Price : $$2295 (new) $good luck (2nd hand)
Released : 1997
Vance Pitman :
Some keyboards beg to be programmed and >played< to their full extent, while some just sit there, ready to play back whatever sounds they've got. There are so many knobs for so many things, you just can't keep your hands off of them, even if its just punching up the bass or rolling off the treble, or adjusting the tempo for the arpeggiator. But when you start playing with the feedback oscillator and the filter, you'll be hooked. In addition, everything is mapped to a continuous controller, so if you have sequncer memory to burn, turn the data filters off and get crazy with the knobs, 'cause you can sequence all those moves, too. The machine also has a set of four utilities Roland calls Motion Control, and they can be used to make a set of changes to the controls. You record your moves and rather than try to play and fiddle, you tap one of the buttons, and the keyboard makes your changes for you. Make no mistake, this is not a sample playback machine, and it has no full-blown sequencer, plus it's not designed for a lot of expansion options. It was made to play and program. Make your own call about the sounds and capabilities of the 'board, but I think this machine has the fire a lot of the newer gear lacks. It holds its own side-by-side with the analog 'boards I've got then goes beyond what they can do. If you're lolking for a synth to do a lot of programming on, this one invites it. If you're looking for analog that's reliable, stable, and doesn't produce as much noise when it's not being played as when it is, examine this machine closely.
Comments about the sounds :
If you haven't seen this synth, you won't understand. I played old Roland
(JPs and Junos), Korg, Oberheim, and Moog, and this thing will do all of them
and more (it has waveforms that they never did, plus it sounds analog to the
nth degree). IMHO, it makes the Waldorf Pulse sound skinny, and the Clavia Nord
Lead, by comparison, sounds as thin as FM sounded when it came out. The Prophecy
is close competition, though a bit weedy, until you think about the polyphony.
The sounds themselves beg to be played and tweaked. There are just too many
knobs, buttons and sliders not to start fiddling. I played four presets and
started messing with things. Also, the Super Saw and Feedback Oscillators add
some new sounds that put this thing beyond any almost any analog I've ever played.
Crank up the harmonics and feedback amount and lay into the ribbon controller,
and your hair will stand up, especially if you're running through a big sound
system (the guitar players in the shop came runnin! g to find out what the hell
>that< was!).
Sounds to check out :
When you go to check this 'board out, find Performance 14, Feedback Lead
and hit the Ribbon Controller relative button, then play a solo line while running
your fingers up the ribbon... Push the bank/value up button to Performance 24,
1979!, and play it for a second, then use the waveform button in the OSC1 section
to switch to the other waveforms, and use the CTRL1 & 2 sliders to fiddle
with the oscillator shapes. Finally, go to performance 45, Euroneuro, and try
it out, then turn the arpeggiator on, try it going up, down, and round, then
use the mode key to light all three LEDs, which enables the RPS system, short
short melodic loops that are assigned to every key except the bottom one (which
shuts them off), and which you can reprogram with your own rhythmic figures.
They're all different, and with this, I would think even the least technically
capable keyboard player would feel comfortable jamming. Just hit a new key to
change patterns...
Thanks to Vance Pitman
