Roland XP Series vs. Others

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badfingers

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As a newbie ..enthusiast, I've been inquiring about a keyboard for homerecording.

1. Is there much different in sounds/features amongst the Roland XP series: 30, 60, 80 ??... I think a used XP-30 would probably fit my budget better, although I'm leaning toward the XP-60.

2. How's the Roland XP compared to other brands such Korg, Yamhaha in the same price range ?

3. I guess another cheaper route I can take is buying a decent Midi controller and a software package (Propellerhead Reason) ...or :D ...buying a sound module which is a bit cheaper too ...I think ...

If you could give me some advices, I'd really much appreciate !!

Thank you !!
 
I'll answer question 1. Actually (as funny as it may be), the XP 30 was made after the 60 and 80 and comes with more sounds than the 60 and 80. The XP 30 comes standard with a built in orchestral board and the Techo board. These would have to be bought and added separately on the XP 60 or 80.

The XP 60 and 80 are much more expandable, but they come with a slightly higher pricetag than the XP 30 (if they are still being made).
 
I can't attest to how the XP series compares to Korg, Yamaha, etc. but I can tell you that the XP30 (which I own) comes with more sounds - most of which are very useable, then just about anything thats out there - in particular for the price. The XP30 has over 1,000 and most of the Sessions sounds and the Orchestral sounds are impressive. There are 2 available expansion slots (expansion cards are about $200 apiece) which would bring on board sounds to around 1600 sounds.

The down side is - there is only stereo out - all those sound and only 2 outs (at least four outs would have been logical (but that adds cost).

If I were to spend more (than I did for the XP30) I would probably go for the Motiff - I have heard nothing but good thing abouts the Motiff - and the sounds I've heard on that thing are impressive.

As with any gear decision - you need to figure out what you want from a keyboard. Good sounds that you can record with no tweaking? Realistic piano, etc? Lots of tweaking ability? On board sequencing?

Lots of decent general sounds - the XP30 is a great value
Real sounding instruments - the Motiff may be close to the best

Korg, Yamaha, Roland, Kurzweil - they all have good gear.
 
mikeh said:
If I were to spend more (than I did for the XP30) I would probably go for the Motiff - I have heard nothing but good thing abouts the Motiff - and the sounds I've heard on that thing are impressive.

good gear.
Click to expand...

The cheapest price I've found on the Motif 6 is $1650. I think that's a lot more expensive than the XP30. People rave about it for good reasons.....the samples are superb.

The Yamaha S30 is probably the nearest competitor to the Roland XP30 in price and features. I haven't played either one in a long time but I remember liking both of them. The XP30 has so many sounds available and is good bang for the buck. The filters are on the "bright" side but are still quite impressive.
 
Wide Awake said:


The cheapest price I've found on the Motif 6 is $1650. I think that's a lot more expensive than the XP30. People rave about it for good reasons.....the samples are superb.

The Yamaha S30 is probably the nearest competitor to the Roland XP30 in price and features. I haven't played either one in a long time but I remember liking both of them. The XP30 has so many sounds available and is good bang for the buck. The filters are on the "bright" side but are still quite impressive.
Click to expand...

Guitar Center has been selling the Motif for $1500 for a couple weeks now. They also had a special on the Triton LE this week - $999 which puts it in direct competition with the XP30 now. I was very tempted - I already own the XP30.
 
brzilian said:
Guitar Center has been selling the Motif for $1500 for a couple weeks now. They also had a special on the Triton LE this week - $999 which puts it in direct competition with the XP30 now. I was very tempted - I already own the XP30.
Click to expand...

$1500 ? I played one there last week but I didn't know it was on sale. If I can get it for that price I might just buy one today.

I live off my stock investments and the last year has made me be more careful with my money, or lack of money :rolleyes: and the last thing I need is a $1500 synth plus tax......but I really want that Motif !!!

Thanks for the heads up
 
Thank you: Rev E, MikeH, Wide Awake & brzilian !!!

I dind't know that XP-30 was made after the 60 & 80 ...

I would probably prefer a "good bang for the bucks" (at this stage) ...than going for a kill (like a Motiff -- which even in a $1500 range would be a bit much for me at this time) ... and it's true as technology progresses, within a 2 years from now, I'd probably can afford a better keyboard without putting down a ..mortgage :D ... I'm also interested in the Triton LE ...but since it's faily new, I don't think I can get a used one just yet ...

MikeH - you mentioned that "...the down side of the XP-30 is - there is only stereo out - all those sound and only 2 outs (at least four outs would have been logical.." ...Please explain to a kb newbie like me why would I need more than a pair of stereo outs ??... Thanks !!

What would a used-and-good condition Roland XP 30 cost ?? I don't want to "overpay" even on e-bay ... $ 550-600 ?? hehe ...I know - I've told you I'm on a constraint budget !!! Is that a reasonable price range ??

Thank you all for helping me out !!!

Best Regard
 
badfingers said:
Thank you: Rev E, MikeH, Wide Awake & brzilian !!!

I dind't know that XP-30 was made after the 60 & 80 ...

MikeH - you mentioned that "...the down side of the XP-30 is - there is only stereo out - all those sound and only 2 outs (at least four outs would have been logical.." ...Please explain to a kb newbie like me why would I need more than a pair of stereo outs ??... Thanks !!

What would a used-and-good condition Roland XP 30 cost ?? I
Click to expand...

I also bot the XP 30 as an upgrade to my old JV1010(which is also in stereo) What Mike H's complaint about stereo outs is that
at any 1 time you can only record 2 tracks at a time (L/R).
However I found a small solution to that prob by splitting both the L/R outs using "Y" cables which allows me to record at least 4 tracks of whatever sample I'm using (basically horns)!
 
Thank you MISTERQCUE .... Sounds like a cheap & good solution to me !!...
 
MISTERQCUE said:


I also bot the XP 30 as an upgrade to my old JV1010(which is also in stereo) What Mike H's complaint about stereo outs is that
at any 1 time you can only record 2 tracks at a time (L/R).
However I found a small solution to that prob by splitting both the L/R outs using "Y" cables which allows me to record at least 4 tracks of whatever sample I'm using (basically horns)!
Click to expand...

but wouldn't you just get two identical stereo pairs then? I don't get your method.
 
mixmkr said:


but wouldn't you just get two identical stereo pairs then? I don't get your method.
Click to expand...

After applying efx ('Verb, delays, chorus,eq etc) I try to tailor the tracks "flavor" to get a lil more -rounded recording!
Try it! You'll be pleasantly surprised! 'Specially if you're a horn freak like me!
 
Multiple outs allow the benefit of routing different instruments through different effects in one take.

For example, when recording sampled drums, I might want to add my own compression to the kick, different compression to the snare, and no compression to the rest of the kit. Or I may want to gate a bass guitar with the kick.

By using multiple outs, I can run the kit through the main outs and then run the kick through one of the aux outs for compression or other effect purposes.

Mr.Q's technique can also be effected by copying or bouncing the recorded tracks to other tracks for addition of different effects. However, in his infinite wisdom, he has devised a faster technique.
 
You can get around not having a lot of stereo or mono outs by syncing your sequencer or drum machine to the recorder with MIDI. Then you just make multiple passes and record each track separately. They will all be in sync.
 
MISTERQCUE said:
I found a small solution to that prob by splitting both the L/R outs using "Y" cables which allows me to record at least 4 tracks of whatever sample I'm using (basically horns)!
Click to expand...

The only thing about this approach is that you only get things in mono (you're essentially just creating a dual mono signal and creating stereo artificially). However, the XP30's samples are naturally mono samples. The XV series (3080, 5080, Fantom) are use stereo samples and have multiple outs so conceivably if you wanted to record a rhodes in true stereo you could do that on one set of outputs while recording other stuff on the other outputs at the same time. It's a distinction that may not matter to everyone, but in some cases the true stereo issue may matter.
 
yeah...I think the Y cord method is "flawed". I think multiple passes and recording the instruments separately, and re-syncing them, or using MIDI, or whatever, is the best route. I do that with drums all the time on my Roland keys.....and drag them back into time in the computer. Now...a horn section patch might present some different problems...so...I'd pass on that one!!!

btw...that's what 'mults' in the patch bay are for (or the duplicate funtion in the DAW)...Y cords are for weenies!!
 
woa... !! so much to learn !! & I'm feeling so ..green !!! :) :D

So, if I want to record stereo for more than 1 track, I can't use the "Y" method effectively then ?? ...

Is it fairly easy to program drums with the XP 30 ??... I mean like panning (spreading) the high hats, toms, etc. such as fill-in (I hope I get the terms right) like a recording done by micing the drums ??...

How do you transfer the sequencing done in the XP 30 to a PC ?? via software ??

Thank you for the good tips & ideas !!


Best regard
 
badfingers,

The XP-30 does not have on board sequence ability. you would need a seperate sequencer. In a PC format Cakewalk or Sonar are probably the most widely used software sequence programs (they also have digital/audio capibility). There are less expensive programs and I'm sure some shareware with more limited options

To sequence into a PC - you wold take the MIDI out from an XP-30 (or whatever board) into the MIDI in of the software/interface and the MDID out from the software back to the MIDI in of the keyboard.

You then record a "track" (such as a piano part) into the software. The computer then feeds that "performance" back to the key board. You can repeat the process track by track (a MIDI cable transmits up to 16 "channels" through one cable - so in theory, you can have 16 "tracks" of different sounds).

That is where may "complaint" about only stereo outs comes into play. Although your can control the panning very easy inside the XP-30 to send a stereo signal to whatever recording media you use, you can't send different signals to different external F/X.

That being said, I still think the XP-30 is one of the best "bangs for the buck" out there. I don't kow what a used XP-30 goes for - but check EBAY to get an idea.
 
mikeh said:
badfingers,

That is where may "complaint" about only stereo outs comes into play. Although your can control the panning very easy inside the XP-30 to send a stereo signal to whatever recording media you use, you can't send different signals to different external F/X.

That being said, I still think the XP-30 is one of the best "bangs for the buck" out there. I don't kow what a used XP-30 goes for - but check EBAY to get an idea.
Click to expand...

I agree. I had that keyboard for about a year before selling it and getting an XV 3080. I traded for two reasons... stereo samples and multiple outs. All things being equal, the XP30 is a great board with a boatload of sounds. A must-have for someone starting out who doesn't have the budget for a Motif, but wants a lot of pro-level sounds.
 
MikeH & Rev E : ... Thank you for the education!

It looks like a used XP 30 is going for around $650... or so Hmm.. 3 more hundreds (!!) I can touch a Triton LE :D ... or I can get a new Alesis Q6.1 for around $600 ...

I wonder ..can you "upload" samples into the XP30 at all ??... (Via RAM/ Flashcard, etc.) ...

Is the Triton LE a better KB than the XP 30 ??... I suppose it doesn't includes as many sounds as the XP 30 ... (I'm still leaning more toward the XP 30 at this point)

Thanks again guys ... You've been a big help ...
 
No, you can't upload samples to the XP30. Btw, I had an Alesis 6.1 and hated it for most of what I do. But if you like it, that's you. I think that the XP30 is a much better board than the Alesis board, because of 1) more sounds, 2) higher quality sounds, 3) more expandability, 4) better quality expansion sounds, 5) wider userbase

The use of PCMCIA expansion cards to add samples to the Alesis board is not all of what it's cracked up to be. I did that process for a year until I finally broke down and bought GigaStudio to do sample work. This was a way better option, more convenient and faster than that Alesis process. Plus, it always sounded to me like the PCMCIA card altered the sound of the samples slightly as compared to the raw samples that I had on my computer. Although, I like a few sounds on this board, I found it to be utterly useless for most of what I do... but if that's your thing, don't let me stop you.

Es.
 
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