gt vs xt vs mk1

[radiophonics]

Hi , got the xt rack here and i miss the keyboard control a bit and was pondering the gt but some say its a bit more of a pain to use as its deeper and prefer the mk1 ?

are there any gt users here who felt the same or felt the mk1 was a better synth ?

Sound wise is the Gt the same quality or cleaner sounding ? ( roland seem to have a habit of making each new piece of gear sound bright and more brittle than there last to my ears )

[PauloF]

Hi , got the xt rack here and i miss the keyboard control a bit and was pondering the gt but some say its a bit more of a pain to use as its deeper and prefer the mk1 ?

are there any gt users here who felt the same or felt the mk1 was a better synth ?

Sound wise is the Gt the same quality or cleaner sounding ? ( roland seem to have a habit of making each new piece of gear sound bright and more brittle than there last to my ears )

Welcome to the Clan, Radiophonics!

The XT is the V-Synth v2.00 ("mk1" as you call it) without the keybed and the majority of control buttons, but it has a Vocal Designer (VC-2) and D-50 (VC-1) built in. Apart from that they are the same. But this you already know ;-).

Regarding the GT, it has some advantages and disadvantages over the V-Synth v2 / XT, let's see.

GT's advantages over the V2/XT:
- Two OSC blocks and an Effects section per block, like two V-Synths in one on that particular item (the effects section has more effects than on the v2/XT)

- Vocal designer is now an internal function of the Synth, so it can be choses as one of the Tones, no need to restart the unit

- APS (although very limited with just a couple of solo instruments, but still awesome)

V-Synth v2 / XT's advantages over the GT:
- 16 Part Multitimbral. Each Part can use any of the 16 MIDI channels at will. This is the main advantage of the v2/XT over the GT, which has only one Part/ 1 MIDI channel for both TONES. This is incredibly flexible.

- VC-1 Card can be used on the v2. VC-1 (D-50) and VC-2 (Vocal Designer) are both included on the XT (although can't be used together with the main V-Synth section, as the unit needs to soft-restart on each mode alone). Nevertheless the D-50 classic Roland synth of the 80's is here offered for FREE.

- V-Synth v2 (mk1 as you call it) is easier to manage regarding the front panel and Menu operation


These are the major differences between the GT and XT (in your case)
Cheers and I hope you enjoy your XT, at least as much as I enjoy mine ;-)

[SoundworldA.D.]

Welcome to the Clan RP,

I believe the GT also has more effects. As Paulo has already given a rundown on some of the finer points between the different models, I will give a more perspective view. I have 2 GT's and an XT and I wouldn't think for a moment of selling any of them.

The majority of my SoundworldA.D. custom patches available on cello's Repository of Sound were done on the XT because I find it much easier to manipulate a single 2-OSC sound instead of two. That said, the XT just cannot match the more realistic horn, violin and stringed sounds like erhu on the GT because of AP-S.

Also, the multitudes of two-voice distorted guitars that I have built on my GT's just scream for modulation effects with the twin D-Beams and Time Trip pad.

It really comes down to each user's needs and how the V-Synth's will be employed, but I think they make perfect companions if you can have both and I use all of them in sometimes unique ways.

Whichever version of V one has, they are just so much fun and the ability to mix those PCM loops and waves with the VA section and elastic audio is just a blast. What a special synth!