Roland XV-5080 Synth/Sample Playback Module
Hands up anyone who has seen, heard or fallen over any of the Roland XV or XP range in the last five or six years? Well the XV-5080 synth and sampler playback module is the latest addition to the 'X' family. I have in the past used the likes of the XP-50 keyboard and the JV-1080 module from time to time, so I approached this unit with certain expectations based on my previous encounters, and a few notes on my mentally retained wish list.
Aesthetically the XV looks similar to its not so distant relative the JV-2080, a clean looking gunmetal two-unit rackmount case with a large LCD backlit display, and buttons (some backlit ones as well!) for Africa. The top of the unit allows up to eight Roland proprietary expansion boards to be fitted, each containing new wave samples and usually around 200 to 300 new patches. And with 128 voices there's plenty of scope for layering up patches and samples 'til the cows come home. As it stands there are already eight banks of sounds onboard excluding the 128Mb of RAM available for samples (more on this later) and the expansion board option.
As usual the Roland menu system is relatively easy to navigate with a function key set-up running along under the display. Each new unit in this range seems to offer more and more editing features, and the XV is no exception with more modulation routes and destinations than ever before. If you really want to screw up a sound on this machine you can. Some have shied away from purchasing this sort of product from a sound design point of view, but believe me it is possible to obtain some stunning results, I've heard some great ground-up patches made on the earlier JV range.
So what was the first thing I did when I set it up at home? Well after plugging in all the required cables to the correct inputs, I sat down at my controller keyboard - a Roland Juno-2 by the way (the velocity sucks and the aftertouch only worked for the first six weeks after purchase, however all these things can be fixed, more on that in a later article) - and browsed through some of the preset and user patches.
Oh no! All the patches in the first four banks sound just like the JV-1080 I played with five years ago, arrrghh!!! Okay, relax, deep breath, I'm hearing something different now in banks six and seven.
Sounds Like?
There's some lovely harp and plucked ethnic sounds included in the presets that really stand out, also some slow creeping pads, film atmospheric type stuff that really works. All familiar JV/XP/XV piano sounds are here as well, so if you're a Roland piano fan you won't be disappointed. Two of my favourite sounds were 'Longing' and 'Celtic Harp'. Due to the sheer number of patches in this module I could go on forever about the various sounds, all of which you'll find on many other Roland products. As always, the proof is in the pudding and everyone is going to have a different opinion with this sort of generic unit. This is a studio-oriented device and thus has all the relevant and desirable sounds applicable within that genre, hence the term 'bread and butter'. What needs to be decided is, does the Roland sound satisfy your needs and sonic tastes?
Here's the part where I have to give you the good and bad news regarding the Rhythm section. There is a new kit first up on the Rhythm menu called 'XV WayHipKit' - some nice trashy hi-hats and cymbals, interesting distorted kicks and snares with velocity triggered layers. Now that sort of thing is great and inspirational, but what is disappointing is the averageness of every other kit. With a lot of the same tired sounds, some of which you can probably find in and old U-220, I felt that there was a lot of repetition and not enough variation of samples between the kits. Please bear in mind though that these machines can play back samples and you can create your own custom kits.
If I can draw comparisons between this unit and its obvious competition, namely the Yamaha EX range and the Korg Triton, I suspect a lot more care has gone into designing and arranging the kits in these latter units. Overall I found the drum and percussion sound on the XV to be rather '80s and a bit gimmicky - why always the 'Rave Kit'? We've moved on from 1988, dance music is chart topping stuff now, so why not give some us variation of the sounds (most of which Roland pioneered by the way) that are now, and current.
To me this feels like one of those CDs you buy for one or two tracks when the rest of the CD material seems like space filler. Why do I make such a point of this? Because when I buy an expensive sound module it has to offer me a balance of features and initial playability, I like to feel that what I am purchasing is up to date and relevant to today's musical genres. And hey, don't get me wrong here, I've owned more Roland synths and drum machines that you could readily shake a stick at.
However the key to flexibility sound wise in this unit lies in the XV's ability to load Roland and Akai samples along with Wav and AIFF formats. The unit's RAM capacity can be stacked up to 128 megabytes which allows for more than enough samples to be loaded from your sample library or a CD-Rom via the SCSI interface supplied as standard on this unit. So all is not lost between the samples and the expansion boards, I'm sure any holes in the sound armoury can be bridged. Oh and there's a memory card facility, one card can hold all the eight banks of patch data!
FX etc
There are three multi FX units onboard as well as the mandatory chorus and reverb units. The multi FX offers a wide selection of types and you can have up to five effects chained together per processor. I have a Boss SX-700 that is excellent! The XV's algorithms and programming seems very similar to my unit. COSM and RSS effects also feature in this section.
One of the other reasons this module is at the top of the Roland pile at the moment is its connectivity. The rear panel consists of the usual basics like power and MIDI (two ins and two outs on this one mind you), and the addition of four stereo output pairs.
Another addition is the Roland R-BUS connector which is their digital proprietary driven system for the new Roland digital mixer and other integrated hardware, essentially it give you eight digital outputs (if you own a Roland system that is).
Word clock is a welcome feature with the ever increasing demand for greater compatibility and timing issue resolution in the modern digital studio. Best of all though are the optical and coaxial outputs for Yamaha 02R/03D users.
So What's The Deal?
To be honest this still looks sounds and feels like a Roland JV, XP, and X? thingy. Having been absent from any of the Roland modules for a few years I had hoped to power up and find a re-designed and re-engineered machine. This wasn't to be the case, but in fairness I had forgotten to take into account the direction that Roland appears to be pointing with this product.
Priced at $6250 the XV-5080 is being firmly pushed into the spotlight as the ultimate (if a little costly) bread and butter box. How come? Because when you put the high number of preset and user patches together with all of the expandability offered, you couldn't possibly ask for any more sounds from a single box. Looking for something more editable, and sonically flexible? Well look at the other Roland dance products. It appears that Roland is aiming for instant appeal and playback which is why this unit is perfectly suited for the professional or home studio. I have remarked to friends on many occasions that if they were looking for a quick and easy dial it up that has every sound device then something like the JV-1080 or 2080 would do the trick nicely.
I have other friends who have gone further into squeezing everything they possibly can out of one of these boxes, ie. writing entire tracks drums, bassline, pad, melody etc. But these same people eventually ended up with a lot more equipment, feeling frustrated at the effort required to both programme one box and create each sound with its own distinct identity. This is very difficult with all the sounds being produced or processed though the same sound engine and arriving from the same set(s) of audio outputs and AD/DA converters.
Being aware of all the pros and cons of this type of unit would I still consider the purchase of an XV-5080 synth/sampler playback module had I the finances? Well the answer is yes, because above all else Roland units deliver the greatest variety of sounds and expandability for your dollar, and in this range. Another thing to think about, is the vast library of patches in the expansion board range. I have been away from it for a few years but can imagine that there have been many more additions to my favourites, all of which have very excellent useable patches.
Bernie Eller is a freelance audio designer making music for web and video. He is also the proud owner of a huge pile of analogue synths. You can hear some of his music at www.vast.net.nz Email: bernie@vast.net.nz