Roland PMA-5

has some useful presets that can be copied into user styles for editing, the manual is readily available at the roland website under support/product manuals. its a neat little band-in-a-box that also serves as a sound module for MIDI controllers.

you can type in any chord progression/polychord and it will play according to whatever preset style you choose, you can mute any of the 4 tracks it creates with that information, and use it as a jam track.
you can also create your own styles and enter a MIDI input using a MIDI instrument/drum machine/computer if you know how to hook it up to those devices as well as dump its data to MIDI librarian

it's useful with a BOSS loop station and as the sound module for my Roland PK-5A. Runs on 6 AA batteries (9 volt adapter). for what it is, it's amazing.

it will never fail if used well.

they honour their warranties any everything they make is built like a tank. the pleather cover it a bit cheesy but its necessary. i bought mine used for $100 with no maunual/stylus, i use a guitar pick to edit things.

it's a useful gadget to own, glad i bought it, i own lots of roland/boss equipment and instruments. everything i ever bought that bore those names was good.

Its easy, the menu system is not that bad. Holding the stylus on peramiters gives an up/down function. Working with a keyboard/Midi input is easier than trying to enter notes and sequences on the keypad.

Step time is not bad - standard roland/Boss type *---*---*---*--- grid shows where you are. Real time is record is standard type.

I think Roland always do well with user interfaces. It took me a couple of hours with this to know my way around it, there are not many menus and its kept simple

Midi is fairly standard, in/out the box is portable and can be run on batteries and put in a coat pocket, so that has to be a feature in itself.

Its got a sequencer, a drum pattern editor, and poly/multi - so sort of walkstation. The problem is that it does all of these things but doesn't do any of them particularly well, but bearing in mind its size what can you expect?


My main grumble is that the synth sounds and effects are preset and press, I wouldn't say they give much scope for editing,so you are stuck with what they thought sounded good back in the day of the sound canvas. They are a good bunch of bread-and-butter sounds granted, but if they could be edited I'd score this higher.

If you like to tweak and twiddle with sounds, the PMA will disapoint.If you like to construct songs and arrangements while on the move, it probably doesn't have many rivals

The song feature allows you to construct drum patterns, with chordal riffs, so you can say record the patern in C-Major, then when it is carried over to the song mode there is a nifty "chord track". This can be thought of like an arpegiator, or similar to el cheapo casiotone acompaniement track - but on the PMA-5 you program the pattern you want. This feature is superb, and works really well.

As above, the sounds are soundcanvas. Slightly dated, and a tad lacklustre. The "real" instruments are not terrible but lack presence,e.g. the Piano sounds, which the machine tries to compensate for by cloaking with a dose of rather nasty digital reverb.

The basses on the whole are quite good as are the strings and pads. The analogue/synth samples don't do the machines that they have been sampled from any justice whatsoever.

The drum kits are reasonable, you get quite a few of them, including 3x room kits and some FX.

Great sound is not the point of the PMA. Its not bad - just slightly mediocre.

Yes, Its been through a lot. I've owned it 3years, dropped it several times, stood on it once (not the screen thankfully) and generally given it a hard time. It travels with me frequently on holidays etc.

The only signs of wear are that the "filofax leather" case sheds black bits all over anyone that touches it. I have since unscrewed the leatherette case and may one day send it away for re-upholstering.

Apart from that, typically Roland. They don't seem to do flimsy, Unlike lesser instrument makers.

Never tried, the manual is OK though

If I lost it or it was stolen, I'd be annoyed but I'd get over it I'd probably add some of my own cash to the insurance claim, and get a cheapy sound module for pads and an alesis MMT8 for sequencing.

Its a cool bit of kit, I mostly use it as a sequencer and to pad the mix out, and it does a fine job. I also like to take it on walkabouts, I'd miss being able to do that.

It is easy, but if you have the manual, better.

Is the strong point.
It is what it is, the best travel sequencer. 20 songs. This is a creative tool for composing and practicing.
You can choose a lot of chords and song parts.
Really the best portable tool for the musician.

It is what it is. It is not for a Gold CD. Not for recording.
It sound well. The best for portable Arranging and composing.

I had not problems.
It is like a book. Well protected.

I would buy other.

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OK Roland, I have been a staunch supporter of Roland Australia's customer support up until now. I bought this unit from Mall Music at Waringah Mall as an ex-demonstrator. They told me that it had a battery leak which I figured would be cheap enough to fix (it was...Thanks Graham at Centauri Music, Tamworth (10 bucks you legend)). They did NOT tell me it did not come with a manual or stylus...so I guess that gives you an insight into the Ethics of Mall Music, Waringah Mall....unscrupulous bastards which trade off the ignorance of poor little rich kids on the north shore...shame!!!!!.

Now, when I rang Roland Aus, I had a great chat with Justin, nice bloke who like me was stunned at the asking price of $180 for the manual and quickly agreed to sell it to me at cost $70 !!!! still not cheap. Then when it arrives I find this pissyt little 142 pages of toilet paper. Roland....your attitude to manuals is a complete and utter fucking disgrace...check out your competitors websites to see what I mean.

I don't really care, I'm going to flog thiis thing on Ebay.

most of the basic function are intuitive...Clear manual

4 editable midi track ...very fragile midi in/out...

good sounds ....for the size.standard effects..(echo/delay)

Could be usefull for emergency back up but it's too fragile...would'nt recommend it for main gear for gig/club.

Never had to deal with the company.....

I would recommend it for composing on thew road ..or rapidly put a song together......Excellent and practicle composing/back-up tool!!

Yes, it has an extensive manual.
But I've never had to read it. You turn it on and poke and
realize you have a good thing.

Lotsa stuff, some of it could be better but c'mon.
Midi is sufficient for a WX11, so I'm happy.

Sound Canvas based. Does most I want.

It has nearly as many flyer points as me! Very reliable.
(Hint: writing songs on a PMA in a plane is fun.)
Of course I wouldn't go to a gig with one of anything.
Tho' I did do two gigs and a vid in Paris with just a PMA
and bad french, go figure.

Roland are never friendly. If you are having customer-support
problems then call technical service and chat a bit and ask
to be transferred :)
Then again I've never needed support on this device.

I think it's a great thing. Certainly the best travel device
I have (airlines get annoyed if you wanta bring a hammond as
carry on - they certainly won't let you play it ...).
I like my PMA.

No problems here. I've used it in live performances with over 50 of my song structures. I created a way to store up to the 200 songs

Features are easy to use. The como to the computer allows me to use my computer program to create full sequences to use on the pma5. I like the sound generator on the pma so I use it when recording.

All sounds are cd quality

Bought it when it first came out and have never had a problem with it. Its amazing that a company can produce such a fine instrument then in the name of improvement kill a perfectly good instrument. As a former reliability engineer for a major company I can honestly say that this pma5 probably exceeded all it expectations. Probably thats the reason for discontinueing it. Can make no more money off of it.

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8 sounds are alot better than i expected,the last machine i used was a yamaha drum machine in the 80s,so i was impressed.

10 this unit seems very study and im hard on my equipment.

the problem is if you own a regular pc you have to find a cable,i bought a hosea off the web,another problem is figuing out how to get songs onto the computer or songs from the computer into the sequencer.

The reason i wrote this is because the main reason why i bought the pma was to download a midi song off the web put it onto the pma and use it for my backing band.Someone in here said they have yet to stump it,i did int the first 10 minutes of owning it.if anyone has figured out how to do what im trying to do email marshalljcm2000@msn.com.The GS mode seems useless because you cant record in that mode.

Packed with nice features, I'm in a Prog band and we find all kinds of uses for this little blighter. Its a little dated now (ten years old) i wish it took memory cards and had usb interface but I can't complain really. (i have lost my manual please can anyone help me?)

the pianos sound great, very real, although I never use them. But I do find use for a whole range of the other sounds from 80s style synths to ethnic kotos and violins. I never use the drum sounds but they all sound very good (no velocity)

I seems very reliable, I have never used it at a gig but I know you can get a footswitch to trigger it so it could become very usefull.
I got mine from a traveller in India so it has been all over the world and still looks new and works fine.

I CAN'T GET A MANUAL..... Roland no longer have the manual, If anyone out there is willing to scan/photocopy me theirs I will find some way of rewarding you and covering all your costs..... PLEASE HELP ME... email: hellsengineer@yahoo.co.uk

If I lost it, I would get a new one. I have a portable studio for travelling (laptop, mbox, rode nt5s, zoom pfx 9003, sm58,) and what else could supply me with loads of synth and instrument sounds?
PLEASE CAN SOMEONE HELP WITH A COPY OF THE MANUAL

If you can imagine it, you can do it with the Pma-5..I've yet to stump it!..

I need a new touch screen, mine was damaged,any info would be greatly appriciated

All you could ever need, a portable symphony!..

I need a new touch screen, mine was damaged,any info would be greatly appriciated

very realistic drums and keyboard instruments..sounds like an authentic Grand piano

I need a new touch screen, mine was damaged,any info would be greatly appriciated

I need a new touch screen, mine was cracked damaged I have had a hard time finding out how to replace it..Any Info would be greatly appriciated..

Well, this will be my first test on the company itself and its support of its customers..I hope you can help..I love your products..

I love it and adore my Pma-5..It is the must musical assistant that anyone could ever ask for..It has never musically failed me, Ive yet to come up with something that the Pma-5 cannot do..I love it and miss it..All i need is a new touch screen panel, and my life would have piece and creativity again...

The PMA-5 is a blinding piece of kit even in the most in-experienced hands,the only niggling problem with the unit is the collision detection when using the stylus and on screen keyboard(i.e. the start point of the note D bleeds slightly into the C before it and so on)but this is easily solved when using a master board.
This unit is a slightly trimmed down and portable version of the MC-303/505 which are good beginers pieces of kit in thier own rights though a little flat sounding at times but all the menu navigation and basic control seem largely the same- simple but a few too many sub menus.
programming songs is fun but only with external control as find the collision isues with the stylus causes some infuriating mistakes.

MC-303/505-U 220 Sound set,customary helicopter door slamming girl screaming car crashing sfx,very usable but only realy for dance music by numbers.the saving grace is the tb-808/909 sounds wich give you an excellent portable drum machine(the biggest problem when jamming at 3am is not being able to turn the drummer down!)
The sequencer though quite basic is also quite competant and what you would expect from a unit of this size and price and even in 2004 the features don't look that jaded though the polyphony is seriously lacking by todays standards.

as i mentioned in the features the sound set seems to be a very common Roland set used in several units and racks,very early 90's but some great bass and stabs which tend to lean the unit to bedroom dance music but coupled up with a juno 106 you can cause some serious disruption to the neighbourhood!and set of a few car alarms.Effects wise you are better editing through external units and a compressor is a must especialy with some of the speaker shredding bass effects you can create.

Never had any problems with my unit yet but i own several pieces of roland gear,my keyboards have been back to the shop a few times namely for the keyboard membrains to be replaced and the service has been quick and surprisingly cheap about $20 a time,though trying to get replacement sliders for the juno has been a long drawn out task but then god gave us e-bay!
In regards to the pma-5 dc adaptor is a must as these eat batteries like fat men eat pies!
Also a sonic detector for the stylus would be a handy feature especialy in a dark room.

not had to use them for this unit yet and i've had mine three years(2nd user)my friend had it since 98 from new without fault
All my dealings with Roland UK have been brilliant and the support base in the uk seems second to none.

A breath of fresh air kids got the gameboy,teenagers got the mobile phones, mum got the i pod and the rest of us get the pma-5
PLEASE PLEASE ROLAND update this product it's been nearly ten years.
overall a competant little box of tricks which still holds it's own in 2004 if only it could be expanded!and writing to smart media or memory stick would be a great idea for the next gen if we get one!

YUYO M.C
www.yuyomc.com
First of all the Roland PMA-5 believe it or not is the most and the best instrument I have ever owned I make traks with it and also were ever I go the PMA - 5 go's with me I'm an Artist and also a DJ .
take it from me PMA-5 was the most best thing in my life it is a verry helpfull instrument and I would not ever give it away for nothing in this world.

the Sinthetek bass and the violins sounds like a real person is actually playing it.
the tr-909 and tr-808 drums as long as you add more bass and a little effects you have a booming sound.

yes. verry realistic. I love this product. the state of the art as many of my people in the studio say it.
I have my guy's freaking out because of the magical things you can do with the PMA-5 I'll always give it a 10 to 2 thumbs up!

always I love the PMA-5

trust me if you dont have a instrument in the studio that your original keyboard has the PMA-5 will take you by surprize.

yes I would .

Presets Sound are good. Editing is simple. Manual is big.

No really keyb - touch screen. But thru Midi keb is OK. This item is ideal for Portable Master Keyboards. Have SQ and it is flexible!

Good instruments. Effects good but limited to basic Roland Style.

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It is a toy dedicated only for musicians. Others sorry - buy a portable MP3 or CD player.

Ive been producing Hip hop for a few years using the MPC2000 now with this PMA It makes it alot more adaptable plus I use my Vestax PDX2000s with it and they all line up well. It need a back light for gigs and more drums but I enjoy evey moment I have with this handy take anywhere out of date device. http://www.webspawner.com/users/276k/
I want an updated version when it comes out definately

MIDI in and outputs.The style tracks are usefull when you erase all of the others and you could produce loops and mix them at will the song track is not as good as the loops it produces. I guess I need to find out how it works. There is one problem the stereo output is either stuck in a Mono output or I just dropped it one too many times? ohwell Ive made over 30 songs with just that PMA and my turntables and that is money in the bank iight peace

Some sounds are distorted MAY EVEN BLOW YOUR UNIT UP WATCH OUT FOR THAT!

I would not use it at a gig unless i had midi or digital back up of tracks cause they could get lost DANGER

Im about to call em and have take a look at mine cause of my stereo output is MONO I hate MONO

I would buy a new one for travelin and chillin its like a gameboy for producers

It's a bit difficult to learn but once you have done with it, it's ok.
Navigation is easy and I think it's awesome for a small device like this.

Not too many features but some very useful. You can do songs or loop.
You can change tone and modes in your loop and I think that is very cool for someone learning jazz.

Sounds not too bad for a device like this. I mean I've so much synth who sounds worst than the pma. It s acceptable for sure but I don't suggest you to gig with that.

As I said, I don't think it sounds good enough to gig with. I use it in recording for a click.

Had no problem with mine yet.

I had a fantastic deal with the PMA-5 and I still happy about it. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to play better any instrument. I was a guitarist who switch to bass at school and it completely change my life. I improved so fast and I still can't beleive it. I use it now to play drums and play piano.
For sure, this product worth every bucks I've paid for.

This is what Roland is all about. The presets on this thing blew me away. I couldnt belive the songs and complex arrangements coming from this little box. editing is a pain sometimes but getting an idea down is a breeze. This is my only "SYNTH" and I have come to love it. I havent been completly through the manual I just learned the basics of the sequencer and now its quite simple to opperate.

Since ive only been using the 4 sequencer(Backing) tracks i havent really had a problem with polyphony. I was looking for more effects from this unit. but I have become happy with the several reverb and chorus effects because you can change the value for each track(very useful). I dont think it was meant to be expanded in any way. The MIDI i guess is very extensivesince there are several pages in the manual to explain it. but I just hook it up to match my sampler (SP-505)boss. The sequencer is great you can alter the effects for each track but you can only use the two effects You can change the Pan and volume for each track. It sounds great.

Not every sound is up to par.especially in the lower ranges. high pitch sounds great. There are alot of very usable sounds in here. I use the organ sounds very much and alot of the synth and string sounds. I would not mark off points for bad sounds the sounds are great. Any type of music that would need piano or string sounds or horn or bass sounds would like this box. this is the only sound module Ill ever need. All I need is a synth and a drum machine. and perhaps a better controller. I use it alot for hip hop and industrial and dance. It does react to velocity and aftertouch with a midi controller. the effects surprised me how good they are.

I hve never had a problem with break downs. I would use this on a gig without a backup

Ive never dealt with customer support.

IF I were dumb enogh to let this get lost or stolen I would definetly get this again since it is so cheap. I got mine on ebay for $200 dollars virtually unused in original box. but on ebay it would cost about 150.The only thing i hate about it is you can only use one drum track. but with my sampler it is very nice. I just need A DR-202 (boss) and a SH-32 Roland. and ill be set for quite a while. I was looking at the portable yamaha sequencer. but it costs way too much.

Preset are good, it comes with a little bit of everything. Editing is a pain. The touch screen is easy to use but navigation between functions is confusing... Once you spend some time with it, it works fine and is pretty versatile.

Features all the basics you would expect in a roland synth, including editable effects. The PMA-5 is a hand held portable (runs on batteries or power supply) midi synth music editor/composer and is fully midi programmable from the 2'x 3' touch screen. Very flexible but not so easy to use..

Drums, horns and synth sounds are great. Bass and guitars are OK, compared to some of the newer sounds I've heard. Overall sounds very good.

I've had this for 4 years, never had a single problem and I use it alot. You have to be careful not to loose the stylus for the touch screen.

Never had to use customer support, so that should say something Rolands Customer Support strategy.

I've owned for 4 years. When I replace the PMA-5 I would not buy another because I work most often from my PC. I would purchase a rack mount... I use it with Cake Walk.

Back in 1996, my home studio was destroyed in a fire, and I had to start all over again... from scratch. The first thing I bought was a PMA-5, to work anywhere at all while the studio was being fixed up (and that took months!). Next, I got myself a remote Roland keyboard and I had a laptop running Cubase. That was all I had for some time. Having been briefly through the manual at first, I quickly got a grasp of what the functions were, and it was all pretty logically laid out and I didn't have any sort of learning curve with the PMA-5.

The PMA-5 can be used in several ways... it can be a:

1) sequencer with auto-arranging and numerous types of musical styles, many being well-programmed and useful for a quick Tango, for example - just dial in the chord symbols, press play and sit back and listen. These styles can be basic construction kit bits that then can be tweaked further on an external sequencer.

2) it can be used as a notepad type of sequencer, but is best used attached to a remote keyboard.

3) As a notepad sketchbook, the stylus input is far from ideal, as you can't play chords with the stylus. But you can sit on a bus, train or a plane and tinker with things, plot in an idea and that sort of stuff which is probably why they called it a Personal Music Assistant.

The sounds are actually not bad at all, and I've used some of the sounds on records. There's a very good Rhodes that outshined a Kurzweil at a session some time ago... The drums are a little bit thin, too much bass drum in my opinion compared to the rest of the kit but nevertheless usable in a GM/GS kinda of way. This unit is really an all-rounder, however not really specializing in anything in particular.

This unit is very reliable - never had the slightest problem with it!

Roland in Scandinavia are usually helpful and fast... but as I never had any problem of any sort with any of my Rolands I cannot say that I've put them to test!

By now I'm fond of my PMA-5, and a musician I work with (who's also a tutor) bought one with my recommendation and has been extremely happy with hers. I'd buy one if it got lost, right off the bat! Some years ago BTW, Q Magazine gave it a rating as a "top Yuppie must-have gadget" and "perfect Xmas gift". It has a certain pose factor, I guess, as musicians invariably inquire "what's that??" (LOL).

So you realized, what's NOT possible: very intuitive, very easy.
Two exceptions: i needed neede 12 seconds more to understand the settings of the StyleTrack, another 23 secs. for the assembled ChordTrack. ;-))
Editors: these wonderful pen-touch-mode ... I'd like to have it on my computer ... VERY handy !

The combination of 4 Pattern- & 4 (free) Songtracks fits mostly, more would decrease overview (this is _no_ minimalism ;-)).
More tricky: envelopes !
The unit sounds clean, hi-fi-like, but if the (at least amplitude-envelopes) would be adjustable ... sometimes I need to chose patches because of their attack rate rather than their SOUND ... (unneccessary stupid ...).
Other lack-of-brain: you can use much more controlers in an 16ch-Multi-TONEMODULE-mode (i.e. sound canvas). Why can't I switch portamento or drag filters with this internal sequencer ?
Contemporary composer's micromalism ?
Mail me your ideas ... ;-))

see above: I don't believe in a software update, but it is not the place to discuss the general worth of GM boxes ... this unit does nothing more than GM, - but at it's BEST (I recorded two songs using the PMA only - & DRY, just added vocs, and done ! No re-arranging in well equiped stuidio / with surprising result: no-one realized the restriction to the box ... great !

Perfect. Never any loss of data, instandly availlable, great for each kind of notes,

Roland (in germany) is/was always extremly friendly, over the years. Although I did not ask till know, if ...
- it is possible to wipe some dust from the display's INside
- it is possible to MERGE dumps, 'cause I use the PMA-5 often as a funny add during my livesets ... (running the latest jokes or ideas while changing setups)

There's nothing compareble on the market, I think.
I love it's quick access couple with its safe memory; and I "hate" that the internal secueuncer has some undeclareble "holes" built in ...
A lot of non-musicians asked me: What's that ?!" or "How much ...?".
It's a very good notepad. THEY SHOULD HAVE PLACED MORE (different) DRUMS in its ROM.

Stylus entry is very intuitive. The lack of backlighting, already documented by other posts, really reflects the age of this unit. It was a trade off I'm sure in terms of overall cost and battery life. If/when they ever decide to come out with a new one, I'm sure it would include a backlight. I did purchase the Mac file exchanger and was very, very pleased with it. They threw in a lot of excellent extra styles which was a very pleasant surprise. At first I kinda grumbled that the file converter wasn't bundled with the unit, but I'm glad I got it and thought it was a good value.

Regarding the features. Again it is showing its age. New units have much greater polyphony.

I was disappointed that the stylus note entry is monophonic. (I too am a drummer. I bought an extra stylus and was hoping at least for two voice realtime input.) And the dynamic levels are not 128 separate steps but instead divided into 8 different levels. But frankly, I didn't notice it affecting the sound/performance in my application. I find the important sounds exceptional. (bass, drums, fx, etc.)

The design of the software is rock solid... (The MIDI aspects etc. flawless.) The main connections are surprisingly less than robust. This is the first unit that I have owned that the MIDI connection went bad on. (I use a workaround by using the serial connection.) Also, I saved potential problems with the line out going flakey by using a very thin mini extention cord. It is from this extension that I then branch out to RCA's or two headphones or whatever I might need. Doing that saves wear by reducing stress at the unit's mini input jack.

The few times I have had to deal with Roland tech support they were not helpful at all. But I never dealt with them with this particular unit. And as I mentioned i was very happy with the additional computer interface package for the unit that I ordered from them.

OK, I listed a lot of aspects that I wish were improved. And I actually have a few more. I wish that there was a way to enter PMA chord and style info from the computer and download into the unit. The SMF files don't allow as much interaction on the unit and take up more memory. (And I wish there was more memory!!) But I still have been overly satisfied with it. I have owned it for quite a while and I really enjoy most of the most important aspects of this machine. The essential rhythm section sounds are quite good. I like the piano and bass especially and there is decent variety in the drums. The stylus entry is great... soloing and muting parts, or loops- very quick and intuitive... I like that the screen prompts the chord changes a half bar ahead. Very clever and useful. There are some excellent styles.

The main competition at this point is the Yamaha, which benefits from more recent updating. And maybe the other competition is a laptop with Band in a Box and a Sound card. But neither of these options represent the instant startup and elegant and quick stylus navigation. I hope Roland sees fit to give the PMA-5 new life. If not, I'm sure many will continue to enjoy this unit.

I bought this device as an in-store demo, and it did not have any instruction book. I'm trying to figure it out, and some things seem fairly straightforward, but others still elude me.

I really like the fact that it is small and yet MIDI. The small screen is a little trouble, but I dig the stylus entry.

I've used it to work out several song writing ideas. The voices sound fine.

I cant seem to find any way to obtain a copy of the owner's manual, which would help me a LOT. Roland's web site didnt seem to offer much help.

Well, I got it really cheap, so I guess I cant complain too much. If I could just get a manual so I could figure out all its functions I'm sure it would become my best friend in fairly short order.

Fairly straight forward. The only limitation in use is the size of the screen, which makes programming and editing a bit laborious. Still, it won't take you long to be flying around this baby, and it does a lot!

I loved working with this machine. 28 voice polyphony does mean that you have to orchestrate carefully and avoid the richer sounds (a lot of my faves, unfortunately) which use two voices per note. Offsetting drum notes and leaving the odd note out of chords can help with this. Decent FX and some really nice styles.

As a drummer, I found the drums sounds quite good for a unit that does all that the PMA-5 does. Some of the horn and electric guitar sounds aren't great, but they're workable. For guitar players, I think the Bs/Dr/Pno accomaniment you could get from the pre-sets alone is worth twice what you'll pay for this. I used my PMA-5, primarily as a "sketch pad" and as a secondary sound source in my computer set up. Some of the sounds are great. Hey, it's Roland.

I've had this thing for 6 years. It's been all over the road, and on and off hundreds of times and it's worked EVERY SINGLE TIME!

Haven't had a single concern, so I haven't tried to get a hold of them at all.

My favorite piece of gear. My loud-mouthed cheerleading has probably sold a half dozen of these to other players that I've met. You're probably not going to program the next Christina Aguilera album with it, but then you're probably not going to do that any way... :-)
I love it! Buy it.

Ihave been using the PMA-5 since Oct.1996, when I purchased it new. The manuals are clear and easy to follow - there are some typos and poor English, but much improved from other manuals. There are 100 presets, consisting of an I-intro, A-verse, 1-fill, B-chorus, 2-fill and E-ending. Quality is typical Roland, very good.

Maximum polyphony is 28 voices, with 306 instrumental tones and 6 drum sets. Effects: 8 types of reverb and 8 types of chorus. Tracks: 4 sequence and 4 style. Capability of inputing 20 songs, with a total of 21,000 notes. Midi IN and OUT connectors. The PMA-5 does not have expansion capability. However, songs can be dumped to a PC or MAC using the appropriate communication kit.

Input is accomplished with a touch panel and the supplied pen. Since I am a brass player, I will be critical of the brass instruments; they are not very realistic. The other instruments are good, which is typical for Roland. Special effects are something else - WOW !!

No problem with the PMA-5, so far. Reading the screen in poor light conditions is a real problem. Viewing angle is approximately 45 degrees. Six AA batteries provide on-board power for about 5 hours. I purchased the Boss 5-watt 200ma AC apapter for use near a 120VAC receptacle.

The customer service number for the PMA-5 is 323-890-3700; they were able to provide me with a copy of the PC conversion software recently. The PC connection cable and the driver for the PMA-5 is available from Edirol (a Roland company) at 800-380-2580. Both people were very helpful.

If this unit were stolen or broken, I would do whatever it took to find another. The PMA-5 is one of my favorite toys; you can take it anywhere. If I were re-designing this product, it would have a back-lit screen with an on-off switch. And that is it.

THE PRESETS ARE PRETTY GOOD CONSIDERING IT BEING SUCH A SMALL UNIT. IT TOOK ME A WHILE TO REALLY USE THE 5 WITHOUT REFERRING TO OWNERS MANUAL. I ORDERED THE INSTRUCTION VIDEO FROM ROLAND BUT IT WAS NOT WORTH $30.00

THE POLYPHONY ISN'T THE GREATEST. YOU GOT TO KEEP THINGS SIMPLE OR YOU MIGHT END UP SHORT. SOME OF THE EFFECTS ARE GOOD SOME SUCK.NO EXPANSION IS A NO NO!

SOME OF THE SOUNDS ARE GOOD BUT THEY COULD BE BETTER (SAX, ECT.)JAZZ IS ONE OF THE BEST STYLES ALONG WITH COUNTRY. FOR THE SIZE & PRICE YOU CAN'T REALLY COMPLAIN TO MUCH.

SO FAR I HAVE HAD NO PROBLEMS BUT SCREEN HAS NO BACK LITE AND THIS IS PROBALLY THE #1 FAULT WITH THE 5. THE SCREEN WILL PROBALLY BE UNREADABLE IN THE FUTURE.

I TRIED TO ORDER THE PC COMMUNICATION KIT AND FOUND THAT IT WAS NO LONGER AVAILABLE FROM ROLAND. THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN KEPT IN STOCK LONGER THAN 3 YEARS.

I WOULD NOT BUY THIS UNIT AGAIN FOR THE PRICE I PAID. I WOULD INVEST MY MONEY INTO A KEYBOARD WITH PMA-5 FEATURES. I HAVE OWNED THIS 5 FOR 3 YEARS. I HAVE A QY300 AND THE PM5 HAS BETTER SOUNDS AND STYLES. I HAVE A KORG i5M AND IT HAS BETTER SOUNDS AND BETTER STYLES THAN THE PMA-5. FOR AUTOMATIC ACCOMP. I HAVE FOUND THAT THE YAMAHA PSR740 IS THE BEST. IT CANNOT BE BEAT AND CAN BE USED IN LIVE GIGS.

After a tour through the "Quick Start" guide, I was able to put down my first composition. The full-blown manual can be a little intimidating for some, but if you are a quick study on techno-gadgets, it really ain't that bad.
There are plenty of presets and sounds to choose from. I'm sure there will be some that I'll never use but then again ya never know!

I haven't hit the polyphony limit yt, but for those who compose those lush keys with pads, it could happen. The ability to copy the presets to user presets is quite easy. Also, the touch panel ala palm-pilot functionality is nice.

The sounds are solid enough for the most part. If you try to get too busy though you may end up clipping or hitting the 28 voice limit. The bass and percussion stuff is awesome as usual for Roland. More work on the efx end would be nice. I workaround this by processing the sounds prior to recording.

The manual says 5 hours per battery set (6 AA). My first go around was closer to 8, but what's 5 miles anyway? The unit likes to eat batteries so I highly recommend rechargeables, two sets and an AC adaptor. You're going to need them once you get cranking on the unit. It's kinda one of those things where it's like a good book, you just can't put it down once you get started!

No need at this time for CS.

Being a rogue guitarist, it has been very difficult to find others with the same mentality as me, musically speaking of course. This unit gives me the freedom to create, jam with and innovate beyond my wildest dreams. If you know music theory, that's cool. But this unit really don't care about that. If you got an ear, this unit can make your day when it comes to songwriting and having a backup band to try it out.

I have several basic pieces of gear, nearly all of it happens to be Roland. The PMA-5 has been getting a lot of use as a sound module.
I personally don't use any of the back-up band presets, though I think they're really good, and very plentiful. I like the fact that if I go on the road, it travels so easily, and I can alway work on writing some music -no matter where I am. Batteries last a long time, though I use rechargables. It's editing is kinda clumsy, and I wish it had some kind of "undo", but I recommend it for the person who wants to get some musical ideas down the road.
Just in case your interested, I use a Roland keyboard controller to push the PMA-5, and record on the VS-1680. Sequencing by Atari ST.

Peace, Keith

When I first bought this thing, I was daunted by a manual that dwarfed the actual gadget. It took me about three hours of reading/messing around to feel comfortable with the thing. Actually I never finished reading the manuals because I got distracted writing music. The PMA-5 is relatively easy to learn, using the "mess with it" method.

Now that I am familiar with the workings of the PMA-5, it's pretty easy to use. Truly, it seems programmed from a programmer's point of view, not a user's point of view... but luckily that doesn't get in the way of the flow very much. Overall it's about as intuitive as it gets, shy of being a miracle.

The PMA-5 was intended as a musical "sketch pad", and that is just what it is for me. When I get a "song in my head", and I have the 5 with me, normally I have it inside the box within 60 seconds. It takes me about 5 minutes or so to define the style and chord sequence fully, but when you "have to go", this box is a pretty immediate answer.

The 28-note polyphony is something I exhausted on the first night. I'd like more, but 28 seems like a good compromise. The sounds are OK, in my opinion there are too many trumpets and flutes and CRAP that nobody seems to use. with 600+ sounds, there's enough left after the BS to remain functional. The guitars and synth basses are some of my faves.

About half of the built in sounds are layered, which means each note on that sound uses 2 of the 28 voices. The reserve gets eaten up pretty quick. There is a screen provided for optimizing what voices go where, which helps things a bit.

Overall, the built in FX are awesome for such a small machine. However, only one of the choruses (chorus 3) is really usable as a good-sounding thing, and the other 3 sound kinda crappy, at least to me. Too honky-tonk or something. Chorus 3 and a good bass can blow woofers!

One of the cutest things about the PMA-5 is the little mixer screen, complete with little sliders for panning, volume, chorus, reverb etc. on all eight channels. To change a setting, just move the "slider" with the pen.

In the MIDI implementation of this thing, Chorus speed and a few dozens of other FX/etc parameters are variable. However, they are only variable via MIDI, which is disappointing. There are no on-the-fly adjustments, only the presets.

I tried other "PMA" style gadgets, but they all had buttons which gave them a calculator-like feel. Roland's touch screen gives the PMA more of a palm-pilot elegance, which is a more comfortable style for me.

What sucks? 1. No memory expansions!!! 2. Everything's in ROM - this is a hard unit, no downloads, etc. 3. Hard-printed LCD screen - I wish the whole thing was dot-matrix, so there could be more text, flexibility, etc. 4. The touch surface wears out - is it replaceable for under half the cost of the unit??? (I've had my PMA-5 for about 1 1/2 years, the plastic has gotten a little cloudy with all the use.) 5. Some useless sounds. Who wants a bunch of plastic trumpets? 6. Advanced MIDI implementation is somewhat difficult. It could be more direct... 7. Power/headphone connections are not recessed, and will wear with lots of use. The solder has come loose twice, failing power to the unit thru the power jack - I've had to resolder this myself, which has undoubtedly saved me mucho $$. 8. Battery monster. Eats AAs. I use Li-Ion cells to remedy this, but the PMA doesn't recharge them - I have to fiddle around with this still. 9. It's been noted elsewhere - no backlighting. I have installed my own (using efficient white LEDs)... but it was a damn challenge, I tell ya!

What's cool? 1. Automatic chord sequencer - versatile and even helps inspire melodies. 2. Roland's legendary production of enormous bass (with chorus on, it really bumps even a pair of headphones) 3. Ample sounds and styles, even given the BS some of them represent. 4. Touch screens rule! 5. There are too many nifty little things the PMA-5 does, to mention them all here. 6. Suffice it to say... this has been one of my best purchases of all time! I now have a litter of way catchy melodies I wouldn't otherwise have, because I "paint" nature with music and that requires a portable synth/sequencer. I can't write well in a box. Kudos, Roland!

I give Features and Eight because everything's cool except the hardwired ROM and inability to upgrade.

Like I said, some of the instruments on the PMA-5 are, to me, hard-wired trash. I wish there were more sounds for dance, techno, etc. Who is scripting for woodwinds etc., on a portable digital device? Nobody, I think. Roland, wake up... it's 2000, baby.

Still, everything I write on it has a melodic techno/groove feel, so I guess it's enough!

The onboard FX are very satisfactory, though I do wish they were more flexible. I think music is about creation, not using presets.

I like the fact that one can "bend" or "mod"-control a note by "dragging" it off the little keyboard and back again. Dragging "up" bends up, for instance, dragging "down" does the opposite. I find this method easier to use than other keys of mine that have bend/mod wheels! I think this feature is great, and helps give expressive life to one's sound.

One bug: If you are outputting to a MIDI recorder from the PMA's output jack, the MIDI controllers from ALL channels appear on ALL tracks. Muting tracks doesn't help. This makes MIDI downloads a PAIN to sort out all the controllers!! To get around it, I copy individual tracks to an empty song and play them one by one into the MIDI recorder, so they are isolated individually. Kind of a humbug, especially now that I have no empty songs left and there are no memory expansions!!

Velocity control is very responsive. Basic MIDI controllers can be inputted manually in step mode, as well, which helps tweak the sound.

I have dropped this thing more times than I can count. It's dented, scratched, I even bought it as a display model. I've banged it up for over a year now and it has not hit me back.

It's good to watch out for the power/headphone jacks... in normal use and bumping around they will withstand some strain, or worse, which weakens the solder connections inside on the power-circuit board.

There is an internal memory backup battery for storing the songs - it's not user-replaceable, and apparently it just lives for some years and goes dead, bye-bye songs. This is crap.... there's no meter for the backup battery, either. It's like digital roulette, I guess.

I am a tinkerer, so I opened my PMA up and added a huge lithium cell, which should keep things running for at least a decade. I wouldn't recommend that people try this, as it is very easy to zap the memory while doing this operation. If someone wants directions how to do it, you can email me and I will tell you how, with the necessary precautions.

So far, I give it a 9... just that connector loosening thing, which is mostly my fault. Otherwise, I'd give it a ten, for all the times I've let gravity get the better half of my PMA.

Roland's customer support is long-distance, there's no 800 number. How fun it is, to be on hold, on YOUR dime.

Roland corporation has NO EMAIL. You won't find it on their website, anywhere. That's flat out disrespectful in today's way of doing things, it's like they're too big and important to listen to the consumers that keep them in buiseness. Almost every other manufacturer (Korg, for example) replies to email quickly and courteously.

For these reasons I give Roland's customer support a

BIG FAT ZERO

(but the scale only goes down to one. Pooh.)

If this thing were stolen, I would quit music and take up the art of the sniper rifle. Until the work was done - then I'd probably buy another one and start all over again.

Beyond that, I think I've covered most of it. I am satisfied with this thing, what more is there to say.

Vary easy to use. The touch pen is quick and accurate, the interface is somewhat odd tho. I almost never use the touch keyboard on the pma-5 "except when im step programing" , but it responds vary well to a velocity sensitive midi controler. plus if you have cubase vst, you can use up to 16 tracks of sound by connecting the proper midi cables. compatible with both win95/98 and MAC. 600 differnt preset styles cut into sections like "rock-country-disco-house-jungle-hiphop-acidjazz-funk-many more". all sound good. theres 2 manuals, a quick start and usermanual. the quick start is useless, but the user manual "142 pages" gets right to the point and is cross-refrenced.

28 polyphony is all you really need with this unit becaulse of the way the sound layering is setup. works great with a roland pc-160 midi controler, sence both are GM/GS. Not upgradeable. it can hold up to 21,000 notes, songs can be 1-999 measures w/ 20 song banks. but you can port all your midi data into a pc/mac computer for unlimited songs and notes. the onboard 8-track sequencer is a bit tricky at first, but soooo useful its almost alien. MIDI in and out plus a serial connecter for pc/mac

Great sounds! nearly everything sounds good. 306 synth,instrument, and sound effects. 16 drums sets, all of vary good sound quality. its almost perfict for making dance music of varius types as well as jazz and latin. all the house, drum and bass, and experimental ive made can be mixed into dope sets.

The only thing that sucks about this thing is NO BACKLIT screen. almost imposible to use in dark rooms unless you have a light directly on it. the leather case protects it varry nicely, if you take care of it, and keep dirt off the touch screen, then it will last for many years. reliable.

havent had problems with the unit yet...

I would buy it again. yamaha is trying to compete with its own pocket composer. no match for the pma-5 tho. I use the pma-5, my computer "rebirth and cubase vst", a two channel disco mixer, and a roland pc-160 midi controler. I can do so much with this cost effective setup, its mind boggling. all I need now is a good sampler and ill be set for a little bit. my next big buy is going to be a roland jv-1080 and some expanson cards. and a bigger mixer, like 6ch. throw in some turntables and about 10 crates of records. I would never do anthing else.

The PMA-5 is a breeze to use - it is a pen phrased based sequencer that uses a pen/touch screen interface or an external midi keyboard. It is faily intuitive to use and the various sections are clearly marked making navigation fairly simple. The present sounds are typical Roland - meaning most of them can be used in a live performance - but I do not believe that's what it was intended for. (Although I do use it to add a third sound layer for certain sounds on my synth - as well as use some of the phrases during liver performance.) The manual is all right - the quick start guide is all I read though... was all I needed. Might take some getting used to for others though.

It has 28 note polyphony. It has a 2 octave keyboard on the touch screen display that does understand a little about velocity, but this is not needed when using it as a scratch pad for new ideas. When polishing a phrase I generally use an external keyboard.
It has built in effects for reverb and chorus. But rememer, it's main purpose is not for live gigging although if you needed to use it - they are of typical Roland quality and are fairly easy to use.
Unfortunately it does not accept cards, new boards or more memory, but when using a Midi Data Filer, or external sequencer you can swap out user defined phrases fairly easily.
The PMA does have an onboard sequencer. I have played songs into it live from the keyboard (Which it interprets all on one track) as well as played into the four tracks that it provides then utilized it's merge function to add more tracks. It is fairly easy to use.
I opted to add this as a workstation instead of buying an upgrade to Cakewalk/BIAB or others. It was also an cheaper way to add workstation capabilites to my synth without trading in/buying another synth. Total package for synth and PMA-5 - both new under $800 USD. I have friends that are envious as the quality of sound that I can produce. Granted it does not have polypressure or aftertouch, but with patience these things can be faked!

Some of the strings loops are dirty, I was dissappointed that they did not add the Breathy Tenor Sax, but all in all most of the sounds are of typical Roland quality.
I have used it to create Speed Metal, Rock, Adult Oriented Rock, Pop Rap - but there are no really good rave sounds.
There are onboard effects, like chorus and reverb and they are fairly good.
It is fairly responsive playing through a midi keyboard and does respond well to velocity.

It is dependable so far. I am concerned about how the touch screen will be 3 years from now, but so far it has held up well and travelled well. I wouldn't want to drop it... but it is fairly compact and dependable.
I have gigged with it, but it is not my primary source of sound or sequeces.

Don't know yet.

I think I would buy it again... it was not an impulse buy. I looked at a lot of keyboard workstations first, ranging from the Ensoniq MR-61 to the Yamaha QY-300 as well as several Roland workstations. I also looked at other phrased based sequencers like the Yamaha QY-700 and others - but this provided what I was looking for. I would have paid more for it too! (Up to $500 USD)
I like its ease of use. Copying various drum patters and pairing them up with other bass lines... adding my own nuances and flair. It is a great personal backing machine/scratchpad/workstation.
I wish there was a way to have a backlit/sidelit screen - sometimes on a long trip when the urge to make music hits it it impossible to read what is on the screen.
I compared this with a few keyboards like the Ensoniq MR-61, the Yamaha QS-300 - but did not want to spend $1300 or more for another keyboard when I like the one I have. I also compared it with the Yamaha QY-700 - which was more expensive than some of the keyboards that I was considering. It was also easier to use than the QY-70 and did not try to replace/duplicate some of the synth abilities (like the ability to change attack/decay etc) I chose the PMA for its workstation abilities when attached to a keyboard and it's keyboard abilities while away from a keyboard.
I wish it had side lighting to enable viewing the screen in less than optimal lighting situations.
The PMA (Personal Music Assistant) helps make music and has actually taught me a thing or two!
SOAPBOX: Now with the advent of phrased based sequencers underway some one should create a web site to trade drum/bass/guitar riffs etc.