New Roland Synthesizer Workstation Coming at Namm 2014

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Andy Keys
Posts: 1843
Joined: 13:44, 7 August 2007
Location: UK

Re: New Roland Synthesizer Workstation Coming at Namm 2014

Post by Andy Keys »

Vlad_77 wrote:I've yet to encounter a Roland rep here and that has always concerned me.
The only one I'm aware of the chap who turns up banging a gong for new gear, then disappears as soon as it is released and people start needing support for it. It's been so long, I can't even remember his name. I expect that all local Roland businesses are subservient to the control of Roland Japan, but it is a truly odd way of trying to get the trust of your users/customers/wage payers.

The daft thing is that several of them seem to post videos on YouTube (Ed Diaz, Jim Stout et al) or sound sets, but they don't even think to come on here and shout "hey folks! something from Roland for you..." They wait for someone here to stumble across it and post it here. It's madness.

Vlad, like you I have 4 Roland keyboard synths and 2 modules, but their current business model of "ship it, forget about it" really puts me off buying more Roland gear. That and the fact that nothing they've released since the Fantom X has wowed me enough to make me reach for my bank details (Gaia, Jupiter 80, Fantom G and so on); and I have all the piano benches and MIDI accordians I need (1 and 0, respectively).

And you're right that it's this community that "picked up the slack" with the Fantom G after Roland retreated to their cave to count the money and lick their ARX wounds, rather than update and support it. Frustrating. And utterly bonkers.

regards
Andy
Devnor
Posts: 696
Joined: 20:22, 27 September 2010

Re: New Roland Synthesizer Workstation Coming at Namm 2014

Post by Devnor »

A Roland presence here would be nice but sadly many folks would take that opportunity to turn their involvement into a bitch fest.
their current business model of "ship it, forget about it" really puts me off buying more Roland gear
Not the experience of the majority of Jupiter/integra owners at all. But here they are again, banging that old tired drum.
Vlad_77
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Joined: 18:02, 14 February 2008
Location: The Netherlands

Re: New Roland Synthesizer Workstation Coming at Namm 2014

Post by Vlad_77 »

Hey Devnor,
In a sense I can understand the frustration, but, I have to say that I really think Roland has really done a great job with the Jupiters and Integra-7. I love the Jupiter 80 and reading dome of the crap at Gearslutz upsets me. There is no synth maker it seems that escapes the banging of that drum.
A Roland presence would be nice. I just wish that it wouldn't be a bitch fest. Dave Weiser - formerly of Kurzweil provided his new contact info even though he left Kurzweil for a new venture, and Rich and Dan are very present at Korg Forums. These guys have really been a boon to the community. Dan created a superb AL-1 tutorial that helped a lot of us who were lost with AL-1. I would wager that if a Roland rep would make a similar effort, that perhaps the bitchiness would be minimized. I know that we in the Jupiter 80/50 community are frustrated by the lack of a PC/Mac editor for these instruments and I think that some words about this from an official Roland rep either way would do a lot to make the community feel as though it's being heard.

All of that said Devnor, I do see your point.

Best,
Vlad
kday
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Joined: 06:17, 12 April 2004
Location: USA

Re: New Roland Synthesizer Workstation Coming at Namm 2014

Post by kday »

Actually Roland fan base is the quietest of all synth makers customers. Folks at yamaha motifiator forum be cursing yamaha out for their shortcomings in their synth, and Yamaha been making some pretty good synth over the last decade.

Korg forum participants have also been loudly complaining especially when the Kronos first came out. That synth seems like it was made from a junk yard scrap yard. Several parts instantly came off right after opening the box. Many many people complained about the super super cheap swap meet quality build of a Kronos synth.

No synth maker is exempt from criticism, the only reason there is less here at Roland is because people are tired of complaining to be silenced on a connect countdown to a new accordion or a new Fx pedal. The Reps are hiding out because they have nothing new to debut, who would need help with an accordion, or a digital piano or FX pedal, or a synth that runs on batteries? lol

They'll come back when the next synth arrives, then they'll disappear again for the next four years when Roland release their next workstation.
Devnor
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Joined: 20:22, 27 September 2010

Re: New Roland Synthesizer Workstation Coming at Namm 2014

Post by Devnor »

tired of complaining to be silenced on a connect countdown to a new accordion or a new Fx pedal
Fact is, Roland released 3 new synthesizers in 2-1/2 years. 4 if you count the SN synth section in VR09. Why does everyone seem so focused on accordians?
kday
Posts: 125
Joined: 06:17, 12 April 2004
Location: USA

Re: New Roland Synthesizer Workstation Coming at Namm 2014

Post by kday »

Devnor wrote:
tired of complaining to be silenced on a connect countdown to a new accordion or a new Fx pedal
Fact is, Roland released 3 new synthesizers in 2-1/2 years. 4 if you count the SN synth section in VR09. Why does everyone seem so focused on accordians?
Probably because they've been waiting on the next flagship workstation they think will never arrive.

The next flagship workstation will be a 61/88 key set based off the Jupiter sound engine, sequencer, sampling, and sound card options.

The old sound cards are done. All their sounds will be reportedly put into the new keyboards, new sound card options will be available.

It's an evolutionary process.
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Quinnx.
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Location: HomeTown Ireland: Current Location USA

Re: New Roland Synthesizer Workstation Coming at Namm 2014

Post by Quinnx. »

dont you mean..

EVILutionary!? :))
spottingjonah
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Re: New Roland Synthesizer Workstation Coming at Namm 2014

Post by spottingjonah »

From what I’ve been told, mostly by a Roland employee, something is in the works for a scheduled 2014 release. I know there’s been talk of excluding any sequencer, but that may have been preliminary marketing stuff. Just a guess, but thinking about historic EVILution of Roland, perhaps it’ll be a nice mix of current stuff (Super Natural, XV, vocal designer, variphrase, etc) with a few new “game changers”. And whatever is under the hood I hope they follow the current trend and go back to a black profile. The silver look that Korg popularized with the Trinity and Triton is old. Not that color is a big deal, but just a thought. Two things are certain – it won’t have enough knobs and faders to make some folks happy, and it will be built like a tank and not a plastic toy like the poor Kronos. (Great synth with a cheap shell. I swear I have to be overly gentle with my Kronos 61. But I digress…)
kday
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Re: New Roland Synthesizer Workstation Coming at Namm 2014

Post by kday »

spottingjonah wrote:From what I’ve been told, mostly by a Roland employee, something is in the works for a scheduled 2014 release. - Two things are certain – it won’t have enough knobs and faders to make some folks happy,
I wonder what this could mean....hum.....

That it won't be a synthesizer?
spottingjonah
Posts: 107
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Location: Tennessee, USA

Re: New Roland Synthesizer Workstation Coming at Namm 2014

Post by spottingjonah »

kday wrote:
spottingjonah wrote:From what I’ve been told, mostly by a Roland employee, something is in the works for a scheduled 2014 release. - Two things are certain – it won’t have enough knobs and faders to make some folks happy,
I wonder what this could mean....hum.....

That it won't be a synthesizer?
The first sentence was not connected to the last. The first sentence is fact - I spoke with a person at Roland that stated a flagship type synth is in the works. The last sentence was a pure guess on my part since it seems there's an apparent obsession with some to have a knob and fader for ever parameter, to which synth manufacturers regularly disappoint. That's all.
spottingjonah
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Re: New Roland Synthesizer Workstation Coming at Namm 2014

Post by spottingjonah »

Leh173 wrote:If Art was still here I'd suggest to him to lock the thread, so if you guys agree and the admins think so, lets do it. We've been over all this a gatrillion times. Let's just use the G forums to help each other get more out the what we have. When the new one (if it does) get's announced, lets discuss it then. Just an idea.
Can someone please help me understand this? I'm rather new to this forum. No disrespect to Leh173... I truly want to understand this idea.

Why would someone want to shut down a discussion that others want to have? I don't see how it gets in the way of other topics on the list. Just don't click this one, right? I can understand stopping a discussion about your favorite tv show going on in the FG section, but where else is it best to discuss THIS topic? This is the first place I went looking to find info about the next workstation a few months back. i didn't go to the V Synth or JP80 sections. And heaven forbid I try Gearslutz. These manufacturer specific forums are the best on the web. You guys are the most engaging, polite, and intelligent group - consistent with Korg and Yamaha forums that I've seen. I wouldn't want to seek this info anywhere else.

So why shut it down. Someone please set me straight if I'm missing something here.
Leh173
Posts: 513
Joined: 06:08, 8 August 2010
Location: Sydney, Australia

Re: New Roland Synthesizer Workstation Coming at Namm 2014

Post by Leh173 »

I suggested that as long term members of the clan will know this topic has been discussed deeply very often and it's in my view just the same stuff again and again. If you search my posts you'll see I've commented on this a lot, so my thought was "do we really need to go over all this again" so maybe we should let it lie. But still if you guys don't agree by all means keep going, I'll just stay out of it until we know more.

BTW locking threads has happened here before when a topic has already been started or is just the same stuff all over again, like many forums. No disrespect to other clan members intended. As far as this discussion goes, I'm out.
howardS
Posts: 1759
Joined: 03:22, 10 March 2006
Location: Toronto, Canada

Re: New Roland Synthesizer Workstation Coming at Namm 2014

Post by howardS »

Leh173, I agree that threads like this would get locked at some point as they seemed repetitive and not helpful but I wonder if before locking threads like this one they should at least be put in the right forum. I always wonder why these types of discussions are allowed in the Fantom-G forum since they are not discussions that help any user understand the G any better and does not promote discussion on the G. It seems instead that people are wanting to discuss where Roland might go from here but it really is not about the G at all....just look at the heading which is "New Roland Synthesizer Workstation Coming at Namm 2014".
timbo1000
Posts: 23
Joined: 17:59, 9 January 2011

Re: New Roland Synthesizer Workstation Coming at Namm 2014

Post by timbo1000 »

My view is, if Fantom G owners want to discuss about a possible new Roland workstation then let them. Looking at the numbers of posts, they do. For those who don't want to discuss the subject, Don't, simple.
Parsifal
Posts: 475
Joined: 09:20, 6 March 2008

Re: New Roland Synthesizer Workstation Coming at Namm 2014

Post by Parsifal »

Leh173 wrote:As far as this discussion goes, I'm out.
It's your call. However, what does this have to do with others having a most civilized discussion, on topic? It may seem to you that "it leads nowhere", it may indeed lead nowhere, however if there's even the slightest possibility it may lead to constructive hints to Roland reps to get a grip to, I guess we'd have to try. You never know the future before it happens, do you?

On-topic, now:

Let's face it. We don't cry a river because we fear Roland might get bankrupt. Most complains in regard to Roland workstations have to do with our inability to purchase EVERYTHING, AT ANY COST, ANYWHERE.
While this is an understandable situation, our position is as follows:
IF - and only if - Roland cashes in big time into workstation market AND also recoups their R&D investment on this particular segment, they MIGHT let their hardware prices go to a point where most of us, fantomized users, can afford them. Then and only then, we can go shopping Roland products without ruining our entire lifestyle.
THEREFORE! In order to do this, we feel the need to go to any length to "help Roland help us", giving them hints to create more succesful products, at better prices.
Anyone who rejects this is in denial.
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