Probably preaching to the choir ...

[zombietactics]

... but since I am new here, I'll just beg everyone's indulgence.

I am loving so many things about the JD-XA, that it makes the glaring oversights even more ... err ... glaring:

• Being able to only control amplitude and filter cutoff from aftertouch (digital section) is just plain lame. It should not be considered even optional for a "flagship" instrument to also have aftertouch assignment for pitch modulation, and probably a good list of other niceties. Simply duplicating the flexibility of the analog section would be a welcome fix in this regard. (Consider that you can do almost anything you want with aftertouch on a ($500) Novation UltraNova)
• Same goes for the inflexibility of the sequencer. The fact that one can do more with a ($330) Novation Circuit or Korg Electribe than the JD-XA in this regard is just an embarrassment. We have to be able to switch patterns while playing back, or it's close to worthless.
• This is a small irritation, but can someone at Roland just write Eric Persing a check and get us a nice well-rounded set of factory patches? I program my own sounds, but the factory stuff is usually a good starting place when learning a new box. The factory patches don't do justice to what this beast is capable of by a long shot!
• A "MIDI Control Application" guide is needed. I am amazed at how much power there is in this feature, and how little Roland has used this as a marketing angle. Unfortunately, it's something of a trial/error affair, as Roland has documented it so poorly

End rant. Thanks for tolerating the outpouring of whining.

[JD Knight]

all good ideas !


(well , for the sounds:

a VennD68 & EBDA1176 soundsets (and some others) would also be great
if Eric P is not at disposal ;)

but i also like many of the stock sounds, same for the Axial banks )

[trrstrl]

As a long time Roland user I agree with most of what you are saying. Roland are infamous for doing things that don't make sense. I kind of understand the sequencer being limited since it is meant to be like the JP8000's "motion control". But they did call it a sequencer so why limit it. It is very close to being like Elektron which lets you lock parameters to each step. Hopefully this is something that can be enhanced via an update.

I think most of the included presets were pretty bad (personal preference of course). There were a few interesting ones and a couple that made me curious as to how they were made. It kind of explains why a lot of demos haven't been very impressive either. Not much showing how versatile the analog portion is. Yeah, Eric Persing is a god. You have to wonder what Roland would be like had he stuck around.

Haven't dug into the midi capabilities much yet. If it is powerful then Roland should be shouting about it.

Aftertouch limitations and lack of a mod matrix on the digital side is also strange. Most of this stuff seems like it could have been implemented with little to no additional cost. Why not make the digital synth as powerful as you can?

My personal gripes in addition are pretty minor for the most part. I don't like that they chose a glossy surface that is destined to look bad no matter how well you take care of it. I ordered my overlay so I'm done with that issue once it arrives. My main other complaint is that I think they are being stingy with the digital waveforms. I know they aren't meant to be massive multi sampled wave forms, but they could have included more and made the quality a bit better. Some of those are the same sounds that were in the JV1080. Even better, how about the ability to load samples in.

So, your point about oversights standing out because it is such a good synth, is an accurate one. Sometimes Roland is the "if only' or "what could have been" company.

Gripes aside, I can live with the synth as it is since it sounds so great. It is a lot of fun to program and the volume of cool sounds you can create is pretty incredible. I think for anyone that enjoys programming their own sounds, the JD-XA is one of the best synths currently available.

[HaveIt]

It is a lot of fun to program and the volume of cool sounds you can create is pretty incredible. I think for anyone that enjoys programming their own sounds, the JD-XA is one of the best synths currently available.

THIS -- The interface is so immediate and rewarding. I can forgive a lot because the surface is a dream to program.

[Venn Diagram]

all good ideas !


(well , for the sounds:

a VennD68 & EBDA1176 soundsets (and some others) would also be great
if Eric P is not at disposal ;)

but i also like many of the stock sounds, same for the Axial banks )

I am going to be doing a sound set but I honestly need more time with the synth to do it the justice it deserves.
It needs to be more than a bank of 16 sounds IMHO - I'd rather create enough for atlas a full bank A-H patches at the very least.
We need sound sets that really push what you can do with the XA and whilst i like what I have created for my own needs I honestly feel I can do better.
Give me some time and I'll get there on that front.

[JDBoy]

all good ideas !


(well , for the sounds:

a VennD68 & EBDA1176 soundsets (and some others) would also be great
if Eric P is not at disposal ;)

but i also like many of the stock sounds, same for the Axial banks )

:) I was EBDA1176 (stood for "everybody deserves an 1176") over at gearslutz. The reason I'm not there now is because the stupid mods decided (well Ok I did tell them I wouldn't be back and they could do what they wanted with my account) to delete ALL my posts, even though imo 99% of them were useful, informative and positive!

The reason? Because I DARED to have a go at a steven slate product (VMR), it's not the first time I've seen people chastised and banned/deleted for running in with slate and of course he pays them cash for adverts etc, but I also think he has a direct line to the mods and maybe even has some powers himself. He/Mods deleted a LONG post that took me a good 10 minutes, going into details about VMR and other things, nothing abusive or overly negative, well thought out - wiped! I was so annoyed that I had a go at the mods (again not abusive just a bit angry) and then they PMd me to give me a warning and THEN I told them to shove it. So that's why my posts were wiped over there if anyone asks, as I'd posted loads in the JD-XA thread!

I'm not at all bothered personally that they deleted me, I genuinely wasn't going back after that treatment and never logged in again in fact, even though I saw more PMs waiting for me.

As for sounds, well I agree, the presets are awful, inc the new lot. I just wrote in another thread on here that maybe users could upload wavs of their 10 best or w/e and users could vote on them till we get 256 beauties!

I've currently got around 300+ sounds that are pretty cool, mostly analog stuff as that's what I tend towards at the moment. I've filled the entire synth with custom sounds now AND a USB stick too. My earlier efforts were more hybrid stuff. evolving pads etc.

I think most synths these days that I've tried come with pretty insipid presets, inc my moog sub 37, wipe em and get creating guys! :)

It's not hard to make the analog sounds sound MORE analog than Roland can, and the digital stuff to sound more weighty/expansive that Roland can with the JD-XA. The control panel is brilliant for tweaking this stuff until it sounds 'right' but the Roland presets sound like they were designed on paper or something, no ears to nuance it into life.