JD-Xa - 4 times the value of the JD-Xi?!

Forum for the JD-XA.
JDBoy
Posts: 45
Joined: 08:02, 8 April 2016

Re: JD-Xa - 4 times the value of the JD-Xi?!

Post by JDBoy »

korgmi wrote:Hi JDsb7,

I don't own a JD-Xi but have play around with one in store and found it really easy and fun to use. Ive had my new JD-XA for just over week now and Im very frustrated with some of the workflow, this in turn is really stopping enjoying it.

To be honest I do think it is over priced and the frustration of using it is making consider taking it back.

I don't want to bash Roland to much, as I think the concept is a great idea and it does sound good but I seem to spend to much time trying to get to do what I want it to do. Which stops me making music.

Just my thoughts,

Antony
Not overpriced at all! Just because it's plastic, the power you have inside is much much better value than synths over the £2000 mark (pure analogs).

Also I was zipping around the beast within a day or two, inc X-over and deep digital programming using the menus. Well we are all different and have different synth histories but anyone who's been around subtractive synths for a while should have no problem with this. I've found the JD-Xa one of the easiest synths to program advanced patches on that I've ever used! And If I want simple analog only sounds? a total walk in the park! it's all there in front of you.

So I don't understand this perception of it being hard to program at all, my moog sub 37 is a lot harder and that's still easy compared to most synths without decent controls.

When you actually look at what you get in the Xa and what it can do, the ground it covers and all the extras that go above and beyond what most other synth makers give (Vocoder, software controller, tons of FX, real analog etc) for the price it goes for (maybe not the original retail price but the £1400 mark) is definitely about right for the power and esp the sound.

It's an awesome machine, and is now the heart of my studio. I'll turn to the Xa before any other synth I have and often I don't need to use anything else (in fact am thinking of selling everything else I'm that happy with the Xa - for me it's a dream synth I've waited years for with just the right ingredients for the price)
JDsb7
Posts: 16
Joined: 22:13, 1 September 2015

Re: JD-Xa - 4 times the value of the JD-Xi?!

Post by JDsb7 »

... and just for completeness ...

I did buy a JD-Xa some while ago now. It's a different instrument compared to the excellent value JD-Xi but I still use the JD-Xi a lot. Why? The sequencer is much easier to use and in many ways more capable, it has a very flexible great sounding drum synth and is generally such an easy synth to program it works well to capture a spontaneous moment of creativity. The keybed is naff (very cheap / delicate) but I don't use it. All it lacks is an editor but I have a number of go to presets that are a good start point for my chosen genre and all in all that works well enough for me.
In short they pair up well.

PS - it was a ridiculous question in the first place :-)
JDBoy
Posts: 45
Joined: 08:02, 8 April 2016

Re: JD-Xa - 4 times the value of the JD-Xi?!

Post by JDBoy »

Completely different instruments for completely different audiences really.
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