From: JROSSI@EAGLE.AAMRL.WPAFB.AF.MIL
Newsgroups: rec.music.synth
Subject: Re: JV-80
Date: 7 Apr 92 14:57:00 GMT


Mike:

First of all, r.m.s. is made up of some of the most opinionated people in
the world when it comes to MIDI devices.  Also, if you look at the general
readership here, you find an assortment of part-time or hacker musicians
who engage in various and sundry daytime acitivities which tend to be 
a few standard deviations away from what Roland might consider the musical
norm.  One look at the usenet tape biographies and you find that, to the
degree that the usenet tape adequately samples the net-readership, people
here are mostly computer scientists, engineers, scientists, or students
(many grad) embarking on engineering or scientific careers.  So, it probably
is true that Roland, Korg or Yamaha really doesn't care what 'we' think
because 'we' are not the people to whom their products are being marketed
(obviuously).  When you couple that with the fact that quite a few of the
most vocal readers here are 'old timers' and continue to be enamoured with
analog synths (sometimes to an abusive degree), I think that 'our' perspectives
are very different from the actual MIDI 'mass market'.  That the Korg M1
remains a brisk seller, certainly supports these suggestions.

The problem with the JV-80 isn't that it is particularly bad.  In fact it
isn't as bad as a lot of people make it out to be, and after playing with one
for the better part of an hour last Sat, probably has a lot hidden under its
inetllectually stagnant user interface.  The problem with the JV-80 is that
it is just another 'me-too' unit which is rather limited, and when compared,
say, to a D-70, makes you wondering in which direction Roland is really
'progressing'.  To sum up my experience witht he board using the term
.. boring .. would be somewhat of an overstatement.  I know that the price
point of $1900 list appears attractive when compared to the equally 
deficient Korg 01/W series, but again, there haven't been a lot of rave
reviews of those boards posted to this newsgroup, either.  

If your price point is definately under $2000, you could look at a WaveStation
Ex.  It will give you an adequate 'sample player base', and it is still a
very interesting instrument.  It is very programmable and it can do some
unique things which no other synth or sample palyer can do.  It will still
remain interestin, even after you have tired of the 3-layer banjo program
on the JV-80.  The key is that the WaveStation is a synthesizer.  Of course,
if you can up your top dollar figure about $500, you can afford a K2000.
Of course, comparing the JV-80 to the K2000 is like comparing tricycles 
(which have 3 wheels so you can stay on them safely) with 1200 cc racing
motorcycles which take a little time to master but go considerably faster
and will keep you thrilled for a longer period of time.  It just doesn't
make financial sense to me to spend the amount of money a JV-80 will cost
when for so few dollars more you can get something so much better.  Of
course, you can find used M1s for about $1000, and if a boring sample player
is what you want, $1000 is cheaper than a JV-80.

John
Newsgroups: rec.music.synth