Release a freaking keyboard that gives the Kurzweil and Kort Triton keyboards a run for it's money. I want a keyboard that samples, can take in lots of RAM and has all of the features of the XP series.

The XV5080 is NOT this as it doesn't sample. I would sell my Roland S750 sampler and Roland XP60 in a heartbeat if Roland came out with this kind of keyboard. It should come around at this year's NAMM. I say this because Roland usually releases keyboard versions of modules with in a year's release of the module.

[Example - JV1080 was released in 1994 and the Roland XP50 debuted in 1995]

The Infamous EPU.

Hi Epu,

The only drawback to an "all-in-one" keyboard/sampler/synthesizer, is that to get it to market at a decent price, you have to cut down on the features, otherwise no one could afford it.
You won't find an 88 key hammer keyboard with a 128 voice 32 part synth engine and multiple effects processors and a 128MB sampler with digital i/o and SCSI, at least not one that your average person could afford.

Personally, I would rather have a decent controller such as an A-70 or A-90, and a decent synth/sampler such as the XV-5080.
As a combination, you can't beat it, and it would kick a combo unit like Korg/Kurz's butt.

The XV-5080 doesn't have an "audio in" for sampling, but it will read in Wav and AIFF files.
IMHO this is better, since most people these days will be editing the samples on their PC anyway.
Plus, I've owned samplers since the very early Roland S-10, and up through the various models, and sampling your own sounds really sucks, even in a professional studio such as mine -- it is time consuming, expensive if you have to hire musicians, and you can rarely beat the quality and price of the pre-done sample CDs by Roland and Spectrasonics or Ilio.
Who can afford to hire a symphony, rent the space to seat them all, just to record some strings...

Roland may release something in a keyboard with small sample capabilities, but in *any* brand/model you won't get the power of a full-blown sampler and decent controller.

If you are looking for something in a keyboard from Roland with sampling/playback capabilities, look at the VA-series (VA-5, VA-7, and the new VA-76). Perhaps not exactly what you are after, but it is GM/GS/GM2 with VP-9000 Variphrase Technology built-in.

David


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I think Roland already have something like that but will not be released now.some person mentiond that it is possible that the new XV will have an 8 DIGITAL AUDIO TRAKS too(from VS-840).

that would be great and killer!!!

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vic:)

Hey David Green. For that reason, I might just take you up on your offer for your SP700. Somone offered me almost $850 for my S750!

The Infamous EPU.

Hi epu

I'm not sure that I agree with you on what Roland should do...

One of Roland's greatest advantages over the other synth-makers is price. The XP-series has been affordable all the time, while Korg and Yamaha flagships are far more expensive. Not to mention Kurzweil, whose synths have the price-tag of a car.. At least in my country..

There is also another problem with including functions like sampling in a workstation: it gets complicated! People on this board are already complaining about the complexity of the XP. Well, say no more...

Another problem is that not all these "all in one" synths work as they are supposed to.. They tend to have various problems that reduce their usability..

What I personally like about Roland is this:
Roland synths are not exciting. They are not silver colored and they don't have touch-screen, sampling etc. But what they *do*, they do well an in a reliable way... And I can afford them!

Besides, the Kurzweil K2600 may be good, but for the cost of one of those you could buy an entire studio! I *cannot* imagine that it is worth it.. No way!

Just my personal opinions..

Stig

[This message has been edited by stigf (edited 06-29-2001).]

[This message has been edited by stigf (edited 06-29-2001).]

Epu - Sounds like you want too much out of ONE machine. Can you settle for a synth you like and a sampler you like?

Many of us are not interested in sampling, finding that Roland keyboards have a wealth of interesting, customizable sounds, and at a good price.

After many years with an old Roland machine, I went to the music store with a lot of money saved up, prepared to buy whatever sounded the best for my needs. I played Korgs and Kurzweils, and went home with an XP60. It suits my needs, and cost WAY less than some of the others. (Your mileage may vary.)

From your previous posts, it's clear you want a sampler. So get one! When people start wanting ONE machine to do everything, the machine runs the risk of becoming a complicated (and expensive) monster.

I LIKE the fact that Roland has packed different feature sets into different keyboards, offering a variety of modular and affordable solutions. (For example, the XP60 has the same sounds as the XP80, but it has less keys. This makes it a bad choice for live playing, but a practical and affordable choice for somebody who only plans to compose and record with it, like me.)

I hope you find what you need, but you may have to resign yourself to the idea of owning more than one machine.

Good luck!

-KC