Roland JV-1010

It depends what you wanna do with it.
If you're just wanna play the presets without editing or changing effect, it's easy to use. Select a category (piano, guitar, synth, etc), and scroll through the sound.

But, problem, you'll have to look in the manual to see the name of the sound you're using. The screen only indicate the number.

No editing is possible with this board only , you'll need to hook up the JV1010 to your computer.

Manual is very bad, and hard to understand.

Great features for the price. Tons of sounds.

You have all the sounds of the JV 2080/1080 + the session card.
You can also add a SRJV expansion board. But, beware: even though the sounds are the same then in the 2080, they DON'T sound the same.
The converters are not the same, they sound bad. And effects are cheap. It is not a very bright sounding module.

Only one insert effect on Midi channel 1 + Reverb and Chorus on all midi channels.

Effects are horrible (especially the reverbs), and bring down the overall quality of the sounds.

Only two outputs (lest and right).

You got all the Roland JV sounds:

A.Pianos: session piano is a must!
E.Pianos, rhodes: poor, but ok in a mix
Clav: ok
Vibes, bells: great
Organs: good
Guitars: so and so.
Bass: so and so
Synths: great, there's so many! Amazing pads.
Strings: ok, you can add the Orchestral board if you want more
Ethnic: cool
Drums: forget it

Overall: great set of sounds. A little bit dated. We heard them so many times. So 90's... but, classic, and classy!

Solid as a rock!

You've got all the great sounds from the JV2080, but at a reduced quality.
The converters are poor, dynamic is bad and outputs are low compare to other synths.
The effects sound very cheap, especially the horrible reverb.

I bought mine in January 2000. I sold it 6 months ago. It's not a professional synth module, but a good way to get started and to have a taste of the great Roland JV sounds. And it expandable.

Very good value for the price.

Do not buy this unit for live work. The problem described by the first reviewer is a hardware problem, and Roland are unable to fix this. It's also left me playing nothing in live situations. This is the mail I got from Roland support when I requested for a second time that they tell me what was wrong with my unit:

This is a hardware limitation with this unit. Because it was primarily
designed for use with a computer, the developers didn't put processor
priority on the front panel controls, but on other internal functions.
We investigated the possibility of fixing this, but have found that
there is no modification either hardware or software that is feasable to stop this from happening.

The unit itself is excellent, and contains all the features of its larger JV series brothers.

The sounds on this unit are very good.

Once again, see Ease Of Use.

It seems that I'm not the only person to have been strung along by Roland support over the "stops responding to MIDI data" bug.

It's a no brainer. I use it for live performance as part of my rig. I gave it a 5 because of a serious problem it seems to exhibit. (that other 1010 owners I've spoken to also have noticed). If you switch between patch to performance to gm, etc. and cycle through the modes, it will from time to time stop responding to MIDI data. It's a problem because there's been times when my group stops playing and I have to play a part and nothing has come out of the box! Embarrasing to say the least. I've gotten into the habit that if I am going to play something on it, before my part comes up, I'll twitch the pitch bend lever or something and see if the MIDI light turns on. If it doesn't I'll turn it off and back on to reset it and that fixes the problem. I've also downloaded the operating system update from the Roland website and installed it but that hasn't fixed the MIDI bug.

Tons o' sounds and room for an expansion card. I know some people here have complained about the DACs but in a live situation, it really sounds pretty good. When you're in a 6 piece pop band playing through a loud PA to 600 extremely drunk college kids, you can't hear any DAC problems. I gave it a 7 because some functions are impossible to use without the use of a computer. For example, changing effects, delay speed or the tempo of a synth sound that has motion (like one of the pulsing basses or something). Also, you can set performances and all with the computer but when you turn the unit off, the performances go bye-bye. Not good for a live setting where I want to set up my own performances.

Like I said, the sounds are pretty good for live use. I use a Kurtz MicroPiano for my piano, though. But the organs are decent and the clavs pop. There are tons and tons of synth sounds and they sound good. I use a lot of string sounds for stuff and the synth stuff. Sounds good. A more serious problem, this unit has extremely weak output. This is easily, the most amped unit in my rack. In my mixer, I always set this to 8 or 9 (to leave some room to boost it for a solo or something) and then set all the other synth's volumes relative to this one. Really, I'm not kidding. At times, the volume can sound almost non-existant. Also, sometimes the volume differences between patch catagories can be wide. The synth catagory is easily, like, 40% hotter then the piano catagory. The Orch catagory is louder then the piano, but softer then the synth, and so on. If you set the volume based on the piano and switch to a synth...look out! You might get hit with a beer from the soundman. I set my volume to the synth and I can always boost for the softer stuff (pianos and strings, etc....that's why I set the mixer to an 8 or 9 for this channel-to leave room to boost it). Also, the clavs really need the keys to be slapped to trigger them sometimes. My favorite clav is #09 (with the phaser going!) but you have to lay into the keys or it won't trigger. When you have to play all night, you don't want to lay into the keys. It can start to hurt after a while! Manufacturers...here's something...for live gigs, it helps if the sounds respond to lower velocities! For critical studio recording, maybe the other people here are right, but in a live situation, it sounds damn good and gets the job done.

This is tied into my ease of use thing. It never died on me, but it's tendency to ignore MIDI data randomly is not a good thing for a live gig.

Roland is Roland. They suck. I own a ton of Roland products, and when I do call for service, they leave me on hold for like an hour hoping I'll go away. When they do pick me up, they offer no answers. Interesting quick story: I have a D-50 and use Voice Crytal sound cards. The D-50 display always blinks "Battery Dead...replace"(for the sound card). I called Voice Crystal and asked about that. They said that the sound cards now are ROM (hard wired and don't use a battery compared to the old cards that used a lithium battery). The Roland units don't see a battery and think it's dead. They've contacted Roland about this and Roland isn't too friendly or supportive of 3rd party sound support (which is weird, since that's what makes a synth useful after the company chooses to stop supporting it...which in Roland's case it pretty frequent). Roland refused to give Voice Crystal the exact line in the D-50s Operating System that controls that so they can disable the warning. So, as long as I can remember, before it tells me the patch name, I always have to see "Replace Battery..." That should tell you something about a company and it's support for it's customers.

Ahhhh...hmmm...I have a Korg 03R/W and I love it. If this was to get stolen, I'd maybe look into getting another one of those. The output is extremely hot (one of the hottest I've ever heard...I rarely turn the volume up past a 5th of a turn) and it's really easy to program performances and save them. It sounds good also and you can access all the efx and all from the front panel. Sure, I can't install the oh-so cool Roland Jazz Scat soundcard, but to be honest, since I put that in my 1010 I've never used it, either!

I'm a non-keyboardist looking for a few decent strings, pianos, and
organs, mainly to complement arrangements.
As such, I liked most of the acoustic pianos, and 3 or 4 of the string
selections. The organs were a big disappointment -- the distortion
present on some of the more aggressive patches was particularly bogus.
As with most digital distortion, it seemed to ride along next to the
basic sound, rather than integrating with it. Very nasty.

Editing without a pc was not even worth looking into -- it was very
unwieldy.

What I really found myself wanting was a way to simply kill the
over-the-top ambience (some of the presets are positively awash in
reverb.) There's a simple on/off button on Roland's 770 drum machine.
The inclusion of such a control on the front panel would have been
a big plus. Its absence, and the difficulty of the editing functions
in its absence, is really what pushed me to return the unit.

Roland's manuals have always needed work, and this one was no
exception. Not as bad as some, but still not very helpful.
For ease of basic use, the unit is wonderfully straightforward --
a couple of knobs, a cable hookup, and away you go. Using it in
any more advanced way, however, is nowhere near as easy.

A lot of this stuff doesn't apply, since it's a module. As I didn't
fully explore all of the advanced options, I'll pass on rating this section.

As I say above, I liked the strings and pianos. The organs fell down.
A lot of people above seem to like the guitars, but as a guitar player
myself I don't generally think synth guitars sound much like real
ones (I suppose the string and piano players out there might similarly
disagree with my liking the depictions of their instruments...)
Even real electric pianos sound like crap, so why would I even audition those presets -- a Frampton tribute?

I similarly have no use for "analog" synth patches, or for most other
individual instrument sounds, so I don't have any real opinion of those, either. Digital banjo, anyone? Gimme a break.

The basic sounds need less heavy-handed effects. These are obviously
targeted towards selling the unit during an in-store demo ("WOW! AWESOME!") but the fact that getting rid of them so that you can
replace them with your own is rather difficult for a dabbler such
as myself really hurts the unit's apparent ease-of-use.

I'm impressed when any synth sounds even remotely like anything it's trying to emulate, and the 1010 does have more than a few decent sounds, so I'll toss it a "6" for the nice job on the pianos, and move on.

Didn't have it long. It would occasionally have a brain-dump when
switching between modes and/or patches, but no more so than any other
digital device. It worked fine when left on one setting -- no drop-
outs or odd noises.

Never had the pleasure, tho their web site is decent -- so long as you
bear in mind that you need to look under the "Boss" subheading for a some stuff. No opinion of the human side of their customer service.

I returned mine. I needed it for a very narrow, specific range of uses, but despite its simplicity, I found that it wasn't quite what I I wanted.

I liked the unit's layout a lot, but when one attempts to go beyond
the very simple and intuitive basic operation, and start to tailor
the presets, it's a different story. A simple ambience on/off switch
probably would have been enough to convince me to keep the unit.
Unfortunately, it was not there.

Created to be used with a PC Editor. Useless manual

Everything seems ok with the editor. a Plus with one SRJV80 slot. no problems with MIDI.

Only the sounds from Session board are good. Due to low cost cheap DACs and effects, the sounds are all mediocre. No character, doesn't inspire. You get what you pay for. If you don't need all the sounds, get a JV880. its the most quite compared to JV1010,1080,2080,XP60,X80 (really).

Rolands are OK.

N/A

bought this as a temporary module to save up for a better one. despite its weakness, its really worth it. You get what you pay for. the noise is unbarable. good for 1st timer I guess. I own quite many stuff, Alesis QS7, Yamaha SY77, 01/w, Wavestation etc...... The only synth I still keep is Wavestation. because the sounds inspire you to create. good quality DACs.

Had it for 3 days only...
This is probably the easiest module I 've ever used...The version of soundDiver that came with it is a joke (2.3.1) so I ran to www.emagic.de and got the 3.0 version with is amazing.
editing patches became a game, also I use cubase which recognize the module right off so I can edit also within cubase.
Manual...huh..to be honest..never used it. But It looked like it is much better written and simplified than Roland used to.
For edditing I use the standard midi sample dump and not the serial pc connections so it's kinda slow.but htne midi has always been slow anyways.
Editing right from the front panel is quite a mess for those who might choose not to use sounddiver so it gets an 8.

64 voices of polyphony...not a whole lot if you sequence many keyboard parts with loaded chords but for $399 new.. I will not complain.
40 efx..the easiest way to access them again is Sounddiver so forget about realtime fx editing but this is not a synth but a module, so I'm not going to ask it to cook dinner for me.
Midi capabilities are standard like in every other module . nothing exceptionnal here.
Expansion capabilities are limited since only one exp slot is provided and the module is not polyphony expandable.
However, according that this little module is loaded with way too many sounds anyone could ever need,that's absolutely not a handicap.

Ok, this is the reason I bought this puppy: it included all the sounds from JV2080 and the session expansion board. I never owned a Roland JV module before, but I worked with a lot of them especially the xp50 and the JV1080. So I just wanted something that had all these sounds that I got used to and the JV1010 fulfils my needs.
If you're used to the Roland you'll not be impressed here because it's all deja vu but that's exactly what I needed.
I was happy to find the usual LA session piano and all the SA rhodes.
The guitars are very realistic as long as you don't decide to go solo on us. But they are excellent for accompaniement and if run thru a plug in like WARP VST (amp modeler) you could fool a few.
Drum kits: I am not a big fan of most JV kicks and hihats(they actually suck) but I do love the percussion sounds a lot(guiro, triangle,maracas,congas,etc..).
The sounds are for all purposes however you will not be avant-gardist with them unless you give them a special treatment. For example I run the JV1010 thru the audio input of a Korg MS2000r and use filters, resonance, lfo's ..whatever it takes to make it sounds different from the original sound.

Roland's equipment is pretty reliable in general but again I had this one only for three days so...
I do hate that wall wart ac adaptor.

I heard they 're the worst. That's what you get with corporates...

If it was stolen I'll chase down the motherf***er that got it and make him by me 2 more for the trouble.
Ok seriously, I would buy one again no doubt...unless the price of the XV 5050 goes down.
Overall this is an excellent module for those who just want to have the famous roland sounds without spending big.
I use it in conjunction with a Korg MS2000r, Native instrument's FM7, Reaktor, Battery an B4,Steinberg's Halion and TC's Mercury.
As a R'n'B composer this is just the perfect addition I was missing.

Without the soundDiver and a PC you just can't do anything to edit the internal sounds, but although I have installed it I use it just for disable reverb and other effects before recording.
I think that you really have a lot to do with presets before thinking about editing your own!!

It has all you could need, a generous poliphony, good midi implementation and the nice PC host port, quite useful. Obviously the sound diver for PC and Mac is sold in bundle with the JV.

I just love this thing. The piano sound from the expansion board is really nice, I prefer using my P80 piano sound of course but considering that you have more or less 1000 patches in this little box it was impressive anyway.
The soft pad and strings are AMAZING, and I'm just talking about presets! I do not even dare to think what you can obtain working with the sounddiver to create your own patches... the hammonds and electric basses presets in the "session" onboard module are great, and really you can find almost everything you could need for every kind of music. I cannot give 10 just because I miss a really good rhodes sound, the rhodes in the module are too "belly" for me...

It's just a couple of months that I have it, so I cannot say anything. But it's a second-hand one, so it seems quite reliable.

For the reason it's second-hand, I could not get the sounddiver CD: I requested it to roland and they've sent it to me for free...

I owned a JV2080 for six months, and I really have to say that this little box sounds exactly the same, maybe the output level is a LITTLE lower, but for the money you save I think this is a great deal.
So: if you do not think you're gonna edit every second the patches, and you need a clean and good sounding expander to use in different kind of music, this is the thing to buy.

Unlike most people on this list, I decided to forgo the presets on this module and head directly into the sound editing capabilities of the JV1010. Sure the instruments are layed out in a very intuitive manner broken up into sections of 10. The big surprise for me was the use of the Emagic Sound Diver Software (there is a patch on the Emagic site for it). Although the UI for it was extremely unintuitive, once you got around to the functionality, you could do just about any editing you want to the instruments. You simply need to know a little about FM synthesis and applying thise techniques to the digitally sampled instuments of the 1010. The Manual was a godsend. Especially when dealing with the System exclusives needed to do certain "on the fly" fx and patch changes from within Cakewalk. Very useful and friendly.

Knowing what you want to do with this module is an extremely important aspect for this piece of equipment. The ability to add extra expansion cards makes it very powerful. The sounds are extremely configurable to the point where the original sound can no longer be recognized. The 2 FX processors on the machine add an extremely versatile depth to the sounds created with the use of a proper sequencer, the 1010 is an extremely powerful Synth module.

The Sounds themselves are somewhat ho-hum...preset. The expansion cards you can add to it (both A and B) make this a much more interesting piece. Of course it depends on what you're trying to create. The original Synth sounds (which are highly configurable) turn this module into a perfect Techno synthesizer. The organs and woodwind instruments on this piece can have a little more flare to them. They do excel at the electric and distorted guitars. It seems that Roland had a hard time with the plain old uneffected instruments. The module is highly responsive to keyboard and sequencer activation via MIDI, while it is responds to subtle changes from the control very tightly. Very high marks here as well.

Without a doubt this is an EXTREMELY reliable. Especially with the fact that I received a 220V 0.3 Amp power converter and I need a 110V 0.3. I had to replace this plug with an old one I found with slightly less amperage. The module has never failed on me. If I were to tour (being a studio musician that makes it kind of difficult) I would be able to trust this implicitly.

N/A Never needed to call them up.

I would definitely buy this again. With almost all the power of the JV-2020 but at a third the price, this little module has more than paid for itself 2x over. I've been using it for 3 years now, and I'm constantly amazed by its power. It's a perfect addition to my studio. It is my primary pice of equipment.

I'm not using MIDI or the standard software that came with the JV 1010, so it would be unfair for me to judge those aspects of the machine. And the manual also was exteremely vague on how to access the percussion sounds, which was a big downfall. It took me nearly a month before I was able to figure out how to access them. However, using the rest of the instrumentation was easy enough, as was connecting the module to my keyboard.

The midi and expansion capabilies are nice, but you cannot edit any sounds, which is a slight downfall. Features were 'ok.'

The instruments were exceptional excluding the strings/orchestra section. The 20 acoustic/stage piano's were definetly impressive, and the 40 electric pianos I enjoyed as well. However, it lacked some 60's & 70's soulful electric pianos, some of them could have done without the bells to. The keyboard/organ section was very nice, the bells were fantastic! The exotic instruments and steel drums were a bit limited though. The guitar section was the absolute biggest surprise and best part of the jv 1010. The acoustic guitars were decent, but the electric guitars, specifically #22-#49, were just dazzling. The ochestral section featured below average violins (there were only 4) and decent strings, although allmost all of the strings sounded extremely synthetic. The synths were exceptional, great for all types of music. The foriegn instrument section was average, decent harps, but the reverb on them became annoying.

Sometimes my power source couldn't handle the amount required to play all of the synth's, so the module would freeze up when change channels. But that was the only flaw. It never shut down on me, and has been reliable for about 7 months now.

Never had to deal with them.

I loved certain aspects, but hated others. The jv 1010 is definetly NOT a solo module, although thats how I used it anyway. If you'd like to hear what it is capable of, here are two instrumental tracks I recorded with it: http://www.soundclick.com/bands/latente_music.htm.(once you reach the link, click "hi fi" or "lo fi" play to listen) However it was a great buy for the price, and featured quailty sounds.

I thought that this was rather easy to use and I enjoyed how nice most of the presets sounded. The only flaw is that the manual is basically useless; I only keep it to refer to the patches.

Though I haven't used Soundiver yet, I have read that it's pretty hard to use. I consider myself pretty good at learning software so I might check it out if necessary.

After hearing demos of all of the expansion boards available, I really wish this thing had more than 1 slot. I'm looking at either Orchestra I or II since those are pretty much the only sounds I use.

I really enjoyed the orchestral sounds. Everything else seemed too... strange for my tastes.

This thing seems pretty durable, even with it's small size. As for live performances, I pick up my Bach bass trombone and leave the electronics in my room.

Roland's (US) website was pretty hard to navigate and the search function was basically useless. Since I've never had to contact them directly, I don't think I can rate this category.

If this was lost or stolen, I would buy it again in a minute, even on a student's budget. My experience with this has been pretty good. I only have two complaints - 1) I wish it had a second MIDI In port. 2) I wish it had a better display than just the three numbers.

When it comes to making music, I still prefer to pick up the bone and blow, but I've had a lot of fun combining this with my keyboard (a Roland JX-1) and seeing what I can make.

Easy out of the box sounds , some of which are really nice.
A bit too hard too edit with soundiver a waste of time.

okay amount of sounds for the 449 uk pounds i paid but pretty much stick with the presets

mixed bag some are okay

solid

N/A

A useful addittion as a sound source, but I wanted more sounds and editability. I subsqently sold it and brought a 2nd hand 1080 for a little mo cash. I am now rockin with tha best! One day I will learn how to use it to its full capability.

Pretty easy to use on its own but learning how to use Sounddiver editing software takes time. Once you've got that down you have a lot more programming capability. The pianos, guitars, strings aren't bad. It's the synth presets that pretty much suck. The manual sucks too. The lack of a display is probably one reason why this is so cheap but you get what you pay for.

Getting an expansion card really does make a huge difference in # sounds and options. But you can find this thing on Ebay for under $300 and expansion cards are like $200! I think the cards are way overpriced. If I'm gonna spend over $500 I'm going to get a much more powerful synth module.

Well, for the price it's hard to complain about the utility of this module. Just know that editing with out a computer is pretty much non-existent and the acoustic sounds are good while the analog/synth sounds are weak. Basses are decent though. The biggest complaint I have with the JV-1010 is the WEAK VOLUME coming out of the box. When I played this along with analog synths and other digitals it was soooo quiet. I had to crank it to 10 or run it through a heavily preamped mixer to get any strength out of it. I think this is a major shortfall.

Very dependable and sturdy. It made it on the road several times, has been dropped, banged, and moved around a lot and I have never had a problem with it.

Never used.

I've had it for 2 years and now that my budget has expanded and I've upgraded to more powerful synths, I will probably be selling it soon.
I think it would be good for a non-synth player if they just want an all-around inexpensive module around to tinker with for acoustic sounds. The weak volume, editing limitations, generally thin sound are reasons why I wouldn't buy it again. If you get this look for a used one in the $200-$250 range. Definitely not worth $400 considering you can get a Korg MS2000R or Nord Micromodular for just a few hundred more!

The presets are amazing. It's easy to edit patches with the software, but that's the only way you can edit them. You can do a lot with the editor if you know how to use it. The manual isn't all that great, though. Could use a display with the actual patch/program name on it instead of a 3 digit LED, but for this deal, who cares? It is kind of a hassle reading the patch listings off of a seperate piece of paper, though. Sounds make up for lack of convenience.

I think it has 64 voice polyphony. One expansion slot, which is enough for me. 2 built-in multi-effects engines, which are superb. It has MIDI in, out, and thru, which is a standard among sound modules of this sort. It's really meant to be used with a computer, so it does not have an on-board sequencer. Easy to use live and for recording, especially if you sample (i.e. hip-hop, R&B, Rhythm& Praise) Overall pretty impressive for the price.

This is really why I bought it. QUALITY acoustic sounds. I love the guitars, organs, and pianos, especially on the Session card. The woodwinds and strings are amazing. The techno/dance/hip-hop sounds are OFF THE HOOK!! The 303 is just the way I like it. Nice sub basses. Nice pads. Excellents clavs and organs (they even click!)Excellent effects section. Wahs and phasers and all that other stuff just adds to the quality of sound. You have to try it for yourself though. I'm moving up from a Casio CTK-611, so I'm intrigued with the module.

It's not broken yet

Never dealt with them.

Hotnees! Pure hotness!. I've been playing for ten years and writing music for five, and this along with my Korg X5D inspire me every time.

It needs to be edited using the included software. Manual is useless. Presets are ok (see below)

Sounddiver software takes time to learn but is powerful.

Like the the guitars on the session board, horns, violins etc are weak.

Really made for studio use only (has a wall wart). I bought it when they first came out, and it still works.

They are friendly, but not incredibly knowledgable.

The line-out volume is ridiculously low. You have to crank it all the way just for it to be heard. Given that the jv-2080 can be had for about $800, and the TR-Rack is about the same or less, spend the extra bucks for one of those. The TR-Rack's sounds are far superior.

As mentioned by practically everyone, the 1010 is very very easy to get running out-of-the-box with the presets. Minor patch editing is possible from the front panel, but I wouldn't like to try this.

I was not impressed with the supplied Sound Diver software - I found it unintuitive, clunky, slow, and ended up giving up on it in the end. However, as I currently compose for acoustic instruments, I didn't feel a pressing need to edit the presets.

My initial impressions as a newcomer to the Roland JV engine though was that the editing model was rather inflexible and didn't really "click" for me.

It's a bare-bones stripped-down unit. Compared to the 1080/2080 it feels quite restricted - only 2 outputs, and editing feels inaccessible. Unlike other modules, it doesn't really scream out "edit me!". But you get what you pay for.

The 64 note polyphony is fine, depending on how you use the module. I use it in a multitrack environment, so lead instruments are recorded separately, and I can layer pads onto other tracks. However if you wanted to play an entire multitrack sequenced piece through this module you may run into problems, especially using some of the nicer layered stereo patches. But that's common to all 64-note polyphony modules.

I think that, taking this into consideration, the need for more than one expansion port is slightly negated in some cases - if you're using up all your polyphony on a string section on the Orchestral 2 card, there's not much you can do with an Orchestral 1 card that's installed simultaneously. This is even more the case as there's only a single stereo-pair output. I've not found it particularly limiting anyway. If I want different sounds I swap the cards (since it's not a rackmount module). It's a bit of a pain but I saved 50% on the cost of a 1080.

It does have an external PSU though, which is not uncommon, but still a bit of an annoyance. Not so much in a studio, but for live use I can imagine it could be a liability.

It has the regular MIDI in/out/thru DIN sockets, but also a serial interface which can be connected directly to a PC's serial port with a supplied cable. I've not used this interface, but I know from experience with other synths that have serial interfaces (Yamaha MU10, anyone?) that the timing tends to suffer amongst other things. It's more of a last-resort in my book. Whether this is an issue with the JV-1010 remains to be seen, but it wouldn't surprise me if the serial linespeed is slower than the ~33kbps-ish MIDI offers, which inherently implies that the timing will be poorer than MIDI. This is just speculation though.

Ohhh, what a mixed bag this is. The 1010 (like the other members of the JV series) are very much generic workhorse devices, designed to provide something for everyone.

Without the session/second expansion board it would be quite a mediocre module for authentic sounding instruments. The best of the on-board sounds (not including the Session set) is the synth stuff - the acoustic instruments are pretty crappy (in my opinion). The synth/dance patches are quite 80s-sounding, but the core sound-set can be tweaked to give more cutting-edge results. This is very much a film-soundtracker's tool, with some wonderful ambient and sweeping sounds.

The Session set has some fantastic patches - it's the first synthesized sax which I've been able to fool professional/trained musicians with. The pianos aren't too hot - the first three (Stereo Concert Grand, and 2 9ft grands) sound a bit feeble for my liking, although quite authentic. The fourth acoustic piano ("Euro Classic") is much much better in terms of timbre, scale, and responsiveness. Unfortunately this patch has some nasty top-end artifacts which make it sound almost like a 12-bit sample. I need to investigate the structure of this patch to determine whether it's a sample issue or just a poorly constructed patch.

Sadly, there are no string instruments or ensembles on-board or on the Session board which are any good. However, the "Orchestral 2" board has some really beautiful and usable ensembles, especially when you pair it with a sampler loaded with a Siedlaczek CD or something like that. This is what I use my 1010 most for.

Sound-to-Noise ratio though....I knew I was in trouble when there is a volume control on the front which adjusts the level of the primary (only) outputs on the back. Stick a noise gate behind it, and bury the 1010 in a mix and it's usable, but don't expect to get any usable solos out of it if you want a clean recording. I haven't been able to get a decent recording of a solo Piano out of it because of the noise level. This was extremely disappointing.

The effects processor is very nice. The reverbs aren't up to Lexicon standards, but they're definitely quite usable and warm. I haven't experimented much with the on-board effects though so I'm not really qualified to comment on the rest of the effects.

Beware when sequencing large multitimbral parts with the 1010, as it seems to lose timing accuracy when you feed it too much to do. This is most significant on the rhythm parts which die a horrible death when you throw too many MIDI notes at the unit.

And on the subject of the Rhythm parts, don't expect to get turned on by any of the percussion sets that come out of the box. I suppose with some creative EQ and effects the samples are usable in some context or another, but sadly not if you're trying to create a percussion part that sounds real/live.

Using the 1010 in a studio, and leaving it switched on 24/7, I find it's never actually crashed. In fact, the only time I had to reboot it in 4 months of uptime was when I screwed up the editing and had to restore the factory defaults. No problems here.

I've never tried to get support out of Roland for the 1010. I suppose that's a good thing. Based on the quality of Roland's website, and support I've had for another piece of Roland kit (a VSR-880), I'd have to say it's mediocre at best. But I can't say I have an opinion on this - I'd take the majority of other peoples' comments on this subject though as a good hint.

I think that, for the context in which I'm using the module, if I had to replace it I would spend the extra money and get a JV-1080.

To be honest, while the JV-1010 is by no means a dud, there are many things about it which I find an annoyance, and they all add up. S/N ratio, frustrating editing, lack of expansion, lack of outputs, external PSU...

But it IS a budget module. It would make an good addition to a JV-1080, as it is portable (so it's good for gigs), cheaper, and has an identical soundset and programming model. A 1080/2080 sequence would play identically on a 1010, albeit through a single pair of outputs, and as long as it didn't use more than two expansion boards, and one of them was "Session".

In retrospect, I WOULD have gone for the 1080 or 2080 instead, but that's because my requirements are more high-end, and the 1010 is designed to appeal to the low-end of the market. You just need to look at the marketing/box graphics for it which practically tries to sell it as a games/computer sound source. And if this is what it's designed to be, it really outstrips expectations.

Front panel settings are self explainitory and editing with sound diver is a total doddle. It sure beats editing a poly 800 or an MS6. I think some of the other reviewers might be a tad spoilt if they find Sound Diver a strain to use... Its interesting to read the reviews here for the 2080 (essentially the same machine at a higher price) and see people perfectly happy to edit the 2080 through the front panel which is akin to painting the hall through the letter box. Human nature is a curious beast. I find the 1010 quick and easy to produce useful sounds with without getting the urge to throw it out of the window.

64 voice with various filter and routing options. Upto 4 voices per patch with individual patch parameters per voice. Extensive real-time control possibilities. Expansion possible - but cards cost almost as much as the module... Only single stereo output. Adequate effects.

Well I don't listen to many acoustic instruments but they sound OK to me. Dance presets are cheesy but you can do a lot if you throw the presets away and start from scratch with the fairly useful set of waveforms. The internal waveforms seem to be quality over quality which is a good thing. The filters are pretty good - better than some real analog ones I'd say and the architecture is flexible enough to get some interesting noises out of it.

'Can you depend on it?' says the question. A resounding 'No!' would have to be the answer - the serial MIDI port seems iffy and lock-ups and/or failing to produce sound are a fairly regular occurance. I can't imagine trying to use it live.

I've not dealt with Roland in connection with the 1010 but well meaning unhelpfulness has been my experience with them in connection other gear.

It provides me with pads mainly. I only tend to use one sound at a time out of it so the lack of extra outputs and effects doesn't bother me. I don't have to fight it to make it do what I want and it was cheap - I didn't expect the earth and I wasn't disappointed with what I got. I wouldn't buy it again if aliens abducted it - I'd buy something different, but for the novelty, not because its no good.

Great 'plug and play' functionality, hook up a keybord, find a sound and record.

Haven't used the software 'cause i dont have any free serial ports but all the internal things work great

Drums are very weak but the strings, horns/brass, and bass sounds are very realistic. The synth sounds are good but I'm not into them. Has a reasonable signal to noise ratio.

No devestating problems, will stop reciving midi sometimes but not often

Love it. I'll probably get an expansion soon.

This thing is sooo easy to use, it's a darn shame. I haven't used the Sounddiver software, and really haven't wanted to. I only want to use it for presets. The manual is okay, but it's easier to fiddle around on your own.

I haven't ran into a problem with polyphony 'cause this isn't where all of my sounds are coming from. I would definitely recommend getting an expansion board like the Bass and Drums card. I own that in a rackmount, and it rules. I might add the Hip Hop board. The one thing that I REALLY DON'T like is that you can't save your performance setups (for sequencing). Everytime I want to work on a track later, I have to recall the sounds by my notes in the MPC. I knew this buying it, but it still upsets me. Plus, it's easy to crew up your sound assignments after you edit a patch (pan, level, etc.) if you don't set it back to that part/channel.

This muh-yucka sounds incredible. Especially the electric pianos. The acoustic are very useful also. The bass sounds are good, particularly the synth basses, but I pretty much only use the acoustic basses from the expansion. The strings are very good, as are the synth sounds...OMG, the synth sounds. They are killer!!! There are no better stock synth sounds than Roland's. I do agree that the drum sounds are on the not so great side. They're okay, good starting points, but I almost don't use them. Oh, and the output is on the low side.

I have to agree with James. I've had my unit stop receiving MIDI messages on five separate occasions. One time, I had to turn it off and on TWICE. This is an annoying bug, but it didn't begin to appear at least a year after I had it.

Never had to deal with them, and don't want to.

I would definitely buy it again, and it is definitely worth what I paid. At less than 500 bucks, it's a steal. Sure the little Korgs are more fully featured, but don't sound NEAR as good as this thing, and besides, the 1010 exists soley for access to 2080 sounds, and nothing else. I love the way it sounds, though I hate not being able to save my sequencer setup. I also own an original Quadrasynth, and originally purchased this to complement it, but now I only use it, and the B&D module. My next purchase is a Triton (rack, likely), and the JV will be a compliment to that. I love the sound of the Triton, as well as Roland's. If I had the money at the time, however, I might have purchased the 2080 w/Session board. But for three times the amount, I don't know. And since both have their strengths and weaknesses in sound (as well as having a "sound"), having the JV1010 allows me more options as a programmer.

Presets sound great and far better than more expesive modules. I have tried all modules and this one is the best for the price. Editor is easy to use via computer.

The 64 poly is great in such a small module. I would reccomend getting 2 module and put an Orch 1 and an Orch 2 card in it if you composing clasical music. It allows room for one expansion board.

Full strings are GREAT!!! If your looking for the BEST sounding orchestra on a small budget. Get 2 JV1010's and put an orch 1 in one, and an orch 2 in the other. Far better the emu's virtuoso 2000 which I bought and returned after spending 2 horrific weeks trying program the darn thing to get usefull sounds. JV1010 is great for getting a first impression before a reading of a piece without spending thousands on sample cd's, samplers, or digital studio's.

I have had mine for about a year without 1 single problem. Solid as a rock!!!!!

-----uh? What? Are you kidding?

I would buy it again!!! Love the portability, sounds, and expandability. Far better than Virtuoso 2000 when adding an orch 1 and 2 card. This module helps you do what you supposed to be doing...COMPOSING!!!! not spending 3 hours of prgramming to get it to sound realistic. Great for students and professional composers who want to get some quick hassel-free feedback on there lates composition.

Easy to use if all you want to do is select and play the preset patches. However its vey hard to do anything else unless you use the included editor software.

When using the editor software you basically get the same features as a JV 2080 with a 'Session'expansion board.

I've noticed a 'sluggishness' on drum tracks when pushing the polyphony to it's limit.

The effects are ok but there aren't enough of them and the processor is only three buss (reverb/chorus/multiFX).

Most sounds are generaly good especially the pianos and string pads. However the drum sounds are poor (there's not enough variation, especially between the cymbals).

My JV 1010 frequently crashes when I turn the 'Catagory Select' knob! i.e.) stops recieving MIDI and therefore stops sounding. Only by switching the unit off then back on again or turning the 'Catagory Select' knob to 'Demo' does the unit come back to life.

This unreliability makes it useless in a live enviroment and is an inconvenience in a studio enviroment.

I returned my original unit to Roland several times and they reluctantly replaced a few components then gave it me back saying there was nothing wrong with it, only for me to find that the fault still prevailed.

Eventually I got a relacement which had exactly the same fault!!!

Has anybody else experienced this problem? Do all JV 1010's have this fault?

The Roland custommer support is very... very... poor.

They usually took an unreasonable amount of time handling my unit each time I returned it.

I always had to make numerous phone calls to check the progress of each return. They rarely took the initiative to keep me informed.

They never once appologised for the inconvenience they were causing or offered to refund my return carriage cost.

If it were lost or stolen I would be so so happy (as long as it was covered by my insurance).

I have recently took my unit to a local Roland representative who verified that it has a fault. Roland have since told me that there is nothing they can do to cure the fault so I am seeking a full refund.

This is the first piece of Roland gear that I have bought and this experience will ensure that its the last.

The Presets sound great! This was my first purchase of a sound module and just starting to get into midi. I don't know about the editing of patches. The limited documentation (on CD-Rom) did't explain exactly what the editing software is or how I could use it. The PDF file of the SoundDiver program began with the use of SoundDiver. I wish that the prefacing chapters had been included. I'm not geeked out enough on the techno jargon to understand what they are trying to teach me. "Okay, now all you have to do is click on the bi-polar deflatulator to tweak the forward bias and that will bring up your anti-digenous coflodgitator for simple editing! Great isn't it! Now happy editing!" Who could start with that? ;-) I'm still pleased with the unit, I wish I didn't have to do so much research to understand what I have and how to fully use it.

Great polyphony,effects, limited expansion, midi easy to use. I play the drum sounds on my DK10 and am very pleased.

Realistic sounds which are easily accessable, works with any type of music and can be tailored to specific genres with expansion boards. It reacts very well with my CakeWalk sequencer, midiK.I.T.I pro, KAT DK10 percussion controller and the Casio MK1800 keyboard. Velocity and aftertouch very responsive.

Very dependable so far. Have used it for practice, sequencing and on stage. Not a single failure.

Haven't dealt with the company yet, but, I have trusted Roland for over 20 years and have not the slightest inkling that they wouldn't support this product to the satisfaction of the customer.

Worth every penny and the drive it took to go make the purchase. I have had this unit for about 6 months and use it every day. I haven't had any other units to compare this with, but, as far as I'm concerned I don't need any others......unless it would be one more JV1010!

Plug it in, turn it on, start twisting the knobs, pick a catagory and start listening. Getting up and running with presets is simple. When you want to start working in the multi-timbral world it still works the way you'ld expect... once you guess which mode to be in. Roland's architecture has always been a little confusing to me. You have 5 MODES: MIDI, PATCH, PERFORM, RHYTHM, and GM. Of all of those, I can understand MIDI, PATCH and GM. The need for the others still eludes me. Since the manual is on a CD-rom, you can't just take the manual to the toilet for a nice long b.m.

After you get into the editing software, you realize that you have purchased a very good sounding synthesizer with very flexible editing capabilities. I had been using it with Digi Perf and was pleased with how I could go back and forth to the editor (even though the editor requires OMS and DP requires FreeMidi).

The effects are very nice, and fairly tweakable, although not as extensive as one might like, they've covered the basics and added some very special extras.

You've probably read in other reviews that this synth puts all of the bell & whistle buttons into a software editor. If you need to tweak your sounds, it's well worth the install. It will show you what a powerhouse synth you have. My 8 is for the features in the software. But it requires OMS, and will not work with FreeMIDI.

I bought the 70's keyboards expansion board which I think is very good, particularly the fender rhodes sounds and hammonds. In hindsight, I might have been better served with the orchestral sounds instead.

IN MY OPINION, its kind of a mixed bag. There are two reasons to buy this box, #1 The synth sounds to me are really good especially if you make techno/dance/electronic music and #2 the acoustic piano, which is very nice sounding in stereo, has two velocity levels and doesn't sound like shit in mono. They used a low-pass filter with the cut-off wired to velocity. I edited the piano so that the filter wasn't making the soft notes quite so dark.

The drum sounds are not so good--my main problems are with the hi-hats (a pretty important sound to get right.) The others drums are ok. But I find the KORG drum sounds to be more usable and realistic.

The string ensemble sounds are acceptable. But I find the other orchestral instruments to be too fake sounding.

I think it's a great first synth. You get many of the functions and sounds of a more expensive synth, a very good piano, an expansion slot for the card of your choice, good polyphony, nice effects. Although the presets are very good, it's particularly a good value if you use the editing software.

I have a JV-1010, Korg NS-5R and a K2000 w/ sampling. I like the half racks for quick sounds, ideas, low budget things where I don't want to sift through my very unorganized sample library. When I need realistic sounds, I always use the sampler.

Excellent. I don't know what some of the reviewers are complaining about. This couldn't be easier to use for what it is. Perfect for the MIDI setup, and easy enough when all you have is a keyboard controller.

For the money, how can you go wrong? It's basically perfect for $400 brand new and $340 used. Can anyone tell me of another current synth module for that price with this many features? Nope -- not in this range, and in a range of a couple hundred dollars more.

Again, for the money how can you go wrong with this for a low-cost general-purpose module or as an expansion to other gear? The complaints about this being an inferior-sounding synth when it sounds as good as a JV-1080 or 2080, in general, are unfounded. It isn't a Korg Triton, and we all know that. But for $400 how can anyone complain? It sounds as good as or better than anything close to its price. I have a friend producing miracles on an old piece of junk Kawai synth and he would have a field-day with this one. As for the usability of the outputs for professional recording, I haven't compared it thoroughly with its siblings, but who cares? The output quality is good enough for most projects, if you know how to record it. For the money, if your music sucks on this, it will suck on other similar gear in the same price range.

Probably just fine. Seems well built. Roland gear has held up for me through the years.

Have no idea. Never had to call them in 12 years. Their stuff has always worked for me. Their website sucks, however, so I'll give them a "5" -- they need to get with it and have plenty of specs, photos, and audio demos of EVERYTHING.

For the money, you simply cannot go wrong with this. $400 new and $340 USED is a bargain. It has a plethora of sounds, many of which are extremely usable, and with some tweaking on a computer, you can generate some wonderful results. It's a good tool. I highly recommend it and I'm impressed with Roland's dedication to bringing such a good soundset out at a reasonable price. When you think of it in terms of MONEY, you'll understand my point of view. Think of this: You can buy a single, good sample library for $200-$300 for your sampler. You can buy a single, good expansion card for $200-$300 for various synths out there. This is ONLY $400! Pretend you're buying a "Roland JV-2080 sound card" for one of your other synths... only this one comes with its own outputs an, an okay FX unit, and over 1000 sounds. Not too shabby.

Could be easier, but cheaper with less lights and buttons.

Great features as far as I've experienced it. I wish it had 2 effects processing units, though. But that would bring the cost up. :(

Great sounds. Sometimes awesome. If you know how to use it, you pick only the best sounds for your compositions, you edit patches, and you get the reverb and effects just right, you can create something absolutely phenomenal! Get the orchestral I board to fill this card out, it is an EXCELLENT addition (just make sure you add enough reverb to orchestral sounds to bring out full quality).

If you want to hear this module in action, check out my music site at http://www.mp3.com/beyondmusic

I compose using only a JV-1010 and a SB-Live! soundcard. My song 'Mystery of the Stars' uses the Orchestral expansion board for a few instruments, but most instruments are stock JV-1010 or modified JV-1010. Only JV-1010 is used for this song! Awesome potential for beautiful compositions, check it out!

Reliable. Knob acts a bit funny sometimes, jumps a couple numbers at once. Probably just over-use.

Haven't needed any yet! Thank goodness.

I would definiately get this module again if I lost it or it was stolen. Even after hearing the Korg Trinity I would not give it up because of the overall uniqueness of sounds and the great quality on most of the instruments. Plus it's so cheap!

I'm using a full version of Soundiver 3.0 and it seems to work fine. For using a single sound source at a time it is very easy to use as you just dial in your patch. You cannot reasonably edited the sounds from the front panel so it loses points for that.

I have the original Orchestral board installed. It's got a really shitty effects processor too. It's very small though, I like that.

I got this unit for a really good price with the Orchestral board soley to have access to string and orchestral percussion sounds immediately. The built in sounds are pretty much garbage and the first thing I did was turn off the effects. It has the weakest, most nastily coloured reverb I have ever heard. The orchestral board is useable, and the sounds are easily available, so it's easy to compose with it rather quickly. When it's time to record I usually use my Emu E5000 with the Miroslav collection to give a more full sounding orchestral sound.

I would not bring it live for fear of embarrasement.

I used to work in a retail music store so I had to deal with Roland on many an occasion. They were generaly alright guys, but all seemed to be acting so fake. My opinion is that they don't really like the gear they are supporting

If it were lost or stolen I would not buy it again, unless I could get it for $100. It serves it's purpose but it's role in my studio is very limited and sometimes I feel like selling it to buy more "real" gear. I apologize to anyone who feels I am being a snob here and can only say I am. I think roland gear(post-Analogue Roland, Jupiter-8's and Modulars are gorgeous!) is complete shit designed by a commitee. Other gear I use is a Waldorf Microwave XT 30 voice, Emu E5000 ultra, Korg Prophecy, Clavia Nord Micro Modular, Yamaha FS1R, Waldorf Pulse, Peavey PC1600x, Lexicon MPX 1, MPX 100, Vortex, Motu 2408 on a PC (I know PC's suck cause of Microsoft, but what you gonna do eh?), Reaktor,Line 6 Pod, Portable Sony Minidisc recorder, Behringer preamp, compressor, DI box, mixer and patchbays, CAD E-100 microphone, Midiman Midisport 8x8s. As you can probably tell, there's alot more for me to play with for fun than a JV-1010, but hey, sometimes a little shit is all you need to complete a great meal.