Which EXP packs have you tried or do you use?

[nathbeadle]

I'm at work so can't test at the moment, but from what I recall, names with '/' in them refer to being able to change the sound by pressing up with the mod lever... for example it would be soft strings, and then when you push the mod lever forward, the strings would turn bright.

I'm sure by the time I get home and find my notes, someone will have answered it, but if not I'll post later tonight

[stevel]

I'm at work so can't test at the moment, but from what I recall, names with '/' in them refer to being able to change the sound by pressing up with the mod lever... for example it would be soft strings, and then when you push the mod lever forward, the strings would turn bright.

I'm sure by the time I get home and find my notes, someone will have answered it, but if not I'll post later tonight

I actually was going to ask this and am curious about it as many probably are.

There are many that end with "SRX". AFAICT, this doesn't really indicate anything about how the sounds react to various input. I think it's just a name (acronym, initials, etc.)

There are the ones that end "/"

Some them end "MOD" or "AFT" (and of course we can't try the latter without some crafty button assigning...)

I've not really been able to find any consistency as to how they react with these various things.

At first, last night, I thought "/" referred to velocity sensitivity - that a sound would make a different sound when struck harder. But IIRC it wasn't consistent.

Will go through a few now:

"GreenB/PDL" in EX 02 adds a hissing sound while speeding up the rotary when you press the hold pedal.

"GoodLord/Mod" does something similar when you move the mode lever, though the hissing sound fluctuates with the rotary pulses rather than being constant like the one above.

However, most of the Organ sounds already response to mod as speed up rotary. I guess the "/mod" is noting that this one does something different (the hissing sound).

There's a couple of others in EXP 02 that do something similar.

Going through a couple in EXP 10 that have the "/" - some of them do make an alternate sound when hit hard, but then again some of them don't really do much - and some of the sounds not marked with the slash do those some things. So really hard to tell.

I though it might be a "legato enabled" marking or something as it was on the Solo Violin, Viola, and Cello - but that doesn't seem to be it.

There might be subtly more of a difference between the higher velocity version of the sound and the regular velocity sound than the un-marked patches, but it's hard to tell.

The classic "Scat" patch (also in EXP 10) is "Scat /" and definitely has 3 different sounds depending on the velocity - "doo", "bop", and "dow". But there are other unmarked choral patches that do things that do oohs at oce velocity and ahhs at another.

But in EXP 10 "Horn Sect /" - while it does do a much brassier swell sound when struck hard, so too do the unmarked "Hornz Stereo" patch and a few others (Hornz Stereo just as noticeable, others a little more subtle). "Brass Sect /" and "Full Brass" react similarly.

So it may actually be a marking for "velocity sensitive" patches, but there are also plenty of velocity sensitive patches that either hint at it in the name, or don't mention it yet still do noticeably different things at higher velocities.

[Paul99]

Wow Steve, thank you very much for this fantastic long review of all expansions!

[Skijumptoes]

There are many that end with "SRX". AFAICT, this doesn't really indicate anything about how the sounds react to various input. I think it's just a name (acronym, initials, etc.)

The SRX are just the original patch names from the 'SRX' boards that these EXP 'virtual' boards were born from, i.e. where a non-SRX version already existed on some of the Fantom's etc.

Think you may be right on the '/' being a velocity scaling thing. Interesting.

[Gatorjohn]

You da man!

[stevel]

Great posts Stevel, i had to get a RAM upgrade and new HDD install on my mac to get it to display on my mac, and now it's used my internet usage up for the month! ;)

Thanks for making me smile!!!

Must admit, i'm excited about EXP-11 coming, but i cannot see how it's going to improve upon the current selection, unless it's going to be really obvious which instruments and patches they are recreating, i.e. Wavestation-like evolving patches with modulation options would be most welcome. :)

If it's the usual splattering of yet more Juno/Jupiter type patches, then we're already well covered on those, right?

Let's just say, I'm cautiously optimistic based on the 2.0 update.

I think something that would be great for EXP 11 would be all the PCM sounds in the Integra that weren't in the FA - it would be cool to "intergra-fy" our FAs.

I wouldn't mind another synth offering but I'm not sure what I'd want - the Integra sounds you can load in such as Synth Legends Pure do cover those Juno/Jupiter (and D series, etc.) sounds nicely.

So more of that, in addition to the stock SN-S and PCMS that are already there would be about as exciting as EXP-04, 05, and 06. Great for someone that just wants more synth presets, but doesn't really "add" significantly to the unit.

A Drums and "exotic" Percussion EXP might be very cool - especially with "menu" patches with lots of useful sound effects.

I wouldn't mind a "non-Roland" synth bank - Moog, ARP, Buchla, Prophet, Oberheim, and so forth - though SLP covers a little as do the factory sounds, they're a little under-represented IMHO (and again, SLP is primarily Roland-based).

A "Winds Collection" would be not unlike the Brass Collection - but could be useful to people who need it.

Definitely don't want a "voice collection" of "oohs" and "hay baybayyyyyys" on it.

EXP 02, 03, and 10 really add to the stock FA sound set in areas where it's really weak to begin with. EXP 01 adds to its strengths.

I was trying to think of another area where it may be lacking sonically and I really can't think of anything that 02, 03, and 10 don't cover (and 01 and SLP wouldn't just be "more of").

More Electric Bass and Guitar (especially for keyboard players who get stuck covering rhythm guitar parts) could be really helpful. The stock Bass sounds are pretty weak and few and far between. The "Seinfeld Slap Bass" is a little too cliched to be of much practical value anymore...So some more good Electric Bass (or synth basses that sound more electric) sounds like what the Motif's had would be really nice.

As a guitarist, I always think the guitar sounds are horrible and it's always hard to find something good for me - I feel like what's there is more "gimmicky" (sort of like Slap Bass...) rather than useful. So just simply having more options would be nice.

EXP 11 Electric Guitar and Bass Collection would be tolerable - though like 04, 05, 06 , 08 and if good enough, like 07 and 09 could be a nice "filling out" for people that need more options there (EXP 03 does add a few more).

I wouldn't mind a "Sound Canvas" set - since they just released a cloud-based version app, maybe all the PCMs are done and it would be easy for them (there's not one good reso sweep that goes the right way in the FA)

But the best thing I can think of would be a good "Cover Band" collection - Jump, Separate Ways, Tom Sawyer - you know all the sounds people keep asking about but can't find!

[Skijumptoes]

I wouldn't mind a "non-Roland" synth bank - Moog, ARP, Buchla, Prophet, Oberheim, and so forth - though SLP covers a little as do the factory sounds, they're a little under-represented IMHO (and again, SLP is primarily Roland-based).

Hey, i think that's exactly what we're going to get, although how they name the patches will be a bit 'unique' i bet! :)

But the best thing I can think of would be a good "Cover Band" collection - Jump, Separate Ways, Tom Sawyer - you know all the sounds people keep asking about but can't find!

That would be a fantastic addition, and in fact could fit in with the upcoming title of the EXP-11 expansion, who knows. I think EXP-11 will be a combination of both of your quoted thoughts here, and i'd be extremely happy with that.

[anotherscott]

I think something that would be great for EXP 11 would be all the PCM sounds in the Integra that weren't in the FA - it would be cool to "intergra-fy" our FAs.

The PCM sounds that aren't already in the FA or the SRX expansions are in a single load that takes up all four banks in the Integra. Since there are only two banks in the FA, it wouldn't fit.

[stevel]

I think something that would be great for EXP 11 would be all the PCM sounds in the Integra that weren't in the FA - it would be cool to "intergra-fy" our FAs.

The PCM sounds that aren't already in the FA or the SRX expansions are in a single load that takes up all four banks in the Integra. Since there are only two banks in the FA, it wouldn't fit.

OK thanks.

Of course, maybe given that so many sounds in the FA are just 1 sound with a different effect and/or other subtle changes used to create 20 different patches. maybe there are some "starting point" versions of the sounds they could strip down and give us - or at least, maybe a "select few" - Integra's wow patches that aren't duplicated with other basics on the FAs.

Now that EXP 11 is out and it turned out to be the "Vintage Synths Collection" I could hope for an "Integra Select Collection" for EXP 12 :-)

[anotherscott]

Of course, maybe given that so many sounds in the FA are just 1 sound with a different effect and/or other subtle changes used to create 20 different patches. maybe there are some "starting point" versions of the sounds they could strip down and give us

With PCM sounds, the "first" sound of a type is what requires new wave samples (i.e. slot memory space). All the additional variations take no additional slot memory.

or at least, maybe a "select few" - Integra's wow patches that aren't duplicated with other basics on the FAs.

The "wowiest" stuff that the Integra has that the FA does not are all the additional SuperNatural Acoustic tones, not PCM. There is no indication that there is any mechanism by which these could be loaded into the FA, so I wouldn't hold my breath. ;-)

Now that EXP 11 is out and it turned out to be the "Vintage Synths Collection" I could hope for an "Integra Select Collection" for EXP 12 :-)

I imagine they could create limited "PCM sampled" versions of some of the Intergra's modeled SN sounds. Yamaha did something like that by creating a sampled version of their CP1 piano sound, which can be loaded into the Motif XF/MOXF, for example. You don't get all the modeled behavior of the original, but you get the basic sound character.

[stevel]

I imagine they could create limited "PCM sampled" versions of some of the Intergra's modeled SN sounds. Yamaha did something like that by creating a sampled version of their CP1 piano sound, which can be loaded into the Motif XF/MOXF, for example. You don't get all the modeled behavior of the original, but you get the basic sound character.

Now that's what I'm talking about! I'd be happy with "the basic sound character" - plus it would make a nice expansion pack that could potentially generate even more sales of the FA series for Roland.

[RobyKeys682]

Steve, your review is awesome and I agree 100% with you! :) It was a pleasure to read your thoughts, and while I tried every EXP library I thought: Steve is right!!

I have only one doubt:
SLOT 1 is for EXP02, no doubt about it.
SLOT 2 has two contenders: EXP05 El. Pianos and EXP10 Orchestra. This is a tough fight! :D

[RobyKeys682]

After two weeks and many loadings of the various EXPS, I found out that I like some strings section of EXP08 better than the ones in EXP10, so I'm using those (18 - Hall Strings is my favourite patch) for my Studio Sets.

The good thing is that if you replace the EXP with another one, unless you change the Studio Set changing the sound of the replaced EXP, the "link" to the correct sound is preserved, so when you reload the original EXP the Studio Set will be "fully restored" without the need of any change from the user. This is good for when you need another EXP for another project, IMO.

As Steve Said, EXP02 is well worth to stay in one slot, since it adds a lot (I love the Rhodes, the Wurly (I prefer it to the stock sound), great OB Pads, great Synth Leads (the OB-4 Voices used by Lyle Mays, for example, plus lots of Moog stuff)).

[stevel]

Steve, your review is awesome and I agree 100% with you! :) It was a pleasure to read your thoughts, and while I tried every EXP library I thought: Steve is right!!

I have only one doubt:
SLOT 1 is for EXP02, no doubt about it.
SLOT 2 has two contenders: EXP05 El. Pianos and EXP10 Orchestra. This is a tough fight! :D

Well, I have a project where I needed some "better" guitars than the available stock and EXP02 guitars, and EXP03 had those.

I wasn't doing a lot of orchestral stuff, so I took out EXP10 and put 03 in.

And of course, as soon as I did that, I had some down time from that project and worked on an orhcestral template so I loaded 10 back up!

I do enough different things that I can't just leave both the same, so settling on 2 would be impractical.

In fact, I just joined a new band and I decided I would only use stock sounds and no EXP in case I had been working that week and forget to load up the correct EXP before I leave the house - by using the stock sounds I know I'll at least have all my sounds!

While it takes a few minutes to make the change, it's not really hard to do and it's way better than having to buy a card and install it - exchanging cards might not be hard either but still, the simple convenience of keeping them all on your computer and a USB drive is an amazing help.

Enjoy!

[rob-tbwtlh]

Hi all ,

From what I've read i dont think there is but..

Is it possible to get all the EXP packs and boot them from a USB rather than using the exp slots available?

Also i have set sounds for certain songs i play live with my band am i able to set preset eq levels with my sounds and a certain amount of reverb for example so when i load the sound sets I'm ready to go?