Vs-840
- Thread starter MrZekeMan
- Start date
johndavidstuts
New member
Models upgrades went: 840 to 840ex then 840 gx. As far as i know there wer just minor improvements. I have the 840ex. The gx added cosm speaker modeling and wav file conversion. As far as i know you can download the upgrades at the roland site. I'm not sure, but i think that the original 840 only had a 100 mb zip drive in it whereas the ex & gx have a 250 zip drive. My experience with the 840ex has been great. the only thing i dont like about it is the fact that tracks 5/6 and 7/8 are a stereo pair instead of having seperate faders for 5, 6, 7, & 8 so in a sense you really have a 6 track instead of an 8 track. There is a way some of the geniuses at vsplanet found out how to seperate the stereo pairs bu t i haven't even tried to.
hope this helps
hope this helps
You may want to check out the VS840 page at www.vsplanet.com There is quite a bit of discussion about this topic there.
In summary:
The original 840 has a 100 meg zip dive which most people find a major limitation
The 840EX was the next model with the major difference being the 250 mg zip which is a major improvement.
Then came the 840GX. Many 840EX users do not feel there is anything significant that was added with the GX model. As was mentioned they added some modeling capability. Probably the most useful feature was the ability to create .wav files and the built in guitar tuner.
You can upgrade from the original 840 to the EX for free (I believe). Converting from the EX to the GX I understand is a little more difficult (it has to be done through a MIDI sequencer?). I personnaly have the GX so I have never had to deal with the upgrade issue.
You can also check out this sight which has a lot of information on Rodland products:
http://www.zzounds.com/a--2676837/love.music?p=d.ROL&z=1290349003797
My advise is to stay away from the original 100 meg 840. Also do your homework at the VSplanet. There are limitations to these machines that result in people being disappointed when they discover them after they make their purchase. They are a great entry level machine.
Ken
In summary:
The original 840 has a 100 meg zip dive which most people find a major limitation
The 840EX was the next model with the major difference being the 250 mg zip which is a major improvement.
Then came the 840GX. Many 840EX users do not feel there is anything significant that was added with the GX model. As was mentioned they added some modeling capability. Probably the most useful feature was the ability to create .wav files and the built in guitar tuner.
You can upgrade from the original 840 to the EX for free (I believe). Converting from the EX to the GX I understand is a little more difficult (it has to be done through a MIDI sequencer?). I personnaly have the GX so I have never had to deal with the upgrade issue.
You can also check out this sight which has a lot of information on Rodland products:
http://www.zzounds.com/a--2676837/love.music?p=d.ROL&z=1290349003797
My advise is to stay away from the original 100 meg 840. Also do your homework at the VSplanet. There are limitations to these machines that result in people being disappointed when they discover them after they make their purchase. They are a great entry level machine.
Ken
Or try this...
I'd tell your friend to take a look at three other machines:
Boss BR-8
Boss BR-1180
Zoom MRS-1044
The BR-8 is an 8-track with 8 true tracks. Now, it's true that it has only a 100MB Zip drive installed. However, that is easily remedied by installing an internal 250MB Zip IDE drive, which you can get on eBay for about $80. Then you have over two to over three hours of recording time.
The loss in the BR-8 with a 250 installed compared to a VS-840EX is that you have to use, at the highest quality level, Standard mode, which has some compression. I think that the 840EX has one less-compressed mode than the BR-8. And the VS-840EX will record 4 inputs; BR-8 2 inputs.
But the GAIN over the 840 is very large: First, you have true 8 tracks, no joined track pair. Second, you have a much more useful display. The same size, but better thought out. Third, you have no buss routing to figure out--even the EZ Routing isn't easy. Everything about using the BR-8 is far, far easier and quicker. The menus are better organized. The effects are a bit better in editing. The organization of the panel is better (and far simpler). I got rid of the VG-840EX because it was like trying to run the space shuttle for me. (The VG-890---I might as well try to build a nuclear power plant and operate it.) And the BR-8 has a drum machine. Sure, the sounds are cheesy, but it's useful to record along with before you fly in your drums. And the phrase trainer, very nice. Buy the recorder on eBay, and pay about $450. Get the Zip drive on eBay, and the disks, and save a lot.
The BR-1180 is just as easy, in fact, seems to have the exact same interface, but has 8 tracks and one paired for a total of 10. Plus the drum machine has real sampled sounds, so you could actually record it. More MIDI power. Phantom power and XLR connects. (Still only two tracks recordable at a time.) 20 GB hard drive. If you want, a CD burner. (Of course, that adds to the price.) Prices: around 675 without CD, around 950 with. Comes out in April, supposedly. Downside: No CD = no way to get data off of the disk as data files. But you can go out by SPDIF.
Zoom MRS-1044: I was going to go for the BR-1180, after trying the BR-8, after trying Korg D16 (another one worth looking at, really, though again, without a CD burner, you're stuck in the box), and an 840GX/EX. But as I looked into the MRS-1044, I found that it has everything the BR-1180 has and then some--better drum machine, with bass track. Available USB port. Almost identical operation, with the edge slightly to the Zoom. Only downsides compared to the BR series: Can't name marker points; don't have Insert (Copy/Insert, Insert Blank) functions in the edit functions, so you have to work around them with an extra step. And it's cheap without a CD: I got it at $560 on eBay, and bought the USB port for $95. Now I can connect to a PC in what is for me the optimum way (though TRULY optimum would be a Mac connection, which they unfortunately don't have).
Just a few things to consider.
David Stewart
I'd tell your friend to take a look at three other machines:
Boss BR-8
Boss BR-1180
Zoom MRS-1044
The BR-8 is an 8-track with 8 true tracks. Now, it's true that it has only a 100MB Zip drive installed. However, that is easily remedied by installing an internal 250MB Zip IDE drive, which you can get on eBay for about $80. Then you have over two to over three hours of recording time.
The loss in the BR-8 with a 250 installed compared to a VS-840EX is that you have to use, at the highest quality level, Standard mode, which has some compression. I think that the 840EX has one less-compressed mode than the BR-8. And the VS-840EX will record 4 inputs; BR-8 2 inputs.
But the GAIN over the 840 is very large: First, you have true 8 tracks, no joined track pair. Second, you have a much more useful display. The same size, but better thought out. Third, you have no buss routing to figure out--even the EZ Routing isn't easy. Everything about using the BR-8 is far, far easier and quicker. The menus are better organized. The effects are a bit better in editing. The organization of the panel is better (and far simpler). I got rid of the VG-840EX because it was like trying to run the space shuttle for me. (The VG-890---I might as well try to build a nuclear power plant and operate it.) And the BR-8 has a drum machine. Sure, the sounds are cheesy, but it's useful to record along with before you fly in your drums. And the phrase trainer, very nice. Buy the recorder on eBay, and pay about $450. Get the Zip drive on eBay, and the disks, and save a lot.
The BR-1180 is just as easy, in fact, seems to have the exact same interface, but has 8 tracks and one paired for a total of 10. Plus the drum machine has real sampled sounds, so you could actually record it. More MIDI power. Phantom power and XLR connects. (Still only two tracks recordable at a time.) 20 GB hard drive. If you want, a CD burner. (Of course, that adds to the price.) Prices: around 675 without CD, around 950 with. Comes out in April, supposedly. Downside: No CD = no way to get data off of the disk as data files. But you can go out by SPDIF.
Zoom MRS-1044: I was going to go for the BR-1180, after trying the BR-8, after trying Korg D16 (another one worth looking at, really, though again, without a CD burner, you're stuck in the box), and an 840GX/EX. But as I looked into the MRS-1044, I found that it has everything the BR-1180 has and then some--better drum machine, with bass track. Available USB port. Almost identical operation, with the edge slightly to the Zoom. Only downsides compared to the BR series: Can't name marker points; don't have Insert (Copy/Insert, Insert Blank) functions in the edit functions, so you have to work around them with an extra step. And it's cheap without a CD: I got it at $560 on eBay, and bought the USB port for $95. Now I can connect to a PC in what is for me the optimum way (though TRULY optimum would be a Mac connection, which they unfortunately don't have).
Just a few things to consider.
David Stewart
Porter
aka WookieMan
I think the most obvious question here is, what is your friend planning on recording?
A Band with Drums, Guitar (maybe 2), Bass, Vocals???? Can they be recorded individualy or does it have to all be recorded at the same time?
Just himself and a guitar?
Full Orchestra?
Might be able to give some advise if we know this sort of information.
Porter
A Band with Drums, Guitar (maybe 2), Bass, Vocals???? Can they be recorded individualy or does it have to all be recorded at the same time?
Just himself and a guitar?
Full Orchestra?
Might be able to give some advise if we know this sort of information.
Porter