Applying Roland Overlay

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ZenAgain
Posts: 5
Joined: 11:44, 5 May 2017

Applying Roland Overlay

Post by ZenAgain »

Question on Adhesive on Roland's Free Overlays...

I registered at Roland USA site. I asked them via email by using their comments/request section if I could get the overlays from them or if I had to go through the Italy site.

At first they responded by saying "If you are located in Italy, you will need to contact Roland Italy to order this part."   So I wrote back" I am not in Italy. I am in the USA. But I was told that I could email Roland in Italy for a free overlay. So I am emailing you instead because I just bought JD-XA and I only speak and write English. I live in America"

The end result was that Roland sent me the overlays. And yes they were free.

So how do they look?

Very nice. Very readable. Clean black and white overlays,

But after seeing SynthGraphics overlays the Roland overlays seemed well, very boring. So.... I wrote SynthGraphics to see if he was still making JDXA overlays.

I still haven't got a response.

I noticed Synthgraphics has posted all over the net on various websites for synthesizers. And responding comments were all the same.

Synth Graphics overlays are beautiful, professional looking etc  but people are waiting months and have to email him several times before they get the overlays.

So... I scanned in the free Roland Overlays. I then added a few graphics of my own using a couple of Photoshop type programs. I then went to a print shop and had my graphics printed out on a latex type adhesive. I cut out all the graphics I wanted to add. Then I painstakingly applied each graphic to each overlay.

Because my scans were of the entire overlays equally out of almost 5 feet of material it cost me about
 86$. 

The result?

Well not as good as Synth Graphics overlays . But I think they look pretty nice..

But the adhesive consist of tiny dots on 4 corners of each overlay. So is this going to work? I heard Synthgraphics has adhesive for the entire Overlay. How can I add more adhesive to Roland's Overlay and where can I safely apply them? Should I just add double sided tape or what?

On a related question I am also wondering how I am going to protect my new overlays since my graphics are just cut out stickers laying on top of the actual overlay...
skinmechanic
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Joined: 13:39, 14 June 2004
Location: UK, Leeds
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Re: Applying Roland Overlay

Post by skinmechanic »

In the UK there are printers that will if you give them the dimensions of the overlays print the amendments out in one piece. It might have been easier if you'd scanned them in with the separate sections that Roland send them in. You could have got a good printer to print them out on full adhesive one sided assitate, may have cost you slightly more for a one off but would have looked much cleaner and would have lasted longer. Could the printer you used not do that?
ZenAgain
Posts: 5
Joined: 11:44, 5 May 2017

Re: Applying Roland Overlay

Post by ZenAgain »

skinmechanic wrote:In the UK there are printers that will if you give them the dimensions of the overlays print the amendments out in one piece. It might have been easier if you'd scanned them in with the separate sections that Roland send them in. You could have got a good printer to print them out on full adhesive one sided assitate, may have cost you slightly more for a one off but would have looked much cleaner and would have lasted longer. Could the printer you used not do that?

Yes I did scan in each as a separate overlay. And yes they did print out on a full adhesive. The problem was the die cut holes. I wasn't about to try and cut those holes myself. Hence why I applied just parts to the original Roland overlay.

Two points.

1. Roland's overlay was perfect the way it was as far as the print quality so I wanted to keep that
2. I didn't really want to apply something that was all adhesive covering the entirety of each overlay.

I still don't want the overlays to be completely covered in adhesive. This would both make applying these overlays rather complicated and also make them possibly non removable in a bad way. Not that I ever intend to remove them but still when applying them I might have to reposition them a couple of times.

But thank you for replying and giving me options to think about.
ZenAgain
Posts: 5
Joined: 11:44, 5 May 2017

Re: Applying Roland Overlay

Post by ZenAgain »

68 views and only 1 reply huh?
I gave up.

I just went ahead and applied the overlays with double sided tape. The adhesive prints I added to the overlay were laminated so I just left everything as is, I even figured out how to cut down on the LED lights glare without opening up the actual keyboard. I didn't actually think about the problem until someone on here pointed it out and explained how he put black marker on each LED. I thought to myself I don't want to open up my keyboard but I do want to dim those LEDs. So I used some left over adhesive panels from my print job (basically black tape) and cover either side of each slider before applying my actual overlays on top.

Now I just need to find wood panels I can add and figure out how to apply them and I'm good to go! *LOL*
HaveIt
Posts: 64
Joined: 04:09, 6 March 2014

Re: Applying Roland Overlay

Post by HaveIt »

I think you have a lot of time on your hands. The free Roland overlays are fine and the JD-XA needs to be in a well lit area to reduce the red glare. You can turn the leds off and suddely you need to turn the leds back on because its looks so dead without them. They are also very helpful with catch mode, as they flash to tell you the controller is at the right value.

Honestly, 1st world problems...
ZenAgain
Posts: 5
Joined: 11:44, 5 May 2017

Re: Applying Roland Overlay

Post by ZenAgain »

HaveIt wrote:I think you have a lot of time on your hands. The free Roland overlays are fine and the JD-XA needs to be in a well lit area to reduce the red glare. You can turn the leds off and suddely you need to turn the leds back on because its looks so dead without them. They are also very helpful with catch mode, as they flash to tell you the controller is at the right value.

Honestly, 1st world problems...
Yeah I know in the scheme of things this wasn't a big deal. But this is a Roland Message Board. And this is the JDXA part of the site. And I did see a lot of people excited on here when Synth Graphics posted his overlays.

So once I saw how good they looked I wanted them. Anyway like I said I took care of it.

It really wasn't a question on whether or not to add my print job to the original overlays. When I posted this question I ALREADY printed my graphics, I wasn't asking if I should bother, THAT WAS NOT MY QUESTION.



I only put that in all caps because the question that both of you have given me an answer to (Should I do this?) Was NOT the question I asked.


First I stated that it was already done as far as the print job. And I already applied my graphics. My only question was should I laminate the new overlays completely before applying them?

As for the LEDs I was able to cut down the glare a lot without eliminating them completely.

Anyway I could tell that there was no interest in this redesign anymore since only one person answered and I already did what he was suggesting. And now your reply after I already stated it is already done. It took only a couple of hours. Its no big deal.

Now I am working on the sound design. This machine has all the sliders and knobs of my other analogs but seems to focused on digital. The digital sounds are much nicer than my Alesis Ion I sold ...warmth wise and fatness wise... but I really want to be able to create some of those sounds I had on the Ion with the added analog oscillator , Also this needs to replace my Juno 106 cause its dying. So I will be working on learning the Analog part of the synth all this weekend. So far I have managed to create only one good sound... almost by accident. But I will get this down.
jick
Posts: 5
Joined: 19:58, 15 February 2017

Re: Applying Roland Overlay

Post by jick »

I'd like to see pics :) especially if you make the wood side panels! I'm in the same boat where I would like one of the synth graphics ones and can't get one, but I don't think I have the time or skill to print my own. The official Roland overlays are working for me in the mean time.
ZenAgain
Posts: 5
Joined: 11:44, 5 May 2017

Re: Applying Roland Overlay

Post by ZenAgain »

jick wrote:I'd like to see pics :) especially if you make the wood side panels! I'm in the same boat where I would like one of the synth graphics ones and can't get one, but I don't think I have the time or skill to print my own. The official Roland overlays are working for me in the mean time.
Yeah still working on how to do wood panels. But here are some photos on Instagram for what its worth. I am not a professional graphic artist. I did love Roland Overlays I got for free as they were but... I went ahead with my project anyway.

https://www.instagram.com/zenagain000/
jick
Posts: 5
Joined: 19:58, 15 February 2017

Re: Applying Roland Overlay

Post by jick »

Looks Great! Definitely keep us posted if you do the wood side panels.
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Duplobaustein
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Location: Vienna
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Re: Applying Roland Overlay

Post by Duplobaustein »

ZenAgain wrote:
jick wrote:I'd like to see pics :) especially if you make the wood side panels! I'm in the same boat where I would like one of the synth graphics ones and can't get one, but I don't think I have the time or skill to print my own. The official Roland overlays are working for me in the mean time.
Yeah still working on how to do wood panels. But here are some photos on Instagram for what its worth. I am not a professional graphic artist. I did love Roland Overlays I got for free as they were but... I went ahead with my project anyway.

https://www.instagram.com/zenagain000/
Looks absolutely georgeus!
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