Roland XP-60

Bs/Pno+brs is my favorite patch. Love it. It has that authentic bass sound when u press it. The piano must be played softly,or u can get brass cool

The keys have a nice springy effect.

The bass/piano+brass is the most realistic sound on that board. hands down

You can always depend on it. If u take care of it.

never had to call

I'd have to steal this back.LOL.

Sure, it's easy to use... after you spend many hours trying to grasp the design of the system. Yeah, it's complex, but now that I've owned it for 7+ years, I've got it down, and it's fantastic. Almost everything you could want to do with a standalone workstation is possible.

The expansion cards are great, I have the Techno Ccard and the Orchestral 2. The disk drive works great, but now that it's 2008, I with there were USB ports, SD cards, Wi-Fi, ect.

I initially thought that I would want fully weighted keys in my main keyboard deck, but I love the semi-weighted feel of the keys. The action and expressiveness are perfect for my style which includes trance, techno, etc..

7+ years mostly in the studion, but occasional live gigs - been wet with beer and other unidentified liquids - never let me down - this thing is a tank!

In all this time, I've never needed support, but if I were to base my opinion off of Roland's website, hmm... I'd give that specifically a 5-6 - I don't think the site is that great.

I researched and researched - I really thought that I would buy the Korg at the time, but the XP-80 (I wanted the 76 keys) just kept coming out ahead - I'm very happy that I did.

If you are interested in this workstation, then I cannot recommend it more highly - I love it!

I use this keyboard for backing a guitarist/singer with my own play and bass/battery sequencing. Quite easy to use. You need some time to get how do to thing but everything seems logical.
However, deeper involvement in sound synthesis may be difficult.

Standard features for a workstation : synth engine + effect (Cho + Rev + 1 MFX)+ sequencer with user patterns. Well today you should expect sampling capabilities, which was not the case when this keyboard was released, and more MFX. Polyphony is 64.
It seems evident to me that it was designed for live perf. You've got 1 hold pedal, 3 assignable sliders and 4 (yes 4!) assignable foot pedals (for any control change or special feature (sequencer start/stop, patch up or down...), keeping you hands free for playing. very useful. I've got only 2 of them on my fantomX...

It's a JV-1080 sound engine, thus standard but not up to date. Synth pads are very good, others may seem more cheezy compared to more modern synths. But the expansion cards raise the quality. I put 4 of them in my XP60 and it just sounds great. My mark corresponds to my appreciation of the sounds in the expansion boards.

I bought this one on second hand and I take it with me every week. Looks solid because it is !

Never had to deal with.

Sometimes it can be annoying, sometimes you get just what you're looking for...

Creo que este sintetizador es una excelente opcion en 61 teclas del Roland XP 80.
Compre el XP 60 usado y parece que la programacion y el software son de "fabrica". Desde hace 10 a?os he sido usuario de Korg, desde el celebre T2 hasta el Triton, asi es que usar Roland es un agradable cambio de "timbres". Los pianos acusticos y electricos son excelentes; las emulaciones de guitarras electricas tambien. Los Pads, los Strings, los leads para musica electronica son muy buenos. Donde si esta un poco falto de realismo es en las guitarras acusticas, en los brasses y en los saxos. Este sinte tiene muchos sonidos de teclados clasicos de Roland como Juno, D50, D70, JV90, etc. No tengo manual y tuve que descargarlo en fragmentos de la pagina de Roland.

64 voces de polifonia esta O.K. sobretodo para hacer "capas" o "texturas" (layers) en pads. La unidad tiene tres tipos de efectos: Reverbs, Chorus y EFX. A diferencia de otros sintetizadores de Roland creo que los efectos incluidos le agregan dimension a los presets. El XP60 acepta cuatro expansiones del tipo SR-JV que rondan sobre los 100 dolares. El toque de las teclas me parece un poco de juguete, pero aceptable. Tiene un secuenciador de 16 tracks y 60 000 eventos que, a diferencia de Trinity o Triton, incluso que Yamaha, me parece complicado de entender y manejar por estar relacionado directamente a los presets del performance.

Roland es muy buena opcion en pianos en general. Los ensambles de cuerda son excelentes al igual que los solos como violin, cello, etc. Los pads electronicos son buenos. Creo que las guitarras electricas estan muy bien logradas al igual que los leads. Sin embargo, los brasses, las guitarras acusticas y los saxos podrian ser mejorados sustancialmente.

Este teclado es idoneo para cualquier tipo de musica, y si los presets de fabrica no convencen mucho para cierto genero se pueden mejorar utilizando las placas de expansion.
Un gran acierto fue hacer la seccion de efectos accesible desde el panel y poder manipularlos a traves de los 4 faders. Quitar o agregar cualquiera de estos tres efectos a un preset hace variaciones interesantes en ellos.
El teclado es buena opcion para aquellos quienes buscan presets "finos" y no tan usados. Sin embargo, creo que podria ir acompa?ado por otro workstation de diferente marca para complementar un concierto.
El XP60 presenta respuesta aceptable al aftertouch, muy util en los organos electricos.

Actualmente mi equipo de teclados lo conforman Roland XP60, Korg Trinity Plus, Yamaha Motif 7 y Korg Triton. Y en cada uno de ellos uso determinados sonidos. En el XP60 uso los strings, los pianos y algunos organos electricos.

No he tenido la necesidad de acudir al centro de servicio especializado porque el sinte esta muy bien cuidado. La memoria de User esta expandida y por el momento mi XP60 no necesita ser actualizado (Upgrade). La unica vez que lo abri fue para darle una revision general a las teclas y las placas de circuitos.

Si vendiera mi Roland XP60 probablemente compraria un Fantom X6, aunque creo que por el momento no lo vendere. Lo presets son justo lo que necesito para la musica que hago. Tengo un a?o trabajando con el XP60 y me quedan muchas cosas por utilizarle.
El Roland XP60 es un teclado muy ligero, y lo mejor de todo es que tiene la calidad de un XP80 en menor tama?o, asi es que es cabeza de serie, mas alla que los XP50, 30 o 10. Antes de comprarlo tenia un Korg X5D, asi es que mejore en el aspecto de teclado-Calidad-Ligero.
Lo que no me gusta es su secuenciador un poco dificil de usar, sin embargo creo que metiendome mas tiempo en el XP60 podre entenderlo.

Okay, years later, I still love my xp60. I bought it used about 5 years ago for $1300 and it is quite the easiest songwriting tool I've ever used. I came from over 5 years of fumbling through the Kurzweil K2000 and the frustration of poking around the clumsy sequencer and annoying sample-loading delays. The presets are very usable, although today's XV, Triton & Motif soundbanks are superior, the groundwork is in there. Within owning it for the first two weeks, it was so ergonomically designed that I wrote between 40-60 eight and sixteen bar cool loops that I still am very proud of. The manual stinks. Editing patches are a little difficult but I have been happy enough using the presets. Have never tried a patch editor with it.

With the 64 voices, I have never run out of voices. The action is Roland, so it's the best. The effects are very easy to pop in and out and assign to multi-timbral channels and the expansion slots (4) make it a wonderful tool. Again, as I stated above, the midi capabilities are extremely deep and the built-in sequencer is the best I've ever worked with. So easy to use, you'll be popping out tunes in the first hours of ownership.

The sound is very usable and I would put it in the category of a realistic general all-around workable tool. The sounds and expansions give it a wide enough span that will cover almost any area of music you're incined to. The effects are very good and quickly usable and adjustable. The action on the board with regards to velocity and aftertouch are as good as you could expect and the two controller sliders on the left are assignable to quite a few parameters. The only problem I have with the sounds are the hi-hats. No matter how exotic or elaborate they design and sample the kits, they continue to use the same hi-hat samples on every drum patch. It's annoying because you want the sounds to vary per song, but if you continue to use the sounds built into the xp60 all the hats will sound the same.

So far, very dependable. No problems.

Never needed to call Customer Support.

Just because the sounds are not as good as what's currently out there, I plan to replace it with the Fantom X6 which I hope is as easy to use if not easier, but with better sounds. But besides that, it is the best keyboard I've ever used in my 20 years of being a Keyboard geek. I wish it had sampling capabilities but back when this was made, it was almost unheard of for the price.

Presets sounds are very good. Piano's, Bass and drums are great and even the strings. I have owned korg N364, and this is much more better presets. Sequencer is also easy to use, though still I'm not yet trying to get deep (e.g. editing). Editing patches is also easy almost same as korg n364.

64 polyphony is enough for me. Keyboard action is really great, you can feel the weighted keys. Effects are not so many but many of them are useable. I just notice that sustain effect is misssing since this is one of my favorite effects. It has four expansion boards though I'm not planning to add them since I just use this for personal use. Sequencer is very flexible and easy to use. With 16 tracks, again this is enough for me and very easy to use.

Pianos are very realistic. Also bass, strings, and drums are very good. It works well for any type of music. Onboard effects are fine. I really like the sounds, it is much more better than I have before(korg n364). Velocity and aftertouch is also good.

I can really depend on it, This is my ultimate machine!!! I can do a lot on these keyboard. It is really very powerful and very easy to use.

No comment for the moment.

If this were lost or stolen, I will definitely buy it again. It is really worth the price I paid. I've been playing for just a few years and I have owned a korg n364, it is much more better than the latter. I love the presets and all of it except the sustain effect is missing, which is my favorite. I've compared this product to the triton Le, the keyboard action is too bad on this one, I've chose this because of the weighted keys and found out it's really good. I've been planning to buy a Korg Trinity, but since it's already out of stock, this was my second choice, and I didnt feel very bad at all as I discover how powerful and reliable this keyboard was.

No problem at all- very logical. Not as fast as say a quasimidi but still easy. All functions are close to hand and real time control does help. I also like the parameter entry wheel- Im not sure if manufacturers put these on anymore- out of vogue.

Really good. The only thing it hasn't got is sample ram and more effects. This does mean that you'd want to have a sampler somewhere if you were using it as a trance/ house synth as 3 effects at once are perhaps not enough. But it really is very in depth. If you bought the whole dance synth thing (as I did)you probably ended up a little disapointed with the very limited capabilities. this kills all those crap synths and I got this for #300! on ebay

Its bloody great! I bought this because I was burgled 4 years ago and lost all my gear. This came up and I thought well for #300, even if its not my thing its no great loss. Its ended up being brilliant. Great for synthy sounds- trance and house sounds are plenty on aftermarket disks and its so much better to spend 300 and get one of these than spend #900 on the synths that are marketed toward the dance market but end up being annoyed that you cant do this or that and outgrowing it quickly. You can sync effects to midi on this too which is useful. The sequencer is well regarded though I havent gone into depth on this yet.

I wouldn't buy a techno card or whatever because you may not be able to get the best from it if you're using the keyboard in multi timbral mode. The sounds are good enough without this- a sampler would be better than a house/dance/techno expansion

This does lack trancy drum sounds for which you could get a sampler (cheap now)

Oh, the LPF is steppy as someone else here noticed. I'd agree with that. Strong though

Someone was saying about the D/A circuitry or whatever- I don't notice little things like that- it makes music fine and thats the main thing for me- I expect people will hear other interference from things Im recording before they hear any anomolies with the XP circuitry- its fine.

Giving its not up to dat Im giving it a 9 as it still sounds really good

Yes fine- parameter wheel is getting abit iffy- they tend to get dirty I think.

Sometimes it gets a bit moody

Dont know

Really pleased. It has something for everyone, this. Its not for sale. dont think that because its not silver, its not good- it is a good synth and Ive owned a few now! I wasn't a roland fan until I actually owned one- I also kept thinking of the fat lad from Grange Hill!!! Well worth a 10

This is great.

Whose stupid idea was it to attach the power cord permanently to the XP-60? Never, never attach the power cords to synths permanently!!! It make the synth a pain to store in the case and causes extra time to set-up on gigs for pro players. Smart pro players will leave all their short power cords attached (male end) to one short multi-socket extension cord. It saves time on your setup and tear down and that is really important when you play for a living.

Whose stupid idea was it to attach the power cord permanently to the XP-60? Never, never attach the power cords to synths permanently!!! It make the synth a pain to store in the case and causes extra time to set-up on gigs for pro players. Smart pro players will leave all their short power cords attached (male end) to one short multi-socket extension cord. It saves time on your setup and tear down and that is really important when you play for a living.

The preset sounds in this keyboard are very useable. The bass sounds especially and all the organ and piano sounds. The drums are from Roland's great sample library. Editing sounds is easy and intuitive on all levels. Also gets great 'analog' type synth tones. The huge display on this keyboard makes editing easier too. The manual is so much easier than some other Japanese manufacturer manuals. Easy to get around in and to find the parameters for all functions. With the supplemental notes the sequencer is the easiest and most powerful I've used in a keyboard. Simple simple simple. And it locks to my VS880 recorder so I don't need a computer for sequencing.

64 note polyphony! The keys feel solid and professional, not 'plastic-y'. Full digital delay and reverb effects. Very high quality effects. Very useable. Can accept 4 Roland expansion boards for up to 40! mb of sounds. The midi synch features are way to numerous to mention. Great arpeggiator, and key/phrase sequencing. Again, with the supplemental notes from Roland, the sequencer is very easy to use.

Roland's sample library of sounds is famous. The XP-60 comes stock with a very wide variety of sounds for use in almost any application. They really covered all the bases with this keyboard. The expansion cards are killer for assing icing to the cake.

This is a pro level keyboard. Steel chasis etc. Very durable. Roland's reputation is awesome for pro level keys. I use it without backup

I've dealt with Roland for about 15 yrs now. They keep getting better in the customer support category. They don't have a 1-800#, but the people who answer the phones know what they're doing and have gotten me out of jams many times.

I would run to get a new XP-60 if I lost this one. It's my main ax. It's worth the money because nothing else is in the same range. I have 3 other keyboards that I mosly use for sounds, the XP-60 is my controller. I use the sequencer on it exclusively. I've played on 2 cd's and working on a 3rd using the XP-60 for 80% of the sounds.
Great keyboard.

i found the rolandxp60 really easy to use once i had figured out how all the different modes were grouped. one of the best things about the xp60 is that it has realtime control over most of the essential parameters, such as transpose,portamento,solo,arpeggio and the ability to turn each of the sixteen individual midi tracks on and off during composition. as there dedicated sliders for volume,attack,decay,filter-cut-off and resonance you can choke or release a sound to your hearts content and even record and re-record your takes.

if i were to buy a keyboard again, i would go straight for a fully loaded xp60 as opposed to the new fantom which loses all the realtime control that the xp6o offers. the only bummer is that the xp does not sample. for this this reason alone the triton sounds ideal for keyboard players who want to do a real time performance where you ,lock up the two sequencers and get the xp to trigger the midi stuff and the triton to trigger all the vocal lines and additonal fx. more details about the feature set. there is a giant display screen which is very intuitive and 'soft intelligent' buttons below the screen for quick navigation. all the dedicated switches,lights and realtime time control via the means already mentioned above plus the modulation and pitch bend joystick are a real strength of the xp60. the floppy drive storage is really really helpful to store both all your sequencer data as well as patch and drum sound data. you can create your own patches in one mode by putting together between one and four single sounds and also create huge performances in another mode which will allow you to stack up upto sixteen different sounds. Bear in mind you get all the flexibility you will need in terms of tweaking individual sounds to mix well with others in sound patching situation. things like crossfade,volume,keyboard response,panning,effects,synth parameters..you get the idea. the sequencer is just fantastic. i can't praise it enough. i use it all the time at the begining of every session before exporting all my ideas into logic for further perfection. what's more you can control all your parameters in the xp and in logic you can see all the right faders moving in real time. things like the mixer panel faders and the midi pots in logic for panning,effects and attack,decay,resonance and filter-cut-off. so when it comes to automating things in logic, the xp60 will prove to be a worthwhile investment just for all the realtime automated stuff that you can do in logic. my friends who use cubase can only dream of these facilities. one cool feature is how the extremely well specified arpeggiator can be used in real time to create drum rolls on the fly by just holding down a snare note and then flicking from 16th note to 32nd note in realtime while recording in logic. bear in mind this is only an example. the arpeggiator comes with many fantastic templates for a variety of different sounds. there are two sequencer modes. song which is linear and pattern which can be used as nonlinear or groove based. both are extremely well specified, there is one level of undo for all sequencer operation and it goes without saying that there is a real time and step time mode for the input of sequencer notes. there is also a clever facility through which while you are recording say a four bar sequence of some sort, you want to delete certain notes and re-record them without coming out of record mode. enter the rehearsal and erase mode. both these clever functions are easily accessed from the display panel. there is also a rps mode which stands for realtime phrase sequencing. here you can assign pre-recorded midi sequences to any key on the keyboard and even specify the trigger mode such as 'once only,loop,touch based' etc just as you would do on a well specified sampler. these movements or performances can then be recorded back into either of the sequencers that is 'song' or 'pattern'. it's all very easy and great fun and you'll see what i mean when you take this machine for a spin. you can also edit individual events offline in the microedit mode. quantise can be applied in real time or offline. the range of options for quantise are in three modes, groove, swing and shuffle. again there are loads of preset templates for each option. you can also create and store your own templates. next up is the effects section. there are three busses in all and in a multi-timbral mode each sound can have it's own individual effect setting

as i use my xp mainly for contemporary pop music, i can proudly say that the xp60 is my only source of hard-ware sounds. all my other sounds come from the exs24 softsampler. the range and quality of the roland sounds is staggering apart from the orchestral presets. still if that's what you need then you should get the orchestral expansion board. bear in mind that the xp only delivers 64voice polyphony. having said that, the sound themselves are truly 'full-phat' and will fill the mix space very graciously. the types of sounds that my set-up with all the expansion cards excels at are, house,techno,hip-hop,rnb,garage,dnb,industrial,rave,oriental,indian,japanese and all the new agey etheral stuff. don't forget all the vintage stuff tb303,808,909 and acid stuff is all right here. the combination of high quality sounds, fantastic keyboard action and the added bonus of aftertouch and velocity reponsiveness make the playing experience truly fulfilling for synth-type keyboard players.

the machine has frozen on me a few times during programming but only due to my own faults. the way i have caused this to happen is by multi-commanding it to do too many tasks all too quickly! but that's more to do with how well i know the xp60. even when this does happen, if you leave it for a rather long time, it will usually sort itself out. question is when you are in the middle of a session, have you got ten minutes to spare? still this beast is highly reliable and i can't even remember when was the last time that i caused it to freeze!!

you won't need it if you know what you are doing. i have called roland uk a few times with certain questions and they have been reliable and helpful. there's a guy called wayne over there who is top for the job. if no one else helps you try and get him on the line. oh and he's got a fit girl friend too! i only know because i saw his picture in the roland magazine after having spoken to him over the phone and then saw him at music industry exhibition at wembley where he was manning the roland area. see, techie guys and their girlfriends can get famous too! if all else fails, get the video tutorial. this can be quite helpful. that is if you haven't got a short attention span. i have!

i would definately buy it again and again. infact if i had the money, i would buy two. i hav been playing keyboards since i was 9 and i am 26 now. i have no other keyboards but in the past i have owned and played yamaha keyboards such as the dx100,and various psr and sy series,korg x series such as x3,x5d and n364, and various roland synths and home keyboards. my only wish for this machine was that at some point during it's marketing life it was given the ability to record and playback samples from an onboard flash memory chip. if roland don't do well with the fantom which they won't, after that completely justified review in 'sound on sound' magazine feb 2002, they can always repackage the xp60 by adding more outputs, polyphony, more sounds,change the expansion slot criteria to both srjv80 amd srx compatibility providing users can install the same type of sounds from either type of board,and add more effect busses, keep the fantom display, and add usb compatibilty for the transfer of sounds and other data. this type of machine will sell and sell and sell. i would certainly buy one even if that means that i have to take out a loan!

The presets sound GREAT!
Editing patches is easier than on previous Roland Products, but not as easy as something with knobs.
The manual is MUCH better than other Roland manuals I have had the pleasure of reading. It is difficult to find what you are looking for though.

It has 64 Voice polyphony, which is a little difficult to figure out at first, because some patches will use up to four voices, but I have had no problems with conflicts during sequencing....
It has several built in effects, and they are excellent. Very subtle, but also very easy to edit. Also, they turn on and of with three buttons right on the face of the keyboard.
it can have up to four expansion cards, as well as being able to import samples from the floppy drive.
It does have an inboard sequencer, which NORMALLY works really well. However, sometimes if you switch modes while it is in Recording Standby, it'll lock all sixteen channels into on patch. And it is very difficult to undo, so far. I usually just get frustrated and lave it alone for a couple hours....

All of the instruments are incredible. The sax has the scream of the reed witht the aftertouch, the piano pans left to right with the bass to treble end, it's synths sound almost analog if you think REALLY hard of an old moog... even the guitars are good, for a keyboard. The organs are great, and the ambience stuff is actually usable.
The onboard effects are good. Sometimes the reverb sounds a little cheesy though, but it is easily edited.
It is very responsive, particularly with aftertouch, though the velocity comes set for people a lot heavier handed than me, so I had to change it to light. And I learned to play on an acoustic....

Aside from the problem with the sequencer, it is completely reliable.
I would play on any of my Roland Keys on a gig with no backup.

I haven't had to deal with them for this keyboard, but when it comes to getting parts and whatnot, they are very helpful.

I would definately buy it again! It has quickly become the workhouse of my concept studio.
I have been playing keys for ten years, and I own a Roland U-20, Roland XP-60, Yamaha PSR 190 (BLEH!), and a Smith and Bro's Parlor Grande (Accoustic), and I had a Moog-Liberation. But it went to the analog synth warehouse in the sky....
I love the sounds! Even just the ones that come preset from the factory are great.
I compared it to several products. A few of them were the XV-88 (wonderful workstation, very expensive), Phantom 500, the Korg Triton (nice sounds, but didn't seem very reliable). This (the XP-60) had a well rounded sound palatte, a inboard sequencer, and it was on sale!

don't buy any other keyboard the xp-60 is really all you need. It is easy to use after practice on it. the patched are not tah difficult to download. You just have to work at it.

The xp-60's capability's are unlimited with the sr-jv80 expansion boards. You can get almost any sound you want. the xp-60 can load up to 4 boards at a time.

The instruments on the keyboard sounds just like the real thing. The keyboard reacts very well with the players velocity. It doesent have static during playing.

I can always depend on my keyboard to come thru when i need it. And if i had a gig with no backup i would still use it.

The presets overall are good. This machine seems to be designed for modern music. I wish the classical sounds were a little more in number (maybe I should break down and buy the classical expansion board?). The piano sounds are quite good. They come through in the mix and prvide the punch I need. The organs are not what I expect. I use my Korg for organs rather than the Roland. I use it primarily for piano in my band, but use strings, piano and orchestral instruments in the studio. The PCMEFXHEAVY patch is cool when you add more reverb to it. It really soudns like a guitar when played fast and power-chording it in a mix sounds good too. The drums are also great ( I use a kit from the JV880 and the XP-60 at the same time for my drum sounds). The basses are also good (again, I combine sounds from my JV880, SQ2 and the XP-60 for bass). I would not normally use the sax for anything except the Tenor Sax when soloing in the band. You can get teh growl out of it and in an ensemble, it is pretty cool. I also like the trombone sounds and the brass sounds.

This unit has 64 note polyphony and a great sequencer (once you figure out how to use it). It has Chorus and Reverb and Insert Effects. They are good in nature (although I do add a global reverb to my whole mix for all the boards). This thing can be controlled by just about anything. There are lots of controller inputs and a separate Click Track output with volume control (cool). You can expand it via Expansion boards (up to 4 of them). It also has an arppegiator onboard and many different styles of arppegios. It also has a sound shaper on the front panel for real time changes in the sound. It also has Transpose buttons on the front (which is cool for me) that is very helpful. It also has 2 sets of stereo outputs (the direct output has to be programmed in the sound though).

The sounds overall are good. I do wish there were more orchestral sounds on it though. The oboe and bassoon patch are really bad though (I also have an Ensoniq SQ2 that is 10 years old and the Basson patch is 100 times better than in the Roland. The same for the Flute sound). The pianos are good (although not as good as the Technics I used to have - but then it was an $8000 keyboard) The drums are good, basses are good, leads are okay (I use my Korg and Alesis for leads over the Roland though), the strings are really nice (Glad they carried some of the old JV strings over), effect sounds are good too, pads are okay although I would like more basic pads (like in Bruce Hornsby's song - The Way It Is). I have the Piano Expansion board installed (pulled it out of the JV880) and the factory piano sounds are brighter and better than the sounds on the expansion board. I wish the Rhodes sounds were better though (my Alesis QS6 Fat Roadz sound is great and nothing short of the real thing compares).

I can depend on this keyboard. I have owned it for 6 months or so and thus far, it has not failed. I have used it as my main board when stage space was at a minimum and it sounded good and played good.

Not too sure about Roland's support line, I have never had problems with their equipment. I have owned a JV880 since 1994 (Bought it new) and have never had problems with it. Roland seems to be a good company though. I would try to write the manual a little better though. I had a hell of a time using the sequencer in the beginning and basically gave up on it. I went back to the Ensoniq for my sequencer and even my laptop for software sequencing. I finally had t ogo online and get another printout on the XP-60 from a user's site and it showed me the one thing I was not doing in the sequencer. Once I got that down, it is a breeze. The sequencer is killer and the tempo track is really nice and works well.

Just read everything above. I wish I had another one (or the XP-80) that would never leave the studio. I really hate taking it out on gigs, but after bringing it the first time, the band was hooked on the piano and the other sounds I use. Now I have to take it on every gig and it bothers me. I bought it to be the main brains in my studio (controlled from my Ensoniq SQ2), but it goes every weekend to the gig. I would buy another one if it were stolen. I did compare it to other products and it came out on top - the price and features were right for the money. Ultimately I would like to have a Kurzweil K2600 with sampling, but until I sell my house (or I find a way to plant a working money tree out back), I will use this keyboard and enjoy it every time I use it. I own the XP-60, Korg X-5 (still has a better guitar then the Roland), Ensoniq SQ2 32 Voice, Roland JV880, Yamaha TG33, Alesis QS6, Roland VG8, Yamaha DJX (gotta have a screw around keyboard sometimes). It does help me make music and works well.

AS FAR AS THE PRESET GO , I THINK THEY COULD BE BETTER . BUT I ENJOY SOME OF THE UNIQUE SOUND THAT ONLY THE XP MODELS OFFER . EDITING PATCHES IS FAIRLY EASY TO ANYONE WHO HAS AN EVAULVED LEVEL OF PATIENCE . ONCE YOU GET HOW TO DO IT YOU'LL DO IT ALL THE TIME ,THERE NO OTHER WAY . THE MANUAL IS A WEAK START UP TOOL ,LET JUST SAY IT IS NOT FOR BEGINNERS .

THE EFFECTS ON THE XP-60 ARE NOT THE GREATEST ,BUT USEFUL WHEN YOUR IN NEED AND ARE SIMPLE TO USE AND EDIT .I JUST BOUGHT MY BOARD ONE MONTH AGO BUT I LOOK FORWARD TO GET MORE EXPANSION CARDS FOR MORE PATCHES . MIDI ON THE OTHER HAND IS THE MOST FRUSTATING THING I HAVE EVER ENCOUNTER IN MY 23 YEARS ON THIS ROCK . IF ANYBODY READING THIS HAS INFO ABOUT MIDI CONNECT xp-60 to boss 660 PLEASE E-MAIL ME AT REHAB123@HOTMAIL.COM PLEASE

MUST OF THE SOUND ARE GREAT ,TWEECKING THEM MAKE THEM BETTER BUT THE IT DOESN'T MATTER HOW MUCH AJUSTING AND TWEECKING YOU DO THE HORNS REALLY SUCK . IN MY GENRE OF MUSIC THE HORN ARE NOT VERY IMPORTANT , BUT IF THEY WHERE BETTER I WOULD PROBABLY USE THEM. THE XP-60 IS THE IDEAL INSTRUMENT FOR ALL KINDS OF MUSIC :POP ,R&B ,DANCE ,HIP HOP AND EVEN ROCK .THE ONLY THING I COULD SAY ABOUT THE EFFECT IS THAT THEY ARE BASIC .

I THINK I COULD DEPEND ON IT . I SAVE ALL MY WORK ON HARD DISK AND TRAVEL AND THE DISK ARE EASY TO LOAD ANY JERK COULD DO IT .

IF IT WERE LOST OR STOLEN I WOULD PROBABLY GO ON A CITY WIDE BUTT KICKING TOUR SMACKING EVERYONE . NO DOUT I WOULD BACK DOWN AND BUY A NEW ONE BECAUSE THE SENQUECER IS ALLSOME AND IT IS WRTH EVERY DOLLAR I PAIDED AND THEN SOME . I HAVE BEEN PLAY SYNTHES FOR GOING ON SEVEN YEAR I HAVE HAD CHEAP BOARDS AND EXPENSIVE ONES SO I AM CREDITABLE IN KNOWING THE DIFFERENCE . I HAVE A STUDIO 24 MIXER, ALISISS EFFECT AND ADAT ,A ROLAND JS-30 SAMPLING WORK STATION ,A BOSS DR-660 MK ,PLUS MISC. STUFF . THE MAIN THING THAT MAKES A DIFFERRENCE TO ME IN MY WHOLE JOURNEY THOUGH THIS MUSIC ADVENTURE IS OF CAUSE "THE SENQUECER" IT HAS BROUGHT MY MUSIC TO A WHOLE NEW LEVEL AND GIVEN ME A NEW PROSPECTIVE RANGE AND QUAILTY . FOR SOME STRANGE REASON I HAVE SLOWLY BUT SURELY FIGURED OUT THIS MACHINE , BUT THE MIDI CONNECT I DO'NT UNDERSTAND YET, MAYBE I HAVE HAD IT LONG ENOUGH WHO KNOWS . I COMPARED IT WITH THE "TRINITY TRITON" AND FOUND THAT THE XP-60 IS THE BEST YOU CAN GET FOR IN THAT PRICE RANGE . WISH IT HAD A MORE PRESET DRUM KITS ,A SAMPLER ,AMD A ROLAND XP-60 MANUAL FOR DUMMIES . IT HAS HELPED ME UNDERSTAND THE THEORY AND ENLIGHTED THE FUTURE .

Keyboard is essy to use for anyone with a reasonable degree of intelligence.

Editting is made easy by the large backlit screen. Patches can be editted without the use of a manual.

64 note polyphony. The keyboard action is very nice. The built in effects are very good. It has 4 expansion slots for the Roland XP/JV expansion series, and expanding the synth to get its full potential is highly recommended.

It has a very powerful onboard sequencer that can be used for most projects very effectively - again, if you know what you're doing.

The factory presets are decent. The piano sounds are fairly good as well as some of the woodwinds. The preset drums are okay. I highly recommend expanding the unit with either a Session, Techno or HipHop expansion if you want better drums, however.

The keyboard works well for mainstream pop type of stuff, as well as many other styles - depending on your own programming and sequencing ability. This is true of any keyboard - people expect a keyboard to do the job for them. Be a real musician - know how to use your gear, and you can make anything sound professional.

Very dependable. I would use it on a gig without any back up.

N/A - I have never had to deal with Roland.

It is easy to upgrade via the four expansion cards. You buy the card, open the unit, install the card, and turn on the power.

If it were lost or stolen, I would probably replace it - either that, or get a Korg Triton with expansions. The XP series and the Triton are my workstations of choice.

I have been playing / producing music for over 10 years. I have had access to many other synths/etc. One of my all time favorites was the Wavestation SR, so I am always comparing synths to it.

Once you learn how to use the Sequencer, it is pretty intuitive. Again, people are looking for some "magic synth" that's going to make them sound like a pro. It isn't the synth that's going to do that .. Learn to use what you have properly.

ROLAND WAKE UP !

I bought my XP-60 about 6 months ago . After a while I decided to sell it . In this review you ' ll find some reasons , why you shouldn ' t buy the XP-60 . Let me tell you . I had no idea about the software I was using , because the manual was so terrible and it drove me round the bend ! It ' s total a joke and I got rid of it in a few hours of struggling to understand the meaning of this manual . I think you should edit the sounds in a workstation , if you want to use it seriously . That ' s why I don ' t wanna talk about the presets that much . But they ' re good , but there is a huge problem with the effects , I ' ll explain it later ; that ' s the main reason why I sold it . The XP-30 comes with a software where you can edit the patches , but the XP-60 comes with it ' s manual (!) . I can not say anything about editing the patches , forgive me .

The keyboard polyphony is 64 notes and it suffices to many keyboardists . It has a 16-Tracks sequencer , but I don ' t know how to use it , that ' s terrible . That ' s why the manuals are so important ! It ' s got expansion capabilities , 4x expansion from the SV-Expansion board series . I bought my keyboard with the Orchestral and Vocal Expansion board ! The boards cost about 200 $ . Let ' s talk about the effects . The effects are terrible : The reverb effect and the sustain made me sell this keyboard . It ' s got a terrible hiss sound by the much-sustained patches and that makes the XP-60 a bad workstation . XP-60 is used in many studios today , but the Xp-30 sounds much better than the Xp-60 and it doesn't have this hisss noise problem . I have no idea about the XP-80 and XP-50 . All I want to say , when you go to the Roland Distrubutor and try the XP-60 ; try carefully , you ' ll hear this terrible sound . I ' m sorry , this is a really bad instrument : TRASH !

When I don't add the hiss sound and terrible sustain and terrible reverb , the sounds are really very good . I sold the Xp-60 and got a XP-30 and the sounds are the same , but the XP-30 sounds better ( XP-30 doesn ' t have this reverb effect problem ! ) . Onboard effects are very bad . It reacts with the velocity and aftertouch very well , and the sounds are 50% 50% . The pads , strings , organs are good . Vocal sounds are terrible . The sax !!!!!!!!! Hahahahahah : TERRIBLE CAN NOT EXPLAIN THIS SOUND ! YOU SHOUL TRY IT ! THE WORST SAX SOUND IN THE WORLD ! Roalnd , wake up !

This is not a professional keboard with all these errors ! I don ' t use it at home , should I use it in a gig ??????

It ' s not lost or stolen , it ' s sold :) I ' m playing the keys for many years . I have a KORG N364 at home , it's much better than the XP-60 . I own a XP-30 , and it is really very very good .

DON'T BUY THE XP-60 , IT'S ONE OF THE WORST WORKSTATIONS IN THE WORLD . ROLAND WAKE UP !

As far as programing, patch editing, and midi controller go, it doesn't get much easier. There is also a wealth of information on the internet (and a patch editing program) that can make understanding the power of this synth possibe.

With 64 voice polyphony, onboard effects, 4x expansion, a sequencer, and easy midi control setup, what more could you ask for? SAMPLING!! That is the only reason this machine doesn't get a 10 in this area.

OK, it's preset sounds aren't the best, but can cover a wide range of musical tastes. The expansion boards are there for you to tailor the machine towards your preferred musical genre ( and they sound awesome--9.5 in this catagory), making it one of the most versital keyboards out there. Fully loaded with 4 expansion boards it has 1700+ sounds!

I've also checked my keyboard for the grungy-static hiss that has been heard on some patches with a lot of sustain and have found that this hiss (at least on my XP-60) is too low to even make it a concern. You have to have volumes and the amp turned way up to even hear it. In a song this won't be noticed.

Never had a problem.

Never had to call them. I use internet resources to get answers and the only time I did that was to answer midi programing questions on controlling my MC-505 from the XP-60.

If it were stolen, I would wait until Roland came out with it's next generation workstation with the XV-88's synthesis engine and buy it. As long as it could read the XP's data format and use it's expansion boards. Otherwise I would buy another XP-60.

I started with a JV-1000 back in 1993. Moved on to an XP-80 in 1995, and after I had to carry it through London in an ATA case, bought an XP-60 in 1998. I have invested too much time in these keyboards too give them up. I only wish that it also had sampling capability.

I also own an MC-505, a BOSS BR-8, and 6 expansion boards--Dance,Hip Hop,Techno,Session,Sound FX, and World.

When creating music in Contemporary Jazz, House, Garage House, Trance,and Ambient, Roland gear has been there to light the way for my creativity.

ROLAND sets the trends. Others follow.

Well, a couple of months ago I was writing a review of the XP-50...then someone kindly releived me of that board by breaking and entering my house, so with a little help from my insurance company now I'm writing a review of the XP 60.
Editing patches on the XP 60 is much easier than on the XP 50, thanks largely in part to the larger LCD screen. A software editor is still the way to go for serious editing.
The presets are the same as on the XP 50; nice pads (warm!), good ensemble patches, and fantastic stuff is possible with tweaking.
The manual, while updated from the XP 50, is still as useless as ever.

The session card is a good all-around card for the XP 60, and has some great piano samples on it; not quite as good as some dedicated piano modules, but the piano sounds on this card are light-years better than the factory presets and even, in my opinion, usable in solo situations.
Polyphony is 64 (around 16-20 in reality when sequencing).
The sequencer is about the same as on the XP 50 but once again the big LCD screen makes using it a lot easier. The sequencer is quite easy to use once you get past the learning curve; I still think that most editing functions take too many keystrokes but it does a very good job at on-the-fly sequencing.
A nice feature is the appegiator, which is well implemented and sounds good (as opposed to the Korg N364, which has an appegiator which is un-editable and basically impossible to use with a sequencer).

What is unfortunate with the XP series is that once you've heard the sounds on some expansion boards (Session , Drums and Bass, Orchestral and Hip-Hop come to mind), it's really really really hard to take the factory presets seriously...
The marketing stategists at Roland must be rubbing their hands together with glee...
Depending on what type of music you're into, the on-board sounds of the XP 60 can be quite sufficient, and there are tons of sound banks available on the net for free downlaod, some of which are very good (acid experience, for example). However, for those of you who like me enjoy trying to get realistic accoustic solo instruments (piano for example), the expansion boards are hard to ignore.

If it's built like my old XP 50 was, this thing should take a hell of a lot of abuse.

Never had to deal with Roland

If my XP 60 is stolen (as was my XP 50), I'm seriously going to think of buying a Rottweiler and chaining it to my home studio. I would definitely buy another XP 60.
For the price (1300$ US), it is hard to find other keyboards which offer as much as the XP 60.
It is just unfortunate that Roland has decided to fall into the marketing gimmicry of offering expansion boards filled with greats sounds that, in all honesty, should have been included on the board in the first place.

I bought this keyboard in Oct. 2000, so I guess it's pretty new.
I think it is a wonderful instrument. At first, I had trouble getting the sequencer to do what I wanted it to do, but a call to Roland solved the problem. I haven't fully explored all the functions yet, but compared to the Yamaha W-5 I used to use it's excellent and far more superior. The manual is very detailed and is more useful as a reference once you start delving into the advanced features of the keyboard. However, I ordered the video manual and it is extremely helpful as an overview of basically everything the keyboard does. The sequencer is extremely easy to use (and fast!) when you get used to it. Overall, its not as easy as operating a tv, so I give it a 9.

64 voice polyphony, great keyboard action for semi-weighted keys, the built-in effects are fine, has extensive editing features, sequencer is (as I already said) a breeze, and expansion is great! I purchased the Session and Techno expansion cards, and between the 30% or so dance sounds on the Session card, the whole Techno card, the free DanceKit disk (128 patches, 2 rhythm sets) that came with the keyboard, and the preset patches, I have a boatload of dance-geared sounds (about 600-700). Then there's editing and making/saving my own.
I've done some great songs so far. I love to experiment with all kinds of music, but I see music heading more and more in the electronic direction in some way/shape/form. So, these sounds are very applicable. I'm looking forward to buying the Hip-hop card and possibly the Special FX or Bass and Drums cards. I just can't get enough drum sounds. The Session card has excellent samples of real instruments. Overall, I see this synth as being the most useful for recording, as opposed to live use. The dance sounds will pass live, but who wants to go hear some Joe sitting up there on the stage with his keyboard pressing stop and start when he wants us to hear a great sax solo? C'mon, hire a sax player. These sounds were definitely selected with the recording musician in mind. When you're recording, you want the truest, most accurate sound anyway. Then you add all the effects to processing you want externally.
The arpeggiator is very interesting...it doesn't always play back what it sounds like going in, but most often it plays back something better than the preset pattern. My favorite arpeggio is the 3-finger guitar. The only thing this synth lacks is a sampler, but Korg can keep there waste of money and space "touch graphic display."
You're going to have to push something anyway to get the thing to do what you want, so why not save by using buttons? It should either be all buttons, or all touch display. To have the touch display with buttons also is to just have something cool to look at. Aren't we supposed to being doing music, here? Enough said.(My apologies, Korg)

Most of the instruments on the Session card that are meant for realism are pretty close, actually. Especially the pianos, nylon guitar, tenor sax, strings (wow--extremely nice and full!) and flute. But, I think the trumpets still leave something to be desired, but in a full mix of music they work fine. All the dance sounds are great, and the drums on the Session and Techno cards are excellent--lots and lots of little rhythmic sounds--I like that.
I etremely enjoy playing this keyboard (After all, I waited over a year to get a synth!).
Overall, the sound quality is superb to me. Besides, so much music is still recorded on analog with anolog instruments, so there's not much sense in complaining about it. Besides, when it comes to music it's not the sound quality that matters in the long run, right? It's the songs themselves, the creativity and thought behind them, and the musicianship. Just ask Hendrix or the Beatles or the Stones or any professional artist. You honestly think people sell records because they had the BEST the sound quality out there?
Even still, the quality of this machine, compared to what I hear in the music industry right now, is among the best. I definitely say you can't go wrong.

I'm sure I can depend on it. From the reputation Roland has and the fact that I dropped one end of it to the ground trying to get it from the gig bag to my stand in my room and it still works great--didn't even take a scratch. The key is to take care of it. If it were a $100 casio then maybe I'd be a little careless with it every now and then, just like a beginning Jc Penney special acoustic guitar. But no one with any sense just throws their Martin or Taylor or Gibson Les Paul around carelessly, so there's no reason to mistreat this unit. If you take good care of it (that goes for anything, for that matter--i.e. your car, dog, wife, etc.) it will take care of you!

Well, my story goes like this.
Upon removing the keyboard from the box and plugging it in, I began to play with the sounds, going through most of the preset patches in about an hour or so. I then set out to install the Session and Techno cards, which was extremely easy. My next task (that same day) was to lay down my first sequence/song to get a feel for the sequencer. Well, four hours later, I had no song. I went to bed that night very frustrated because I could not figure it out. I think my head was jammed with too much Yamaha information to be able to decipher a new interface. So, the next morning I decided to give Roland a call. Within minutes I was talking to a representative who this maching IN and OUT! He was extremely nice and helpful, and in less than five minutes and a few questions I was sequencing with great understanding and agility! Thanks so much Roland!

I would be really upset if it were lost or stolen, but I would not take revenge by killing someone or damaging their property--that's not right. I compared this product to every other synth in the $1000-$2500 price range and am very thankful I picked this particular one. The Xp-80 is only necessary if you perform and you need the extra keys, but if it's main residence is in your home recording rig (like me) then go with the Xp-60. It'll save you almost $400.00!
Overall, this keyboard is an excellent instrument if you are creative and willing to put some work into making music with it.(after all, isn't the music worth it?)

Well I don't know what software version I am using.
The presets most of them are kick arse and F**king Killer, altough some of
them may sound a bit difference in preformance mode, but all you have to do is
copy the effects from the patch to preformance if you want that effect if not
make your own killer effects. Non the less, once you tweak these sounds you can have
some killer mother f**king shit!!! The manual if full of crap, I feel asleep serval times
trying to read this dam manual. At first I was pulling my hair out trying to follow the manaul and got the only
headache because I have been sitting down for one hour and I still had no progress.
I had a smoke came back threw the manual across the room, and next thing you know it just hit me.
Editing the sounds then became so clear to me. Look at the nice big LCD display it explians everything and you can see
graphs bars numbers...you name it. Sound editing has never been easier once I got tha hang of it and then I had some killer sounds.

The keyboard action is good. You can really feel those semi-weighted keys
and they feel quite nice if I may add so, and the make for great playing.
the 64note polyphony is most def kick arse. The built in effects are cool I suppose.
I have not spent much time on them yet, but it was a little hard trying to mess with it
in preformance mode, but like I said I have not really dove into it yet, so I dont know what it is capabel of.
From what I hear so far they sound good as far as messing with them I dont know. Maybe I should call Josh and ask him
he has one. Expansions slots, just blew my black metal ass away... Wow!!! The vocal card and vintage synth card just rock.
I feel like I am playing on of those Jupiter 6 or those old vintage synths when I use that card. There is a card for any kind of muic.
The next card on my list is the Techno card. The squencer on it is very nice, I like it alot and you can really edit in detail just if you had a pc.
Its kinda of diffcult at first, espcailly if you go by the manual, but once you get the hang of it, it is pretty cool.
The sequencer on my old synth was loop format, but this one you just keep adding stuff which makes it cool, The only thing I miss about my old synth (Jx-305)
is the drum programming. I find it very diffcult to program drums on the Xp-60, being that it was easier on the 305 becuase you would input them on a grid, there is no grid on this sequencer and
most of my songs that I am trying to do over agian have no drums to them. Does anyone have any idea how I can program a doble bass, if not I will buy me a grove box from Roland. I use to have
one and programming drums is easy as 1 2 3 on those things.

The sounds Blew my Black metal ass away, and it blew away Dani's Filth balck metal ass, Josh is still kicking Shagraths
ass. Anyhow I am into that doom gothic meets techno industrial, with a weird split in the middle and a cherry on top.
Non the less the sounds work great for my dark music, and for the hard aggressive stuff too.
You just have to know how to ultilize them thats all. Tweak the sound to your liking and for what you need it for.
I love to the filters on this synth, I like using the BPF fliter alot for dark sounds, its hollow empty and dark, if you use it
propally you get some cool shit of it. It reacts well to my playing and the after touch kicks ass, sometimes you got to do a little work
on the envelope to get it do what you want, but man this synth is a killer!!! I use modules as well, so if I can get the sound from here then I get
it from my rack of modules. Keep Kickin Ass Roland You Guys Rock!!!

Hell yeah, you dam right I can depend on it. This thing fell on my toe the other day
and it nearly broke it off. This bad boy is rugged and heavy it is read to take an ass wooping.
Besides Josh always slams his to the floor and they still work, so I know that they are rugged.
Yes I would use this band mo-fo without a back up.

I called them serval times, and they have always been helpful and cheer full.
Thanks Tony from Roland with your help dude!!!! Tony went out of his way to get me
running again.

Dani you jack ass how many times must I tell you to keep your grubby black metal hands of my
gear before I break them. If someone were to steal this you best belive I would buy another in a heart beat I would.
Everyone was telling me, get a Triton. Heck who the hell has that kinda of money to burn. I like the xp a whole lot better.
Just because it does not have a plam pilot like screen does not mean it sucks, and for the price can you go wrong. I think I got
quality stuff for the price I payed and that Triton could go to hell along with Dani Filth. My music sounds better since I have gotten this.
All of my old songs have gotten a new make over with new sounds and they are a killer. Its Roland so what do you expect. Only bad peace of euipment I think they made
was that Jx-305 groove synth. It was a really horriable experince dealing with it and the sounds, sound like farts on the crap, what the hell happen there Roland?

Im not sure about the software version of the Xp-60 that I have. The presets are about 50/50. Some are awsome and some are plain. I am using the xp-60 for mostly industrial/ebm stuff, so not a lot of the patches are useful. I haven't gotten to much into editing patches yet. From what I've messed around with it is fairly easy, but with all the waveforms its hard to get the sound your looking for exactly. The manual is a little frustrating. It is a very boring manual so I can never stick with reading it for more than 5 minutes.

Overall on ease of use its a little tricky if its your first synth, let alone workstation. It took me about 2 weeks to figure out the linear style sequencer. I was used to pattern style sequencing before, but there are 100 patterns on each song that you can assign to different keys in rps mode.

THe xp-60 is a 64 voice polyphonic synth, so you can make really detailed songs and not worry about different patches cutting out during the song.

The built in effects are about 50/50. the distortion and overdrive suck really bad, but the delays and flangers etc are quality effects. Now, I have had problems using more than one effect at a time, and i was told that you can use more than one, but so far it looks like you can use only on effect on specific patches in your performance.

Expansion is great, but i wish there were more cards for dance/industrial music. I own the techno expansion card, which I got mainly for synth bass and rhythms sets. The phrase loops are pretty gay, but some of the drum loops may be useable. I also have the speacial fx card which kicks ass. that expansion card will have sounds on it you wont hear anywhere else. It rules.

I havent gotten into the midi aspect of it yet.As far as key features like sensitivity and aftertouch, they are really cool. I wish the filter was a little stronger, its not nearly as good as say like a jp8000 filter sweep.

sequencer is great. it will take a little getting used to, but the editig capabilities are awsome(cut,paste,copy). The quantize is also really good, just set it to the note style (QUARTER/eight/sixteenth etc etc...) and record. your drum tracks will be put together perfectly in real time...no more hassles of step. As goes with basslines and melodies, the quantize helps you out a lot.

I use the xp-60 mainly for electronic music. I hardly use the simulated acoustic instruments like a guitar, piano, or sax. I just use the synth pads and basses and leads. There are enough preset patches to keep you interested for awhile until you want to expand. As for the drum kits, they are extremely weak. you only get an 808 kick and snare, and i dont care for the preset 808 kick, though the techno card has an awsome 808 kick, as well as 909/808/606/techno/house/jungle/gabber/and industrial sets. I warn you though...the techno card's waveforms are mostly percussion and drum waveforms. So if you want a strong drum kit section, you will have to expand.

I'd say the xp-60 can be uesd for anytime of music period.

effects.....6 out of 10

It is extremely responsive.

I think i can depend on it. I worry though everytime i turn it on because i always think that the little graphic is going to screw up or something when it starts. Its only glitched on me one time, and ive had it for 8 months about.

If it got lost or stolen, someone would die because it is my main piece of gear, it does everything musically for me.

Ive been playing keyboard since christmas of 99. I had a dr-5 drum machine prior to my xp-60, and that thing is a toy compared to the xp-60.

I love everything about the xp-60 except the effects and the filter.

This cant be compared to anything else because its the best in its class for its price.


It is definitly the best synth for the money. If your limited on gear and dont have much gear, get the XP-60. It has everything built in it, (sequencer/effects/editing capabilities/sounds.) You will be making complex 16 track songs within the first month of purchase, and i mean beginners too. I was.

I guarantee you will get expansion boards, so prepare to spend about another 880 dollars on the machine , as it has 4 expansion slots. and at 220 a pop, they arent cheap, but well worth it.

I just bought my roland a month ago and I'm running the latest software version. The preset sounds in my opinion aren't bad at all. I noticed that many have said that the sax sounds aren't good, but I disagree with that. Sure some of them could use a little work, but they are pretty good in general. The alto sax lead is very impressive. Most felt this sounded like an animal about to die, but I felt it was a very good sound. If anyone knows anything about the sax they would know that Roland added that distortion sound because that's exactly what an alto does when played heavy. You just have to learn how to work the pitch bend and use the after touch correctly. Overall the sounds are good. Keep in mind it's a synth which means you can program it. If you don't like a sound change it's parameters.
Ease of use isn't too bad once you get the hang of it. The manual isn't the best, but then I've never seen one that was good from any maker. Editing patches is a breeze and very simple to do. I wouldn't suggest this as a first synth to anyone though. It's geared towards those who have been playing for sometime and have experience with synths.

The polyphony and action are great. I love the aftertouch!!!! The affects aren't too bad, although it would be nice to be able to use more than one in a song. I give roland an A+ for expansion. Best I've seen so far. The onboard sequencer was easy to learn. It took me no time in figureing it out. For this I didn't even need the manual, but I've been using synths for 20 years and they get easier as the years go by. The nonstop loop recording was a great addition.

The onboard sounds aren't too bad. Again one has to understand that this is a synth and it likes to be programed. I think it works well for all music types. I use it for many styles of music. The onboard affects are pretty good, but need a little polishing. The semi weighted keys are perfect. Great action and aftertouch is just as impressive

I can honestly depend on this synth. It's built like a tank. I wouldn't use it to gig without a backup, but then I wouldn't do this with any synth. Any person whose been playing and gigging for as long as I have knows you ALWAYS have a back up unit for emergencies.

Customer support is the best I've ever dealt with. I've called them at least ten times already with questions, and the techs were the most helpful techs I have ever talked to. No problems or complaints in this department.

If it were lost or stolen I'd put out a contract on the persons life who took it. I would buy another one in a heartbeat. I think this unit was well worth the price. It does so much for a lower price. I've been playing for 20 years, and I own several boards: Korg Trinity, and the Triton, Yamaha EX-5, DJX, PSR 540, and several other vintage synths.

It takes a few days to figure out the sequencer and everything. I still can't figure out how to use the damn RPS! I've only had it for about two months anyway, so I've still got some stuff to figure out. Manual sucks. Editing patches is easy once you get the hang of it. The presets are pretty good(esp. pads, guitar, and analog synth)

It's already got good stuff, and the expansion boards make it even better. I've got the hip hop and techno boards. They sound good. The effects are good enough for me. Has 64 polyphony, good velo + aftertouch board, awesome sequencer, easy to use. As stated I can't figure ot the stupid RPS thingy.

The synth sounds are pure fatness (pads, basses, leads, analog, whatever) and are even beefier when you make your own. Guitar and strings are nice, too. Who the hell cares about the piano? I can't tell fisherprice my-first-piano from a stereo grand. Don't ask me! Bottom line is that I love the fatness.

I don't know. It didn't explode yet, and that's all I care about. It has locked up on me, and sometimes the arpeggiator doesn't work, but that's cuz I leave it on for weeks at a time(I don't think that's a good ideah. Is it?)

If I ever get mad and smash it with a sledge hammer, I hope customer support will be there for me.

If it was stolen, I would find the man who stole it and set fire to his home(Takeing care not to hurt the keyboard). I love this thing! It's my only synth, I want an XL-1 and an MS2000, I have a Boss SP-202 Dr. Sampler, a stratocaster, and recording stuff. It definitely helps my music.

I am a whiz at understanding electronics, but the keyboard took me
a while to get to do what I wanted it to. NOTE: I did NOT buy it.

VERY Cool. I did my research and this keyboard has top-of-the-line
features at a lower price. The only reason it is cheaper than its
better model (XP-80) is because there are 61-keys instead of 76.
It's an okay sacrifice.

The sax sounds are horrible; they sound worse than my 16-bit computer
sound card. My YAMAHA PSR-510 can do better than that poor excuse for a
FART. The piano sounds were good and the strings were great! If you
don't really care and could spend more money, expansion boards are the
way to go (but you shouldn't have to get one!!).

It could be a great performance tool with the pre-recorded sequences
and pattern tracks. I don't like the 61-key thing though, and the sound
quality is NOT going to fool anybody (it sounds like "video-game music").

I used to have an XP-50, sold it for considerably less than the purchase price, but I believe that the extra money was worth it. The 60's LCD when compared to the 50 blows it away and makes it a lot easier to program new sounds. Since I had the previous model, it was a breeze to use, but only after having the other for awhile. I have the change-it patch and program editor, but have yet to use it to any significant degree.

Of course, the board has 64 voice polyphony and the keyboard action is alright, but as far as "semi-weighted" goes, that's negligible. Decent built in effects, but in a recording environment, I'd go with outboard gear. Accepts expansion, I own the session board does the job as far as piano sounds go. The sequencer is basically easy to use due to the bigger LCD that the XP-50 lacked.

Since I have the session expansion board, the piano patches I've created sound pretty good. But once again, if you're recording, go out and get yourself a grand piano. I use it mainly for alternative rock music and it works quite well. The pads and atmospheric sounds are very good, but the saxes and some electric pianos are trash. The onboard effects can be described in one word: mediocre, but that really depends on your tastes.

So far, the board has had very few glitches, and I have no other real backup keyboard, so if it breaks, I'm screwed without dishing out significant bankflow.

When I had the XP-60, I did have sonic problems (snaps, crackles) so I took it back to where I bought it and had to wait 3 weeks while Roland fixed the output problem (it occuring while I was tracking in the studio, ughhhh).

Personally, I would probably buy it again if anything happened to it, though I would definitely consider the new XV models. I wish it had another 2 effects processors, being the greedy person I am, but the board is great once you figure it out.

It takes a while to get familiar with the functions and operations of the product.

The keyboard action is very nice. The effects are very nice and fairly easy to use. There are wonderful expansion capabilities that will keep the consumer happy for a long time. The 16 track on-board sequencer is very fun to use, and you can create endless numbers of songs of any style.

Most instruments are very realistic. The keyboard is adaptable to all styles of music and it can react in any way the user sees fit as far as velocity and aftertouch. It is very sensitive and exressive to the mood or emotion played behind a song.

I have never had a problem with my keyboard. It is probably the most reliable keyboard I've ever owned. I would definitely use it by itself because there is no need for a backup.

As far as I've dealt with Roland, they've been fairly helpful. It is difficult however to find expansion disks, at least over the Internet.

If my Roland was stolen, I would have to buy another. I've been able to create and compose my own music with such ease. The Roland keyboard was the best keyboard for the price I paid.

Easy as can be. The sequencer is a pain..but the board is only a few weeks old. I will get the hang of it(if I keep it).

Editing patches is a piece of cake.

The manual is helpful in starting a campfire.

The Keyboard action feels GREAT. I dig it. Polyphony is nice as well.

The effects sound good enough to me. I would like to be able to employ deep hall2 reverb AND a delay, but what can you do.

The expansion slots are a nice feature. However, I heard a few of the expansion boards and I amn not impressed with them.

The pressure sensitivity on the keys is excellent. Aftertouch and velocity is great.

Like I said before, the onboard sequencer is escaping me at the moment, because my xp-60 is at a certified roland tech for a "little" decay problem.

Most of the sounds are crap, but thats ok. The synth engine is very deep, and I have already pulled some crazy stuff out of it with only a few days. HEY ROLAND DITCH THe DARN SAX SOUNDS. THEY SOUND LIKE A DROWNING DUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think the xp-60's sounds cover a wide variety of styles. Thats whats so nice about it. Most of the bland sounds can be fiddled with to be made very good.

The onboard effects are good, but a little limited.


heres the major problem:


My xp-60 has a grunge-static noise on notes with alot of sustain.
Add in a little reverb, and its downright ANNOYING. Try one of the accoustic guiatr patches, or a sharp piano. Make sure the effects and chorus buttons are enabled. I first noticed this when in my quiet home with a pair of studio quality headphones. It is balatant in a quiet environment. It seems this problem would render the xp-60 USELESS for quieter passages in the studio.

I like this keyboard, I like it alot. If Roland can fix this problem for free, I will keep it. If not, I still have 14 days to returnt it to the store for a full refund.

I dropped it off at an official roland tech here in the Chicago area.
I then called roland customer support, and was basically yelled at and insulted. In fact, all net users in general were insulted.

I told the rep that the xp-80, and 50 did NOT have this problem. HE told me I was wrong. He said he owned an xp-80 and it was fine. I told him the problem wasnt with the xp-80, and that it was the 60 I was calling about. He told me "if you have to be in a quiet room to hear it, whats the problem"?

He basically started to raise his voice, and sigh dramatically. He told me he was going to hang up if I was going to argue with him. My voice was level and even tempered the entire time. He then said he just saw a lady play an xp-60 in a large auditorium, and he didnt hear anything, ect. HE then said that "noise" is an inherent design of the roalnd 1080 line. I told him I already knew that , and that this type of noise was a DEFECT grunge-static noise on notes with alot of sustain ect, and not the usual sample-go round noise at the end of alot of synths.

HE told me to call back after I talked with the certified Roland tech, which should be tomorrow.

This was easily the worst customer service encounter I have ever had, with any manufacturer, ANYWHERE, for ANY product.

Excuse me if I dont want my 1500$ sytnh sounding like a 10 dollar pc soundcard.

I bough the keyboard two weeks ago. A few days after that, I noticed the noise. Since I like the keyboard, I decided to see if Roland would fix it for free first so that I could just keep it. Most people if they encounterd a faulty product would take it back and get a refund immediately. I however, decided to put my faith in Roland as a company, and give them the benefit of the doubt. I assumed they would handle this situation with aplomb and class. I figured it would not be a hassle. Sure, messing around with techs and customer sevice with something you just bought IS a hassle, but like I said, I liked the board. I thought it would be worth it.

So, I have 14 days to return it and get a refund. If roland will not recognize or fix this problem by then, I will get a refund.

I probably will pocket the money and wait a few months to see what pops up on the market. Im not too enmamored with the Triton, or any other synth for under 2k really, except for the xp-60.

The xp-60 WOULD have been an excellent little controller and creator along with my sampler and software sequencer.

The ball is in Rolands court now....they have 14 days to act in good faith for a loyal customer.

But instead, I get a pouty, winning customer service rep. HE tells me " you cant speak with my boss because it is the christmas rush" ??????????


Sorry Roland, you get a big fat 1 for sounds. This MAY change if you stand behind your products and FIX them.

The xp-60 is worhtless as a studio synth.

Roland customer support is the worst I have ever experienced, for ANY product, by ANY manufacturer I have ever witnessed.

If it were lost or stolen, and I knew the decay issue would be fixed? I would get it again.

I have been playing for several years.

I love the synthesis engine, the bender, the realtime controls, the keyboard feel, the aftertouch/velocity ect.

I hate the decay grunge and roland customer support. Truly a frightening experience.

DO NOT BUY AN XP-60 unitl this issue is resolved. Check them out at the store with a GOOD pair of headhones on a non-busy day.

Roland customer service is not recommended. TheW ORST customer service I have EVER encountered, for ANY product, by ANY manufacturer, that I have ever witnessed.

The Roland XP-60 synth is pretty amazing. What really makes this instrument stand out are the available expansion boards which can be installed in the rear panel of the keyboard ( up to four maximum ), thereby giving the user about 1500 different sounds to choose from! Each expansion board contains about 255 patches ( or sounds ), and some contain rhythm kits. The keyboard also offers a number of built-in preset sounds which are sampled from various expansion boards. I would say about 80 % of the patches sound terrific, and they are varied to suit multiple musical styles. Some of the patches are redundant and some sound too "synthy" or metallic. But who's perfect? With some tweaking and effects, anything is possible!
The XP-60 also offers a mini mixing palette on the front left panel of the keyboard. If you don't care for mixing too much, this may be all you need, but if you are into dance-oriented music, be prepared to invest in additional equipment. Editing the patches are never easy for me, regardless of the brand, as I am a perfectionist, and the manual is just there, so to speak. Anyone who really wants to experiment with editing sounds and laying down effects has to do just that - EXPERIMENT! The manual can only do so much for you. However, you can do quite a bit with the Roland.

The XP-60 has a 61 note, 64 polyphony range and has basic effects. Really, the built-in effects are not its strong point. The Phaser is not too powerful ( and that is my favorite effect next to Slicer, which is not accessible on the XP-60 ). There are 8 different Reverbs, including Delay and Pan Delay. The Hall 2 and Stage 2 Reverbs are decent, while the rest are less than adequate. The Chorus effect is fine. Aside from these two, independent effects, there are also 40 other effects the user can select from. However, only one can be used in each performance. In other words, the user can add Reverb, Delay, and one additional effect to the mix, which is standard in affordable keyboards today.
The sequencer took me forever to figure out, only because I was unfamiliar with how they worked. The manual did squat for me, but then I began to zone out on all the terminology. Basically, I learned how to use it myself, and it all clicked in one brilliant moment. I can't explain it, I just suddenly "understood" what to do. Actually, the sequencer is so easy to use that I am disgusted I couldn't figure it out sooner. In that brilliant moment, I learned how to utilize the basics of it in abot three minutes!! Now that's easy!!!! Also, it is a good sequencer as the sound doesn't get lost when adding new tracks unless the user applies more than 64 instruments to the mix ( that's alot anyway for one poor sequencer to handle ).

With the XP-60, I bought it because it sounds better than virtually any other synth out there. Some synths have some better sounds here and there ( some of the Yamahas, Korgs, and [Soltans??] ), but the XP-60 is the best bet overall. The expansion boards give the user so much to choose from, how could anyone go wrong?
The synth seems best suited for dance-oriented music, but other styles can be derived. I see the instrument as an all-around tool, combining dance with classical, ethnic, and even contemporary jazz styles.

It is a Roland, and it is therefore reliable. My brother's Roland keyboard is about 12 years old ( it is an old version of the XP-60, but I don't have the name of it as I have not used it in a few years ), and it is still going strong. My brother continues to play with it to this day!

If my Roland was a' stolen, I would throw a fit! I would buy a new one quick, but only after I first tested the Yamaha E7 ( or whatever it is called ) as it seems to have many capabilities. I have been playing on this keyboard for 1 1/2 years. I tried out about every keyboard from here to China, and I really am comfortable in the choice I made. I wish that the onboard effects were more powerful and up-to-date in terms of some of the more cutting edge type of stuff like Slicer, Phonograph, and Jao. I have never considered myself a true songwriter, but I have written some pretty powerful stuff with this synth. If I can do it, anyone can do it! You just have to stay focused and experiment with, practice, and time everything. Anything is possible! Good luck!!!!

I have software version 1.10. This has not given me any problems so far. The synth is really quite intuitive and easy to use. I used to own a Technics keyboard, so the architecture of the XP took some getting used to at first, but after a couple of weeks I had most things under control. Editing patches is not very difficult, thanks to the great interface and LCD, but of course there are lots of parameters that can be set. A synth is supposed to be complex. Otherwise i would still own a keyboard :) The most complex and difficult part of the synth, in my opinion, is the controller system. It is also very flexible once you know how to use it.

The manual is not the best. Most things are in there somewhere, but sometimes in a caothic order. The most advanced details may not be explained at all, but I guess that would only make the manual more confusing.

The polyphony is 64 voices. A patch can use up to 4 voices. A very nice feature, is the way the synth handles running out of voices. This is absolutely noiseless and undetectable. Great! The keyboard is semi-weighted synth-action. The best I've ever tried, but I haven't tried them all. It has reverb, chorus, and a multi-effects unit. The effects-routing is very simple thanks to the interface. Effects sound great. A bit limiting with only one multi-effects unit, but this can mostly be overcome.

The XP-60 take up to 4 SR-JV80 ROM expansion boards with samples and patches. Great system, but expensive.

It has a good MIDI-implementation, but I have used it only as a stand-alone instrument, so I don't know much about how it would be to connect ot to other instruments.

This is a synth workstation with 16-track sequencer. The sequencer is powerful and easy to use. The powerful CPU makes it real useful.

The sound quality is great. I have heard the much discussed decay-noise on some patches, but it is normally inaudible. I have to turn the volume of my amplifier gradually to max at the decay of a sound to hear it.

The presets are most very good and very usable. They make a good source for your own sounds. This is a synth, and it should be programmed. The pads and other synth-sounds are extremely good. This is where the XP really excels. Many of the acoustic sounds are great too. Drums are fantastic. I play mostly electronic music (Jean-Michel Jarre etc), and it works great for this.

Velocity-response is great. The aftertouch takes a little pressure to react, but is mostly easy to use.

I think I can depend on it. It has never frozen or locked up in the 6 months I have used it. It seems really well built. I do not gig, but I would use it without a backup.

I have had no problems with it yet (cross my fingers).

This is a great synth. I would buy it again anytime. If you need a high-quality synth workstation, but do not need DSP-synthesis or user sampling, this must be one of the best buys in the market. The XP-80 is a good alternative if you need 76 keys, otherwise they are identical.

I have been playing keyboards more or less the last 15 years (since I was 10). The XP-60 is the only instrument i own, and actually the only instument I need. I really like this insrument, and there is nothing i really dislike about it.

I compared it to the Korg Trinity Plus,Yamaha EX-7, and found that the XP gives most value for money if you need a PCM synth workstation. The Yamaha has had a lot of bad "publicity" lately, and the Trinity Plus was quite expensive, and only has 32-voice polyphony. The Triton was not yet launched when I bought it 6 months ago, but I still think I would buy the XP. I feel that buying a Triton/Trinity would be spending my money on features I do not REALLY need. Like that oversized LCD on the Korgs. I am sure it is a great interface, but I am also sure Korg let you pay for it.... The Triton is more expensive.

Besides, I like Roland, even though this is my first Roland-product.

Feel free to mail me if you have any questions.

Manual is not as bad as a lot of Roland?s manuals. Considering the complexity of the machine it not ?that? bad . For some reason the patches don?t seem to follow any logical grouping. Roland should adopt Alesis? patch grouping scheme. The sequencer takes a little getting used to, but seems logical once you get used to thinking its? way. The LCD if very informative and goes a long way to making the thing useable.

Onboard sequencer (with 16 phrase and 100 pattern tracks ? 60,000 note capacity, 180,000 via floppy), 320 x 80 backlit LCD, 4 Foot controller inputs, Two separate pairs of audio outs, 2 asignable sliders, sliders for Cutoff, Reso, Attack, Decay (which doubles as volume levels for each of the 4 tones used in a patch. Edits to patches done via the sliders can?t be stored without actually editing the patches directly) , 3.5? floppy drive, Arpeggiator, RPS (Real-time Phrase Sequencer which lets you play riffs from a single mapped key), 1 reverb, 1 chorus, 1 EFX (40 sets to choose from) 64 note polyphonic, 8MB compressed ROM (= 16MB linear), 4 expansion slots for SR-JV80 expansion boards, making it possible to have 40MB (80MB linear) total and most importantly a very nice sound.

Keyboard is semi-weighted synth type, 61 keys. It has a very solid, but light feel. I love it but you had better try it out first. It has a very shallow depth of travel (or at least it seems that way to me). If you are looking for piano feel you best look elsewhere.

The sequencer resolution is only 96 ppq, although I have not noticed this being a problem, I understand that it could be. So far it seems to accurately reproduce exactly what I played in. Which isn?t always a good thing. :) The ability to save a song list and play it back from the floppy has been a real plus for me.

The EFX seem very good, but I personally try to use them as little as possible. You can only have 1 insertion EFX type in a performance which can be very limiting. Here I have Trinity/Triton envy.

I wished it had input for external audio and a patch finder?. and while we?re at it, a drum machine (think ZR-76) would be nice.

This being very subjective I am certain there will be opinions that differ from mine both ways. The unit has an overall warm tone that just sounds great to my ears. Yes, some of the patches are worthless, but I am yet to play a keyboard that I can?t say that about. And yes I can confirm the problems with decay noises on a ?FEW? patches, but honestly such a small number of sounds are effected that I don?t personally see at as much more than a minor inconvenience. Considering how many good players use JVs or XPs , it must be a survivable problem.

The Pianos? are ok (better than most ROMpers), but still not great. I had to add the Session board to be satisfied. With the Session pianos (both the stereo and dark variations) I am happy enough to end my quest for a dedicated piano module. The Brass and Strings sound great, the acoustic guitars are very good, some really nice pads and ambient sounds, the sax sounds like a glorified kazoo and there are WAY to many basses and overlapping sounds, but the same could be said for most other keyboards. Although I have seen other people do it, I have never been able to get electric guitar sounds to work on a synth and sadly the XP is no exception. Pilot error?? .... Probably! Drums sound good, but I am easily pleased in this area.

Overall there is enough variety to keep most folks happy and it has a warmth that just has to be heard to be appreciate. If I had not had to go with an add-on board to get a good (actually very good) piano I would have given it a 9.

It doesn?t feel as solid overall as my QS6.1, but it does seem pretty well built. From my experience Roland units are very good at holding up. I still have an Alpha Juno 1 from the early 80s that works as good as the day I bought it.

Don't know....knock wood!

I waited till I had the unit for over six months before I considered writing this review and all things considered I would buy it again in a heartbeat. I have intentions of filling the expansion slots and keeping this thing for a long while. The only other keyboard I would consider if I were to replace it is the Trinity/Triton . The onboard sequencer, big LCD and great tone have freed me from continually being tied to my computer and keep me focused on playing. That alone has been worth the price of admission

Hi, Note: this is just an update to my previous review. What I'm referring to is the decay noise problem that is common to new Roland keyboard and module products. I have contacted Roland on this problem and they told me: "This problem is inherent of the machine you are using. The XP-60, 80, & JV-2080 all use 18-bit converters so they have a brighter and clearer sound thus exposing noise on the decay of notes in some patches. The JV-1080 and XP-50 use 16-bit converters and have a darker sound so you don't hear the noise." This is the explanation Roland gave but, I think it's just an excuse for inferior sounding converters on supposedly superior keyboards and modules. I then asked if Roland saw this decay noise issue as a problem and if so, were they currently working on a fix. Here's what I got: "We've contacted Japan on this subject but, we haven't heard a response yet." I asked what do they suggest I do in the mean time (I already told the tech I have a 1080 and didn't notice the problem there). Another quote folks: "Use your 1080 for intro parts and quieter passages." I tested another r XP-60 in another state and city (I was just on a business trip), same problem. Here are a few patches that can be auditioned which have a louder noise problem than most. PR-A 072 Fantasia JV, 084 Wave Bells, 086 Beauty Bells. PR-B 112 Alto Sax. Note: Be sure to have all the internal effects on and listen through quality headsets - preferably some place quiet. I think I should let everyone know that I am not a Roland basher and I have been a Roland and Boss user since 1989 (D-20). I guess I am more disappointed than anything. I use to look forward to new Roland products knowing that they would be the standards by which all others would be judged. I hope Roland doesn't incorporate these same "brighter & clearer 18-bit converters" into new products. For now I still use the XP-60 along with the JV-1080 for all of my synth sounds. I returned the E-MU Proteus 2000 for another JV-1080. I have plans to expand it with the newest cards. I hope this clears up any confusion. Tyrone Oliver

I am using an XP-60 with ROM ver. 1.10. The presets sound pretty good (standard Roland sound set - 1080, 2080, XP-50 & 80). Editing the pathches is not too hard because of the excellent graphic display. The manual is very general and too "formal" - It reads like Airforce Tech Data (very dry). Roland should hire an american company to write a better manual, ala "XP-60 for Dummies" ect...

64 voice polyphony with standard keyboard action (nothing to brag on). Good effects, very easy to use. Excellent expansion capabilties. I have the Orchestral, Vintage synth, 60's & 70's, & Hip-Hop cards - love them all! Sequencer is pretty good but I use an Akai MPC2000 to sequence so I never bother it and it never bothers me. This is basically a 61 key ver. of the XP-80.

Sounds are generally good for all types of music. Very responsive to aftertouch. Effects are good and very programmable. Now here's what's wrong with it. IT HAS A TERRIBLE DECAY NOISE PROBLEM THAT IS VERY AUDIBLE ON PATCHES WITH ALOT OF SUSTAIN. THIS IS AUGMENTED IF THE PATCH USES ONBOARD REVERB. I DIDN'T NOTICE THIS IN THE STORE BECAUSE MUSIC STORES ARE LOUD AND I WAS ALREADY FAMILIAR WITH THE SOUND SET FROM USING A JV-1080. I PRIMARILY MONITOR WITH HEADSETS (SONY MDR-7506) AND FOUND THIS TERRIBLE PROBLEM WHILE SEQUENCING A HARP SOLO. I INITIALLY THOUGHT IT WAS IN THE INTERNAL EFFECTS UNIT SO I CUT IT OFF AND THE DECAY NOISE IS STILL THERE. IT SOUNDS LIKE A CHEAP 8-BIT SOUND CARD - VERY FUZZY AND STATICY AND THE END OF NOTES WITH LONG SUSTAIN. I INVESTIGATED THIS PROBLEM BY TESTING ANOTHER XP-60 - SAME PROBLEM. I TESTED A JV-1080 AND NO PROBLEM - VERY CLEAN. I TESTED A JV-2080 AND THERE IS A DECAY NOISE PROBLEM, BUT NOT AS LOUD AS THE XP-60. THE XP-80 I CHECKED DID NOT HAVE THIS PROBLEM - SOUNDED AS GOOD AS THE JV-1080. I CANNOT RECOMMEND THIS SYNTH TO ANYONE TO USE AS A PRO. SYNTH. BUT AT THE STREET PRICE OF $1,500, ITS COST IS CERTAINLY PRO. THIS NOISE PROBLEM HAS FORCED ME TO LOOK ELSEWHERE FOR SYNTH SOUNDS, SO INSTEAD OF BUYING A 1080 I GOT A PROTEUS 2000 WITH VERY GOOD AND CLEAN (NO DECAY NOISE) SOUNDS. I JUST USE THE XP-60 AS A CONTROLLER AND BACKING SOUNDS. IT'S A DAMN SHAME A KEYBOARD WITH SO MUCH POTENTIAL COULD FAIL IN AN AREA AS CRITICAL SOUND QUALITY. NOT RECOMMENDED, GET A JV-1080 OR PROTEUS 2000!

I think it will hold up. I do notice how newer Roland keyboards feel cheaper then say a D-50 or a D-20. Gotta cut costs somehow I guess. Too bad Roland decided to go with cheaper D/A converters on it's flagship Modual and Mid-priced workstations :(

On my attempt to reach Roland to adress this problem I looked in the back of the manual and called 213-685-5141. The area code change to 323 - no problem... o.k. 323-685-5141.... "The number you have dailed is disconnected" It figuers, i'm sure no one at Roland will admit to this problem and probably just blow me off.

This would have been the workstation to end all workstations as far as price and features go. But the bottom line is this; how good does it sound. Most competing synth companies can't compare with Rolands sound set and features but with Shitty D/A converters your beautiful Roland sounds end up sounding like they were played though an 8-bit computer sound card. Everything was in the right place on this workstation except Roland dropped the ball and went with cheap D/A converters. Hint, Roland: YOU DON'T CUT CORNERS BY DEGRADING THE SOUND QUALITY, YOU DO IT BY CUTTING THE FEATURES. THIS SYNTH IS NOT RECOMMENDED FOR THE PROFFESIONAL/STUDIO MUSICIAN.