Scored a JV-1080 -- suggestions on other sleeper synths wanted

[TwilightOdyssey]

Scenario : getting out of soft synths and looking for good last-gen hardware synth modules

Current equipment: Alesis Q49 controller, Roland FC200 controller, Dave Smith MOPHO, Roland JV-1080

Looking for: I have mono analog and bread and butter covered. I am looking for affordable hardware modules or expansion cards for vintage synths (Wurlitzer, Mellotron in particular) and orchestral.

From what I gave read, the Vintage expansion card for the 1080 is supposed to be very good. I have also looked at the E-Mu Classic Keys and Vintage Keys.

I know I will never score as good a deal as I did on the JV-1080, that was pure serendipity. It is near mint and got it for a SONG.

Any suggestions would be appreciated!

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: Scored a JV-1080 -- suggestions on other sleeper synths wanted

The -1080 remains a good source of ROMpler sounds. The LCD format makes programming more of a chore than on the -2080 or JD-990. Expansion cards help. The Vintage Synth and Keyboards of the 60s & 70s are essential.

The E-Mu Proteus 2000 family is great value right now. Again, expansion ROMs can make a world of difference. The quick edit knobs on the front panel are especially useful.

I am struggling to think of a ROMpler Orchestral module that does not sound detectably artificial.

 

[TwilightOdyssey]

Re: Scored a JV-1080 -- suggestions on other sleeper synths wanted

I am reading the manual for the 1080 now, and yes -- editing looks like a real task. It was pure chance that I got this, and the price was ridiculous, especially for the shape this one is in. I ran through all of the presets last night and there are lots of great/usable sounds there.

Thanks for the suggestions! In all likelihood, I will probably have to use a soft synth w samples for the orchestral stuff.

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: Scored a JV-1080 -- suggestions on other sleeper synths wanted

The Roland way of doing things is no better or worse than that of any other major manufacturer. It just takes time to get used to. One-at-a-time parameter value entry via a two line alphanumeric display is less immediate than the pictograms available on the larger screen of later modules. Similarly, a larger screen is less immediate than a set of knobs, sliders and switches.

Good news, there is an outboard MIDI editor device that would enable real time tweaking. It is expensive but works on a whole bunch of old hardware synthesizers. The name is something like Kiwi. (I shall have to check this. I want one for my SysEx chipped JX-10.)

http://kiwitechnics.com/patcheditor.htm

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/jul11/articles/kiwi-technics-patch-editor.htm

 

[dominus]

Re: Scored a JV-1080 -- suggestions on other sleeper synths wanted

I used to have all of this:

Got rid of all of it.

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: Scored a JV-1080 -- suggestions on other sleeper synths wanted

Shucks. I can see two modules that I would have kept. Maybe three.

 

[Securb]

Re: Scored a JV-1080 -- suggestions on other sleeper synths wanted

I would suggest the Kurzweil px 1000 module the piano sounds are unmatched. I just looked them up on Ebay it looks like they are coming up in price which is weird for synth stuff. I got mine for $125 10 years ago. It looks like you can still find them for decent pricing if you look around.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_trk...kw=kurzweil+px+1000+module&_sacat=0&_from=R40

 

[TwilightOdyssey]

Re: Scored a JV-1080 -- suggestions on other sleeper synths wanted

I used to have all of this:

Got rid of all of it.

What are you using now?

 

[TwilightOdyssey]

Re: Scored a JV-1080 -- suggestions on other sleeper synths wanted

I would suggest the Kurzweil px 1000 module the piano sounds are unmatched. I just looked them up on Ebay it looks like they are coming up in price which is weird for synth stuff. I got mine for $125 10 years ago. It looks like you can still find them for decent pricing if you look around.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_trk...kw=kurzweil+px+1000+module&_sacat=0&_from=R40

Thanks for the tip; MANY MANY moons ago I used to have a K1000 ... shoulda kept it! Anyway, if I ever need really killer piano, that sounds like a go-to.

 

[dominus]

Re: Scored a JV-1080 -- suggestions on other sleeper synths wanted

What are you using now?

Software.

 

[TwilightOdyssey]

Re: Scored a JV-1080 -- suggestions on other sleeper synths wanted

Software.

We are moving in opposite directions. Switching platforms has made me rethink the whole soft synth thing, and for what I'm doing, it's not worth shelling out the money for a mess of plugins. For me it's easier to have a 6U rack with 3 or 4 modules and just bring it from room to room.

 

[dominus]

Re: Scored a JV-1080 -- suggestions on other sleeper synths wanted

We are moving in opposite directions. Switching platforms has made me rethink the whole soft synth thing, and for what I'm doing, it's not worth shelling out the money for a mess of plugins. For me it's easier to have a 6U rack with 3 or 4 modules and just bring it from room to room.

I can get by with Kontakt for most sounds, and New Sonic Arts' Granite for the weird stuff.

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/may11/articles/plug-in-folder-0511.htm

Of course, you can get NI's Komplete and have access to Kontakt, Reaktor, and Absynth, and tons of other things. You'll have more than enough sounds, and they're much nicer to program than most of the 90s hardware units.

 

[crusty philtrum]

Re: Scored a JV-1080 -- suggestions on other sleeper synths wanted

I have a JV-1080 and I packed it with 4 expansion cards (Bass & Drums, Session Set, Ochestra and the Vintage Keyboards).

This link has demos of the sounds for the Vintage Keyboard card ...

http://www.synthmania.com/sr-jv80-08.htm


The Vintage Keyboard card cost me more than the others, which shows the high regard in which they are held. Definitely a worthwhile upgrade to the 1080.

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: Scored a JV-1080 -- suggestions on other sleeper synths wanted

Software.

The entire E-Mu Proteus 2000 series library is available to run as a plug-in instrument for several DAW hosts. Unfortunately, for IBM-compatible computers only. Boo, hiss!

I have a JV-1080 and I packed it with 4 expansion cards. The Vintage Keyboard card cost me more than the others, which shows the high regard in which they are held. Definitely a worthwhile upgrade to the 1080.

Sorry to be a pedant but a distinction needs to be made. The full title of your SR-JV80-08 expansion board is Keyboards of the 60s & 70s. The word "vintage" only appears in the full name of the expansion board, SR-JV80-04 Vintage Synth.

Both of these are well respected. IMO, both are worth having.

 

[TwilightOdyssey]

Re: Scored a JV-1080 -- suggestions on other sleeper synths wanted

The 04 was the card I was originally interested in. Would you recommend the 08 over it? Both?

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: Scored a JV-1080 -- suggestions on other sleeper synths wanted

Both.

-04 Vintage Synth is chock full of bleeps, bloops, pads and lead sounds.

-08 ...60s & 70s is pianos, clavinet, Mellotron imitations and Hammond organ in numerous drawbar permutations.

-15 Special Effects is a personal favourite because it includes a bunch of Spectrasonics Distorted Reality textural pads.

As the Roland JV modules evolved into the XV, many of these expansion sounds became onboard presets. Other expansion sound sets were amalgamated into the SRX expansion boards. SRX-07 Ultimate Keys contains the Vintage Synth plus Keys of the 60s & 70s plus the Session and Bass & Drums boards that Crusty mentioned and makes up the numbers with a few Piano expansion sounds. (I am including this paragraph for the benefit of anyone deciding between JV and XV/Fantom instruments.) The recent Integra module compresses thirty years of the Roland sample sound collection into a single box.

 

[TwilightOdyssey]

Re: Scored a JV-1080 -- suggestions on other sleeper synths wanted

Wow, thanks!

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: Scored a JV-1080 -- suggestions on other sleeper synths wanted

Regarding the vintage synth and organ sounds. These will be fine as backing instruments to your Dave Smith analogue monosynth. A/Bing ROMpler Moog, Prophet or Hammond sounds against the real thing reveals them for what they are.

e.g. I had been happily using ROMpler Prophet Sync type sounds for years. Then, I heard a snippet of the Talking Heads' Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame induction performance. Real Prophet Vs! Stunning.

Similarly, no ROMpler quite does justice to the Minimoog and ARP Odyssey. I got the Creamware ASB equivalents. Like the MOPHO, one note of these babies can be enough to fill out a recording.

 

[TwilightOdyssey]

Re: Scored a JV-1080 -- suggestions on other sleeper synths wanted

Got it. I agree, as well. It's the same thing w modeled guitar amps v actual amps, imo. Thanks!

 

[dominus]

Re: Scored a JV-1080 -- suggestions on other sleeper synths wanted

Got it. I agree, as well. It's the same thing w modeled guitar amps v actual amps, imo. Thanks!

Except the Roland JV and expansions you're buying is virtual analog, not actual analog, so it's software with limited hardware around it.