Roland SRV-3030

How easy is it to get a good sound? Hmmm. That depends on what you want. I have gotten some great sounds out of this unit, but it will do some awful stuff, too, if you program it badly. The manual is WAY too skimpy on info for something like this. It points you where you want to go, sort of, but gives you hardly any idea of the specific subtleties of the machine as far as programming hints. The dynamic control is largely a mystery to me. You have to play with it a lot to get it to do what you want in this respect. Still, other reverbs don't have this capability AT ALL. This could be easier to use, but isn't terrible. YOu will have to exert some mental effort and patience to get something you really like, but it will pay off in a big way. I have made some amazing patches on this. I made one patch that turns a sterile string patch into something closely resembling a REAL violin with vibrato where you can practically hear the rosin scraping - from a synth string patch! Totally amazing. The guy who mentioned a programming glitch is correct. The machine will spontaneously reset itself during programming once in a while. I am almost certain this is because of overheating. I have mine in an open rack under a ceiling fan, so when the fan is on it stays real cool. One day I was programming it and the fan was off and it reset all over the place after it had been on for some time. It has never done this with the fan on. It gets really hot, though, without the fan. You definitely don't want to rack this in a tight rack. It NEEDS air around it or you will go nuts and probably burn it up. One thing I would have appreciated would be a better way of naming patches. It can be very frustrating to get the letter you want with the knobs. On the other side, it is cool that you can program the knobs to affect different things in the patch. This lets you fine tune a patch after you have written it to tailor it to a specific purpose. Excellent idea. You can also program in 4 cc control sources per patch in addition to the front panel knobs for real time modulation. I give it a 7 here because the manual is totally inadequate for such a powerful piece of gear and it can be complicated for what it is. If you don't have a manual you will be way lost. But, as far as flexibility and such it would get a 10. As long as you realize it is a reverb, not a dedicated multi-effects box.

The sound quality is deceptive at first. The patches it ships with are not very impressive, though they give you some good starting points. The NLR (non linear reverb) algorithm has a very digital quality, but they tell you up front it is a weird reverb not intended to sound natural. The plates are metallic, as you would expect. I haven't messed with the gated reverbs much. The sound can be overpoweringly cold. However, after digging into the programming I managed to get some amazing rich, lush and very warm reverbs out of it. The trick here is to use the two EQ's with some intelligence, and realize it won't create frequencies that aren't there already in the input signal. If you put a cold signal in, you will get a cold signal out - period. I found that if you think of it like programming a synth, you can get a better sense of the machine. This really is a reverb instrument. YOu create the reverbs with a purpose - cold or warm or with added resonance in the EQ. YOu can give resonance to each of the 3 sections of each EQ - very cool! So you can have 6 resonant peaks per reverb. Then you can still add the RSS which I love, and the rather subtle effects. Did get some background noise from the modulation effects on certain patches. LFO noise. But it depends a lot on the depth of the effects and your signal level. On regular reverb patches it is dead silent. Overall, this is a VERY powerful tool, but it ain't a plug and play wonder. The reverb is LONG, too. It can go for 100.99 seconds! Crazy stuff... ONe other wierdness - you have to turn on the effects in the "structure" section. You can edit them and still have NO EFFECT, unless you have turned them on first. That had me stumped for a bit... So, forget the stock patches and dig in. Otherwise you will not even be coming close to the potential of this machine. And if you get an 8MB smart memory card you have another 1000 patches you can fill in addition to the 100 user locations you start off with and if it does crash, you will still have them after the reboot... I actually used a 16 meg card - worked fine. Save often while programming to be on the safe side. I think the sound is amazing, but only when tweaked. It can be one cold reverb if you don't.

NO idea. But, see the description of programming weirdness in the first section...

No idea

I play a lot of experimental stuff on a variety of synths - Waldorf MicroQ, Oberheim Matrix1000, K5000s, E-Synth, Morpheus and an AN1x. I love making my own sounds and the FX is a critical aspect of the final result. I do some home composing. I'm a bit obsessed with sound. I also use a Boss SX-700 and a Lexicon Vortex. This is a very good compliment to the other two. The SX has better modulation effects, but it can't do what this one does with the reverb. The Vortex is in a class of its own. Very unique box. I've been playing guitars for 26 years and synths for about 10. I love the stuff I have made with this, but I hate the metallic, clinical patches. If you are into digital, sterile stuff you will love a lot of the presets... But, as I said, you can make it sing fat and warm with a little effort. The levels are very important, too. It's digital, so you can overload it... I can't give it more than a 7 given its quirky nature, the minimalist manual, and the fact it's bigger brother has digital outs... For a cheap reverb on the used market today - it's extremely good value. Sounds way better than a lot of stuff out there in the same price range. The SX also gives some background LFO noise, but I found putting a good noise suppressor after it gets rid of it very nicely. I feel sure the same fix will work on the SRV, though I haven't yet tried it. I would definitely want to replace this if it were stolen or lost. It definitely helps me make more beautiful sounds. I sold my Intellifex to get this and it was definitely a very good trade. When programmed right it will give you that - WOW! feeling. Never got that with the Intellifex; I couldn't get any fat, warm stuff out of it - which is why I got rid of it. The SRV can definitely do the fat stuff if you coax it a bit. Night and day by comparison with the Intellifex. The SRV is a great piece of gear for a budget studio. It's NOt for people who want a plug and play box, though. Whatever you do, don't judge this from the presets. They are very conservative and cold. This is for doing space stuff - magic. IT's a box for programmers. I've never used the really expensive studio gear, so can't compare to that level.

Roland has made the SRV-3030 accessible for various users. For those looking to dial up a preset, and change the level or rev time, hands-on knobs on the front panel will give you that control. For those wishing to dive in a bit more, EZ Edit will give more control, and for those of us who love sound design, the Custom mode allows you to tweak all the parameters and assign modulation.

The edit knobs aren't the endless rotary variety, and you have to turn the knob until it reaches the current value before a new value can be entered. The knobs don't seem to be very precise and trying to dial in an exact value can be tricky. Perhaps there is an easier way to that, however.

I found the manual straight-forward, but the unit is self explanatory. The LCD is large enough to allow for detailed graphics and instruction.

I have the 3030 digital version and currently have it hooked up to a Mackie mixer. I bought this unit because I wanted to experiment in designing reverbs in specific for my MKS-70 analog synth and an Elektron Machinedrum.

It is a good match for the MKS-70. The MKS-70s almost digitally precise yet analog character transfers well in thhe 3030s engine. I use it as an Aux send and as a pre-send effect. You can subtly effect your sound, the ambience algorithms being quite effective. The reverb is good, powerful with transparency. It is not completely realistic, and has a processed character. However, proper application of the reverb and facilities of the 3030 produce very good results.

The 3030 is well suited to synthetic percussion. With dynamic seperation and compression abilities, the 3030 adds depth and seperation. I use the Machinedrums sequencer to control the SRv-3030. Using assignable control change messages, each pattern on the Machinedrum can be unique in the way it interacts with the 3030. This is excellent especially for electronic genres, where percussion can be manipulated beyond realism. In essence, the reverb can become percussive reinforcement.

This is by no means the best reverb unit out there. But it is very capable and offers a degree of programmability not found in its price range. I have used it primarily with electronic instruments, and would like to hear how it would treat acoustic or vocal works.

I will be testing out its digital I/O when I get my new audio card.

The SRV-3030 is made mainly for reverb, as it is, there aren't many other effect algorithms. Not to say that you cannot create unique effects by manipulating the reverbs. It has a chorus and phaser that are light, but are useful to add polish to the reverb or incoming signals.

I worry about this thing overheating. Must be a power hungry DSP on-board, this thing heats up more than any other gear. Make sure to leave some space above and below it if in a rack.
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It seems dependable, but it won't likely be leaving the studio.

I've never really had anything go wrong with my Roland gear. Every once and a while Roland makes something really good, the SRV is a contender among some of Roland's finest.

I am into electronic compositional works. I tend to favour Electric Pianos, jazz organs, analog basses, FM pads/FX, and digital percussion. It is a mix of warm and cold sounds, all synthetic. I would place the 3030 more on the cold side. It can be downright evil... but used with pads and ambient sounds, it can be lush as well.

If it died, it would need to be replaced. I might look into an MPX-1, Sony DPS V55m or V77, or TC Electronics M-One XL or 2000.

I am happy I went with the Roland though. I view it as an instrument, a reverb instrument. I will be probably more into native processing in the future, but that is a while in coming.

I've had this unit for awhile and it has many cool features. It has taken me awhile to get the hang of how it works.

I play in a black metal band and use this in my guitar rack. It has very nice sounds to it with no noise as I can tell.

I love roland stuff,its a big reason why I purchased it.

never had to deal with em

I've been playing music for many years and found that there is alot of junk out there. If I happened to get rid of all my rack gear,this would be one of the last to go.

As a programmable reverb/ effect box, this has a little more complexity than many other units. When you need to get just the right sound, this flexibility is important. The controls are clearly described and the LCD screen is full of useful info. My favorite feature is the built in "check check" button- great fun!

I use this in a recording studio and this is my most critical unit. This I use for vocals.

It's roland- I'm sure it's built to last.

They don't make it until you order it, and they don't help you until you pay for it...

I can't believe the performance/price ratio on this- it's $250 now street. I would recommend this to anyone who's not afraid of a little programmability. It sounds way better than the lexicon MPX100, the digitech S100, the yamaha REV100. The only other economical reverb that I use as much or more is probably the Zoom 1204 (I know- hard to believe!!)

The manual is thorough and informative.
The presets are very good, and there are many parameters to improve the sound

No Noise to be heard. I bought this just for the reverb. It is much better than any software reverb, and I have used most. Sounds different to a lexicon, but equivalent quality to a mid-level lex. Certainly good enough for studio mixes. I really like the big sounds, and the ambience algorithms are also excellent. Can get fairly realistuc reflections. The RSS works well, and adds to lushness. Haven't used the a/b dynamic switching yet.

I've only just got it, so can't comment.

No info

I make big lush alternate pop music, and a good reverb is essential for me. This one is really exciting and inspirational.

The manual was complimented in a couple of magazines, but I don't like it very much. Worse than my old JV-1080 in many ways. Too cryptic and terse on most operations and parameters. BUT, it doesn't matter that much because once you figure out how the operating system and display works, it is easy. They have laid things out quite well, with some clever touches. For instance, when you go into one of the edit modes (there are three modes) up to three changeable parameters are displayed, which can be adjusted with the three parameter knobs. The current value of a parameter is shown on a horizontal slider, as well as the position of the corresponding knob. The parameter won't change until the knob matches the position of the current value. Great for live or other on the fly editing.

Do you ever remember getting a piece of kit and wanting to learn all the cool things it could do? It's like that. I have owned six effects units and this one has the cleverest ways of doing things. So, in conclusion, I would say that it has taken some learning (not much) but it was fun doing it.

I have this set up as an aux send/return from my Mackie, using it with any of several synths and my e6400 Ultra. This unit is very quiet, and is geared toward a variety of reverbs rather than having a strong mixture of multi effects. It has dual reverb engines, dual eq, RSS, which gives a sort of pseudo 3-d impression, and a multi effects block. Quite a lot for 499.00 plus tax.You can get some bone-dry rooms as well as very wet caves and cathedrals, and anything in between. My one niggle in this area is that it has a bit too much of a metallic taste which doesn't go well with orchestral instruments. It may be me, but that's my opinion. For anything else, it can give as much or as little character as you want.

Seems solid, but it has a slight pop when it starts up, and it runs a little warm, but that's pretty normal for an effects unit. My experience with Roland gear has been perfect over the years, so I expect no problems

Never called about this unit, but my experience with Roland has been mixed. Either very helpful, or not very helpful, depending on the moon phase I suppose.

I play a variety of music, from analogish dance-type stuff to symphonic, to ambient, to early (pre 1500), and I will use this for pretty much everything except when I want a real natural sounding orchestra. I am sure my picky-ness is overkill to most people's ears (not that mine are golden), so I am sure I will use it for some orchestras as well. If it were lost, stolen, etc. I would probably try the Lexicon MPX-1 or MPX-500, or the TC M-ONE, just because I am a bit of an effects junkie.