Roland Connect Sep. 2010

[V-CeeOh]

Holly S**t
Something must be very wrong here.
You guys now use Sales Reports and Google statistics to argument about Roland instruments?
Is Sept 1st the "green tea" day and I'm missing it?

[cyclops]

I'm sure that the Fantom-G software updates thread will be soon updated, to include the new Fantom-G OS version 2.0, that was released today and included so many new and long-awaited features.

[jabberwocky]

ha, let's be generous... call it FG OS 3.0

[I AM]

so much rhumors on that Roland Connect Sep. 2010 and what??? nothing really valuable... black painted AX or Juno Gi or a new audio interface... there are much better interfaces out there... connect what ??? customer's money with roland's wallet?? but what for??

however black AX looks good)

[Septimo]

LOL!! I don't see why you guys are so surprised, I told everyone here it would be this.. but y'all didnt believe me... why? You guys had so much hope that Roland would waste resources on a dead market...
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4E3_0iPytxE[/youtube]

What would posses any of you to think it would be anything more than what was already covered in this vid?? You guys amaze me..

I mean, there was no secret.. I'm telling you, the workstation age is over.. Get over it, it aint coming back... Consider yourselves dead lucky if Roland gives you blokes a charity update.. But I doubt it..

[Artemiy]

Septimo:

I mean, there was no secret.. I'm telling you, the workstation age is over.. Get over it, it aint coming back...

Why? Imagine... THE SECOND COMING OF THE WORKSTATION!!! That sounds spooky to me.

[cyclops]

I can't accept that the workstation market is dead. Since there is the need to play things live, there will always be the need to have such instruments. Maybe some things can change in the modern workstation, like include many DAW-based features and the like.

Many people could come and say that a computer and soundcard is much cheaper and far more advanced with much more potential. I would agree for sure, but only when it comes to playing in the studio. I bet there are many amateur and pro musicians out there that can't trust a computer for playing live, at least yet.

[V-CeeOh]

so much rhumors on that Roland Connect Sep. 2010

Could you specify exactly what rumours were these. I never saw any rumours. Unless you consider members requests or wishes as rumours.

cyclops
+1 to that

[Septimo]

Oh, it's dead alright.. As far as live goes, you don't need a studio based workstation for live shows.. That's why they are only focusing on instruments to play live.. That's why i could never get putting live features in a workstation.. All that wasted effort into live features and leave the studio features which is the main purpose of the workstation in the first place, half baked... They should have kept their eggs in one basket and their oranges in another.

Since they were not ever going to perfect their balance, I'm glad it's over.. And if you ask me, it's been over since the end of the FantomX line which is where Roland had already hit their peak.. At least in the workstation market..

The problem is this.. The only ones that would buy a FG are the people here, and that's because of the ones who will purchase anything Roland Puts out.. But guess what... The ones in here at Roland Clan is not enough to support the entire workstation market.. And what about the countless new producers being born everyday? do you think they are learning music production on a FX or G?? No way.. They are all learning on software, and do you thing that once these guys get good at what they do for so cheap, that they are going to shell out 3500 dollars or euros, on a machine that can't do what most software sequencers can do? Roland, I'm sure knows this and is not gonna continue to sell FG's for too long.. They probably don't even produce any more and are only working with getting rid of back stock as Im sure there are plenty of them laying around in warehouses somewhere..

Remember that Roland had a great chance to update their MV-8800, and not even once did they update it aside from some patch for something no one really knew what it was. Why did they leave as it was? cus no one except a select few were willing to buy them at a price of 1800 to 2200 dollars while the machine was already outdated by software standards from the time of it's release. And even if it's a bunch of us, the market is way bigger than just us bunches..

Roland is only concerned with one thing and that is their bottom line.. They could care less what it is that fattens that line up as long as it fattens.. It could be cattle for all they care..(Roland Steaks anyone?) In the end it's stock holders who determine what is best for Roland and their equipment lines not the musician-end-user...

[MeNotU]

"you don't need a studio based workstation for live shows"

So why release 8 track audio but no sequencer?

"And what about the countless new producers being born everyday?"

What music production producers ever buy a keyboard? Only music creators buy keyboards.

"In the end it's stock holders who determine what is best for Roland"

How can stock holders know which synths people want? Surely Roland techs get given specs that Roland have determined people want?

[Septimo]

How can stock holders know which synths people want? Surely Roland techs get given specs that Roland have determined people want?

But in the end, money makes the final call...

What music production producers ever buy a keyboard? Only music creators buy keyboards.

Right, and most of them don't need a workstation when they have a line of live keyboards which have the same sound quality with none of the studio features to get in the way, and that are much cheaper. So they are more than likely not buying a workstation when a keyboard is all they need.

So why release 8 track audio but no sequencer?

what??

[MeNotU]

tx 4 replies

what what lol, the juno-di has 8 track audio but no midi sequencer (allegedly) - how does that fit into 'workstation is dead, it's all live now'. I can't work out why you would want 8 audio if your hooking it up to a DAW anyway, and you certainly can't use them live.

[Vstream.be]

I am a Roland fan since I bought my first new synth, a Roland Juno 106.
The Rolands I currently own are a Fantom-X7, JD800(3X!), JD990 and a V-Synth XT.

IMHO I do not think I will buy another Roland Workstation again (or even a synthesizer!). Don't get me wrong I love my Rolands
and my Fantom-X7 and V-synth XT are superb instruments and the JD800 remains my favourite synth ever!
The reason for not buying a new workstation is very simple: Software DAW's and Vsti's are much more powerful without 'limitations'.
Unlimited programs (though the Alesis Fusion hardware synth also has an unlimited amount of programs!), HUGE space for sample libraries, open for new synths and technologies.

However I do understand there is a group of musicians who want a workstation because of the all-in-one concept and I can only applaud to go for a Roland.
Reliable (even after 20 years spare parts are available!), good sounds, easy to use and superb Roland support (at least here in Belgium).

I agree the last few years Roland Workstations did not improve a lot and the sounds are the same or improved sounds from previous synths.
It took me a long time to switch to software, both in the studio as on stage (with the X7 as one of the masterkeyboards).
On stage I know it's not as reliable as a hardware synth but I still have my X7 as backup.
At this moment I use a subnotebook, a dell inspiron 11z (optimized and only used as VSTi host with brainspawn forte) and I am very happy with it.
Till now it is rock solid...

You also have the muse receptor just like Depeche Mode, U2, Thomas Dolby and others are using right now.
I have read Martin Gore only uses the Virus Ti as Masterkeyboard to control the receptor! Just take a look at the recent Ultravox concerts, 4 macbooks and mainstage 2...
It's clear the market is changing.

If I was head of Roland I would go for a workstation with integrated Sonar (though I'm a Fl studio user), Motorized faders, Sample Streaming capabilities and room for new cards.
These cards can be anything. Z3ta+, Rapture but also other vsti's in flashrom Certified by Roland.

Maybe one day....

[Blues4dog]

A decent, full functioned, 76 and 88 note controller keyboard would have been useful.

Oh.............that's right............ We had them with the A 37, A 70 and A 90 but for some reason they got dumped.

Now we just have re-badged PCR controllers marketed as 'Cakewalk' and still nothing above 61 notes.

With many advocating DAW and Soft synths for live performance I would have thought this to be a logical step.

Apparently not.

Seems Roland were ahead of the curve too early and have removed a great product, without a replacement, just as it is becoming a necessity.

??????????

As for the Juno Gi?
By the look of things it must stand for 'Genetically Inferior'.
Some useful new functions which should have been added to the existing G but at the expense of some of it's best aspects?
I think this one is a step backwards.
I wont be swapping it for my Juno G.

Black AX looks cool. Why did that take so long?

B4D