Is Roland JV1080 still worth buying?

[Ildon]

Since you're not going to be doing a lot of editing, I wouldn't recommend it. The JV/XPs shine when you sit down with it for a week and come up with a bank of your own stuff, otherwise it sounds... well... egh.

Roland really needs to fire its preset guys.

Hi Ildon can you point to any presets that you would recommend.
Cheers
philip

I'm not sure what you mean.

Hey that's funny that can't be the quote I selected ! Maybe I miscued with the mouse.You mentioned in a previous post that the standard JV1080 presets didn't make it shine like desigining your own patches does.So I wanted to know if you know where there are any ( free ) ones you'd recommend.

All of the ones I've downloaded in the past weren't much better than the factory stuff. Your best bet is to sit down with your synth and come up with your own. I'm still amazed at some of the brass and woodwind sounds I've been able to get.

[popmoney]

Cheers Ildon

[DevonB]

I'm going to have to disagree here.

That's fine.

I never thought much of the actual sample content of romplers of way back when, or even the triton likes. What I did respect and enjoy was the preset programming, and complete abuse of the synth engine by the programmers.

It's not about the samples. It's about how they're layered. Kontakt programs are not really programmed, it's just the raw sample most of the time. Very disappointing.

This is extremely rare with modern sample libraries, kontakt and halion content a great example. More over, even the best libraries tend to be designed for multiple sampler platforms, thus heavily limiting the ability to abuse the synth engines, and we generally just get boring sample playback with mod wheel/filter slapped on.

Agreed that the sample playback is boring. Disagree about the 'multiple platform' bit. I have gone throug a significant amount of sampled content being a reviewer, and I *RARELY* have seen any of these worked when it was for one platform. Vapor is a rare exception, along with ravity/Purity.

But no one is restricting *you* to take full advantage of the said sample library content to the full extented allowed by kontank and halion engines (somewhat superior to romplers of the way back when).

I could if I wanted to, or had the time. I envy the single guy who has time to really play around and has no distractions from the wife or kids.

I have to say it is a tad disappointing even the factory kontakt/halion libraries show very little of the engine trickery possible.

100% agreed.

But I would guess the fact you feel your NS5r samples are somehow better is mostly a psychological effect.

No, the samples are terrible. It's the programming that's superior. Kontakt factory patches don't have that.

I remember that critter very well and I'm glad we've far surpassed it's measly rompler capabilities since (in that price range in software).

Far suprpassed it? Maybe in a sampler, but the Korg wasn't a sampler. Compare apples for apples with the likes of the Korg's and Roland's, and the software ROMpler's are still playing catch up with layering, and even simple things like more advanced LFO manipulation. Sad.

Devon

[chris_b]

speaking of the 1080 - what are the chances of reverse engineering the SO-PCM cards and making some kind of SD flash card adapter so you can use samples from your PC in the JV? Surely this is possible?

[beej]

Or buy an XV5080 and 128 meg sample ram to do exactly that...

[Kingston]

But I would guess the fact you feel your NS5r samples are somehow better is mostly a psychological effect.

No, the samples are terrible. It's the programming that's superior. Kontakt factory patches don't have that.

ok so we do agree here afterall. I thought you liked just the samples themselves. Indeed the presets of yamaha/roland/korg are inspirational and even great for learning, as they won't move out of the store if they aren't immediately impressive. I guess kontakt/halion selling point is elsewhere, hence unimpressive factory libraries, which is sad since the engine capabilities are somewhat superior to romplers.

I remember that critter very well and I'm glad we've far surpassed it's measly rompler capabilities since (in that price range in software).

Far suprpassed it? Maybe in a sampler, but the Korg wasn't a sampler. Compare apples for apples with the likes of the Korg's and Roland's, and the software ROMpler's are still playing catch up with layering, and even simple things like more advanced LFO manipulation. Sad.

Devon

well the thing is, I no longer see sampler and a rompler as a separate entity. Time has gone past the stage where rompler was a necessity because of expensive RAM and cumbersome storage. Sampler is the rompler of this decade and the synth engine features have surpassed those of triton/JV/etc., but I suppose preset and sample library manufacturers haven't really woken up to this yet.

There's is a dire need for extremely well executed bread/butter library with presets to die for, as a good friend pointed out today. But there's just a few problems:

1. It's damn expensive in this day when sample DVDs are commisioned for $2k. There goes the quality.

2. Multiple sample platforms hinder engine abusing capabilities. Make a great patch in kontakt, and halion won't sound anything like it, or reversed.

With this in mind, is a rompler still the solution? It would be if the engine was to die for, and not dumbed down basic like they tend to be nowadays.

[zircon]

Eric, you mentioned that the SC88 (etc) sounds were culled from a larger pool of higher quality master recordings; just so I understand you correctly, are the full sample sets w/ no samples removed available for purchase anywhere? Or are they in the Roland/Spectrasonics vaults?

[beej]

You probably didn't read this bit:

> They were originally released as Roland 700 series CD-ROM libraries for pro use.

You can still occasionally find them. They are in native Roland format, which the XV5080 and native Roland samplers will load - for other things, you'll need to convert them.

[Ildon]

You probably didn't read this bit:

> They were originally released as Roland 700 series CD-ROM libraries for pro use.

You can still occasionally find them. They are in native Roland format, which the XV5080 and native Roland samplers will load - for other things, you'll need to convert them.

I need to find those. I want to buy them all!

[DevonB]

which is sad since the engine capabilities are somewhat superior to romplers.

Superior, and grossly underutilized. Sad really.

well the thing is, I no longer see sampler and a rompler as a separate entity. Time has gone past the stage where rompler was a necessity because of expensive RAM and cumbersome storage. Sampler is the rompler of this decade and the synth engine features have surpassed those of triton/JV/etc., but I suppose preset and sample library manufacturers haven't really woken up to this yet.

I can understand why you don't see them separate. Interestingly enough, the market still treats them separate as you don't find really GOOD ROMpler-like VSTi's (i.e. couple hundred waveforms, lots of layers, good routing, lots of modulation possibilities, etc.) Like why are most layers, if supported, only using two layers? Not to mention, most software synths either do sampling really well, synthesis real well, but extremly few do BOTH really well, which is the halmark of the ROMpler.

There's is a dire need for extremely well executed bread/butter library with presets to die for, as a good friend pointed out today. But there's just a few problems:

The problem, or so it seems, is there are very few *GOOD* patch programmers. Most don't have the experience the 'big boys' have.

2. Multiple sample platforms hinder engine abusing capabilities. Make a great patch in kontakt, and halion won't sound anything like it, or reversed.

I understand you keep going on about this, but really, how many single library libraries are there. There are TONS, and those dont' take advantage of what they have. They treat the sounds as a straight-up sample player, which is why I'm making the distinction of sampler vs. synthesizer.

And yes, we're mostly agreeing. We're just both good at moaning.

Devon

[zircon]

You probably didn't read this bit:

> They were originally released as Roland 700 series CD-ROM libraries for pro use.

You can still occasionally find them. They are in native Roland format, which the XV5080 and native Roland samplers will load - for other things, you'll need to convert them.

Would that be the same as the L-CDX series?

[beej]

I think so, can't remember offhand, I'd need to go and do a little research, but it sounds about right...

[Dr.Wu]

In the early 90s Roland released a couple of CD Roms that contained the library for S-series of samplers. If i remember correctly that was 3 CD Roms- Orchestral Strings and Brass and Rhythm Section. These were rereleased a couple of years later along with some additional sounds in smaller and more affordable packages (just drums, just bass/guitar, just sax etc) and then rerereleased for a third time around 2000 or 2001 when the XV-5080 came to the market.
But they all contain the same sounds basically.
So if you want some hirez version of the Roland ROM samples these are probably the closest you can get.

[Ildon]

In the early 90s Roland released a couple of CD Roms that contained the library for S-series of samplers. If i remember correctly that was 3 CD Roms- Orchestral Strings and Brass and Rhythm Section. These were rereleased a couple of years later along with some additional sounds in smaller and more affordable packages (just drums, just bass/guitar, just sax etc) and then rerereleased for a third time around 2000 or 2001 when the XV-5080 came to the market.
But they all contain the same sounds basically.
So if you want some hirez version of the Roland ROM samples these are probably the closest you can get.

That and apparently Edirol Orchestral.

[spectrum]

No...the Edirol Orchestra is still the heavily compressed stuff.

The LCD CD-ROMs are the ones that have the "good stuff".