that by buying the expansion boards I would be swimming in sounds I like, but something is still not right.

3. Give up and get a sampler.

I must be doing something wrong because the 2080 used by so many musicians. What is wrong here?

Thanks for any help!!
Mike

I'm not trying to be the smart-ass here but it could just be a matter of tast. U can compensate for much of the 'squareness' in the B&D expansion by editing the drumsets.
also try using the drumsets as patches ran through an external EFX processor.
I don't like a lot of the samples either. I love 'm for their compatibility and roundness, not for their realism. Just listen to the 2080 performing in different surroundings.
some like it live, some like it in studio environment, some don't like it at all.