New (old) Synth Day -- ROMpler content!

[TwilightOdyssey]

Saw this CLASSIC sampling/ROMpler for sale at an unbelievable price and just had to nab it.
Aside from some rack rash along the top of the unit, it is in excellent condition. This unit will reside in my keyboard case for rehearsals ... I was originally looking for a Roland Sound Canvas, as they are more portable ... and I will probably pick up an SC55 at some point just to have one (I love the size; the patches are great; and it runs off of your pedal board's power!) -- I think that the Proteus/1 will serve me just fine for jamming in my new project, NAUTILUS (more to come on that project at a later date ).

 

[Wormhelmet]

Re: New (old) Synth Day -- ROMpler content!

Great unit. Very good soundset. I believe it has some raved about filters too for tweaking the sounds. Nice find.

 

[TwilightOdyssey]

Re: New (old) Synth Day -- ROMpler content!

Thanks ... I noticed that this unit is a 'MkI' version, doesn't even have the 'pop/rock' badge on it; so I am guessing it's from '89.

I don't know how much tweaking I will be doing with it ... perhaps I will if I end up using it for recording, but my immediate need is to have something portable for rehearsals and gigs.

One feature I really like about this unit is that the sub mix outs are also insert jacks, so I can run my Space Echo, EchoRec, RT-20, etc in parallel to the main outs. Also very useful for recording as I can use the inserts with effects sent to separate channels on the interface and then pick and choose when mixing. (Though for gigging, I will probably just rack one of my Lexicons and just run the Proteus through that for simplicity's sake)

My end-goal is to have a 12u rack loaded with late 80s/early 90s synth modules ... it will be my mini-Vangelis rack!

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: New (old) Synth Day -- ROMpler content!

The obvious downside to these late Eighties and early Nineties items is the programming. The ol' "decorating the hallway through the letterbox" syndrome.

 

[Securb]

Re: New (old) Synth Day -- ROMpler content!

I have the same unit there are some very Allen Holdsworth like patches right out of the box. Very nice unit for short money or at any price.

 

[TwilightOdyssey]

Re: New (old) Synth Day -- ROMpler content!

The obvious downside to these late Eighties and early Nineties items is the programming. The ol' "decorating the hallway through the letterbox" syndrome.

Ooooh yeah ... that 2-line, 48 character display is a MONSTER to deal with. Makes the JV1080's display seem downright luxurious!

 

[TwilightOdyssey]

Re: New (old) Synth Day -- ROMpler content!

I have the same unit there are some very Allen Holdsworth like patches right out of the box. Very nice unit for short money or at any price.

I wouldn't be suprised in the least if he used one ... the Proteus was very popular and a huge seller for E-Mu.

 

[Kamanda~SD]

Re: New (old) Synth Day -- ROMpler content!

Awesome! I recently dug up an old Yamaha TG-55 myself that I forgot I had.

These E-Mus have some sounds that always remind me of Super Mario 64...

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: New (old) Synth Day -- ROMpler content!

Ooooh yeah ... that 2-line, 48 character display is a MONSTER to deal with. Makes the JV1080's display seem downright luxurious!

Speaking of the Roland JV series, some models have a GM/GS soundset built into them AND mapped to the correct control parameter format.

 

[TwilightOdyssey]

Re: New (old) Synth Day -- ROMpler content!

Speaking of the Roland JV series, some models have a GM/GS soundset built into them AND mapped to the correct control parameter format.

Yeah, I think that Roland did it right ... which is probably why they are still around and E-Mu is not!

 

[PFDarkside]

Re: New (old) Synth Day -- ROMpler content!

Awesome! Great memories of the Proteus!

 

[TwilightOdyssey]

Re: New (old) Synth Day -- ROMpler content!

Just ran through the soundset on this. I have mixed feelings: on the one hand, it has several really nice patches that are very evocative/inspiring. On the other hand ... this is a very coloured set of samples. In some cases it's downright crunchy!

Coming from using EastWest and Arturia samples, the Proteus is a real shock. It sounds alternatively plinky/plastic-like compared to the sample sets of today.

Compared to the JV-1080 ... it really does not compare. The Roland is definitely the superior synth.

The biggest disappointment is that a full third of the presets are blank!!
I know they are user presets, but yeesh. Roland at least has double presets, one you can modify and one you can't.

All that being said, it still didn't stop me from writing a new song.

Will post later tonight, still have to tweak it a bit.

 

[Securb]

Re: New (old) Synth Day -- ROMpler content!

I wouldnt say every patch on mine is a home run. I only paid $85 for mine ten years ago so I am more than happy with the few patches that I love on the unit. The way I look at it is it is cheaper than a stomp and does a hell of a lot more.

 

[TwilightOdyssey]

Re: New (old) Synth Day -- ROMpler content!

Oh it will serve me well.

It will do exactly what I need for rehearsals.

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: New (old) Synth Day -- ROMpler content!

The biggest disappointment is that a full third of the presets are blank!!

So, get programming, already. Oy vey.

My end-goal is to have a 12u rack loaded with late 80s/early 90s synth modules ... it will be my mini-Vangelis rack!

You could probably achieve much of this with a single E-Mu Proteus 2000 or one of their Command Station units. The entire Proteus 1/2/3 sound library was eventually shrunk down to the size of a single ROM Expansion.

Given your professed love for analogue sounds, the E-Mu Orbit 3 could be the pick of the bunch. The Rob Papen patches on the Techno Synth Construction Yard ROM are nice 'n' squelchy. The Xtreme Lead ROM is similarly juicy. The Beat Garden and Mo Phatt ROMs are a bit too dance orientated for my tastes.

Compared to the JV-1080 ... it really does not compare. The Roland is definitely the superior synth.

Roland JD-990 + SR-JV80-04 Vintage Synth expansion board.

 

[TwilightOdyssey]

Re: New (old) Synth Day -- ROMpler content!

Hehe, yes. Programming is on the billet for the Proteus, fo sho. Just a shame that they are in such an awkward place for Program changes via footswitch!

I know of[i/i] the Orbit, but always thought it was for dance music; I shall check it out.


I do love analogue synths, but I am certainly not a synthesis monogomist.

The 04 is a Holy Grail expansion card, but I have yet to find one at a price that I like. For gigs, the E-Mu Classic Keys is fine, and I have the Arturia synths for studio use.

I have only REALLY been ino synths for the past couple of years, when I formed As Follows. Now that the music production course I was taking has ended, I am taking a new one on synth programming. I am learning a lot in a short time, but at the end of the day I am a guitar player ... still, I am planning on doing a very Jarre-influenced synth project next year, once I get the current As Follows concept album in the can!

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: New (old) Synth Day -- ROMpler content!

If your pockets are deep, you can get the entire Roland ROMpler sound set in the Integra MIDI module.

The JD-990 truly is a cut above the JVs. (Better D/A output chips.)

 

[TwilightOdyssey]

Re: New (old) Synth Day -- ROMpler content!

Damn you, sir, now I am on the hunt for a a JD-990 ... you are right, the 990 has a superior chipset, though it's at the expense of available patches and expansion cards. I am not sure if the D:A is actually 'better' -- this is still 20+ year-old tech we are talking about -- but the lossless output and the fact that it can use the JV expansion cards has be on the hunt now!

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: New (old) Synth Day -- ROMpler content!

The XV-5080 takes plenty of expansion cards, loads Roland S-760 data and convert loads Akai S1000 data. (I cannot remember whether it can load S2000/3000 generation data?)

The JD-990 always cuts through a mix.