Roland JD990 vs. XV-5080 vs. Fantom X vs. XP-30

[Don Solaris]

Originally Posted by WDM

If you love JD990 so much - get JD800. It would be much easier to program.

Not sure why should he downgrade that low, given he asked about JD-990, 5080, XP-30 and Fantom. Compared to these, JD800's engine and actual synthesis features are a joke.

Only thing JD800 has in common with JD990 is the name Roland. They are two totally different synthesizers.

[WDM]

Originally Posted by Don Solaris

Not sure why should he downgrade that low, given he asked about JD-990, 5080, XP-30 and Fantom. Compared to these, JD800's engine and actual synthesis features are a joke.

Only thing JD800 has in common with JD990 is the name Roland. They are two totally different synthesizers.

Well - it's not a downgrade. I was commenting on the charts above.
It's an attempt to put a human factor into consideration.

The charts are for JD990 x XP-30 x XV5080 x Fantom XR.

In other words: it's apples vs oranges vs plums vs bananas.
(We can't even say that all above are rack versions, because, XP-30 is not.)

I always thought that JD-990 is a module version of JD-800 with expanded capabilities. I never had JD-990 but I played enough with JD-800 and I could say that if I would want to program any of these two, it would be JD-800. But again, it's just my preferences.

To my ears the sound of JD line is different from XP/JV/XV5080 line and the sound of Fantoms is also different from those two.

From my personal experience I would question the numbers below:

XV5080 - Easy of use: 8.0 vs FantomXR: 7.9
XV5080 - Sound Quality: 2 (1 lower sound quality, 2 for higher sound quality) vs. FantomXR - Sound Quality: 2

My numbers would be:
XV5080 - easy of use: 7 (out of 10) vs. FantomXR easy of use: 3 (vs. Fantom X: 10).
XV5080 - Sound Quality: 7 (from 1 to 10, 10 is da best) vs. FantomXR - Sound Quality: 8

The advantages of Fantom line are not in sound engine alone. It's more about sequencer, knobs/pads and big color screen which are not included in FantomXR.

I owned JV2080, XV5080, FantomXR, Fantom X. (Still own XV5080 and Fantom X.)

But again, it's just my preferences.

BTW - those charts look like a presentation for a loan officer. (or wife maybeh?). Jesus... that's not a slutty way of doin things here.

[Don Solaris]

Originally Posted by WDM

I always thought that JD-990 is a module version of JD-800 with expanded capabilities.

No. It is different engine, different features and completely different synth. Only thing they have in common are 108 waveforms and effect processor - and this is where their similarities end.





Speaking of...

...only apple and orange would be placing JD-800 into equation, which by its synthesis features, is more less a joke compared to all the others. Both the XP-30, 5080 and Fantom are based on the JD-990 engine and have almost the same feature list (aside from added matrix mod and removed Osc Sync).

[RobJB06]

Regardless of similarities, the JD800 is an incredible synth. Suprised you dont like it Don, with its 4 layers and great UI, filters and general awesome sound i dont know whats not to like...

[Mr Arkadin]

Yeah not sure why Don has such hate on the 800, I have both and I love them both. Sure the 990 is more flexible but that doesn't make the 800 a bad piece of kit. Maybe one fell on him in an update of the moving a piano up stairs routine and left him traumatised.

[Michael Khan]

I've been wanting the XV-5080 for so long now!! I was recently looking at the JV-1010 because of it's tiny-ness and it's expansion capabilities but forget that, I'll just keep saving for the 5080... maybe i'll get it some day.

[HomeProducer]

The XV 5080 has the best user interface - but the thinnest and brightest sound. Had it - sold it after just 1 week. The JV card presets (especially the Vintage board) sounded awful in that machine. It's like there is a lowcut embedded. JD 990 and JV 2080 more to my taste.

[Michael Khan]

Originally Posted by HomeProducer

The XV 5080 has the best user interface - but the thinnest and brightest sound. Had it - sold it after just 1 week. The JV card presets (especially the Vintage board) sounded awful in that machine. It's like there is a lowcut embedded. JD 990 and JV 2080 more to my taste.

Seriously? Shucks. I guess I'll proceed on my JV-1010 bids then. lol.. but I did read a lot about how it flattened out the sounds of the cards. I guess that's why a lot of producers I read up on always have both the JV-2080 and the XV on their racks...

[DevonB]

Originally Posted by Jauqq

So you remade the Strings card (JD80-04) patches, but used the JD990 internal string waveforms to replace the card waves?

You able to share those patches please?

I remade a few of the patches. It didn't sound the same, and I overwrote them. You can do the same thing yourself, no problem. Or at least, do what I had done which was load in the Syxex data into the unit, and switch the sample data to point at internal waveforms. The Strings card did have the better samples in the end.

Devon

[Jauqq]

Originally Posted by DevonB

load in the Syxex data into the unit, and switch the sample data to point at internal waveforms.
Devon

That make's sense... totally over looked that way of doing it

I'll have a hunt for the patches on the net.

Cheers

[DevonB]

Originally Posted by Jauqq

That make's sense... totally over looked that way of doing it

I'll have a hunt for the patches on the net.

Cheers

Seriously, it's not worth the effort. The 'magic' is in the samples, not the programming. The cello/double bass has an amazing 'bass' heavy sound from the card, unlike anything else that came out after it. But to me, it wasn't worth the price of admission, and I'd rather have the cash than the samples.

However, a few of the patches on the sysex card that do not use the samples from the cards and use the internal waveforms only are kinda cool. You'll just have to deal with all the error messages from all the patches that are looking for the jd card data, and not having the waveforms, which gets real annoying real quick.

[HomeProducer]

Originally Posted by Michael Khan

Seriously? Shucks. I guess I'll proceed on my JV-1010 bids then. lol.. but I did read a lot about how it flattened out the sounds of the cards. I guess that's why a lot of producers I read up on always have both the JV-2080 and the XV on their racks...

well, its really my personal experience! Those producers may have simply everything in their rack. It's not a HUGE difference, but some presets really sounded weird in the 5080, and I didn't want to tweak every sound. Also the techno card: in the 2080 there is some sub bass which really has this big buttom end and creates sound pressure, and in the 5080 it sounds slightly thinner and gets some nasty top end I didn't like. The orchestral JV cards: sudddenly the strings get a scratchy topend. Not nice. Probably the XV cards are better, since they are made for XV boards. But they cost a lot.

[WDM]

Originally Posted by HomeProducer

The XV 5080 has the best user interface - but the thinnest and brightest sound. Had it - sold it after just 1 week. The JV card presets (especially the Vintage board) sounded awful in that machine. It's like there is a lowcut embedded. JD 990 and JV 2080 more to my taste.

That sounds strange. The XV5080 sounded exactly the same as JV2080 to my ears. I had both at a time. I compared them side by side, before let go JV2080.

[HomeProducer]

Originally Posted by WDM

That sounds strange. The XV5080 sounded exactly the same as JV2080 to my ears. I had both at a time. I compared them side by side, before let go JV2080.

I really tested them side by side. The JV 2080 sounds darker, bassier, compared to the xv 5080. At least in my case.

[totty]

I had a 2080 before my 5080, 5080 is more transparent. Maybe the 2080 had a little more bass by default but you guys are probably forgetting that the 5080 has global eq on every output. It's quite likely that Roland "tuned" the bass in a bit on the 2080 but allowed the user to choose on the 5080. I often used to put a couple of db on the bottom end on the 5080 - worked a charm.

The other issue with the 2080 is it's midi timing. Stack up a couple of 4 tone sounds with lfos and some sharpish envelopes and all I ever used to get was sloppy timing. It wasn't midi timing mind, it was the dsp getting overloaded. The 5080 has never had that issue with me. I also used to get "digital quantisation noise" in the reverb output on the 2080. Those were Roland's words when I eventually got them to admit it. 5080 all the way for me.

[Michael Khan]

Interesting. Well thanks for the info you all. I think I'm going to go with the XV like I originally planned. And so I can load it up with the SRX Complete Piano! A lot of stuff on the radio seems to be VST-based now, which gives me the urge to go and use sounds of yesterday.. And back to the future I go!

[Don Solaris]

Originally Posted by HomeProducer

The XV 5080 has the best user interface - but the thinnest and brightest sound. Had it - sold it after just 1 week.

You should have reset the EQ (that someone before you probably set to some values), before you concluded it sounds thin. Because 5080 can sound just the same bassy as 2080.

Originally Posted by WDM

That sounds strange. The XV5080 sounded exactly the same as JV2080 to my ears.

You should get a better pair of speakers then. See... one unit is 44.1kHz, the other is 32kHz. If you can't hear such obvious difference, that should ring an alarm in your monitor setup.

There is also a major difference in converter quality between these two units. I've tried the same patches on both units, and 2080 came as a much weaker in stereo field and dynamic range. The same patch sounded more fuller, wider in stereo field on 5080.

[gblack]

I've had these machines, with the exception of the XP-30. My latest is the Fantom-XR, and I have to say, it is really poor. The XV-5080 is gorgeous, and the 5050 still beats the XR. I've moved all my SRX cards back into my 5080s, that's how bad the XR sounds to me.

I realize it's all a matter of taste, but wow, the pianos are thin, the waveforms are clumsily looped - I've written it off. I suspect the XR's DA converters are not nearly what the XV series was.

Just MHO.

[GRO]

fantom x6 that i have. barely sees use. i dont really like the sounds on it. the waveforms are looped bad and the piano sucks. it is good for SOME things but it will not be your go to synth. i drooled over this board for a while and convinced my wife to let me buy it. Should of saved for a Virus instead.

[Diametro]

Hmm ... Not my experience ... Have had my fully expanded Fantom X7 for five or so years now ... Since then, lots of gear has come and gone, but I still love it and complements the rest of my setup very nicely ... I use it everyday for practice and think the pianos are very expressive ...

Granted, when it comes time to record, the Fantom only gets called on for certain sounds 'cause that's when the Jupiters and V-Synth come to call ... but the Fantom has it's place for orchestral textures, pianos, choirs and some other sampled sounds ...

On the other hand, I'd never buy an XR simply because its a one-space unit and seems crippled from a UI standpoint ...

[Don Solaris]

Originally Posted by Diametro

On the other hand, I'd never buy an XR simply because its a one-space unit and seems crippled from a UI standpoint ...

You should really give 5080 a try. It was the peak of quality for Roland company, before they started repacking their technology but it with budget el cheapo components (to make them more cheap - earn more money). You can buy 5080 for not too much off ebay - like 500 or so. Oh and it will load AKAI sample CD roms which can be found for peanuts these days on eBay.

Damn! Even now i regret selling mine. I went 5050 just because i've heard it's full 44.1k (5080 is mixed 44.1 and 32k). The sound on 5050 is maybe crystal clear but it lacks the low end of 5080. I'm sure i'll get 5080 sooner or later simply because i've exploited absolutely everything i could on JD-990.

Read this: http://acapella.harmony-central.com/...7&postcount=30

Note: It contains just one small incorrect info about 5080 being 32k. I've actually discovered (and later got confirmed by Roland) it is mixed 32k and 44.1k ROM.

[depulse]

Don - > Go towards the light. There is somewhere a 5080 with your name on it....

[sammytaters]

I got a like new XP-30 finally. Its extremely awesome. I got lost playing it for about 2 hours. It compliments my V-synth really well and sounds more musical, more complex. XP-30 has more useful sounds than an un-upgraded Fantom X if you are into old pop/dance styles. Everything seems to be EQ'd well like someone really obsessive programmed it. It is not hard to use either. Pianos are below average but oh well. I love the keys on it. They are fast, responsive, and not very loud. Its really good.

[worm]

Originally Posted by Don Solaris

...simply because i've exploited absolutely everything i could on JD-990.

If you do 'move on' from the 990 you should set your patches free so us mortals can learn from ye.

[asbak]

Note that the SRX boards are 32k...

On the harmony central URL it's said that the SRX boards are 32k, does anybody know?

[CoolColJ]

running the sawtooth and square waves through a FFT should tell you the answer

[88fingerz]

It's like this folks;

The XV-5080 was the king of Synths/sample playback in it's time (2000's) and holds up extremely well today. When someone describes it as "thin" you know you have a crimson red flag telling you to steer clear of that someone.

The XP-30 was an outstanding value with great and useful sounds/features for live performance. When isolated and listened to critically in a recording scenario you'll notice a constant low-level hiss that could or could not work in your recordings.