Roland XP-30

Sorry for my english.
I think is easy to use, not very easy, just easy.
You should be able to use it quickly with a sequencer and a "first sight" check to (at?) the manual.
You should definitly use a patch editor, not because its is hard to do it directly in the keyboard, It's easier to play and tweak the sounds when you are not experienced with sound parameters. I use the menues now, and basicaly, I use the patch editor as a memory expansion and backup tool.
I ussually prefer not to use the manual until a problem arrives, but the only problems i had, were limitations. Manuals (in general) don't tell you limitations explicity. Mine Roland came with an english manual, and the shop where i bought it, gave me an spanish one (xerox copies). But translations use to be confusing...

Polyphony could be larger, in order to use all the deep sounds you can use get, but musically, you dont need to use all the fat sounds at the same time. :-)
And thats the only thing i like to upgrade.
FX are very good, but i would like to have another multifx channel.
It doesn't have a sequencer. But I already had a pc, and thas all I needed. I use it to make demos, and I haven't found anything that can not be done by MIDI. Except turning on and off lights :-)

A very good thing, that make me buy this instrument, were the assignable (?) slide controlers, they are four and glorious.

You have a LOT of patches, sometimes you may think some of them are very similar (the techno collection especially)... and sometimes is true... all of them have a roland signature. you may like it or not. Listen them and taste it before.
There are a lot a drum kits and they are all ok. Piano, strings and guitars sounds unbeliable good. I dont like brasses in general, I mean the actual instrument, therefore i dont like the synth version neither, because they are realistic...
Velocity and aftertouch works fine, but sometimes you may like to turnoff aftertouch, of course you can adjust de "deepness" of aftertouch.
I play rock and I made some clasical/new age experiments, and I am happy with results. If I were a DJ, I should use another tool, i think.

It doesn't weigth too much but its a hard thing.
I don't like to carry to everywhere.
I dont need a backup.

If i lost it, i will cry a lot, when i bought, U$S1700 were 1700 pesos, now currency... U$S1700 are $5610 and i win pesos. But definitly, i would buy the same keyborad.
I bought this keayboard in 2000, and thas all i need. I'm an IT technician since i remember (i had a c64 when i was a child and i had a dream :-) ) and I play keaboards since 1990, and fusion between those two things was only completelly made with the XP30. I had a CT670 casio (child thing) and a piano. I used a Korg, and I prefer roland sounds. But its just my preference.

(The software version hasn't changed since the release of the product, AFAIK.)

Before I mention anything else about Ease of Use, realise that this _is_ a synthesiser - which means that you can change just about every single nuance of every sound.

I've had my XP-30 for exactly one week and I love it. The first night I had it I was determined to get to a stage where the sounds I wanted were being produced by the board. It took about 3 hours, the last of which was very frustrating. The menu system just takes time to understand... as does the Roland Performance/Patch methodology and everything that goes with it. Then everything suddenly "clicked", and I could modify patches, adjust LFOs, TVFs and TVAs and store my new settings.

The manual should be regarded as a reference only. It is not conducive to a cover-to-cover reading. I also felt that it described WHAT could be changed/edited but not WHY one would need to change it. For example, it would describe how to change the timings of a TVF while omitting why a TVF exists.

For me it was important to use the machine for some hours. I find that I got most benefit from simple experimentation. After I mucked around for some hours I reset the unit back to Factory Defaults and then started over for real. It's not too hard to use the menus and buttons, which are well laid out.

The included OEM SoundDiver patch editor is not much better than just editing on the board... I tried to use it at the outset; however, it also uses the terminology of Performance/Patch etc., so it was clumsy and added an unnecessary extra layer of abstraction.

64 Voice polyphony with 4 tones per patch, and 16 patches per performance... Beware! The "St.Concert" patch on the built-in Session expansion uses all 4 tones, thus potentially using 4 voices at once. If each note uses 4 voices, then the max polyphony is 16, which leaves little room for layering, etc. To test this I added XP-A:001 "St.Concert" from the Session board (4 simultaneous voices) to a Performance and then layered PR-C:059 "Warmth" (2 simultaneous voices) in part 2 of the same Performance. I did notice dropouts.

That said, the unit handles dropout very nicely. All the piano patches are set to drop the softest note first, not the oldest - this makes for very realistic play.

The keyboard action is synth-style, which means you don't get weighted keys, but you do get channel aftertouch. The XP-30 can't do individual note aftertouch, but channel aftertouch is good for adding tremolo to organ sounds, for example. Despite the lack of weighted keys, I have found the piano to be very playable - the velocity sensitivity is well implemented.

There are heaps of effect built in, along with the standard Chorus and Reverb, which are reasonable.

It has three SR-JV80 expansion boards built in... Session, Orchestral and Techno. Apparently Roland realised that the XP-30 would sell better if they included the expansion sounds which should have been stock standard. By that I mean Session's "St.Concert" and "LA Session", and Orchestral's "Warm Violins". This was a major influencing factor in my decision to by the XP-30. It can take two extra boards... because I'm heavily into keyboards and organs, I'd probably like to get Keyboards of the 60s and 70s, as well as Vintage Synth. It can also take either a 2MB or 4MB SmartMedia card as extra storage and backup for User presets. I think this was an excellent choice of external media, considering the lack of space for a floppy drive. I rely heavily on the time-consuming edits I've saved in the User bank, so this extra level of backup is superb.

It has a standard MIDI implementation: In, Out and Thru. Most of the parameters for MIDI Tx and Rx can be configured. It can receive note aftertouch from an external sequencer despite the limitation of channel aftertouch from the XP-30's keyboard. The main obstacle to understanding Roland's MIDI is realising that each Part in a Performance maps to a MIDI channel. It's pretty easy after that.

There is no sequencer built in. Perhaps this is the only thing I dislike now that I own this board. On the other hand, the included expansion boards make up for the extra cost (~$1500 Australian) which would have been required had I bought an XP-50.

I do two main types of playing. One is live at my church, with a contemporary-style band. The other is some personal home recording. For the live stuff, where the guitars and drums are the more prominent instrument, I was surprised (pleasantly) to find that the PR-A:001 "64voicePiano" fits better in the mix than the Session board's "St.Concert". I think the "64voicePiano" is quite bright enough compared to the realistic "St.Concert", which negates the use of PR-A:002 "BrightPiano" somewhat.

My first task in building my own User library was layering Pianos with Pads and Strings, and I am very happy with the current result. Many people have said it, but I'll reiterate: the internal and expansion waveforms which Roland has included are excellent building blocks. You must be willing, however, to dive in and modify patches to suit your own needs.

The effects are useable and effective. For live performance I turn off my reverb, but it's excellent for home recording where you don't want to apply it after laying down a track.

I love playing on this board. I can create a sound which I really like and then play out. It is very expressive. The reaction of aftertouch is very detailed: I hooked the XP-30 up to Emagic Logic Audio 5 and watched the aftertouch velocity send as I varied the pressure. It was easy to steadily increase or decrease the pressure, and the sensitivity was excellent.

I believe that the XP-30 could be modified to work well with any kind of music... Rock, Classical, Dance, whatever.

Pianos:
Excellent with the Session board. Short of the new SRX-02 Concert Grand expansion board waveforms, the Session "St.Concert" is, in my opinion, the best sounding acoustic piano in a digital instrument.

Strings:
Excellent, especially from Orchestral expansion.

Pads:
Good and useable. Limited in number, which means detailed editing of patches and filters.

Organs:
Hmm. I would have liked more... <sigh> more expansions needed!

EPs/Rhodes:
Very nice. Some have that characteristic hard edge, while others have the sparkle sound which I like so much. XP-A:007 "LA Session" is wonderful.

Basses:
Good, from what I've tested. I don't use them much.

Brass:
Synthesised brass sounds must always be used in moderation, and they must be incorporated into a mix carefully. I certainly wouldn't use these for soloing!

Rhythm:
Excellent. The Techno expansion has heaps of extra drum sets.

The XP-30 is built with a full metal chassis. The front panel buttons are very tactile and respond with a decisive click. I wouldn't recommend dropping it down a flight of stairs, but short of that it should live to see another gig. Be careful with the pitch bender/mod wheel - it's the only plastic protrusion which might easily be damaged.

It has never frozen, hung or otherwise behaved badly for me.

I only use it without a backup because I used my last penny to buy it. =)

Never talked to Roland, but Allans Music in Adelaide, South Australia were excellent once again. Thanks Paul!

If it were lost or stolen I'd consider buying one again. I might consider buying an XP-50 or XP-80, but only if the price were excellent and I could get the Session and Orchestral expansions at a good price. I'd be lost without those expansion boards. It's well worth the money, when you consider that Session and Orchestral (and Techno, but that's less important to me) still retail in Australia for more than $500 each.

I've been playing for about 10 years, starting on a real piano, not a keyboard. This is my only piece of pro gear... I used to have a Roland EM-10 but I got sick of its bad piano sound and poor quality output.

I love the variety of sounds - there's more than 1500 to choose from. I dislike the lack of an onboard sequencer, but you do get what you pay for. I'll just use my computer for sequencing.

I compared it to Korg's Triton and Trinity, as well as Roland's Fantom. For the price, and for the piano sound on the Session board, I chose the XP-30.

I wish it had more pad sounds, and more organs.

The next things I want... I want a Roland RD-700 Stage Piano to use as a master piano-style controller. Maybe I'll get an XV-2020 module so that I can use the SRX-02 Concert Grand expansion for that superior piano sound. I do want a Korg for their very big synth sounds, as well as getting a bit of a change from Roland. I might even try a Kurzweil PC-something, but all this is far off...

Last word: I'm very happy with this board. It's excellent. If you want good sounds that match your needs, then get an XP-30 and start editing.

First of all, this is my first ever synth-experience. I always worked with software like FT2, ST3 and IT3, wav-editing in Soundforge...before I switched to Cubase VST24 somewhere in the year 2000. Didn't have a clue what MIDI really did untill I found out how the General Midi soundbank of my SBLive! worked. I did this for a year before getting sick of it and walking into a shop for a synthesizer. The XP-30 is my first-ever synth experience. I now have an M-audio Audiophile 2496-card (a baby) and the Midisport 4x4...I found my way in midi.
Now that you know my background, you decide for yourself if you think my info is of any significance.
I use my XP30 as masterkeyboard and as a soundsorce to be triggered by Cubase...so, for studio-owners: try to see the power of the XP30 PER MIDI-CHANNEL! For live-performers: I don't know for sure, but given the possibilities and amount of sounds you buy for your money, the XP-30 can be a beast on stage.
I don't use the software (?).
PRESETS (in general) sounded great to me in the beginning, but now that I had my fingers on more synths, I'm starting to hear a strange behaviour in the higher frequencies of the XP-30...this goes for a lot of the presets.
I'll get into the sound later...in the sound/expression-box below.
Editing the patches is a piece of cake, once you know your way through the device!
The manual is understandable throughout the first few pages...how patches are built etc...that was clear to me. As soon as I arrived at the info for "Professional Use", I ran out of patience quickly and just started trying. I figure they figure everybody just knows it all...
I've reached a point now, where I can find whatever I'm looking for within a minimum amount of pushing buttons. I'm not saying I'm using the Xp-30 to the max!

64-voice polyphony, and in my manual it's clearly stated that this actually means 64 tones...and not 64 patches, cause patches consist of several tones. Shouldn't be a problem, cause I like to record my Midi-track to audio and go ahead with external FX anyway.
It has (besides standard chorus and reverb) around 40 effects inside, and depending on the patch you run through the effect, some are beautiful. If you have external effects, I personally don't see a lot of use for the XP-30 effects...except for creating a certain behaviour on a certain element (a certain midi-channel) in your mix.
There's velocity and aftertouch, you can record you filter etc. movements in your sequencer just by pressing the REC on your sequencer. You get editing software for you computer, but I never used this.
Keyboard action seems fine to me...better than my friend's "expensive as a car" SCHIMMEL-grand piano...
You can put several patches together in a performance (PERFORMANCE MODE) and dedicate every patch to a different channel or bang 'm altogether through your speakers just by playing the keys. Same pussy as always, just a different package..
I write my songs in performance mode, and as soon as the structure is there, I record every channel that breathes the way I like it in PERFORM, and then press PATCH mode and start recording patch per patch for the ones I don't like in perform mode...with some help of my external/software FX and compression etc.
No onboard sequencer as far as I know...

To me, the overall sound is excellent. Especially if you look at the price of this baby. Just select your patch and start using the filters and internal settings to go where you want.
No use in expecting Miles Davis when playing a brass-patch, but in a total mix it can sound acceptabel. At least, if you bother to take your time and listen to real saxophones and try to comprehend how they behave as a result to how they're being played...the velocity-sensitivity does the rest, honestly...this should go for any instrument by the way...a friend of mine tried to play chords on a saxophone-patch and thought it didn't sound realistic. That might be true...but I wonder if he ever heard chords on a real sax...
One tip for the people saying that for instance the brass-family sounds like poop: Experiment more...cause there's more inside this baby then meets the eye...and that's where her power is. Roland gives you realistic guitars, pianos, brass etc...but you're not gonna imitate an instrument if you play the patch like you would play any other KEYBOARD or SYNTH or WHATEVER-sound...but hey, I'm no keyboard-player, I'm just obsessed by music and captured by sound!
What I found out about Roland-products is this: They give you something to start with, and that something might sound superb or it might sound shitty...but they also give you A LOT TO GO WITH...to make something else out of it. And depending on your own creativity & understanding of the machine, there's a whole world of possibilities at your disposal.
The XP-30 is suitable for a lot of styles, old or new, from pop to dance, film-music...whatever. Cause you get so many sounds for your money and a lot of possibilities to change the sounds into something different.
The expandansion-cards add more styles to the list. I make what I call "Underground-round-the-world-Pop" for all kinds of instrumentalists & vocalists (rappers, male and female singers) and there's useable sounds on the XP-30 for EVERY track, for EVERY artist that comes along.
Just play around in Perform mode...use the same patch simultanouesly in different settings (transpose 1 of them up, 1 down etc), put a suitable patch (or more) alongside this, and you'll get a patch in Roseanne Barr-mode. Nothing new to a lot of you for sure...but I've created sounds with the Xp-30 that honestly made people take all their words about this machine back. Mostly people from the lucky few that can afford the "best of the best" ... funny how people judged this machine before ever hearing or feeling it.

Reliable. So Far. Only problem I ever had was the second day that I had my MIDISPORT 4x4 connected. The screen of the XP30 lit up and that's it...no text...nothing but that orange light. It made me scared because I had to finish a track for 2 beautiful lady vocalists to take to the studio the next day. I unplugged the Midisport and installed it all over again and that's it. Everything was back to normal.
So the question is: Was it the XP-30 or the Midisport...or perhaps the enormous amount of That Famous Dutch Smoke produced during the night before that made my machines act "differently"?
I would use it on a gig without a backup, because I would be too busy playing the drums during this gig...our keyboard player uses it together with his own stuff and my EA-1 and AKAI-S2000, hooked up to the Oxygen-keyboard. At least, as soon as we find a keyboard-player with experimental balls that is...

Only experience I ever had was that the specific product-specialist would be back from a meeting in a few minutes...when I called back they told me he was out the whole day (?), but I got reach of him the next day and he cleared my problem in notime...so no complaints here.

If it were lost or stolen, I would definetely buy another one, cause otherwise I would have to find a girl to kiss goodnight everynight...and my XP-30 makes much better sounds...and also doesn't do my laundry.
No, serious: I would check the market for what's out there, but there is a chance that I would buy an Xp30 again.
I don't really play keys, but I have it for around 15 months now. I've been making computer-related music for 6 years now.
Besides the enormous amount of VST instruments and other plug-ins, I have a Spirt F1-mixer, Absolute Zero monitors, Samson Servo 170 studio-amp, Akai S2000 sampler, Samson S-com plus compressor, Digitech 100s-effectsprocessor, Korg EA-1, Rode NT1 stuido condenser mic with a stand, shockmount and popkiller, a Shure SM58, a bosnian handmade acoustic guitar, some percussion, a hughe didgeridoo :-) , a kick-ass Pearl drumkit with kick-ass cymbals, a very special deep maple wood snare that bangs like hell, and some more...hardware, software, electric, acoustic, analogue etc.
I love the versatility of the XP-30. So many sounds, so many possibilities inside, for such a rate. I had also tried the Roland RS5, but went for the XP-30 because of the Barbie-feel & toy-look of the RS5, and the amount of patches the xp-30 offers for the supplement.
I wished it had more outputs and the possibility to have more patches in perform mode go through separate effects, instead of the whole performance through the same effect...that would make my productivity rise up...but I'm saving up money for some more expensive technology!
I think we can't complain for this rate...
It helps me make music and it's fun to jam with...just use the power of equalizing when using it together with others and use the possibilities of your total set-up if it doesn't sound right as a preset...let's be honest: who wants to use recognisable presets anyway?
Good Job Roland...can't wait to have the 5050 next to the Yamaha RS7000 and the Acces Virus...hmmmm...is it a bird, is it a plane...nope...it's my producivity taking a flight.

Feel free to contact me for whatever reason!

Greetings to all from Rotterdam, Holland

Well... As soon as you learn were everything is it is rather easy. I don't like small displays that much and this one has. But there are a lot of buttons and a good explanation chart just below the display describing where to find everything. A + for that.

64 voices is all you need. Kurzweils K2500 only has 48 and Korg Triton I think have 62 or perhaps only 60. About 40 different effects and I say about since half of them is a mix between the other 20... But that is ok since you can apply one effect to each sound (counting out the chorus and reverb. In my oppinion the filters suck but I don't use them that much anyways.

This is the strong point here. With the Session, Orchestral and techno collection you have not only GREAT presets you have a lot to work with. Considering the rest of the on-board sample sounds you can use all the patches avaible from Xp-series and JV-series. Just download from internet and sysex em into you synth. In my oppinion you have more use of this than of a triton (if youre not using the sampler that is).

I have had problem one time and that was that the memory was damaged somehow. I had to take factory reset and all my user sounds vanished. Always keep you pathces saved into your pc. But that on the other hand was once during a 3 year period so don't worry too much about it.

Never dealt with them.

For this price I don't think you can get anything better. If you are buying your first synth and still are a bit of a newbie this IS what you should go for. I have played it for a few years now and I still love it. There is a great PC software which you can use to edit your sounds, that way it'll become easier than anything. ChangeIt it is called. Download it and you'll have GREAT possibilities with this cheap and powerfull machine.

I find the XP-30 quite easy to use. The menu is a bit fiddly, but some patience and logical thinking soon gets you where you want to go. Patch editing isn't too difficult, but then again I'm quite adept at fiddling with buttons. The manual isn't difficult to understand, but make sure you read it all the way through!

I don't really know what the polyphony is to tell you the truth! All i know is that I've never had any dropouts.
The effects are alright, but leave something to be desired. The stereo delay is a bit fiddly and triple and quadruple tap delays aren't really useful. The expansion capabilities are useful; i haven't got any other expansion cards but the sheer number of tones and preset sounds is worth mentioning. But players looking for a 'base' keyboard might do better to consider something else.

Some of the instruments are very realistic, but a few are not. Most are useful, but as with many keyboards you get the "hey look at me" pads and sounds which are just silly. But changing sounds is not difficult.
Expressiveness is something of an issue, when playing piano sounds one might do better with another model. Actual sounds are sufficient, but if you're looking that extra 'oomph' for live playing you'd need another keyboard.

I do use this at a gig without backup simply because it's the only keyboard i have! But one BIG issue with reliability is the modulation wheel. NOT the pitch wheel, but the modulation part of the pitch wheel. It's the regular Roland one where you push the pitch wheel up to turn on modulation. This has broken on my XP30 and i have had many friends who have had the same problem. If i want to change modulation now i have to use a footswitch or assign it to one of the "palette" controllers. Otherwise it is quite reliable, but I am giving it a "5" for reliability primarily based on the flimsy modulation wheel.

If this were lost or stolen I would not rush to get another. That's not to say that I would not get one, but its role is not pivotal enough to warrant me getting a duplicate. I got this keyboard pretty much primarily for the sounds, the sheer number but as for live playing, it's not as impressive. I would recommend this more for the studio where one needs a wide variety of sounds.

I purchased my XP-30 used without a manual, and I've figured out how to do everything I need to on my own. I've heard numerous complaints about the manual, but once you get the hang of the system, it's not too hard to figure stuff out yourself.

As a rule, presets on synths or effects boxes usually suck. The presets on the XP-30 are surprisingly good (no overblown effects and such to cheezy up the sound). For my purposes, I rarely need to make my own patches, because there's such a multitude of presets and a good 80-90% of them are actually good enough to use.

However, I can't give this keyboard a top rating for ease just because the menus, while manageable, could be much easier to navigate (a larger screen would help significantly).

Every time I go digging through menus I turn up another interesting feature that reveals just how deep this synth goes. TO be quite honest, I feel I've barely scratched the surface of what this keyboard is capable of.

The 64-note polyphony has been more than enough for me (although running a complex MIDI through this could theoretically use up all the voices pretty quickly).

Of course, it's got velocity sensitivity and aftertouch which can be assigned to one of many different effects...on some of the synth lead presets, for instance, aftertouch causes the note to quickly bend up a full octave for an expressive squealing sound.

The lack of an on-board sequencer bothered me for a short time until I bought a joystick-to-MIDI cable and sequenced everything through my PC (it's probably easier this way anyhow).

I primarily use this keyboard to build backing tracks for rock songs (generally I use bass, drums, piano, and strings...I always use real guitars, though). For that purpose, this synth's well-rounded sound set works great. I'd imagine it could be used well for electronic music as well, although a good deal of the Techno expansion is wasted on cheesy loops, when I'd have preferred more vintage synths.

There's a bit of tinniness on the high notes (to be expected from wave-based synths), but the low end is wonderfully fat and full.

Although a few instruments (guitar, sax, etc.) still can't live up to the real thing, the majority of the sounds on this keyboard are outstanding, and the sheer number of presets (1,000+) more than makes up for the few lame sounds.

I don't foresee ever using this in a live situation (I don't have a band, and if I did, I'd be playing guitar), but it's definitely sturdy enough to handle live playing.

The furthest I've dealt with Roland was visiting their web page looking for help on getting MIDI connections working. The web page was sorely lacking, but I suppose they'd expect me to own a manual.

My view may be slightly biased because I got this keyboard in great condition for less than half what the local music store was selling it for, but I just absolutely love this synth. I'd highly recommend it to anyone looking for a great entry-level synth. I could go on, but I'll just leave it at that--I'd purchase another one in a heartbeat if something happened to it.

I found this synth relatively easy to get going on. I was a little put off by the manual. It is far too simplistic in the basics sections and overly difficult to understand in other areas. I get the feeling the writers envisioned two types of people buying this synth: Beginners who will never change the presets, and advanced users who know all about synthesis. Unfortunately, I just happen to be in the middle of that equation. Fortunately, I haven't had to venture into the wilds of editing patches much because I've found most of the sounds I wanted in the presets. Editing software is included but I haven't had the time to figure that out either.

I like the keyboard feel a lot. I wish it had separate pitch and modulation wheels but the joystick works fine. The SmartMedia card is pretty cool. I've downloaded Roland's factory patches and have them saved on the memory card for quick uploads at anytime without having to use a computer/sequencer to change the user banks. The 2mb card has room for hundreds of user edited sounds. If you want more sounds you can buy any of the additional expansion cards Roland sells. It is very easy to find the type of sound you want and the keyboard functions are well-layed out and easy to understand. Buttons have a nice feel and light up pretty when accessed. Lots and lots of sounds to choose from! I wish the built-in Techno board was replaceable. But then, I'm sure someone else wishes the Orchestral board was replaceable.

I haven't played a synthesizer in over 15 years and was pretty surprised by the realism of a lot of these sounds. Plenty of pianos to choose from that I like, A lot of strings, solo brass, flutes, and woodwinds are pretty good. I don't care for the saxes, but then I used to play Tenor so I'm probably pretty biased in that area. I think some of the acoustic guitars are great but I haven't found a distortion guitar sound I can use yet (again, I'm just using presets, I'm not editing sounds). I think this synth is tailored to any type of music. There are a lot of sounds I will never use but it has so many, I don't feel short-changed at all. I like the sounds alot!

Seems pretty reliable to me. I use it in a home studio and never tour so ask someone else if it is rugged for touring. I think it would be, assuming you carry it in a sturdy case and don't throw it around. I haven't had any problems and don't expect any so I have to give it a 10.

I haven't dealt with Roland on any issues. Their website is okay and I did get some free sound patches there. However, they should have their manuals online like Korg does... oh wait, maybe that wouldn't be such a good idea (see above). They get a 10 since the unit is still working and I haven't had any dealings with them.

I considered a cheaper alternative for the longest time (Roland RS-5)but eventually went with the XP-30 because of it's expansion capabilities. The sounds are good if you want realistic sounding instruments. I bought a Korg MS-2000R to fulfill my analog-sounding-dial-manipulating desires. I used to have a Moog Rogue and I just couldn't get that sound out of the Roland. That's not to say it isn't in the unit somewhere, I just couldn't find it. The Korg also gives me on-the-fly sound manipulation that "I" can't get with the Roland (I think the slider controls are a joke, plus they're very limited). Try to envision what type of sound you want before you spend your hard-earned cash. Not all synthesizers sound alike! I'm a for-fun songwriter and the Roland XP-30 synth sounds very good to my ears. I get ideas when I bounce through the presets and since there are a lot of presets, I get a lot of ideas. I wasn't sure about spending double what I budgeted for, but for the number of sounds you get for your money, the XP-30 came out well ahead of everything else. I'm very happy with my purchase.

This thing has so many sounds its not even funny and a great number of them are eminently usable, and often inspiring. There's a reason so many music professionals have jv/xp instruments in their arsenals, and getting this many sounds of this quality for the price of this board is insane. I personally haven't used the manual much, but the good news is, you can often get by without it. The layout of the front panel is pretty intutive, and I have been able to make quick changes to midi settings, fx settings, and minor tweaks to a patch without even cracking the manual ... same goes for using the arpegiator .. all the basic functions are right there at the push of a couple buttons.

Keyboard action is very solid for a synth-type action. I also played an xp-10 before buying xp-30 and found the xp-10 to be very cheap feeling and "clacky" (great word huh?). I would be very surprised if the 30's keyboard was not a higher quality keyboard than used on the 10 ... Built in effects are numerous and useful. Accepts 2 xpansion cards ... I've got the keyboards of the 60's and 70's which is great for B3 sounds, electric pianos, and the like. No on board sequencer, but a good arpegiator.

See above. Of course, not all of the sounds are awe-inspiring, but many are superb. I personally have found many traditional instrument sounds to my liking (keyboards, especially electric ones such as ep's and clav's, guitars, and strings, in particular). Nice pads and synth sounds and excellent synth basses (especially on the included expansion cards). The sounds on the techno expansion card are fun to play with but I can't imagine using many of the loops in an actual song (since people would know you just pushed a key on your roland keyboard .. not very original!). The acoustic pianos, even on the session board, imho, stink, but this is a generalist board, so I don't take off too many points for that. I'd say this board would work well for any type of music. The effects are good. It reacts well to playing, except that I don't like the mod funciton on the roland joystic and had to buy a pedal to do that.

seems solid enought to me, although I've only had mine a few months. I've carted it around a bit though, and had no trouble with it.

I'd absolutely replace this board. It complements my other equipment well (primarily a Yamaha S-80 and emu proteus 2k module) and makes both a good sound source for sequencing/recording with PC and a good second set of keys for playing (along with S-80 which is main axe). Also looked at xp-10 (yuk ... would definitely shell out the extra bucks for the xp-30) and read up on (but didn't play)Kork N5D (this got the nod due to expansion options).

Well, that depends on how experienced you already are with MIDI and synthesizers. Setting it up for multitimbral use with a sequencer was a bit confusing at first, but after hunting throught the manual I finally figured it out. Wading through the menus and editing sounds is a bit hard at first, but once you figure it out, it's all right.

64 note polyphony, 61 note keyboard (pretty good synth-action feel, IMO), aftertouch. The joystick (for pitch bend and modulation) sucks for modulation as it doesn't move very far. It's ok for pitch bends, though. The four sliders are great. You can assign any MIDI controller to them, or use them as individual tone volume sliders. These are great for live playing or when sequencing. The XP-30 makes a great MIDI sequencing synth. You can edit any of the patches while sequencing in performance mode. One great feature is the ability to transmit just about any change made on the synth to your sequencer as sysex data. For example, supppose you want to change an effect midway through the song, just manually change it on the synth at the right time and it's recorded. Or you want to change the filter for a patch before the chorus begins? Just change it at the right time while your sequencer is recording and it's done.
Effects aren't too good or numerous. There is global reverb and chorus, and one extra effect to use. Kind of skimpy.
There are two expansion slots for adding more sounds.

Mostly great sounds. From my limited experience, this is one of the best "meat and potatoes" sample playback synths available. It covers a wide variety of styles, especially due to the built in Session, Orchestral, and Techno cards. I especially appreciated the Orchestral sounds, which while not comparable to good sample CDs, composed a variety of articulations and instruments.

Never had any problems in one and a half years. Unfortunately I am selling it soon for financial reasons.

Never dealt with the company. However, there is a ton of stuff on the internet. More patches, mailing lists, discussion sites, etc.

This is a great synth, especially for the price. I think it is especially good for MIDI sequencing. It doesn't have any exotic or really superb sounds (not unless you do a little tweaking...). It's simply a reliable workhorse that does a little of everything satisfactorily.

PRESETS ARE GREAT! (Given Roland's reputation, I was very surprised.) Why would you even want to modify them? There are occassionally a few sounds i want to change, and the keyboard is simple enough that after reading the manual once, you can do it from memory...

64 polyphony. Keyboard has aftertouch, which is a plus, although sometimes annoying as well.
Effects are alright, haven't edited them that much. Could've been arranged in a more user-friendly fashion. But overall, good.
2 expansion boards, plus session, orchestral, and techno boards already supplied. I don't use the techno board much.. not really into those kinds of sounds. But, with the presets, the session, and orchestral board, you have EVERY REAL SOUND YOU COULD EVER NEED, and five different version of it! seems like a billion different string sounds, tons of great keyboards (harpschicord, WONDERFUL ORGANS), bells, ethnic sounds are awesome, harps, bass, and some choirs.
It's true the piano sounds aren't the best. I write music that's supposed to sound manipulated, so i don't mind putting an effect like chorus or delay on a piano to make it sound better...
I also bought the vocal expansion board for this synth. A great ad on for choirs.

Realistic sounds. Not limited as far as music style goes. I write industrial/gothic/classical so I could use every sound on this keyboard.

This synth is EXCELLENT if you're looking for a wave-based synth to expand your horizons as far as different sounds are concerned. If you want to be able to edit synth sounds or something, buy an analoge style keyboard and don't waste your time with a wave-based synth. I use an ensoniq fizmo and yamaha an1x in addition to this keyboard.

no problems with it. great for a gig because of it's giant sound bank.

Never dealt with them.

Great for the price. I wouldn't pay more than $750 for it used, $950 new. If you're a musician who already has some analog and synthetic sounds under your belt, and you want to expand your sound with real sounding instruments, an xp30 is a great buy. If you want a perfect, all in one synth, buy a Triton or something... I just wanted a bunch of sounds so i bought this one, no regrets.

The presets sound amazing and a great variety of sounds are offered.
Patch editing is relatively easy but for newcomers to the world of technology, forget the manual because it says nothing of interest.

There is 64 polyphony which is normally no-more than required but for some giant orchestral pieces it can be used up. The XP-30 is the best feeling keyboard I have ever played(doesn't give a plasticky feel)
The effects are great, especially in the arpeggio button. It has 3 expansion boards built in (Session,Orchestral,Techno) and there is room for 2 more.It is also compatible with general midi.Unfortunately, there is no on-board sequencer but with an instrument lead connected fron the left mono to the line in on a PC you can sequence using Cubase or other audio software.

All i can say about the instruments is WOW! They are unbelievably realistic and the expansion boards will offer sounds for people interested in all sorts of music. The orchestral board offers amazing strings(especially 001-Warm Violins, 045 String Attack), Brass, woodwind and percussion. This will really suit anyone interested in film music.The Session board contains great stereo sampled pianos and cool saxaphones.Although i am not interested in techno music the board has cool effects.The drum kits offer amazing rock, jazz and techno drums also. There is a great velocity and aftertouch on the keys and instruments.

No problems at all. The solid metal structure will guarantee lifetime use.

Dont know. So far i didnt need any support but from rolands usual dependecy, im sure they are very reliable.

Simply amazing.For #999 there is no better deal for a better quality synth. For anyone interested is buying a synth GET A ROLAND XP-30!
The sounds are very expressive and the ability to edit patches and the amazing quality of every element of this synth makes this a must have for all music composing/performing enthusiasts.

I bought my XP-30 from a shop in Japan in October 2001. According to the sales person, it had been on display in the shop for about a year (I bought an ex-demo to save money). I don't know the software version, and I don't care.

In my previous experience, Roland always provided better manual compared to Yamaha (the manual for the DX synth was simply incomprehesible), so I was taken aback by poor quality of the manual for the XP. A lot of poeple had already commented on this, and it's not because of the translation. The manual even in the original Japanese text sucks.

However, it's very easy to find the patch from the buttons and the dial on the panel and select the sound you want. I particulary like the way Roland has arranged the patches into categories. To me 90% of the presets sounds great. Some of the pianos are extremely good. I could have done without the Techno patches, but that's because I'm not interested in this style of music (my 7 old son likes the sounds however for fooling around with my gear).

I have not yet gone deep into editing patches, but it doesn't seem that complicated. Despite the badly organised manual, I think I'll be able to get around the controls without totally getting lost. Setting up a performance also isn't as difficult as some people make it out to be. BUT, what I can't really figure out is how the effects are structured in a performance. On this point, the manual is totally useless.

A PC based patch / performance editor would help a lot, but the Japanese model isn't shipped with one (Soundiver or whatever you call it). You can buy a PC connection kit as an option, but I didn't get one because it doesn't seem to work on Windows2000 system (or at least it's not being advertised as supporting the OS).

I bought XP-30 because of its keyboard action. Compared to other synths in the similar price range, XP-30 had the best keyboard (for me). Keyboards on Yamaha and Korg synths felt plasticky and very light weight. XP-30's keyboard is weighted slightly and has a good firm action. I think you can also adjust the action by pushing some buttons. This is a feature which you might find in a more expensive synth, but rare in the price category of XP-30.

64-polyphony is good enough. I use the synth for composing on a PC with SONAR. If I run out of polyphony, I'll just record the MIDI data to audio tracks.

Effects are good, not outstanding for sure, but what do you expect from an onboard unit in this class. The only thing about the effects is, as I mentioned before, I can't figure out how the global effects and EFX actually interact in a performance.

Two expansion slots for SV cards and a slot for Smart Cards are more than sufficient for my purpose. XP-30 has a comprehensive MIDI control capability. The unit can be set to a GM mode, so it can be used as a simple tone module for playing back standard MIDI tracks. It's not equipped with an onboard sequencer, but this is actually a merit.

I'm no great judge of sound quality, but to me, most of the presets sounds wonderful. I'm a complete amateur who enjoys composing instrumental rock music at home, so the variety and quality of sounds available in XP-30 are quite sufficient; however, I'm tempted to fill the open expansion slots with some SV cards to get more variation in synth lead and drum sounds.

I had own quite a number of Roland products, but I have never experienced breakdowns or other serious problems with them. In fact, for getting my new XP-30, I had traded in an alpha-JUNO-2 which I bought nearly 15 years ago. OK, so I was using it in a home environment for my hobby, but it was working just fine until the day I traded it in.

I have not had a chance to deal with the company, as their products never failed on me.

If it is stolen today, I will buy it again, as there is no synth on the market presently that can match the value for money you get out of XP-30.

I own or had own quite a number of studio equipment such as outboard effects, sound modules, guitar processors, etc. I shop very carefully, comparing products from several manufacturers. Most of the time I find myself choosing a Roland / Boss product because their product gives you such a good value for money and at affordable prices.

To be honest, I would like to have gotten a Triton, it's got a good keyboard action, I like the patches that sounds bright, a large LCD display for easy editing, the style that looks expensive, etc.; however, it would have cost me twice what I paid for XP-30, and that would have thrown my wife into fits who may have then thrown me out of the house where I could enjoy my music.

XP-30 is certainly not as glitzy as a Triton, but it has all the features I need from a synth, and very importantly, I can afford it without straining my bank account (and relationship with my wife).

I am very happy with XP-30 and what it can do. I don't mind keeping it for the next 15 years. (I can't afford to loose it so quickly anyways.)

Well ive had a couple of other keyboards .. an SY35 Yamaha .. a Roland XP10 & the latest one a Korg N5EX . I thought the N5ex was so simular to the NS5r rackmount .. that blew my mind .. but it wasted so much space. The NS5r was very simular .. but the keyboard on the N5EX i thought just had the edge over it. The piano was much fatter sounding.
People have comented about the arp .. but i recon they are a waste of time. They should knock a few quid off if u dont want it & throw it away.So anyhow i sold the Korg & got a XP30. In my opinion the Roland
is better .. its a much more open & clean sound .. the Korg was a bit soft.If u,ve owned a xp10 or SY35 u should find this easy to use.

poly... err .. seems ok.Keyboard action is a little stiff but ok .. the keys across the range are consistant. Well one thing i found is that thank god Roland have put all the sounds in banks in their groups !!! Its more than Korg did on the N5EX. This is one thing that peed me off.I gave up looking for sounds on the Korg & copied them into the user banks. Now its a doddle using the Roland .. especially if u are using a midi set up as i am. I can tell u its arranged more like the Yamaha.The midi is easy to set up .. if u are used to midi .. Midi always is a BIG pain anyway. Why all manufactures use their own way of setting it up ill never know. It isnt std. Getting bank messages to set yuor sounds up are easy.I noticed in some midi files where people use rackmounts with breath controllers & such stuff it plays havoc with your set up. GM is another pain.

Well ive only just got the XP30 so its early days .. but so far there are loads of nice fat bass sounds .. a selection of pianos ( which is wot i really was after ) the pads aint too bad but nothing maches my E-mu for those analoge noises .. oh and the E-mu has brilliant hammond sounds too .. i must say i did notice the organs were a little light .. simular to the ones on the XP10 !! mmm. I dont like brass full stop. The drums are simular to every other drum machine ive ever heard .. but some new pops & farts make them different.Shame u cant shift another kit into another midi chnl like i could on my Yamaha / Korg & Roland XP10 !!!! i cant believe this.
Thank god ive got the Koeg NS5R rack for my drums.

no idea yet

errr ... so far so good

too early to say .. but then .. why does anybody buy a new keyboard ??
Its just a new toy ... well it is aint it ? It looks just like my old keyboard .. but sounds ??? so why did i buy it ??

Preset sounds are OK, but most sound a little flat and dull. If you have hours to spend investigating the simplest tasks, such as splitting the keyboard, more power to you. Otherwise, be prepared to be completely dumbfounded at times. The manual is a joke. Phrases such as PERFORM/COMMON/PERFORM/COMMON appear suddenly without explanation. Don't bother looking for one. I am really frustrated. Forget the 2000 sounds. Without more basic info for the less than experienced user, what's the use. I'd never buy another one. I hope I can find someone to take this off my hands for a reasonable price.

64 note polyphony? More like 16. Any reasonable sound requires too many tones. Effects are mundane. Nothing special. And of course they're not easy to use. Expansion modules are great. More sounds that are hard to manipulate. Midi capapility is standard for a keyboard of its price range. No sequencer. Its a good thing. Because Roland would never give you enough info to be able to use it anyway.

I played a JV-80 before, so I thought I knew what kind of sounds I'd be getting. But these are somehow muted and unexpressive.

Seems dependable.

Just try. You'll see. I'll never buy another Roland as long as I live.

I'd be thrilled if somebody stole it so I could file a claim and go get something I could really use. I used to have a Yamaha, and I could kick myself for switching to Roland.

If you have never used a Roland JV or XP keyboard before, it is a bit confusing. It is not very user-friendly.

This keyboard features a lot of interesting features.
64 tones polyphony, 16 parts multi-timbral (1 for drums).
A batch of different choruses, reverbs, and 40 types of EFX (one insert)
Lot of sounds (over 1600).
Good keyboard keys.
Great controllers.
2 expansions boards (3 built-in included) for SR-JV series.
No sequencer.
Cool Preview Button for every category (Piano, E. Piano, Mallets...)

Every music can be made with it this keyboard. Orchestral, Pop, Techno, Ambiant, Rock...
Orchestral sounds are great, such as flutes, strings, woodwinds, french horns, oboe, sax (for a keyboard, it is great), techno/pads/fx are great.
piano is very great, choirs are great.
Trumpets, Trombones and other solo brass sucks.
Onboard effect is great for electric guitar, other stereo fx...
a lot of sound is responding to the velocity and aftertouch (especially pads...)

Yeah, lightweight, very good for any gigs.

Don't know. Like any other roland stuff i guess.

It is the best quality/price for roland keyboard up to date.

The good things of this board have already extensively written, so I will tell you my opinion. I bought this board to act as a compliment for my Trinity and I F*CKed myself. I owned an Ensoniq MR-61 and it's another monster from the past. Back to the XP30, the ugly things about this sinth are...

1: The sound quality is good, but the dynamic range is very flat. On a mix, the Trinity's total output (even with the internal eq on flat gain) eats all sounds coming from the XP. Sounds are lifeless, no character at all. Your individual sounds will lost their thin vharacter in multimode. The effects should be able to fix this, but...

2: The effects are a real shame. Master chorus don't add spaciousness to your sound, it simply detunes it. Master reverb sounds passable, but it doesn't even touch the reverbs from the Trinity or Ensoniq units. Both master effects have very few parameters and they are 'magic' settings. In example, the 'Time' parameter for the Reverb (which can be turned into tap delay) ranges from 0-127, in unknown units (no clue of how it translates into seconds or milliseconds). Insert effects are somewhat better, but they lack the detailed parameters I've found on other gear's FX (Ensoniq or Korg). CRAP EFFECTS! Maybe I'm used to the Trinity's advanced FX setup (8 insert, 2 masters, variable routing). At least you can mix the XP's insert FX out with the master effects.

3: DRUMS ARE LIFELESS, FLAT, DULLY and... well, to me, useless. They are boring and you can write only 2 of your own kits to memory, unless you've get one of those expensive SmartMedia cards. I've to admit that I expected better drum programming or samples from Roland.
Because the 99% of the kits' samples are mapped to keyboard with low pass filters, they sound darker than most synths I've heard. Modyfing them (changing the filter to peaking or hi-pass) will take you to use the one of the precious RAM locations for user kits. The Trinity has 12. Mi MR-61 had over 70 ROM kits, built on top of over 700 drum samples. The XP, once again, don't touch them. Some techno and jungle kits are better, but not mind-blowing. One really stupid detail is that there are only 2, yes, only 2 GM drum kits, Standard and Brush. Coming from a manufacturer that created the GM standard, it's simply senseless (but the GM bank is pretty good). If the limited drumkit architecture only allows 2 kits per bank, I would be happy with the Analog and Standard GM kits. I didn't buy it to play GM files, but even cheapo Casio keyboards have the 8 kits...

4: Acoustic pianos sucks. Period. I'll stay with that high criticized Trinity piano.

5: The 'Control Pallete' (AKA realtime control sliders) are effective, but they don't display any value on screen. When used as internal Tone controllers, they are useful, but you can't save the tweaks you've made. If you enter the Edit mode, your tweaks don't are translated into altered tone parameters. Krap. The sliders doesn't have a physical center mark, so you won't ever know if you leaved the sound as it was selected. If you try to use them as MIDI controllers... good luck. Use your imagination to figure out what data was transmitted. At least, you can freely assign any CC number (as well as aftertouch or bend) to the damn sliders. I don't know if the sliders found on XP60 or XP80 suffer from that problem (probably not, they're theoretically pro keyboards)

6: Being a hard fan of Vangelis and Jarre, I expected more from the built-in Techno expansion. But I think is a damn wasted space. As other reviewers said, why didn't roland take that 8 megabytes to put a decent piano sound or at least leave the slot free? Anyway, I'm not going to buy any of those expensive SR-JV80 cards. Why buy top waveforms if the internal DAC converters will make them sound flat and dull?

7: Many preset sounds are actually using up to 4 tones per note. In most cases, that's accomplished to buy more fat sounds (which is a consequence of a very basic filter impleme

my xp-30 is very good.I like it very much.The pre set sounds great except piano sounds.For me I'm a pianist I don't like acoustic piano sound so much.It's kind like a lay back sound compare to my kurzweil
micro piano.So when I play I use piano sounds from kurzweil and other
sounda from xp-30.

Everythings are great.It's very easy to use.I'm a professional musician
in Thailand.I've played many many keyboard (LIVE),and this one is the best to use.

As I said the piano sounds are not my tased.May be other pianist'll agree with me ha ha ha .......It sound unlike real grand piano.Or may be I've to buy a piano card?

No problem man!!!!!!

I live in Chiang Mai, It's quite far from Bangkok.So it's very hard to contact a dealer.

The xp-30 is just great!Thanks to the god.

I bough this thing new for about $800-900.I've been keeping an eye for an used one, but by the time I wanted to buy it,it's already sold. not my luck, I guess.I don't know about the software,but I bought it about 2 months or so, then I guess it's the newer version. the preset sounds great to me. for about 1500 patches available definitely more than enough, well, this is one of the reason I bought this thing anyway. I'm not really a keyboard player, as I guitar for the past 6 years and just learning to play piano for about a year. so I know nothing about programming the patches. I've only been messing around with the preset only,even with that I still discovering new sound that I like (well,1500 patches....hmm) I'm just beginning to explore the editing and stuff recently with the manual, and for me it's fairly easy to navigate trough the menus. the manual itself is adequate. I've read reviews about how bad the translation is, but for me, well I came from Indonesia, and with a 'not so good english' , so I guess that's not a problem too. :)

The polyphony is 64, and really want to know how people can run out of them, maybe some day I will too, but for now it's more than enough. haven't use it for sequencing yet, for live only at the moment. the keys have velocity and aftertouch. It's the first experience with aftertouch,and my,my, what a wonderful thing it is. I don't know about the other keyboards though, maybe all of them made that way, but this one, not only it reacts to pressure, you can also wiggle the keys to get a reaction!! some preset only though, not all of them. It has about 40 effects, but you can't use two or more at a time, that' not a good thing.but the reverb and chorus are independent. expansions? well, it can hold two more of that expansion boards, but for me it can mean more sound to deal with, and I'm already overwhelmed here!!! hehehe, just kidding. seriously, i'm thinking of adding the world expansion board, or the asian board to it, when I can find one cheap, of course. there's a slot for more user memory if you feel like the internal user wasn't enough. I haven't really use the MIDI capabilities, but I've read reviews that among the other XP's this one has the best MIDI capabilities. I'm looking forward to proof that. No on board sequencer, but I own a computer,so I don't really need one. besides, It cuts down the price, or else I couldn't buy this thing. maybe later I'll look for an used external sequencer if I need to play in a gig. It has an updown lever, but no modulation!! it's not fair!! the other XP has one, why can't this one has it too??!!well, i'll just have to rely on that awesome aftertouch then...

Like I said, the patches are a lot, and surprisingly, most off them are great. The sounds that i love are the pads(oohh... so niiiceee...), the strings, the horns and solo trumpets, and (don't kill me for this...)the acoustic guitars!!! unless you want to make guitar strumming,which, with all my respect to keyboard players, are impossible to fake (better play the original thing, besides, who can't learn to strum a guitar?) the guitar sounds are realistic!,well not all of them though,some are cheesy as hell. as for the pianos, well I owned a real one downstairs, so I think the presets are good enough. my favorite piano patch is the compress piano, it has a nice 'old record' feel when you hold the notes. the techno, well, I like the aggresive synth sound there, but I really haven't found the need to use it yet. The basses are good, some of them not fat enough. the rhytm are good too, but for my taste, there's not a single snare sound satisfying to me. overall, this synth is an all arounder with more ambient and more of a new music style in it. for a guy who seems to like something from any kind of music, this is the ticket. on board sound is adequate. the reverb and delays are top, but the distorsion lack that analog feel. just not my taste.

To my knowledge, roland products are built like a tank and are made to be abused. and judging by the what it's made of (really guys, don't fight anymore, let me tell you the truth,IT'S MADE FROM METAL!!except for the sides)

I never had any problems with it, nor that I'm looking forward for it.

For me,being the first synth I ever had, It's a dream!! worth every cent. This thing is the best buy. This thing has the same sound generating capability as the other XP,including the XP80,plus this one is newer,has two expansion boards, and better interface with the computer. I don't play keyboard very well, and usually I play on the middle, so I don't really need XP80's 76 keys. Compared to the N5eX, the closest competitor from korg, XP30 has more sound, expandable, and easier to use. compared to the X5D,well,this one don't have an aftertouch, that alone makes the XP30 a winner to me. IMHO this thing has it all,and more. the best in its class, the best among the XP's,THE BEST,PERIOD.

It took a few weeks to get the hang of the interface, but I'm expecting to be able to . Once gripe: I wish I could specify key ranges using the keys themselves! I do feel that the keyboard can do a lot more than I have the time/patience to set up on it.

It's my first keyboard, but it feels very nice. I compared it to the Yamaha. You've probably heard about the 2 extra expansion ports. It will be a long time before I actually need them, but if I did I would add the piano expansion.

There's just a HUGE number of onboard sounds out of the box, both acoustic instruments and electronic stuff. I've found great bass and a variety of good organs. The keys are quite responsive, the aftertouch is funky.

This keyboard is sturdy. I've gone places with it twice a week all winter and it comes right up. The construction and controls just feel sturdy too. The only thing that could be improved is the sliders and pitch shifter. But I haven't actually had problems with these. They just feel less robust.

Never needed customer support.

This keyboard is my first -- but has turned out to be versatile and fun. If you're looking for a keyboard to do a mix of acoustic and electronic stuff, this handles quite well. It's well worth the money.

Roland definitely has their own distinct style when creating their interface. I've worked with Korg O1/W, X3, and N364's and there was definitely a little reading required to figure out why Roland does thinks like it does. The keyboard has all of its patches seperated into presets A-E, holding about 128 sounds each, plus 150-250 sounds for each of the expansion cards. Then, some of the sounds are doubled in the user area, where owners can overwrite the patches with their favorites. If you play live, it is absolutely necessary to move the patches you plan on using in this user area. Trust me, I tried gigging while switching through the preset banks and then jumping to the expansion cards. I was sweating buckets and looked like a fool! Just imagine, every time you want to switch sounds required a bank switch, the entering the patch number (3 digit), then hitting the enter button!! That's a lot of button pressing for a short period of time. HOWEVER, if you take the time to move the patches you plan on using into the user area, you've eliminated half the work - you can spin the dial, use the increase decrease keys, or again, punch the numbers in followed by the enter key.
The manual gets the job done for explaining patches and how they can be manipulated on the keyboard, and Soundiver is a fantastic computer editor if you are so inclined. BUT, if you plan on sequencing using the performance patches, get ready to find some outside help. Funk and Wagnalls couldn't understand this manual in regards to working with MIDI! Seems to be a common consensus.

I've read the complaints about the polyphony, but as I only play live (no sequencing) and have only ten fingers, I haven't run into any problems. Users new to Roland should be aware of the solo button, which while useful with various orchestral sounds, is incorrectly (not necessarily) activated on many sounds. A lot of bass/synth patches for example. The FX are great, although the drums seem to have a flange that doesn't go away even with the effects turned off? Can someone enlighten me? Expansion? Um, yeah, lots of room! I've installed the country card and wow, a great keyboard gets even better. That has got to be the greatest asset of this keyboard - tired of your sounds? Go get some new ones! In regards to MIDI, there is no on-board sequencer, but that is what your computer is for right? The aftertouch needs to be more sensitive, and the modulation bar only works for some patches. I'm sure it is editable, but it was implemented poorly overall. You can't push the bar forward, but rather just lean on it.

The aftertouch needs to be more sensitive, and the modulation bar only works for some patches. I'm sure it is editable, but it was implemented poorly overall. You can't push the bar forward, but rather just lean on it. The sounds all receive high marks from me - they were a breath of fresh air after playing Korg's all my life. The stereo concert piano in a quiet environment could fool lots of people, I guarantee! Nylon acoustic, squealing organs, strings, synths, clavs, and from my country card - fiddles! The techno sounds are good, but they won't be your bread and butter that's for sure. I do have a complaint with the drums though, like I stated previously their appears to be a flange that won't go away. The dynamic range is considerable, and the FX are nice and thick. But there are some negatives.... The output overall appears to be lower than my Korg X3, which is causing some problems while gigging. And, the synth lead pads are not anywhere as thick as the X3. Brass patches also suffer from this. And while the stereo concert piano sounds fantastic, good luck getting it to cut through the mix while gigging. I had to switch to the 64VoicePiano (which is good in its own right) to get the high-mid/treble cut.

Seems to be sturdy - Heavy, yet small - no problem at all fitting this in a SKB case. Backup? Yeah, my Korg X3 sitting on the top rack of my ultimate stand.

They should be shot for their poor explanation of working with performances and including Soundiver without a detailed manual.

I play in a Shania Twain tribute band that does top 40 as well. I have been using two X3's for 4 years, I know my patches, and I know what I need in regards to sound quality and ease of use. the XP-30 has delivered. It fills in the gaps of the X3, while the X3 does the same. Definitely worth the money - in fact that is the main selling point. How are you gonna compete with this many sounds with this level of quality for $1000! And then, it is expandable with cards to suit your style of music. It CAN be used for gigging regardless of what you may read, it just requires a little pre-planning and using the user bank. It was either this board or the JV-1010 module, but why spend that much money when for a little more you get the JV-1010, and a set of keys, plus more sounds and expandability. If you are thinking about this board, here are some things to consider.
- Is it your one and only keyboard, or used with another? I believe it is the perfect partner board. No sequencer, and lacks a little in some sound areas (but fills the gaps of your other boards too!)
- Is expandablity important to you? My country expansion card brought the keyboard to a whole new level.
- Can you deal with a little patch work - not even editing, but just saving to different bank areas on the keyboard? This thing is NOT ready for use live straight out of the box.
- Do you have more money to spend? Of course, there are more expensive boards, but last time I checked, bands are still making the same range of money they made ten-fifteen years ago.

Please feel free to send questions and comments...

It is kind of a pain at first, but after a lot of exploring, you will get the hang of it.

Plenty of polyphony - 64 notes. Everyone bitches- "I don't have enough notes to run my grand sequencer thingy....blah blah...bullshit." I am a keyboard PLAYER, and I don't ever use a sequencer. I only wish it had more knobs and sliders, and I wish the sliders on the front would actually change the patch (you can't save the slider changes.)

Does great strings; the orchestral sounds are great. It is VERY important you run this board in STEREO through two identical, clean amps. It sounds funny, but in my house I use two Peavey Rage 158 guitar amps with 8" speakers, and they sound awesome. The effects are good, and they can make or break the sounds. The touch is great, and the action is fast, great for crazy lines and trills.

Yea, I guess...as long as I take care of it. I have a big ass Grundorf case for it. Damn, I could run that case over with a truck and it would be fine! It doesn't really mess up or anything, so I would use it without a backup, because I don't have any money to get another one!

I have no idea.

I would get this again, because I need the sounds and patches for my music. I play in a sort of progressive rock meets rap-rock 4 peice. We are very keyboard led. I don't know if I would buy another roland keyboard, because my next would be either an analog for lead sounds or something like that, and the jp-8000 is not QUITE what I need. But this is a perfect all around, comprehensive synth...and if anything, this beast inspires your music making. If you have any questions, you can ask me. I may not know the answer, but we can talk about the synth. I think that the best way to learn synths is to pool knowledge of them from all over, from many people. That is how I learned what I know today.

Roland OS's always seems to confuse me a little. Of course their manuals confuse me a lot more. Why can't Roland figure this out????!!!!

64 voice polyphony, great keyboard action, nice effects. 2 Expansion card slots and a smart card (?) slot for holding extra program data.

Here's why we all buy synths. The sounds on this machine range from good to excellent. I absolutely love the Orchestra I card that comes with it. Beautiful warm strings, great brass. I also own the Orchestral II card and prefer the Orch I card for strings. The Session card is beautiful as well. Nice pianos, drums, guitars, basses. Maybe a little heavy on the synth side (Would have liked to see more vocal, guitar, drums, etc.) I don't like the techno card at all. I don't play this type of music so maybe that's why but I can't stand the fact that Roland uses up precious memory on loops. (They did the same with the Bass and drums card which I also own.) Overall this synth has a ton of sounds and offers plenty of bang for your buck. I actually already own an Xp-80 with 3 expansion cards and added the XP-30 to my set up because it offered so many beautiful sounds for such a reasonable price. (OK I could't afford the Triton!)

Never had a problem with Roland gear over the years.

The tech guys at Roland are too busy to really get a good response. I've had moments where they've been very helpful and others when I might as well been talking to a wall. Plus their manuals really really suck. ROLAND FIGURE THIS OUT!!!!!!!! (Hire the dude from Emu)

If I had the $975 and could do it all over again I probably would buy it again. I should have maybe saved up for the triton but when you get approval from the wife to by a new synth you can't sit around!!!! There isn't much else out there with all these sounds for so little money.

I like most of the presets. I use this keyboard mostly for background synth and orchestral sounds. Editing patches is easy (especially if you've ever used a JV, JD or XP before. The manual is fairly easy to understand.

Polyphony is sort-of 64 note... some sounds can use up to 4 voices per note so it drops considerably. The effects are good and easy to use. It accepts 2 srjv boards (to adsd to the 3 that are built in to it).

The ORCHESTRAL sounds and acoustic instruments are very convincing. The electric guitars are OK... most other sounds go from very good to excellent. I use it for ELP - PINK FLOYD style stuff. It has good aftertouch and velocity sensativity.

I use this keyboard to do most of my song-writing (although I use a 76 note controller with it). I use it everywhere, all the time.

Roland support is usually pretty good... if you can ever get through the "PHONE-MAZE" and actually get to the right person.

If it was stolen I'd replace it as-soon-as the insurance check cleared. I've been playing since 1972. I use this synth along with: a JP-8080 which I use in conjunction with an MC-505, an XP-10 (with a PHATBOY), a JD-990 (with a KNOBBY controller), a JX-305, (2) A-33 76 note controllers, and a Yamaha TG-33. I've expanded it with the ORCHESTRAL II & VINTAGE SYNTH boards. In 2 weeks it will be joined by an XV-88 as well. I love to yank this one out of my rig and sit on the couch and play it with the headphones on.

To check the software version turn off the synth.Hold down the CONTROLLER, -OCT, SESSION buttons and turn the power on.To check the XP-30 version Hold Down the SHIFT and the UNDO/COMPARE buttons together. Thanks to David Green - www.Lilchips.com.

The best!

I love it.

It seems good.

A bit strange in Hungary.

Try it out!

Software v: Don't know. I guess they don't have updates for it, so that's irrelevant.

Ease of use : well, since those greedy engineers there think one can save himself with a 2x40 char display screen, ease of use is brought back to zero. You'll have to overcome way to much submenu's to keep it still funny. A lot of parameters can only be found by just testing (LOCAL OFF - uhm, where was that? - 20 menu's later : oh, THERE :)

This is a so-called preset synth. Roland doesn't want you to meddle with the patches (except for the elements on/off/level and cutoff, reso, attack and decay). Decay's a neat word for 'the other half of the envelope'. Sliding the decay will make the difference between a staccato sound and an extremely long release time (hey, I thought it said DECAY, not RELEASE). A patch editor could do miracles, but the e-magic sounddiver supplied with the XP just... Ehm. Well. It lets my computer crash - over and over again. Roland should write something native for this thing.

The manual? Come on! 'R-O-L-A-N-D'. The clearness and ease of use with their synths and their manuals stopped when they started releasing the digital machines. I didn't read it. I'm familiar with the type (sample + synthesis) plus the 4-element build and the rest is just rock-bottom trial and error. Shift keys come in handy too.

Polyphony : 64. But wait, this is a trick. One patch consists of 1 up to 4 elements, and of course, one element needs one polyphony unit. Means if you want fat orchestral layers, you're in deep problems.

Keyboard action : Plastic Roland synth keys. Still durable, they don't seem to break with loads of aftertouch *hah* but not as sturdy as a Juno's keys. No weighted action, but perfect for quick arpy lines and flashy techno chords.

Built in effects : 2 master (rev + chorus) for all the 16 channels and 1 insert for 1 channel. You can share, however, thus causing the insert (for instance, the distortion) to be put on 2 channels if you have 2 e-guitars.

Concerning the insert effects: I had a Korg N5ex before this one. I loved the Rhodes on that thing (XP default Rhodes is BAD :( but there were only 2 master effects. No insert fx. Meaning if you set one on distortion (for a guitar) you'd have only one effect left for the rest. Luckily, the XP does this better. Effects are about 35 types, only for the insert. The reverb and chorus types have some models (hall, room & stuff) and you can tweak a bit with the delay and detune.

The synched delays are TOP. Though my Yamaha W5 can do 'm better - instantly synched and stupid values down to the millisecond, without making a choice between 420 or 440 ms because there wasn't a 430 or 425. I like the multi-taps - the odd things the pitchshifters can do are worth a small applause too. Take the "Pure Tibet" patch. It's just downright weird...

Expansions : Yup. 2 left for me. I'm thinking of getting the 60's expansion somewhere because of the excellent Rhodes sounds there. The vintage synth sounds also interesting, but I encountered it already in rack form (MVS-1) and that was dreadful enough.

MIDI : the 4 sliders pass data fluently. They seem to be assignable, but I'm to lazy to figure that out.

On-board seq : No. Good thing. Everyone uses Cubase/Logic. Why need an onboard? And you'd need a big screen plus more insert effects..

What comes close to it is the arpeggiator. Too bad it has totally no imagination (up + down, no matter what pattern you choose unless it's "note order". Still better than the AN1X arp - because they call something like Up+Down 1 oct, Up+Down 2 oct, Up+Down 3 oct three separate patterns. I mean, that's nonsense. Octave range should be a parameter.

Instead of what I always thought of digital S&S Roland synths, the quality of the instruments is frightening good. The pads aren't that lush and deep like the Korg N5ex's, but they compensate in clarity and a very good use of effects. The humming voices are stunning, strings are very nice, piano's sound plastic (except for the concert grand).

Since the XP-30 has some expansion boards, I may say the Session is an extremely good allrounder, the Orchestral board with its brass is just beautiful and the Techno board is, well. Obsolete would be the right word.

All sounds come from the mid nineties! Basses imitate Snap's "Rhythm is a dancer"! Gabberhouse is not that alive anymore! And for the rest, they should let the Underworld engineers or Aphex Twin go loose with the samples.

After all, the Techno is still applied big times in a JV-1080 or a 2080 - and sounds of that board get used frequently when the virtual analogs don't provide inspiration anymore.

It works good for a lot of types of music, a good allrounder. However, I can't stop seeing it as a JV-1080 keyboard version.

The sliders do the small miracles. When you hook up a traditional digital synth (no RT controllers) to the XP it'll do subtle things with the sound and the texture. I don't use them that frequently on the XP sounds, most of 'm already contain enough modulation.

The XP doesn't have a real OS. It also lacks bugs - unless you count the overrated resonance (speaker destroying) you get with putting that slider to full. That's just insane. They could've done it with 85%/90% of the reso power. That's also safer for your ears.

For the rest - the XP is not that heavy to carry, provides a lot of easy-searchable instruments as well as a complete recall of what patch you had on last time. I took it on a gig and loved the quick build up, plus the decent power supply.

Never dealt with Roland in person, but from what I hear, they're not that great with it. If there'd be something to repair, I think it'd be the keys.

If it were lost or stolen, I think I'd be pissed off. This is a producer synth. Has good sounds, always something neat to fill up with and a bagload of presets. It hasn't dropped in price seriously, but that could also be because of the stream of not-new products Roland's doing. This was a budget synth, and those insane XV things where you pay way too much for zero innovation, double polyphony and other things you don't need are not worth the costs IMHO.

Other gear: W5, MicroQ, Drumstation, ESI 4000. The XP's doing fine with the W5, the controls do mysterious things with the MicroQ (really really weird things - everytime something different) and for the rest the arpeggiator comes in handy for some drum loops.

Love : easy. switch it on and get lost in the presets
Hate : the d(*#&@ submenu's. Also done in a very illogical way.

Comparison : Korg N5ex. Some of the sounds aren't that great on the XP, but they don't sag when you remove the effecs. And it's got resonance instead of a separate insert effect. I switched from the N5ex to the XP because of the better and more techno sounds, plus it was... I don't know exactly. Less dull could be the correct word. Nicer to tweak with.

Wish : more insert effects. Some ROM upgrade, but that'll never happen.

Helps making music. Yup. See, inspiration gets "triggered" by a certain sound. If you have lots of sounds, you'll have a lot of triggers.

Anything else : this is (as said before) a producer synth. If you want make a lot of music and need something digital in your setup, go ahead.