Roland VR-760

I found the VR-760 to be extremely intuitive. Lots of knobs on the faceplate which make tweaking the different sections (organ, piano, synth) easier, although once you begin editing the registrations (analogous to "combis", etc. on other make synths) you can dig deeper into the menu-driven tweaks. Some idiosyncracies in terms of nomenclature and how one navigates the menus, saves files, names files, etc. but pretty easy to learn. The fundamentals are consistent with what you've probably grown up with in terms of synthesis and sound creation - ADSR filters, resonance controls, etc. The manual is satisfactory but a bit thin - more on that later.

Exceptional features for live performance. As I stated, there are three basic sound generation sections - organ (as in tonewheel or "Hammond" organ), piano (including EPs, clavinet, harpsichord) and synth (voices, strings, brass, synth tones). Each section has its own controls, including volume, and there is a master volume, EQ and reverb. The sections can be layered across the 76-key keyboard, or "registrations" can be made which store your tweaks into files. The keyboard can be split at any point - one minor beef is that each "half" of the keyboard can only accommodate one tone generation section - i.e. you can have piano on the left side and organ on the right, but you can't add synth to the piano on the left. Bummer. I expanded my VR with the an SRX-07 expansion board (classic keys, synths), which greatly expanded the possibilities for the synth section. The keyboard can accommodate two expansion boards - I plan to also add the symphonique strings board. Installing the expansion boards is a snap - four screws on the bottom of the instrument and you're in. The keyboard is very professional - stereo outputs (1/4 inch and XLR), damper, expression and control pedals (with myriad parameters that can be controlled), MIDI in/out/thru. 76 antique ivory waterfall style keys - great feeling keyboard. Playing slides and glisses on the organ is a blast on this axe. The instrument also has a rudimentary "drum machine" - a couple dozen drum beats of varying time signatures and feels, with adjustable tempos. Certainly not a sequencer or drum machine and not editable (can't get rid of the annoying ride cymbal), but enough to help give some sense of context when experimenting with tones and wondering how they'll cut through the band mix or blend with the rhythm section.

Most instruments are very rich. In my opinion, this instrument is built around the organ section (9 drawbars are prominently featured in the upper lefthand corner, it has a very satisfactory rotating speaker effect, and lots of tweaks like amplifier type, mic distance, distortion, etc.) The organ section sounds very convincing. The piano section is very good, some are exceptional, such as the Rhodes tones, and it has a good Wurlitzer sound, too. The clav is a bit thin, but the expansion card has a killer clav sound. The synth section with the expansion card is adequate - decent string tones, a really cute scat vocal sound that is fun to play with, some brass and synth tones... all are highly tweakable through the editor and you can make some real improvements, but if you are considering this axe to play synth tones, I highly recommend the expansion card. I got one off Ebay for about $200 - they retail for $300. I don't think I'd say (other than the organ) that the sounds are the best I've ever heard from a synth, but taken as a whole - very good sounds, very flexible, tweakable on the fly, easy to learn and program - this instrument is very formidable. The organ section is as good as I've heard on a synth with an electronic Leslie, and the keyboard is butter - wonderful feel. I'm currently using two Korg 01-W pros, a Voce Hammond organ module, a Roland JV-1010, a Motion Pro Leslie unit, and a six-channel mixer. My goal is to ditch everything in favor of the VR-760! For an old guy with a bad back, this thing is a Godsend!

I've only owned this thing for three days, so time will tell. I plan to gig with it immediately and the proof is in the pudding - I will take my 01Ws as backups initially, just in case! I'm not sure I'd ever gig with no backup whatsoever - I know Murphy and he's alive and well!

I've dealt with Roland regarding my JV-1010 before - not in support of the VR-760 yet. I have found Roland telephone support to be less than extraordinary. The company web site is a pain in the butt to navigate (if you look up the VR-760 from the main page you won't find it - you have to execute a separate search, and even then there's a whole paragraph about the instrument - some marketing approach!), they do not put PDF files of owner's manuals online, and getting a live knowledgeable person on the phone is trying. I would have to say that the operator's manual is pretty comprehensive and yet simple. However, I could see a novice having some difficulty as every parameter is not defined to the nth degree - you have to infer some things and just experiment to figure others out. In my experience of purchasing gear and receiving support, I'd put Mackie at the top of the list at about an 8 - Roland is nowhere near Mackie in terms of customer/technical support. They know how to build 'em - from there, you're largely on your own.

I'm only three days into my love affair with this axe so time will tell, but its pretty much love at first sight. I'd put the sounds up against most anything else out there, especially anything in a comparable price range. I would like to see a bit more in terms of onboard synth tones in this axe, and perhaps better choices (I don't know about you, but I don't need a doo-wop chorus very often, but a killer MiniMoog patch would be real handy.) Also, it would be nice if multiple tone generation sections could be layered in keyboard splits. Having said that, this is a very fun instrument to play - 80% of the tones on the instrument and the expansion card spark some creativity and make me want to play something with that sound, and if something about the sound bugs me I have pretty good success tweaking it to my satisfaction. Anybody looking at this axe needs to consider it in context - it could very well free you up of one or more instruments you're presently using in a live situation. I could also see recording with this instrument, particularly with the organ section.

I really like the concept. Organ, piano, EP, clav, and a few synth sounds are what I typically look for when I play live. My project studio synth rig is way too cumbersome to take to a gig.

I prefer the drawbars to the Nord Electro's buttons for the organ. I like all the front panel knobs.

Nice that the organ, piano and synth sections are all basically separate instruments (kinda reminded me of an old Arp Quadra... am I dating myself?). Waterfall keyboard has decent feel. I like the bender joystick (some Rolands use cheaper sticks - like the XP-30 - which stink. The stick on the VR-760 is nicer).

I agree with the previous review about outputs. Lack of separate outputs for organ/piano/synth seems like a big mistake. That would have been nice both for recording and using multiple amps live (if you have a real Leslie for the organ, for example).

Looked like the d-beam was hard wired to specific functions for each part (leslie speed for the organ, for example). That stinks: it should be assignable to any parameter. For example, I would prefer filter cutoff instead of glissando for the synth section, but it didn't look possible on this keyboard. Boo.

I think the organ sounds great. The Leslie and other aspects of the organ section are good enough for me to gig with (though not the same as the real thing). The piano is okay. I would have liked more variety on the pianos, and especially on the electric pianos. The synth section is a mixed bag.

Synth pads, strings, and brass include solid, usable sounds. You'll sound like everybody else, but the patches are fat and not bad. The vocal sounds include Roland's jazz scat samples, which I really like though they're probably not something you'd use all the time. The lead sounds are awful. With only three to choose from, I would have made radically different choices from Roland's immense sound library.

Using the expansion slots to add more sounds is nice, but they are way overpriced and the expansion organ and piano sounds end up in the synth section, not the organ or piano sections (bummer).

Effects are decent. There's also an on-board rhythm section (preset drumbeats) - they don't sound bad. People might pan the idea thinking it's something off of a cheesy home organ, but I think it'd probably be useful for practicing.

I own tons of Roland gear and I've generally been satisfied with reliability.

Roland's service is somewhat less inspiring than their reliability, particulary their website and other self-service options. Competition, like Nord, do a far better job with that.

Went to play in the store wanting to buy one (I'd actually had them set one aside for me). Got a good price quoted. After playing it and noting the limitations I listed above, I decided to wait. If Roland could address the little things, this would be a great keyboard. As it is, it's small flaws kept me from making the purchase.

For Organ, pull the drawbars and go; for piano, push a button and you're in piano mode (acoustic piano, EP and Clavs); push another button and you have access to a limited number of synth sounds. This keyboard obviously is in direct competition w/ the Nord Electro. Real drawbars vs. the Electro's "buttons" are a plus. In order to customize the pianos, synth's, and Organ, you need to go into the registration and create a "program" to setup the sustain levels, envelopes, amplifier section, etc....

Organ, full polyphony, pianos and synth, 128 voices; COSM effects; able to plug in three 64Meg cards. Cards are about $200 a pop. Big negative, the current operating system as of this writing does not allow for a separate output for the organ; therefore you can't wire the organ directly to a motion sound and the piano/synth side to a Keyboard amp separately. Although there are stereo outputs, you can't pan the organ to the left and the piano/synth to the right. You would therefore be required to wire a special pedal which you would have to click on when using the organ and sending to a motion-sound, then when you switch to piano, click the footswitch off. I can't believe Roland did not allow for a hard pan of instruments! Big negative....

Somewhat disappointing. Supposedly sports an RD-700 piano; however i played an RD-700 side by side w/ the VR-760 and there was quite a difference. The VR's sustain level on the piano was too low and trailed off too quickly. Have to tweak it in registration to improve it. The organ section sports the VK-8. I played the VK-8 side by side w/ the VR and they sounded nearly identical. Unfortunately, the VR-760's leslie simulation "sucks"; sorry it does.... Therefore to get the full appreciation of the organ, you would need a leslie cabinet or motion-sound as the leslie simulator doesn't cut it. Unfortunately, you can't pan the organs to one output and the pianos to another, therefore this option requires a specially wired footpedal to accomplish. Bottom line, out of the box, the piano needs tweaking and the leslie on the organ doesn't cut it w/o significant tweaking in registration. Even then, it still doesn't sound that good......

can gig w/o backup. Only weighs 38 pounds.

Roland is pretty good in this category, generally.....

If it were stolen; I'd buy a Nord Electro (cheaper) or a Korg CX-3 w/ a Kurzweil rack to get everything else I needed.