Conference napalm::commusic_v1

    I believe the latest KEYBOARD has a blurb about the R-8.  Seems
    to me the price was listing around $950.
    
    Steve

    
    Octapad IIs are in stores now....just ask Butch Leitz  8^)  8^)
    
    

    Latest Keyboard has article about MC-500 Mk II.  I haven't seen
    any R-8 reviews yet.
    
    len.
    

    Naw, len, I'm talking about the spec sheet on page 164.  They say:
    
    	The R-8 Rhythm Composer features 48 preset 16-bit samples
    	of drum and percussion sounds.  Pitch and decay parameters
    	of samples can be edited and the results stored in 16 user
    	memory positions.  Up to 100 drum patterns, each up to 99
    	measures in length, and ten songs can be stored internally,
    	with a memory capacity of 2,600 events.  The R-8 can record
    	drum sequences with a resolution of up to 384th-notes.  Input
    	can be from the R-8's velocity-sensitive pads or external
    	MIDI source.  The R-8 also provides eight individual outputs,
    	eight 'human feel' quantizing functions for randomizing timing
    	nuances and accents, and a function for calculating tempo for
    	fitting a given number of measures within a specified time
    	limit ... R-8: $950
    
    The article also talks about the PAD-8 Octapad II at $795.

    Nyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa ......... ;-)
    
    Steve

    
    so what does the new OctaPad+ have that a standard Octapad doesn't?
    
    /pjh_who_doesn't_read_RAGs

    
    
    LOTS more memory for one.  I believe you can also change sounds
    on a pad depending on the velocity you hit the pad at.
    I'm sure Butch knows a hell of a lot more about it! :^)
    
    ralph
    
    

Yeah, I'd seen the new Octapads in stores too. Daddy's charges in the $6xx range.

The big question is, anybody seen (for real, not in a rag) any of the other
stuff?

Yesterday we had a U-110 review, so I guess Wurly's has a U-110.  Anything else?

Chad

Oh, man, the new octapads are great!
I don't own one - yet - and only saw it (and beat on it) a couple
times at Wurlys. I put in a mini-review in the post-Wurlygig  response
note. (Shouldn't we have all of these discussions under seperate
topic headers specific to each product so we can come back to this
later in life?)

Anyway - highleitz:

1) 80 banks vs. 4 banks on the old model. (still 8 pads & 6 input jacks
   on the back).
2) scolling backwards and forwards to select bank (i'd like to say i recall
   foot innies for this also, but i forget).
3) 3 or 4 voices assignable per pad - the harder you hit, the different
   set of assignments get hit (i know this applies for midi note assignment,
   I wonder whether it also applies to sensitivity. I recall that there's more
   ways you can assign the options (curve, sense, etc) but forget the different
   levels you can assign them (ie, a different set per pad level or if they
   get assigned per pad, period. maybe len or somebody has fooled around with
   it more.)
4) a RAM card slot is now available to save your configurations so you don't
   have to reprogram 80banks*8pads*4levels every time you get [senile for some 
   reason].
5) same stupid edit-button-on-the-back that the old model had, which is the
   the only zit i saw. 
6) same midi interface.

general comments: the multi-note assignment per pad is interesting,
but i didn't mess around enough with it so i'm still iffy. i could see
myself falling in love with it. the ram card slot is great since the
[also great] 80 banks gives you reams of utility. [this alone is the main 
strength of the unit]. Since I really really really REALLY like the old octapad
with 4 banks which it seems like I'm always reprogramming, the thought of
80 banks makes me drool!  (quiet you wise guys!)

old pad-8: 8 pads + 6 ins * 4 banks = 56 note assignments.
new pad-80: 8 pads + 6 ins * 80 banks * 4 levels = almost more drums than even 
	billy cobham could play!!  

%*>

    Sounds like the R-8 is a slightly enhanced HR-16 at twice the
    price...pfft!
    
    db ex-roland user

    
    re: .-2
    
      oh. Sounds like an Octapad+ to me. Using my MX-8 I could, if I
    wished, have much the same-ish functionality around velocikeychange.
    
      But since I standardized keymap numbers on the drumboxes, I haven't
    really had to change bank info much. Would be nice to save the programs
    though. 
    
      I suppose I should be impressed.
    
    /pjh

    
    re .9 - The R-8 is a whole lot more than an enhanced HR-16.
    
    16 channels of 16 bit 44.1 KHz samples, of course. 
                   
    But it has 120 voices on board - 68 in ROM, 26 "user alterable" in
    ROM, and another 26 in a ROM card.  So the voice set is extensible.
    (The distribution may not be right, but it is bizarre; see the latest
    RUG for details). 
    
    Secondly, it has a real sequencer in it.  Roland's approach to drum
    machine programming means no problems with "stepping backwards".
    Furthermore, you can move rhythm events with 1/384 note resolution
    (that 24ths of 16th notes).  You can alter the pitch and EQ of
    individual events.  It has 8 individual outs as well as stereo mix
    outs.
    
    Thirdly, it has an extensive set of "human feel" capabilities. 
    These are apparently quite impressive.
    
    Finally, if it's anything like all the Roland gear I own, it won't
    break.  Ever.
    
    So yeah, I guess you could describe it as a reliable HR-16 with
    extensible voices, three times the onboard voice capacity, twice
    as many outputs, a far more capable sequencer, and "humanized
    playing" capabilities.  $950 *list*.  Three HR-16s cost more and
    do less.  And have at least three times the likelihood of failing.
    
    len.
    

    If it's like the roland gear I have if it breaks you may never get
    it fixed...ever...
    
    however, the major criticism of the Alesis sequencer seems to be
    no backwards step....I can live with that...         
    
    my Alesis gear (2 pieces) have been quite reliable for the year
    + I've owned them...at that rate their doing better than my roland
    gear
    
    reliability is primarily good design, manufacture and luck.
    
    I stil think the R-8 sounds (key word here) like an enhanced HR
    
    dbii
    

    Well, there's no accounting for taste, but I find the HR-16 lacking
    in the following respects:
    
    	1) nonextensible sounds
    	2) 4 outputs
    	3) prone to failure
    	
    The sequencer features (or lack of same) are not an issue for me,
    as I drive the HR-16 from my MC-500; I might use the HR-16's sequencer
    if it weren't so bizarre (to me) in concept.
    
    The R-8 is a lot closer to my idea of an ideal drum machine.
    
    And some of us have better luck than others, I guess, but of the
    dozens (yes, dozens) of pieces of Roland gear I have, some of which
    is over 5 years old and has seen a lot of use, *nothing* has ever
    failed.  The first piece of Alesis gear I owned failed within 3
    months.  I'm waiting for my HR-16 to break, and I'm not encouraged
    by the network's consensus on Alesis QC.  There is no analogous
    consensus with respect to Roland.  Yes, Roland field support is
    abominable, but since I've almost never needed it, I don't miss
    it.
                                                                 
    len.
    

    I have to admit that Roland seems to consider the end user and
    potentail abuses better than any of my Alesis gear (MMT-8 & MicroVERB).
    Non of my Roland Gear has ever failed. In reality, nothing lasts
    forever, so this may not be true next year at this time, but so far,
    I like my Roland gear.

    The software for the MMT-8 is very good considering the limitations
    that the configuration has, but who ever designed the box must have
    expected me never to take it out of the house (it's logged a good many
    gigs, indoors & outdoors). I guess tho, that for the price (isn't that
    the bottom line for most of us) favors cutting corners (why else would
    I have an MMT-8 versus a Roland MC/500 - cause it simply cost too much
    for what benifits it provided). 

							Jens

    About 2.5 months ago, I could have added my name to the list of
    happy owners of never broken Rolands, but alas, my SRV2000 went
    haywire back in September.  Nasty failure mode too.  Seems to have
    gotten in a positive feedback situation in the audio.  The moment
    any signal came in, the input led's would peg and the sucker generated
    an incredible amount of noise, which continued even when the signal
    source was removed.
    
    Worse than any bumped spring reverb.
    
    And its still not back.  The delay lies somewhere between LaSalles
    service department and Roland's service department.
    
    Guido

    re: Len's comments
    
    Don't misunderstand me. I have liked the roland gear I've owned but
    their lack of service makes me no longer consider them as a vendor
    for musical equipment, period. This is subject to change, but for
    now, they're off my christmas list.
    
    The R-8 is closer to an ideal drum machine for certain but for more
    than twice the price of an HR, forget it. I'm not spending $1k on
    anything that isn't perfect. Since a single drum machine is unlikely to
    ever achive this, chances are that I'm gonna watch and wait. Meantime
    the enhancements the R-8 has over the HR are mostly yawns to me, I'm
    not trying to get my 4 track output to vynal or CD, I have a band for
    that and the HR is the single most cost effective vs performance drum
    machine on the market IMO. 
    
    While I've heard a multitude of horror stories about Alesis, I have yet
    to experience any difficulty that wasn't external to the two devices I
    have. Personally I don't think either Roland or Alesis have approached
    to realiability or durability I see in Tascam gear but tascam doesn't
    make synths so maybe that's apples and oranges...Roland could learn
    alot from Alesis as far as service goes that much I'm certain and it's
    based on experience with both. I didn't buy my HR to drag to clubs for
    gigs I bought it for my studio where it rarely moves and it isn't
    subject to a great deal of abuse as I try to treat my gear with love
    and respect. My Midiverb on the other hand gets banged about a bit in
    it's rack and so far no problems, but shit happens and if it dies c'est
    la vie. To some extent I expect road gear to die at inconvient times,
    but I also expect to be able to get the documentation I need to service
    it without substantial delays. I guess the moral is that if you're
    gonna buy roland and service it yourself, buy the service manuals at
    the same time to avoid this crap. I suppose next I'll find that I can't
    get replacement parts either and this entire exercise will have been
    wasted.
    
    To this date the most reliable piece of signal processing gear I've
    ever owned is an Ibanez digital delay, (12 bit technology and a noisy
    bugger at that) but it saw three + years of constant gigging abuse, as
    well as temp/humidity extremes that only New England can offer with no
    glitches ever, not even a dirty pot, and today 8 years later it's back
    in my rack to replace my Roland that only gigged once and is a fraction
    of the age. 
    
    Roland makes good gear that's built well I have no doubt, but you
    can have them.                                           
                                                     
    
    dbii

    Before some of my bestest friends get into a urination confrontation
    over "what's best" can we chalk the whole thing up to "to each his
    own"?
    
    FWIW - I have NEVER EVER had a piece of YAMAHA gear fail.
    
    Edd

    Well, I'll throw in my tuppence here.

    I have two pieces of Alesis gear - a MIDIverb II and an HR16.  The 16
    died a few weeks ago.  Pure crappy workmanship - BUT, I called Alesis,
    and after some heartburn (they assigned my HR a duplicate serial
    number), they said to mail it out.  Fixed it, cleaned it, installed new
    s/w upgrades, and mailed it back - FOR NOTHING.  According to the tech
    I talked to, they've been doing that since the XTc days.  Anyway, I've
    never had trouble with my MVII, either, and it gets banged around in a
    rack. 

    I also have a Roland M160 in the same rack with the MVII.  Never had
    the least bit of trouble with it.  A friend of mine who is death on
    equipment owns a D50.  He's never had any trouble with it, either; and
    this from a guy who BROKE his cartridge connector on his DX7 because he
    pushed too hard to get it in. 

    Ensoniq may be a hot company, but their sound quality can't compare to
    Roland - the (E)SQ series is completely grungy, albeit flexible and
    feature rich.  They get rid of their Q-chip and I might change my mind. 

    There are all kinds of horror stories on all different kinds of gear.
    Before I bought my Oberheim, another customer in the store told me that
    he wouldn't own one because the last one he had was always broken, and
    that he had opted for a Prophet.  7 years later the only problem I've
    had with my Xa was due to my own stupidity (RTFM), not the hardware. 

    Again, this all comes back to the phrase "depends on your application".
    If you're gigging, then portability and durability are more important
    than sound quality.  If you're primarily a studio player, then sound
    quality is much more important than either of the other two. 

    If I could turn out tapes with the same sonic quality that Len's Roland
    gear displayed in "Get Sirius Noah", I wouldn't gripe about it one bit. 

-b (anyone wanna buy an ESQ-M or two?)

    RE: DB's last paragraph about Ensoniq...
    
     
          I 100.0000% agree with you !!!!!!!!!  I just wish they would
    come out with 1) digital signal processors and 2) multitrak
    recorders!!!
    
    
    Frank_who_wants_to_kick_the_japanese_in_thier_technological_butt

    re: .18
    
    Whooaaaaa....  It was not my intention to get into a "urination
    confrontation" with anyone, least of all Len, who've I've said is
    the noter I most admire (which doesn't mean I always agree with him.)
    
    I guess I just wanted to say what say what I guess Brad said more
    simply and effectively: there are two sides to every story.  My side
    of the story is that Roland gear isn't necessarily all that reliable
    IME (In My Experience).
    
    The bottom line is that folks should take rave reviews of any product
    or product line (INCLUDING the ones *I* rave about) with a grain of
    salt.
    
    In fact, I'll remove my initial note since Brad said what I meant
    to say less controversially.
    
    	db

    That's the first time I've *ever* been accused of being a diplomat. 

-b

    The discussion of the Roland solidity reminds me of my SH-1000. I have
    an SH-1000, the worlds thinnest sounding single-oscillator monosynth. 
    There are a lot of things about it that are very clear copies of the
    basic Moog design.  I think it came before the Moog Sattelite, which is
    what it most closely resembles. I had it apart this weekend to adjust
    the tracking, right after I had done the same sort of thing on an ARP
    Oddessey.
    
    The SH-1000 will work forever.  It's a wonder that environmental crud
    doesn't make the ARP fail daily--all open frame switches, etc.
    I really don't like that SH-1000, but it's built like a tank, and I
    admire that.  It was pricey in it's day, anyone happen to know what it
    listed for?
    
    	Eirikur
    
    
    

    I wasn't trying to get into a urination contest at all...I was trying
    to explain why Roland is off my christmas list...forgive me one
    and all....
    
    sheepishly
    
    db still uncalibrated but pioneer has service manuals in stock

    Well, how about a breath of fresh air!
    
    I bought the Roland OM-500 MC-500 upgrade over the weekend, installed
    it, and *IT DIDN'T WORK*!  So I opened it up, checked everything
    carefully, and it still wouldn't work.  I removed it, reinstalled
    my old board, and my MC-500 worked again.  So now I've got a $450
    circuit board that doesn't work and I'm wondering what happens next.
    Get EUW to install the board and demonstrate my incompetence at
    plugging connectors together?  Get them to replace the upgrade kit?
    Throw the f***ing thing off the balcony?  I won't know my options
    until tomorrow when my favorite salesperson is back in the store.
    
    But I still prefer Roland over Alesis.
    
    len.
    

The final paragraph of the review of the Roland MC-500mkII with Super-MRC
software, in the December 88 KEYBOARD, reads:

	"Of course, learning to use S-MRC would be much easier with decent
	documentation.  The manuals that come with the program are
	riddled with typos, minor mistakes, tortuous translations, and
	just plain missing information.  Count them among the worst we
	have ever seen.  We hope that either Roland or some third-party
	publisher will rectify this problem soon."

Perhaps a business opportunity for somebody; writing better manuals for Roland
stuff.

    What kills me is that there's about two dozen third party books on how
    to use the EPS, which comes with great documentation, and NOT ONE such
    book for the S-50/S-550 which has got a disgraceful manual.
    
    Is Roland preventing such third party writers for producing these
    manuals?  Or is it that Ensoniq samplers are more popular?  Or perhaps
    it's that the third party writers can't figure out the Roland
    documentation either!  ;-)
    
    	db

    re .27
    
    db
    	There is a new book out by Anderton (you know, the blue cover
    books) on the D110, which I almost bought from my dealer when I
    picked up my unit.  But I decided to read through the doc first
    and maybe try my hand at programming before I bought it.
    
    			H A H ! ! ! 
    
    * *
     .
     V
    
    Bill Allen  

db -
    
>    Is Roland preventing such third party writers for producing these
>    manuals?  Or is it that Ensoniq samplers are more popular?  Or perhaps
>    it's that the third party writers can't figure out the Roland
>    documentation either!  ;-)
    
I was seriously considering writing a manual for the S550. I developed an
outline and started flushing out various chapters. That's why I spent so
much time learning the S550. Not only did I find the S550 manual so bad
that I couldn't completely figure out every feature, but Roland was not
very helpful as far as answering my questions. I made the final decision
not to try to sell the manual when I considered the publishing, distribution,
and marketing costs. Sales of an S550 manual would be very limited and not
provide ample return on investment. There are only a few thousand units at
large, and it would be very costly to have access to Roland's mailing list
of owners. I love their equipment, hate their manuals.

dave

ps. where have you seen an EPS aftermarket manual? I'm very interested.

    Hey, dave, this wasn't that money makin' secret project you were
    talking about was it?  Or, um, maybe I shouldn't have brought it
    up ...
    
    Steve_oh_I'm_so_ashamed ...

    Yes, I have had the Roland E20 for a couple of months now. When
    I first heard this home keyboard I was sold by its accomp. part,
    not by its solo parts though there are some nice LA sound there
    too. Basically this is a MT32 with a vel. sens. 61 key keybord.
    It has 32 basic rhythms with 4 variations on each. Most of the accomp.
    parts are "multi-timbral" in the way that the board by itself makes
    program changes and uses 2 voice banks at the same time. The real
    nice thing is that all of this is outpu to midi on different
    channels. There has been a lot work thrown in at the rhythm presets,
    it sounds that there even have been musicians involved. 
    
    I thought that you guys in US was having stuff like this far earlier
    than for instance Sweden.  Could also be fun to know the price tag
    in the US for this board. I paid roughly $1800 in my local shop.
    On my weekly visit to the shop they just told me that the U-110
    would be coming. I cant wait to get my fingers on that one. Any
    latest news on this???
    
    Torbjorn
    

-< wait, don't enter this note!  eeek ... >- 

Why not?

>    Hey, dave, this wasn't that money makin' secret project you were
>    talking about was it?  Or, um, maybe I shouldn't have brought it
>    up ...

This was one of several. It has money making potential if you can get
several thousand owners to buy the manual. The biggest problem seems to
be access to the owners. Most of them are busy in their studios or gigging,
and may not be aware of the manual from magazine ads or stores. Even the
RUG is not necessarily an effective advertising medium, since it is so
sporadic and seemingly difficult to subscribe to. Publishing costs are
astronomical unless it is done in quantities of 10,000 units or more.
    
>    Steve_oh_I'm_so_ashamed  

For what?

dave

    
    
    Hey Guys remember me?
    
    Been out a couple of weeks.
    
    Only 450 notes to go.
    
    2 Things.
    
    Thank you BS for a word of sanity around the product reliability
    and loyalty area.
    
    I have Yamaha, Roland, Fostex, Tascam, Akai and Allesis gear.
    
    I have never had a problem with any of it at all. But I don't take
    it out much. I can't understand why there is this reluctance to
    buy Yamaha gear. Even if you don't like it now, they may produce
    something in the future which you can't resist.
    
    Or is it you can't relate to playing a keyboard with a motorcycle
    name on the back?
                                                   
    				Paul.
    
    		P.S. add casio to the list.
    

    I have no aversion to buying Yamaha gear, as long as they produce
    something I need that I can't get elsewhere for less.  A TX-802
    *is* on my list of things to get eventually, but so far Roland
    has done a better job of building things that address my requirements.
    
    len.
    

    I also just bought a Roland E-20 from Acton Music Center (Acton,
    MA).  I concur with Torbjorn (.31) -- it's a great keyboard.  I
    also paid $1800 for it.  I understood from the dealer that these
    are still VERY hard to come by in the US.  He told me that I bought
    the last one they had, and that they had no idea when the next shipment
    would be.  Good luck.
    
    The built in speakers produce reasonably good sound.  I have used
    headphones on this -- superb.
    
    You can record up to three songs.  Recording is always done from
    a split keyboard.  You can record the upper and lower independently.
    There are memory cards that you can store songs on, and other cards
    that have additional rhythms (although I've actually seen neither).
    
    Documentation is could be better.
    
    One thing that is annoying is that the "time-out" on certain mode
    selection buttons is short.  Doesn't give you enough time to think.
    For instance, to record a song, you must:
    
    	1.  Press "SONG" to select song number.
        2.  Within 4 seconds, you must start to press another button
    	    that allows you to select the part you want to record (upper
       	    or lower)
        3.  After that, you have about 4 seconds to press "record".
    
    If you miss any of the 4-second windows, you have to start again.
    This is probably OK for experienced users, but it can be a real
    pain when you're learning how to use the E-20 for the first time.
    
    Other than that, I'm really happy with it.  I can't wait to get
    a MIDI board and decent software for my PC clone...
    
    Dave

    
    R-8 is now available at Wurlitzer's.  Eddie in Worcester told me
    $895 yesterday.  I heard him demoing it to another customer and
    it sounded real good.  Quick listen said at least as good as HR-16.
    
    The automatic roll and flam features were pretty cool, as was the
    velocity response.
    
    

I just got the new products announcements FAX from Roland. Please excuse any
typos. It was a lot to type in...

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
A80	Approx first delivery: March/April	Retail: $2797

An 88 note MIDI keyboard controller with a weighted action. Includes:
backlit LCD display with 8 lines of 40 characters, keyboard and curve
graphics, and 25 different status screens. 64 user-assignable patch memory
locations with four MIDI channels and four zones with overlapping split
points, program change messages, performance controller assignments,
transposition velocity and aftertouch curves. Roland pitch bend/modulation
controller plus traditional wheels. Patches can be chained and down-loaded to
RAM card. Two mergeable MIDI inputs including one remote input for
adding A-80 (or A-50) capabilities to an external keyboard. Extensive
MIDI exclusive capabilities including the ability to store bulk data from
other MIDI  instruments. "panic Button" for resetting all MIDI notes and
controllers on all MIDI channels to eliminate MIDI lockup.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

BE-5	Approx first delivery: Feb		Retail: $425

Five effects in a single foot-operated unit.

Chorus with rate and depth
Noise suppressor with threshold
Digital Delay
Overdrive/Distortion
Compressor

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
CD-5	Approx first delivery: Feb		Retail: $2295

CD-ROM drive option to connect to SCSI port of S-550 or W-30. Comes with
ROM Disk of entire Roland sampling library. Optional USV-1 disk from Optical
media includes 2500 additional samples. Capacity of CD-ROM disk is 512 3.5
inch floppy disks.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

USV-1	Approx first delivery: Feb	Retail: $495

Option USV-1 disk from Optical Media includes 2500 additional samples. For use
with the Roland CD-5 CD ROM drive with the S-550 or W-30.


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

D-5	Approx first delivery: March/April	Retail: $995

Entry level LA synth. 61 key performance and multi-timbral synth compatible
with D-10 and D-20 sound data. Multi-timbral mode adds partial reserve for
detailed voice allocation, while performance mode adds four effects:
chord play, harmony, chase play and arpeggio. Includes 63 rhythm tones
(as D-10/20) but eliminates rhythm programming (for patterns/track)
and signal processing.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

RUSD0001	approx first delivery: Feb	Retail: $11.95

Roland Audio CD "Roland: A Sound Approach" with 12 complete songs all written
and produced by Roland staff on Roland Equipment. Excellent quality for
examples of Roland equipment, PA demonstrations, pure entertainment.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

SDE-3000A	approx first delivery: Feb	Retail: $1095

Return of the popular studio-quality SDE-3000. Up to 4.5 secondes of delay with
100 dB dynamic range and low harmonic distortion (0.03%). Frequency response of
10 Hz to 17kHz for delays of 0 to 1500ms and 10Hz to 8kH< for delays up to
4500 ms.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
SN-R8-01 to SN-R8-03	approx first delivery: Feb	Retail: $74.95

Three new ROM cards for the R-8 containing twenty six 16 bit 44.1kHz sounds
and demo. SN-R8-01 contains Contemporary Percussion including timbales, guica,
timpani, etc. SN-R8-02 contains Jazz Brush sounds including upright bass
and brush sounds on snare, tom, hi-hat, ride, cymbal, etc. SN-R8-03 contains
sound effects including cannon, slammed door, footsteps, breaking glass, etc.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

SN-U110-01 to SN-U110-07  approx first delivery: Feb	Retail: $74.95

Seven new ROM cards for the U-110. Cards include:

SN-U110-01 Pipe Organ & Harpsichord
SN-U110-02 Latin & F/x percussion
SN-U110-03 Ethnic Instruments
SN-U110-04 Electric Grand & Clavi
SN-U110-05 Orchestral Strings
SN-U110-06 Orchestral Winds
SN-U110-07 Electric Guitar

Others will follow.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

W-30	approx first delivery: April	Retail: $2795

Music workstation with 240x64 dot LCD display, 61 note keyboard controller,
sequencer, sampler, ROM sample playback, disk drive, and SCSI option. Sequencer
combines the best features of the Director-S sequencers for roland samplers
and the Super MRC for MicroComposers including on-screen microscope editing.
Sampler is similar to S-330 without the need for an external video monitor
and can choose between internal ROM or RAM for resources. Disk drive can
read samples from S50, S330 and S550 samplers, data from SYS-503, SYS-333
or SYS-553 Director-S Sequencers, or MRC-300, MRC-500 or S-MRC MicroComposer
sequencers. SCSI option can connect to hard disk or CD ROM drive.

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GR-50	approx first delivery: Feb	Retail: $995

An extremely fast tracking guitar synthesis system with a built in D-110 style
sound module. New LSi and 16 bit CPU for accurate, high spped tracking. LA synth
with 128 new preset sounds, 64 user programmable sounds and 63 rhythm sounds.
Multi-timbral capabilities allow allow two timbres per string for velocity
cross fade, switch and mix effects. Extensive patching and memory with patch
chains plus MIDI or FC-100/FC-100mkII program change. Programmable control
of external MIDI sound sources.

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R-5	approx first delivery: April/May	Retail: $695

Human Rhythm Composer with the same 16 bit 44.1 kHz sound quality, Nuance,
and Human feel programming power as the R-8. The R-5 has added Tape In and
Out for data storage and eliminated the R-8's RAm and ROM card slots. The
R-5 has the same note memory as the R-8 with access to six songs rather than
ten. Includes stereo plus four individual outputs rather than the 8 individual
of the R-8.

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RC-3	approx first delivery: Feb	Retail: $175

MIDI Remote Control Program Changer. Works on all 16 MIDI channels and with
all 128 available MIDI program change numbers. LCD display. Battery or optional
AC adapter.

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Whew! Well that's it. All specifications are subject to change without notice.

For additional info contact Eddie Fritz at E.U. Wurlitzer's in Worcester
(508) 754-5271 or Jeff Majeau at Union Music in Worcester (508) 753-3702.

dave

Well, I bought the Roland CD on a whim at Daddy's.  $11.95.  Pretty good.
I like listening to it.  Some of the effects andwhat not are prtty good.

It most definitely is not a waste of money, though it may not be everybody's
pie.

Chad