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Roland XP-80
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Roland XP-80

Digital Synth from Roland belonging to the XP series

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Will75* Will75*

«  Workstation 90's but still very usable. »

Published on 05/27/12 at 00:01
Everything has been said about the characteristics.

UTILIZATION

Once grasped the concept of tone / patch / performance, and understood that the recording project was via the method performance in "single", so good.
Editing sounds is really complete. Not easy but thorough, and actually quite well thought out.
The sequencer from the MC80 is really well designed. When it comes to go to other brands, we regret it one bit. Ability to edit each parameter (velocity, note length), track (eg I can reduce the velocity of 10 points on grades between F3 and C4. The beach can be reduced to a single note. Can be traced all notes from one track to another channel, duplicate etc.. Quantification quite effective.
The pattern mode allows for very fast loops and recording step is very ergonomic: selection of the duration of notes and insert silence via the keypad (similar to what will Sibelius). All this is fairly intuitive once we spent a few hours dessus.Architecture very full of what remains the highlight of the XP80. The internal resolution might be more accurate, but this is a very intuitive tool.
Four pedal jacks, two pairs of outputs, an output click, there's something to do ...
Effects correct, but it is not to die either.

SOUNDS

Sounds pretty general, not bad for its time, but they may lack a little extra something. From the JV1080, but the converters and the effects are they the same?
The pianos are very typical, the synth sounds (especially the bass) are very good (lots of samples juno, jupiter in the box. The strings are frankly excellent. Mixed to have achieved true great textures.
on the other hand I think there are a lot of aliasing occurrence of unwanted harmonics (this means a great deal about the extinction of sound) on some programs that can get pretty nasty when superimposed.
Many expansion cards, which are not quite the same tone and (perhaps self-suggestion), however I see a tiny lag between the sounds (including drums) SR-JV cards and those of the internal memory. Psychological?

OVERALL OPINION

I use it since 1998. I did not try before you buy it, but I wanted this sequencer, which made me innumerable (countless) services. (And that makes me even for that matter).
I wish I had sound out of this world, but coming from a Yamaha PSS51 (I had my XP for 15 years), it was a notable advance.
With hindsight, it is the sounds that I like least, but a few need to know magnify.
For the time it was a very good machine, which lacked only the sampling. I spent days on it, and I copy the songs disks starting to age (very badly to my great regret).

At the price where it is found used, I think this is a good choice for projects entirely inside the machine or so for the live (many metalheads have used this keyboard, especially for the strings I guess). Otherwise, choose a computer with plug-ins. Less intuitive, but it will sound better.

Kisses