Roland XP-50

Not so easy to use for a beginner
For instance splitting the board is far from immediate.
Only two sliders which makes real time changes a big no-no
Manual is OK
This board is very powerfull once you manage to edit things.
EVERYTHING can be edited. You can create sounds from scratch
Preset are 95% horrible unusable trash.
For instance, only the 128 first presets or so COULD be used
The 128 followings are almost exclusively filled with bass (OK I might need
one from time to time but this is too much)
The 128 followings are 100% unusable phrases, fadings, ambiant stuff.
The 128 GM sounds are .... there .... and absolutely useless unless you
play back midi files. But even then, you're better done creating dedicated
performances with your own patches.

You don't really need a PC patch editor, but of course it's easier.

small basic sequencer.
Good for note pad. For real sequencing, get a software and use MIDI
FX are average
Polyphony is 64 (more than I'll ever need)
Channel and poly Aftertouch, velocity
Only 2 sliders. (actually only one assignable in case you intend to use
the aftertouch feature that monoplies one slider)
EVERYTHING is editable and can be adjusted to personal tastes !!!!
No arpegiator which is my major bummer on this synth

Action and touch is excellent for my taste.
Far better than the cheap plastic one you can find for instance on a
CS1x. You could call it a "sturdy plastic touch" :)
It doesn't feel cheap at all (something I hate about most similar synths)
I don't care for weighted action. You CAN actually play piano on this
board !!!

I haven't deeply investigated the MIDI features
All I can say is that soft seq. work well, and PC patch editors work well too.
I'm planning to get a couple of sound modules to connect to this board
and I'm quite confident with MIDI implementation

The tone starts aging but you can still use it nowadays.
Good : pianos, ac. guitar, bass, pads, synth tones
Sucks big time : rock organs, disto guitar, choirs (lots of jazzy "dooos"
and "doo-dabs",but very very few usable "ahhhs" and "ohhhhs"), brass is
horrible (including trumpets, sax)
Some "brass" patches might be usable for ambiance but there is ZERO usable
patch for rock (which is what I do)
Not a single B3, no distorted organs

Analogue sounds are feasible but there's no real time knobs. So everything
has to be programmed with LFOs

I got mine used
The INC button is an bit sticky and tricky.
I'll clean and fix this when I'll be installing the expansion cards
I'm planning to get soon.

I mailed the local dealer (Belgium) to get the manual.
120? and they sent it within a few days.
Nice !

First of all, it is understood that Roland tried to catch as many people
as possible with this does-it-all synth. So it really can do EVERYTHING, from classic-
pop-rock-ambient-film scores to jazz-RNB-disco-techno-analog leads,
BUT it excels NOWHERE !!!! This is a swiss knife keyboard.
Also, it is tuned towards studio and recording. So playing live
requires a lot of fine tuning and editing (forget the presets when playing live)


425? is a steal for this in my country (Belgium - Europe)
I still see people asking mors than 1000? second hand
The expansion cards remain way to expensive considering that the
JV1080 engine is more or less out of production
(ONE card is half the price I paid this synth).
I guess they don't want you to upgrade your XP board - they want you
to buy their new XV synths instead ! Fuck !!!

I'm missing : arpegiator, real time knobs and sliders,
better organs, and better brass
The rest is actually pretty decent.
My main interest in this board was the piano and I'm very very
happy with this (especially seeing the price I paid).
All other features are bonus to me .....
I plan to buy a B3 module for rock/distorted organs
and a small analog-type synthy for fat lead play
I probably should have bought the XP30 instead (or was it 60 or 80)
Damn, can't remember! The one without sequencer (I don't need it)
but with arpegiator.

i've been useing it for four months and its my first board. i'm in a heavy hardcore band. we just went in the studio where they had a triton available for me to use. although the triton was easier to navigate i ended up using my xp-50 for almost all my tracks. it just sounds better. it's definetly not user friendly, but once you learn how to use it you'll love it. patience is key.

not that easy.you might confuse using sequencer,tone shaping.XP 60-80 is better.

good expending capibilities.RPS rocks.transposing is well thought.sequencing functions are pro enoungh,better than Korg,unlike some KORG's,do write transposition to songs(GM or not).but when you read direct from disk,some flaws come out.

1080 quality ,industry standrad for that time(1995-98).piano,strings,ac gutars,bass are good.brass,rock organs,el guitars and ofcourse reed (like Sax)sucks.You can't beat Korg's Sax,can you?drums -not punchy.effects -so so.

light but not as hard as other gear.some cheap plastic parts.

ok

I exchanged with my Korg X3 since I need a key with sequencer+direct disk play.Was it worth it?not so.the drums sucked,the keys are not as reliable as Korg gear,low performance memory(64),hard to learn sequencing,some bad or jumpin'direct disk play.good pianos and more sounds that Korgs but when it's time to solo(espicially live)it is a weak one.good and clean output for studio use but not too good for live.

I really don't like the way that the XP-50 menu is made. I came from a DX7 and a M1 and I was feeling much comfortable with those interfaces. I feel very difficult to assign the joystick or the sliders to new features and / or modify parameters.

Great polyphony, good keyboard.

XP-50 lacks of personality and gives few sliders / knobs or other tools to control the sound. Besides this, it has hundreds of great quality and cheap generic sounds.
Good piano, good range of synths, electronic music, good effects, good basses, good acustic instruments, good organs. Every sound is a 8, none of them is a 10.

Had some problems with humidity

I'm not really using any software, rather mainly use it for live gigs. I find the overall procedures pretty confusing. Roland manuals have always been NON 'user friendly.' The presets are generally pretty good. I always discover some amazing sounds when I put a pair of headphones on! If it were easier to steer, the XP could serve you well!

64 Polyphony. The keyboard action is a bit rigid...a 'plastic'-type feel. However, the response is good and the touch-sensitiveness is great. The keys will simply bounce right back at you. It has the option of expansion with sound cards internally, however, they naturally cost a fortune. I've used the MIDI capabilities a few times and it responds well. A 16-track sequencer is on board which is also a bit difficult to steer.

The strings are great! The pads are better!! However, the organs absolutely suck! I wouldn't touch them with a ten foot pole! I always refer back to a KORG or Hammond for the organs. It's a very versatile board but not very usefull for modern or classic rock. It reacts well when you're talking pads but when you want to throw in an organ swipe, the keyboard is extremely static and rigid.

I can always depend on it! I wouldn't use anything without a backup, however, I've never had any problems with it. I've used it quite often with a power converter when in other countries and it responds well.

Great! I rang them before doing a very important show in Nashville and they were right there to give me assistance. They've faxed me through procedures which cannot be found in the manual which was very cool!

Even though it's a GREAT board, I would probably replace it with something that had some killer organs as well as the great versatility of pads and strings. I've been playing professionally since the age of 18. I've got a Lync LN-4 (Lync lives on!), Kawaii K1, and Korg N364.

I got the manual @ video, but the procedures are quite complicated
in the sequencer ( Im in the first week...)
RPS is not intuitive nor immidiate

keyboard is noisy - mechanicly when the key returns up
i guess a better dumping can be attached.
Sound is impresing - it took houurs on hours just 2 explore
the presets
Yet you can't add sampled wave, just the original boards/
patches are nice but they are still patches not waves!

Its a sinti mostly - and sound like you expect from electronic music
piano is nice mostly for the velocity dependant voice
i loved the piano bottom.
aftertouch require mussels...

bad jog wheel!
i have replaced it ( im tech ) but even the new 1 misses some time
the keys however are more durable than you may guess.

good! (in israel) got parts and accesories at rediculus prices.

Im happy with it - It encourage experiments, learning and
joy of music & sounds

Using software v1.0

This machine combines two important features for me. It sounds amazing, and is so easy to use that even in the heat of a gig i still know exactly what i'm doing. The synth layout is simple. It works on a 16 track midi program, combining (big wow) 16 midi sounds, in one patch, so that interfacing with a midi sequencer is easy!!

64 note poly. Synth action, is not even vaguely piano like. Not too many fx. Expansion cards are indeed the dogs. The various piano and ep sounds are better than i need (jazz session musician) all of which can be used through midi with the patch settings.

Inbuilt sequencer is good, although i only use it for storing ideas. However, used with disk drive means you can load up midi files (type 0 and 1) to play through the sequencer.

Usual problems with trumpets violins etc. But string ensemble sounds are beautifully produced. Indeed, most sounds are excellent. Special notice for the acoustic guitars and vibe sounds!!!

Been giging with it for 3 yrs. Never had any problem. Just remember to take plenty of spare figure of 8 power cables, cos they do go from time to time.

Never had to deal with company because there's never been any problem. Expansion boards are readily available, and downloads online are worth checking out too!

I gig with this keyboard. I record with this keyboard. I prefer this to the korg triton, because, it does what you want, when you want it. Simple. A novel idea in todays world.

Basically, this is not a synth for one who has no experience and short on patience. It's easy to use if you know what the heck you're doing.

The keyboard is good for in a studio, or on a stage in a concert - I've used it in both, and it's awesome.

Like most k/b's the trumpet/violin/viola are lacking. However, Roland has included some totally awesome new sounds, including good orchestral, techno, piano, and e.piano sounds. Also it's touchsensitive which is hugely important for a synth.

It "froze" once in 5 years, and I simply restarted and it was fine. This keyboard is high-class reliable. I wouldn't require a backup for a gig.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Good.

Most reviewers here have done an excellent job already, I will limit my review to only a few remarks. I hope they will be helpful.

The workstation is quite easy to use when you remember that a keyboard workstation simply can't help being a fairly complicated machine. The 10 I gave it is therefore a tribute to the designers' effort, not an absolute assessment. A very general description of the interface concept I would give is that the buttons activate patch, sequencer and other modes, the screen displays various parameters. Take your time, learning it is no rocket science.

What is shipped with the keyboard under the name of "manual" is indeed a reference book. Actually there are two books, one is the reference book and the other is an introduction to the instrument with a few sound programming/sequencing examples. I do recommend to study it, it helps you to understand the concept of the keyboard, other than that you'd better rely on your synthesis/sequencing knowledge gained elswhere.

The keys produce a noise when pressed. The action doesn't in the smallest degree resemble that of a piano - sorry, piano players, look elsewhere.

The on-board sequencer provides event editing, groove quantize, lets you record from any measure, has an option to mark reqgions for easier access, has a looping feature. To me this all makes well up for an outstanding sequencer.

The tracks don't record performance change, or I failed so far to figure out how to do it. This means that each time you want to play a sequence you have to select an appropriate performance first. If not for that (and mind you, I don't think this is a deficiency, - merely a thing to consider...), I'd award 10 in this category no problem.

The synthesizer engine is powerful enough to make the keyboard sound realistic. The presets prove that (WHICH IS WHY I THINK THE PRESETS ARE THERE AT ALL).

I object to the expectation of realism when you deal with digital synthesizers. I am a trumpet player myself. I don't believe anyone can successfully emulate a trumpet part on a synthesizer only relying on "realism" of a sample or an algorithm employed by a synthesizer engine - unless you know how a real trumpet "operates". I believe the same holds true for many other instruments.

No experience. I use it in a home studio.

No experience.

N/A

The software version is 1.0. The machine is a bit complicated to use. I bought it secondhand without manual more than a month ago and I had lots of problems figuring out how the sequencer works. I still haven`t figured out it completely, so I hope I will find a manual to buy. Editing patches is not a problem.

It has 64 voice polyphony. Keyboard action could be better. It has one EFX processor, reverb and chorus. It`s fine with me since I`m not a techno/dance freak. There are 4 expansion slots, what is very good, since there are many SR-JV-80 expansion boards on the market.

The basic patches sound good. But if you want very realistic, great quality sound you have to go for expansion boards. I have 2 of them, Pop and Vocal and they sound terrific, especially Vocal. The rating in this category is based mostly on expansion board sounds. The great thing about this machine is FD. You can download hundreds of patches and patch banks on internet and put it in the user bank. It does a great job on all kinds of music. You just choose the boards that suit you best. I play progressive doom metal and it suits my musical demands.

It is pretty reliable machine. I bought mine secondhand and I see that it has been used a lot and it works fine. Some of the buttons had almost no response when I bought it, but I fixed it and it works fine now. I use it on gigs in pair with my Korg X5D and I`m sure it won`t fail me.

They fixed the buttons and it works fine. But, when I got expansion installed, they `took away` the accessories that come with it.

I`m pleased with what I got for my money. I would like having an XP80, but it wouldn`t fit my car (this one barely fits). XP60 is better, but I don`t think that it`s improvement is worth the difference in price. I needed an affordable machine to create music on. The alternative was Korg N364, which is basically an X5D and I own one of these. N364`s (X5D`s) combis sound fine, but the progs (only which can be used in sequencer mode) are nothing compared to XP patches. N364 isn`t expandable and it`s sequencer is less powerful than the one on XP50.
The sound on this machine is uncomparable to the sound on Roland`s new RS series. RS sucks. I tried RS9 in store and wodered how can a great manufacturer like Roland be proud of the lousy piano sound on it. They assigned a button to that piano sound and put a label that says: TRY IT! The other sounds suck too. I also tried Yamaha S30. It has great quality sound, but most of them for techno and it doesn`t have a sequencer. I regret not trying a Triton, but I couldn`t afford it anyway.
This instrument inspires me and it gave my composing a fresh impulse. I recommend it.