EMUSIC-L Digest Volume 65, Issue 17 This issue's topics: GR-1/PC MIDI recording problem (3 messages) Roland Guitar Synth (3 messages) Roland Juno-2 (5 messages) Roland LAPC-1 help Roland S50-samples Roland Sucks! (4 messages) Your EMUSIC-L Digest moderator is Joe McMahon . You may subscribe to EMUSIC-L by sending mail to listserv@american.edu with the line "SUB EMUSIC-L your name" as the text. The EMUSIC-L archive is a service of SunSite (sunsite.unc.edu) at the University of North Carolina. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Date: Fri, 3 Jun 1994 22:48:40 EDT From: "Allen R. Sparks" Subject: GR-1/PC MIDI recording problem I have not been able to real-time record from my Roland GR-1 guitar synth into any of the various sequencers I have tried. Playback gives notes of the wrong pitch and extraneous garbage. The only thing I can do so far is enter in step-time. I am using the following setup: PC - 386DX 25mhz w 8MB ram Soundblaster "Pro" w Midi Roland GR-1 cabled to Soundblaster (both in and out) Windows 3.1 Encore 3.1 or Band in a Box or Session or Trax Do I need a faster PC, a faster Midi interface? Could I get the speed and accuracy I need with a DOS-based sequencer? I'm kind of new to this and would appreciate any ideas... -- Reid Sparks Gulf Breeze, FL ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 4 Jun 1994 11:06:04 -0300 From: "ANDREW G. YOUNGER" Subject: Re: GR-1/PC MIDI recording problem > > I have not been able to real-time record from my Roland GR-1 guitar synth > into any of the various sequencers I have tried. Playback gives notes of the > wrong pitch and extraneous garbage. The only thing I can do so far is enter > in step-time. I am using the following setup: > > PC - 386DX 25mhz w 8MB ram > Soundblaster "Pro" w Midi > Roland GR-1 cabled to Soundblaster (both in and out) > Windows 3.1 > Encore 3.1 or Band in a Box or Session or Trax > > Do I need a faster PC, a faster Midi interface? Could I get the speed and > accuracy I need with a DOS-based sequencer? I'm kind of new to this and > would appreciate any ideas... > > -- Reid Sparks > Gulf Breeze, FL I seem to have no problem with mine recording in realtime. It is possible that the Sound Blaster Pro won't let you do this but I doubt that because my Sound Blaster 16 allows me to do such magic. I am just wondering if your computer is too slow to record such data in the windows environment. I am running a DX 50 on a 486 machine and have no problem as I say. Also check to see if the following are set properly, they are long shots but worth narrowing down. - MIDI channels for GR-1 and sequencer set the same - both are either set for poly or mono on the GR-1 - check any error messages on the GR-1 display (MIDI buffer full, etc.) - MIDI Mapper configured correctly - Step mode is turned off on the GR-1 and the sequencer Anyhow try that, if it still doesn't work feel free to e-mail me directly I can't promise anything but maybe I can think of something Andrew AYOUNGER@ac.dal.ca ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 6 Jun 1994 00:46:33 -0500 From: "J. Michael Roach" Subject: Re: GR-1/PC MIDI recording problem > > I have not been able to real-time record from my Roland GR-1 guitar synth > > into any of the various sequencers I have tried. Playback gives notes of the > > wrong pitch and extraneous garbage. The only thing I can do so far is enter > > in step-time. I am using the following setup: > > > > PC - 386DX 25mhz w 8MB ram > > Soundblaster "Pro" w Midi > > Roland GR-1 cabled to Soundblaster (both in and out) > > Windows 3.1 > > Encore 3.1 or Band in a Box or Session or Trax > I seem to have no problem with mine recording in realtime. It is possible > that the Sound Blaster Pro won't let you do this but I doubt that because my > Sound Blaster 16 allows me to do such magic. I am just wondering if your > computer is too slow to record such data in the windows environment. > > - MIDI channels for GR-1 and sequencer set the same > - both are either set for poly or mono on the GR-1 > - check any error messages on the GR-1 display (MIDI buffer full, etc.) > - MIDI Mapper configured correctly > - Step mode is turned off on the GR-1 and the sequencer These are all good suggestions, but let me point out that MIDI is a 30K baud protocol. That's 30,000 signal changes per second. Even the slowest 286 machine has a bus speed of 8MHz. That's 8,000,000 clock cycles per second. Speed of machine is almost never an issue. In fact, MIDI was developed back when machines were much slower than a 286. Even an XT machine can handle the brut force of a complicated MIDI files without even bending! Good luck in your troubleshoot. Unfortunately, everything you describe seems correct to the manner in which this equipment should be set up. I can't image why you are experiencing these troubles. Please post your solution, as I am quite curious! j. michael ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 28 Jun 1994 13:32:14 -0500 From: Steve Hills Subject: Roland Guitar Synth I have the new Roland Guitar Synth and interface. It is a fantastic unit!!! I have a problem keeping the switch on the acoustic guitar. I don't want to permanently install it. I've tried velcro and it fell off. I've used plastiq (stuff you hang pictures with) and it holds only for a little while. Any suggestions on how to keep it on the acoustic short of bolting it on? SHills@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 28 Jun 1994 19:48:22 -0500 From: "J. Michael Roach" Subject: Re: Roland Guitar Synth > I have the new Roland Guitar Synth and interface. It is a fantastic > unit!!! I have a problem keeping the switch on the acoustic guitar. I don't > want to permanently install it. I've tried velcro and it fell off. I've used > plastiq (stuff you hang pictures with) and it holds only for a little while. > > Any suggestions on how to keep it on the acoustic short of bolting it > on? The only way I've found to do this without destroying a perfectly good guitar is to mount it on a piece of crap. Other than wood screws (which damage the wood permanently), you can use that double sided tape which used to come with it (I'm not sure if it still does), which ruins the finish. I've never been able to come up with an alternative. j. michael ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 29 Jun 1994 08:38:20 -0500 From: Steve Hills Subject: Re: Roland Guitar Synth I'm going to give a call to a guitar shop and see if they have some special glue or something. I'm performing with the Roland Guitar Synth and the guitar -- so I shouldn't use a subpar guitar.... I'll see what I can find. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 7 Jun 1994 11:36:04 -0500 From: Siberian Khatru Subject: Roland Juno-2 I was recently in a local music store when I saw that they had a used Roland Juno-2 for $295 (w/case). Is this a good deal? The keyboard is in good condition (the sound production is still in great condition). Thanks, Jon Southwood jsouthwo@keller.clarke.edu ****************************************************************************** "I once played poker with a deck of tarot cards. I got a full house and four people died."-Steven Wright "If I had only known, I would have been a locksmith."-Albert Einstein "Truly great madness cannot be achieved without significant intelligence." -Henrik Tikkanen ****************************************************************************** ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 8 Jun 1994 13:25:09 EDT From: Jody Mayfield Subject: Re: Roland Juno-2 wow, that is a great price!!!! I wish I could find one that cheap. You see the old analog synths are coming back. Especially in Soul and R&B. (Black music to be exact). Buy it. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 13 Jun 1994 13:42:25 +0200 From: "Wim.Rouquart" Subject: Re: Roland Juno-2 ----- Begin Included Message ----- >wow, that is a great price!!!! I wish I could find one that cheap. You see >the old analog synths are coming back. Especially in Soul and R&B. (Black >music to be exact). Buy it. ----- End Included Message ----- Soul and R&B?????? Could be, but if there's one kind of music where analogue synths are used then it's HOUSE and TECHNO. Be careful with buying analogue equipment though, see that it's MIDI-equipped or that you can buy a retro-fit to make it midi compatible. Otherwise you'll have to go through trouble syncing and stuff like that. Bye, Wim Salabim ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 14 Jun 1994 21:27:34 +0100 From: Nick Rothwell Subject: Re: Roland Juno-2 >Soul and R&B?????? Could be, but if there's one kind of music where analogue >synths are used then it's HOUSE and TECHNO. Well, isn't it fortunate then that there's more than one kind of music where analogue synths are used. Even non-capitalised music. Nick Rothwell CASSIEL Contemporary Music/Dance nick@cassiel.com ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 21 Jun 1994 22:05:35 -0400 From: The Bare Facts BBS Subject: Re: Roland Juno-2 Re: Re: Roland Juno-2 a HOW THE HECK DID I GET IN HERE? HELLO TO WHOEVER MAY READ THIS. BTW, I RECENTLY TOOK A CLASS ON COMPUTER MUSIC IN WICH I LEARNED A GOOD DEAL ABOUT SEQUENCING, EDITING, ETC. THE SOUND OF THOSE OLD KEYBORDS IS GREAT. THEY BRING BACK THAT OLD HERBIE HANCOCK FEEL. DOES ANYONE REMEMBER BOOKER T. AND THE M.G.'S./A +++ OK --- Origin: The Bare Facts BBS * U of AL School of Music * @tbf.musicnet.ua.edu ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 3 Jun 1994 11:18:35 +0100 From: Oliver Seaman Subject: Roland LAPC-1 help I've got an LAPC-1 (MT-32 on a board) in my PC, but I'm having trouble getting system exclusives out of it for patch editing, etc. Anyone know of a good archive site I can browse for software to help me out? Or any mailing lists/interest groups? Thanks, Oliver ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 30 Jun 1994 12:47:31 GMT-100 From: Jesper Alsed Subject: Roland S50-samples Is their anybody who can help me with this problem? I have hundreds of diskettes with samples for the Roland S-50 and I like to convert these to .WAV-files (or any other standard-format for sound- samples) on PC or Amiga. -Jesper Alsed ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 23 Jun 1994 12:27:42 -0500 From: "Curtis P. Parsons" Subject: Roland Sucks! I am writing this to warn you all about Roland Corporation. They are intolerably slow and have no respect for their customers. Why would I make such allegations, you ask? I bought a Rap-10 card from a local dealer who had to order it for me. The software that accompanied the card did not recognize certain MIDI data, was full of bugs, and locked up quite frequently. I call them about this problem, and they inform me that there is an upgrade which supposedly solves these troubles and woes, and that they would send it to me as soon as possible. However, they inform me, there will be a "postage" charge of 10 bucks (Ha!). I give them my credit card number expecting relatively prompt service. It takes them a month to even send the thing out! While I am impatiently waiting for the upgrade so I can get on with my work, I find out that the upgrade has been posted on Compuserve. I call and simply download the file. Then I call Roland (this was about 2.5 weeks ago) to ask if they've sent the disks yet, and they don't even know. I tell them if they haven't, to cancel my order. They say they'll call back. I wait three days and they don't call, so I call them back two more times to get them to do these things, each time they promise they'll call back. They do not, of course! Then the disks suddenly arrive today, so I'm out 10 bucks for the upgrade, long distance phone time to their company, plus the cost of a call to compuserve, simply because Roland was too lazy or cheap to fully test a piece of software before they put it on the market (sound like any other companies you know?) Ok, I'll admit that SOME of this is my fault, or possibly the P.O.'s fault, since I don't know when the disks were sent. But the fact remains that Roland is insensitive to the concerns of their customers. If I buy another synth or MIDI card, it will certainly not be from them! They have plenty of competetors. Forgive me, but I had to get that off my chest. If any others of you have had similar experiences or even good experiences with Roland I would like to hear from you. They do make quality stuff- I'll give them that. Also, I'd like to hear from anyone with a D110 synth or a RAP-10 and what you did about the software bugs- after all this, the software still locks up! Kallisti, Khurticus ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 23 Jun 1994 16:13:35 EDT From: "Waldron M. Faulkner" Subject: Re: Roland Sucks! My Roland D-10 has been the most unreliable piece of electronic hardware I have ever purchased. I can only wonder how long my D-10 would have lasted if I took it on the road, rather than keeping it in a home studio. I too once tried to reach roland, in search of clearer documentation regarding the System Exclusive codes for my D-10, and no one could tell me whom to contact. Many of the "technical" people with whom I spoke weren't even familiar with the phrase "system exclusive". - Waldron M. Faulkner ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 23 Jun 1994 18:03:55 -0500 From: "J. Michael Roach" Subject: Re: Roland Sucks! > I am writing this to warn you all about Roland Corporation. They > are intolerably slow and have no respect for their customers. Unfortunately, this has always been true. > I give them my credit card number expecting relatively prompt > service. This, of course, was your first mistake! :) > It takes them a month to even send the thing out! They must be getting better, then! :) > But the fact remains that Roland is insensitive to the concerns of > their customers. Bingo. And I haven't the foggiest idea why. Let me tell a quick story. I used to work for music store that got into trouble with the BBB for not taking care of the customer. It seemed that they had sold a Roland digital piano to a customer, and there were some problems with it. The store sold the piano in good faith, and nothing was wrong with it that we knew of. Point being, Roland was not willing at all to help the store satisfy this customer. We finally had to eat the unit and refund the money. I like Roland products much beetter than the others (personally) but YAMAHA has the most incredible Customer Service I've ever seen. I work in the Technical Support field and I know that product quality itself is not the only thing that Resellers and EndUsers are worried about. Why can't a company the size of Roland USA stand behind what they sell, especially when it's as good as it is!?!?!?! God knows . . . j. michael ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 25 Jun 1994 20:43:16 +0100 From: Nick Rothwell Subject: Re: Roland Sucks! Roland US have a bad reputation. Roland UK are fine. It's cosmic karma; for most other companies, UK pricing and support is dreadful. I can quote you examples of service here which makes Roland's attitude resemble a game show host. (er...) For example, a four-month wait for Opcode upgrades which never, ever, arrived. I have dozens of outstanding support calls chalked up... (Follow-up to the gearhead list methinks.) Nick Rothwell CASSIEL Contemporary Music/Dance nick@cassiel.com ------------------------------ End of the EMUSIC-L Digest ******************************