Roland JV-1010

Very Easy. Two knobs, LED panel. Plug it in, twist the knobs, and you're off. I gave it an 8, however, because of sound diver.

64 note ploy. Limited effects.

Some great out of the box sounds. I think there's over a thousand. I still haven't used all of them. Great acoustic guitar, passable electric guitiar, nice string and some great lead and pad synth. I don't like the piano.

BIG problem with the volume, as everyone else has touched on. If you are on a patch, go to the next one and then back, you can have a big jump in volume.

Yeah, I'd probably buy another one. It's small size is great.

Some ppl say they couldnt work it on XP. I DID!!!!
All I did was download the OEM from emagic.com, then I downloaded the updates and it looks nicer and works fine. sometimes the system will freeze for a second (when you save a preset or request a patch),but its just a metter of waiting, then everything is back to normal.
At first I was like, what the hell is this!! I dont understand!. But after reading the inlcuded PDF file patiently I got to understand it.
I also recommend this unit for those using Cubase SX. The patch list is already included in Cubase SX, just load the device and voila! I have the entire patch names and I can sort and find what I like, with a click of a mouse, its a blast!

The polyphony is ok. honestly speaking its just fine :)
The FX taht are built in are kinda tricky to use. They arent that great, I add FX from other sources usually.
I'm thinking of expanding this unit for the SFX card, I'm a video game composer, thats why :P. There are 4 other expansions I would like to buy too. I wish the expansion where like in cartidge form at least so you can pop in one and change, etc. I'm thinking of purchasing the XV-5080 in the near future, I think the expansion feature is great, plus the expansions I like are VERY GOOD.
Thanks to the JV-1010 I got introduced to this line.
The MIDI capabilities are good. nothing crazy, the computer does all the patch changes for me. I like the preview button!

This little box has SO MANY SOUNDS!!!! obviously not all of them are good, but I would say I like a lot of them!! the synths are great! and the pianos are good. If you run this thing into an FX and the Aphex 204 like I have, you'll get a nice punch out of most of the patches :) very realistic, and great for the buck.
The machine reacts great, and it react good to velocity and other controllers. I've had it connected to a V-Drum and a V-guitar, its not bad.

Yes,
the JV-1010 is very reliable. If all you have is a JV-1010 then I would think you are not yet ready to go wild. I have the JV-1010 going through several processors and I have achieved what many of my friends with expensive synths have. Again, this unit has convinced me to go for the XV-5080.
I've also taking this thing to my friends studio and on the road. Its very small and easy, plugs into my laptop very easy too (I got a USB serial) so I can use the serial connection. :)

As far as Roland products, I live in Canada and I have good contacts with Roland. The Roland Canada site if you register, has lots of FAQ and customer support. I've had lots of support from Roland Canada. thumbs up. If anything breaks, Roland here in Canada is very attentive and helpful.

If it were stolen I would cry and attempt to get a new one, or just wait and get the XV-5080. I cant just spend money buying and replacing, I just started freelancing. I guess like everything, I would have to wait and think about it!!!!
I've owned this JV-1010 for a year now.
I like that its small and it has so much in it! I hate the FX, but I got my ways around that.
I thought about the XV-2020 too, but I didnt have the money. I'm very happy with the JV-1010, if you can afford it, I would get it right away and start making tracks. I wish the LCD described more, but its not annoyting, I barelt look at it anyway. Its all in the computer.

OK. I dont do computer music I just have this thing in my dorm room in college. As I am a music major studying keyboard, i have it connected to my not-so-great Yamaha dx-7, so i can get realistic sounds. I also use the same setup for gigging with my space-funk band
anyway... As far as selecting the patches (theres tons), its is extremely easy. Other than that i dont know.

As i said, i just use it for the preset patches, and they are great. Much better than any keyboard i have ever used

SO MANY SOUNDS. i practice the piano/organ in my room for my lessons, and then i switch to the "eurotech clav" and "pieces-of-cheez" for gigging with my band. This thing has the coolest/cheeziest sounds that i cant get enough of. Piano, Organ, Clav, Rhodes, Wurly, strings, brass, and a million variations on those and a ton of synths.

I HATE when i gig with it and the midi cuts out.
as everyone else has mentioned, when you switch the sound category, the thing can ignore your playing unexpectedly. theres no way to fix this and its a problem. not the biggest problem in the world of sound but is unfortunate for gigging

poop.
wait, sorry. I mean i never have needed it.

I think its great and it will remain in my ever-expanding bag of toys. I reccomend it for people like me who want a cheap, easily portable (its like 6 pounds and fits in a backpack) and somewhat reliable box of sounds

Yes, I ahave to admit, it is very difficult to use.
If you do not have a computer, editing is very limited, you just use the preset. The display is not so clear, above all in performance mode.

64 notes for polyphony, not so many, since patches are made up by four tones. The 3 effects are very good, unfortunaly they are only 3. The JV reacts very well to aftertouch and other controllers.

Wonderful sounds. The St.Piano is unreachable, I've rarely heard anything at the same level. Very good points also for basses, both electric and synth basses are very outstanding. The drums are average, but anyway much better than anything in this price range. I feel the Kick drum very punchy, it is really a good sound.
What else... The strings and pads are full, even if I think Korg has some more bells in this arena.
Acoustic guitar are very good, electric guitar quite good.
At the end, I find this horse is very hard to beat, the overall quality is very high, and there is no annoying mixture of sounds when you play a performance (16 channels), all the tracks stand on the mix.
I've owned a lot of synth, and the sounds of this box are really among the first ones.

Ok for me.

Ok.

My overall rating is high. I am much satisfied by this box, which I bought last year. I do not agree on the reviews I've read about the poor DAC converters, and about the low volume. Yes, the output volume could be better, but I think JV-1010 is a wonderful ROM player, has an accetable signal to noise ratio, wonderful sounds, and that's all.

Accept that you need a PC and Sound Diver to edit sounds, and you're on to a winner. On the whole, whatever sound you need there will be several good-sounding presets. As has been said before, you'll need to do some tweaking to make the most of them. And in order to do that, if you're familiar with the building-blocks of synths, using Sound Diver is a breeze with envelopes and kb splits all displayed graphically. I haven't tried using the multi-timbral setup yet, but then I bought this little chap for playing live.
The manuals are basic, but then the box is nothing different from most synths.

Good polyphony, but it's eaten up by layered voices.
Very flexible FX setup, but not a great variety of FX algorithms.
I probably won't add any expansion cards- don't really need to as it's got so many presets out of the box.
MIDI controllers can be used to vary all sorts of aspects of a preset- most useful.
The only bad point is that the performances aren't accessable live without much MIDI trickery- if that's important for you, go for the XV-2020.

I bought this module because it had a harp sound. Silly, but very necessary for a certain song I play. But it does make a point- this module has every sound you're going to need, be it pop, rock, dance or classical. It's worth pointing out that this box is more about flexibility than "wow" sounds- while good, the sounds aren't the best in the world. Choruses and reverbs are a little weak, but they do the job and you can set the FX chain up in any way you need.
My other gripe is that some of the multisamples have poor cross-overs as you go up the kb.

Seems like a solid little box. It perches on some rubber feet on top of my M1. Only done a couple of gigs so far, but it's holding up fine.
However, it can crash if you spin through the banks too quickly- I find that if you wait for the first sound to be playable before selecting the next bank, everything's ok.

I had quite an e-conversation with Roland before I bought my 1010- I wanted to make sure it would do what I need. They were very helpful.
I haven't needed any post-sales support to date.

If lost or stolen, I'd replace my 1010 with another- I've invested too much time in creating and editing presets! It's superb VFM, and compact (don't want to lug racks about).
And if I couldn't get a JV-1010, I'd go for a XV-2020.

Ive got to tell you guys and girls, the sound diver software that came with my little 1010 is really east to use. You need to play around a bit but you'll get it. What we really want to do is change tone levels, release, attack ,effects levels(ALMOST ALWAYS REVERB) cutoff frequency, tone changes and decay settings. Double click on the patch that u want to tweek and commence with the editing. Ive got one of the best performance pianos Ive ever herd. My little 1010 is a work horse.

64 note poliphony (but dont be fooled). I dont need hammer thump. I just took it out of my piano piano patches and to be honest with u, I cant tell the difference. I like Rolands voice allocation scheme.9 times out of 10 your going to have to go into the effects section and turn the darn reverb down. When this is done, your going to hear some really beautiful Roland Tones. The session exp. has some interesting sounds. beautiful strings, brite pianos(if u tweek them right. My only gripe is the organs...POO POO. My Triton takes care of that department. Once you set up your users bank and your controller(I use my old Alesis Quadrasynth plus) Rename your patches and start kicking ass with this thing. Im a synth key guy anyway so Im not going to complain about responce. My 1010 lives on the top right hand side of of my qs+. Four small pieces of velcro and the 1010 isn't going anywhere.

Lets put it this way. I pride myself on tweeking piano sounds so they cut through on the gig. I play for a living so my bread and butter sounds have got to impress. My 1010 comes through. The top synth on my keyboard stand is a Triton Pro. Ive got the piano exp. PCM08 installed and it also sounds good but to me MY 1010 kicks my Tritons Booty. If anything, the 1010 is an excellent piano module. Dont get me wrong. I LUUUUUUV my Pro SOOOOOOO much, but I always have musicians and sound techs asking me where my piano sound is coming from. Except for the organs, I really dont have any complaints. My Triton has a killer B-3 and Leslie simulator and great electric pianos. My 1010 takes care of the Acoustic Pianos, some strings,acoustic guitars( Did I tell U that I also luv the acoustic guitars???????) and some synths.Because of the organs, I give the 1010.....9

Ive been using and traveling with my little 1010 for about a year now and it keeps on ticking. I would like to make a strong suggestion......If you travel around with a band like I do, buy an extra wall wart for it. Mine has never crashed and burned yet but u never know.

I havent had to call ROLAND yet....KNOCK ON WOOD....

Bottom Line People.....Ive played pro for over 20 years. Ive owned alot of keys. My 1010 has one of the most impressive pianos myself and alot of my fellow colleagues have ever herd in an onstage mix. You just have to know how to tweek them. If it were lost or stolen, I would buy another one in a heart beat.... Roland could have stuffed the 1010 into a full rack space case, charged a couple of hundred bucks more and laughed all the way to the bank of TOKYO. All I know is that Iv'e got a great sound module for a great low price. Whos Laughing Now????????????????????????????

Windows XP and soundiver included with the jv1010. Some presets are very good, some are not. Editing patches is easy if you can get soundiver to work on your computer. I guess I'm one of the lucky ones. All roland manuals are generic and hard to understand. I made better progress without the manual.

I have expanded the unit with the vintage synth card. I had a MVS-1 and loved the sounds so the choice was obvious! No sequencer on the jv-1010 but soundiver has sequencer. VERY COOL!

There are plenty of great sounds and there are plenty of bad sounds. Most can be tweaked within soundiver to get them sounding good. I don't use the on board effects so I cannot comment on them. Responds well to velosity and aftertouch. Some presets are way louder than others but this can be adjusted within soundiver. Low volume output but again this can be corrected.

I have only had the unit a short time but I already love it and it seems very dependable. Would I use it at a gig without a backup? I guess I'd have to since it's the only sound module I own.

We all know how Roland's customer support is (or lack of).

I play bass in a three piece band. I bought this unit to use with my Roland PK-5. I also have the floorboard so switching between presets would be easier than spinning the value knob. I have taken all the sounds that I like and moved them to my user bank. This is a very nice piece of equipment for the price, though kind of useless if you cannot get soundiver to work. I agree with others rating this product that it does have it's share of faults. I basically just use this for fills (solos) and it does the job well. If I was to take up playing keyboards full time I would look for something else. For what I'm using it for it's great! It does help inspire some of our better originals!

The JV1010 needs Sound Diver in order te be edited. Editing without connecting it to a computer is impossible. But I guess editing with a computer is easier anyway. Nonetheless, for a not-so-experienced tweaker like me, editing is not always simple. I don't think I have used al it's possibilities already.

Further on: changing sounds can only be done by turning a knob on th efront panel, which isn't very convenient for stage purposes (the thing has so many sounds!). But using the user bank properly solves this problem: just put the sounds in the right order for your set list, and switching to the desired sound becomes fairly simple.

Polyphony: 64. The built-in effects suffice for my goals. I bought it to have an all-round sound library for my band, and I had a limited budget. Expanding is possible (one expansion slot), more expansion possibilities would have been nice. I put in the 60/70s keyboards expansion card. The session expansion board is already built in. No sequencer. Midi I/O/T (a second MIDI IN would also have been nice), connection w/computer by DIN(?)-cable. Uses an adapter for power supply.

This is why I bought the thing: loads of sounds. I do not use all of them, but if I wanted to, I could play like an all-round keyboard player.

Of course, it has it's weaknesses. The output volume is low, generally speaking, and there are indeed volume differences between the different sound patches. Currently, I'm trying to solve this problem (live playing demands quick operations) by editing the patch volumes. Don't know yet if this will work out sufficiently. Some sounds are great, the others not so great. I lacks the really nice Fender Rhodes sounds, for that, you need the 60s/70s board. Organs: fairly OK, the expansion board provides a richer offer for those. Piano's: fairly OK. Strings/brass: OK, but not great. Guitars are great, some synth sounds (it has over 300 synths and pads!) are really great too.

The 60s/70s board has lots of Hammond organs (appr. 100, not too many leslied organs, though), some Farfia and other cheesy organs, ca 40 Fender Rhodes pianos (some of which are quite good), ca 30 Wurlys, a couple of great clavs (also two presetted wah wah clavs, which are very funky), a bunch of nice mellotrons (for all the Tony Banks and Rick Wakeman lovers) and some other sounds. Nice card, a bit hard to find when I bought it, so I'll keep it for at least a while.

For its all-round sound scope and the quality of a part of the sounds, I'd give it a 9.

I used it on several gigs and it has let me down only once. Turning it off and on again solved the problem I encountered. The size is an advantage: very small, fits easily in any suitcase. I use it without a backup.

I had to phone Roland Belgium once, when I looked for the 60s/70s board (which were to be replaced by the SRX boards at the time). They were very helpful in sending a demo card to my dealer. All in all: good.

Like I said: I'm a player, not a tweaker (but it is fun to learn editing sounds for improvements, of course). When you're limited to a small budget, this is a fine choice. Hey, when I'd have won big bucks, I would have bought a XV88 or a RD700 with a XV5080 module, probably, or some other more expensive units, but I'm not in Oz, and I ain't in Kansas neither.

I would buy a XV2020, if this unit were stolen, just because it's more expandable (2 SRX cards, which will be available for a longer time then the JV expansion cards, I guess) and the XV sounds are said to be better.

I control the JV1010 by a simple Roland keyboard (Roland E70) and own a Yamaha P80 as well. This is a fine set-up, but I'm thinking about replacing the E-70 by a Roland RS9 or another synthesizer, thereby expanding my sound possibilities. I won't sell this JV1010, though.

I don't regret buying this thing. For me, it was the right choice, and before I'm sure about using all its powers and possibilities, I will not judge negatively, because it's a nice little thing with lots of sounds.

I would like to edit the patches on Windows using SoundDiver, but the software has been difficult to understand. There are some terms that I am not familiar with and there are no definitions or help.

The SoundDiver manual is too general. I emailed the company that produces SoundDiver and did not get any response.

Editing on the LCD display is cumbersome, but I thought that might be the case before I bought it.

I am not sure how to rate the software features, because I am not able to use them with enough confidence to know what I am doing.

I mainly use it as a sound module with Sonar. I use one performance (16 MIDI channels) only.

I like a lot of the sounds, but I would prefer to tweak them for specific songs.

No problem so far. I have been using it for about 6 months.

I called Roland for help, but was snobbed with the question 'Are you NEW with synthesizers?' Incidentally, I have been using synthesizers and creating patches for more years that I care to mention.

I emailed the company that produces SoundDiver for software support help and did not get any response.

I may replace it for some of the sounds, but I would consider one of the other JV-xxxx synths first. As I have created and tweaked sounds on other Roland synths, that may be the best solution.

Win98/Cakewalk. Easy of Use may be quite ok. Unfortunately and have to admit that I had the same described above when switching from MIDI to Patch and fo forth, the unit goes down and no data is received until reset again.

Not too much features as compared with larger JV's. I use it for live gigs. Just bought it with my partner, who owns the place and put the money to finance $7K on music gear, the finest up to JBL, bottom line, I just can't find the way to tell him we have to return the JV1010 when I recommeded it was the same JV2080. I was wrong!. Sound Quality is poor.

Poor sound quality as compared with the 2080. I was using a small old sc33. Made my partner invest 500 dollars on this unit and now I have to admit whe have to go back to the small SC. Reason. Pianos and strings would be very good. Who needs that when playing live and drums sounds so thin. Play orchestra, ok. Clasicall, ok. Jazz, goin down. Rock it, audience disappointed, no punch. Drums too thin. When use a 2000 Crown power with top of the line DBX EQ's up to JBL Factor Series, double woofer. It should rock, and it doesn't.

I guess this is a Roland stregnh. You can depende on it. Unfortunately this thing has a desgin problem, it goes off from value to value when turing down the knob from MIDI to Patch, performance. etc.

If stolen, I wish it as an excuse to upgrade to the 2080.