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I know this is mainly a digital piano forum....but Synth is in the title too....SO....

For those interested, being a full line sales rep again, I have access to most of the new stuff we release. Both to learn it for an effective demonstration, and of course, personal enjoyment.

I have a rep sample arriving tomorrow morning of the new JD-Xa Analog/Digital Crossover synth....and must admit, I am beyond excited to try it out.

http://www.roland.ca/products/jd-xa/

(Had to share with people who understood )

Jay

Looks interesting! I like the idea that it has joystick + mod/pitch wheels. Couple of questions:
Are those mini keys? Are they velocity sensitive?
The product page mentions that it's compatible with Integra SuperNatural sounds - does it mean that any Interga sound can be loaded? Or some selected sounds like FA-08/06?

Thanks!

Here's what i know.

49 keys. Full synth size. I believe that they are in fact velocity sensitive. The mini keys on the JD-Xi are.

I believe that there are SuperNatural Synth sounds only. Not the acoustic stuff. a.k.a. Not a Rompler. Although I believe any of the Axial SuperNatural Synth sounds from FA series or Integra can be loaded.

the CV/Gate out is interesting to me as well. Control over vintage synths that don't have MIDI (of which I have a few) from the JD-Xa.

I'll know more after I leave hibernation on Monday....

It's 49 keys. Hopefully not the fa06 keys but more in the line of the Jupiter 80 synth keys, but I am afraid it'll be more like the first. 61 at least would still be a better option ; gives you just that more control. Must have been too expensive the extra octave , no ?!

As a synth - seems promising sound wise...

I haven't touched it yet, but high res close up looks very much like the FA-06 type action. Which would be a disappointment for sure on a keyboard at this price point.

But they wisely included both velocity and after-touch, which was an ugly omission on the Jupiter 50.

Might be the most innovative Roland synth since the V-synth...

It even has connections for the new modular aira stuff...

I find 49 keys more than enough for a synth like that - even 37 work most of the time.

This looks like a great piece of gear. Too bad I can't justify the purchase since I recently bought a Nord Lead..

I hate lightweight synth actions, with a passion. But I want one of these just because it looks so darn cool in the dark!

lol ando.
I was always wondering what can you do with a 49keys instrument. How can you play on something, which just cut in a half with trillions of colorfuls lights lolololol.

Thanks, Jay. On a related note (I hope), will Roland EVER be coming out with a 73-, 76- or 88-key follow-up to the RD-300? It's been awhile since we've seen a new, lightweight, full-size or nearly full-size stage piano from Roland. Thanks.

I've had my hands on it for an hour so far and WOW!

Action is beautiful. Don't know what it compares to or comes from, but feels great.

SOUNDS incredible. Huge Fat, Distinctly Roland. The crossover concept is very well executed.

49 keys is plenty for anything I've tried or played so far on it.

I know Im a Roland guy, but I think we have a winner on our hands here.

jeffreyfranz. Sorry man, but you know that no company rep would ever comment on any future products that may or may not be in development. So even IF there was, I'd be risking my employment, by offering anything either way.

Jay

Just a few questions.. As you seem to have access to inside information..

- will there be an ipad app for edditing and access to more settings?
- will it be possible to assign the knobs and sliders to midi CC or just controlling externall sounds
- will there be any features that make it excell as a midi comtroller for integra 7 or system 1 modular?

I am a big fan of the Roland synth sound, currently have a Vsynth Xt and an Integra 7 in my setup, this might be a possible replacement for my Virus..

There are other things I'm passionate about that I'd rather get my hands on in the dark. just sayin'

- Not sure yet. Hope so.

- I believe in MIDI controller mode it already does this. Only have printed manual, no Owners Manual or Parameter Guide anywhere online yet. I'm trying to source one.

- A pair of CV/Gate outs will be a beautiful thing for controlling external non MIDI synths, so System-1 Modular is covered, along with any other modular gear that accepts CV/Gate inputs. USB Midi out and 5 pin DIN outs as well, so MIDI controller is covered.

I don't know that I would use it as a MIDI controller for an Integra-7, seeing as how the SuperNatural Synth engines are shared. The Acoustic SuperNatural stuff maybe I guess, but then if you need more keys than 49, you're looking elsewhere already.

Jay

Not an attack on Jay, just some constructive criticism to Roland:

1. We could have had another octave of keys on the bass end but no, Roland stuck the stick there, like they ALWAYS do. Why not place it up in the wheel section (which seems to have some room to spare)? This is the thing that drives me the craziest about Roland, that crazy stick stuck in the keybed area, making everything that much longer and harder to port around. It's craziest on their 88 key boards as it forces you to buy special extra long cases, and requires you to have orangutan arms in order to even reach the crazy thing.

2. Analog synthesis is quaint and retro and all, but at this point a trend so overdone as to be almost self-parodying. Analog is just stupid when you can do gobs and gobs of drift-free, exceedingly customizable virtual analog synth in a DSP, thousands of oscillators in a small FPGA. But the hipsters need analog for street cred or something - when will the industry stop pandering to them? At least Roland isn't festooning all their gear with glowing, short lived, power hogging 12AX7's ala Korg.

"...It's craziest on their 88 key boards as it forces you to buy special extra long cases, ..."

Kurzweil has wheel next to the keys on most boards , Yamaha has them on most of their boards, Korg has a stick on the left side, so Roland is not alone in this. To be honest - I personally do like the idea of wheels above the keys to shorten the instrument , but from a player perspective I like the left side configuration more. More natural or easier to use in practice in my opinion - rather grab my pitch and mod left to the keys than above them. At the cost of a less compact board that is...

As for the JD-XA - I think they made a nice synth. What I don't get is the new look and feel of these boards with shiny plastic and red lights since the FA series introduction. It's nice in pictures and just out of the box , but gathers dirt and gets ugly very fast and is pretty hard to read in practice. Also it simply look toyish and cheap IMHO. Nothing of the professional sturdy instrument look of the past. Rather had this in a V-synth / FantomG / VP770 like package, but with a bit less weight. But I'm getting old ...;-)

They aren't aiming for the "players" market with this board. Don't need too many keys to play a bass line, or a lead, pad, or for programming a cool patch. But I'm a "player" so, yeah... 61 key or better synth action with poly AT would have been cool. But I'm not the target audience here.



The rebirth or renewed interest in analog synthesis is a trend. Like Brazilian bikinis. No one is complaining about that trend. Roland is looking at sales data and responding to the street. Nothing wrong with that. Although, there is a lot of digital and the advantages it brings in this JD-XA. The analog oscillator is actually the more gimmicky part of this design. But if done well, analog synths can sound exquisite. You don't need a thousand oscillators to program a nice sound.

You play a synth differently than a piano. I prefer 61 keys minimum, but for pads, soloing and "soundscapes", I've made do with as few as 25 or 37 keys.

Nailed it.