Best Roland Sound Module To Compliment Kronos
Moderators: Sharp, X-Trade, Pepperpotty, karmathanever
-
JPROBERTLA
- Senior Member
- Posts: 483
- Joined: Mon Jul 04, 2011 2:38 pm
- Location: New Orleans
Best Roland Sound Module To Compliment Kronos
I've been using the Kronos exclusively since 2011. I do a duo with a vocalist/percussionist so everything is sequenced. Recently I had the opportunity to play a JV 2080 and really liked some of the sounds; very different flavor that the Kronos. Besides using A VSR 880 recorder for 25 years I have no other Roland experience. I would like to get one of the JV or XV modules but don't know which one(s) is the best choice to get all the classic Roland sounds. Can anyone enlighten me?
JP
_________________________________________
Kronos2-88, Behringer XR18, Turbosound IP2000 (x2), dbx DriveRack 260, KRK Rokit 8s, Mackie CFX16, Mackie SRM450(x2), Mackie SRS1500 (x2), BBE processors (x4), Roland VSR 880 (x2), Alto TS210, Alto TX10 (x3) and SoundForge
_________________________________________
Kronos2-88, Behringer XR18, Turbosound IP2000 (x2), dbx DriveRack 260, KRK Rokit 8s, Mackie CFX16, Mackie SRM450(x2), Mackie SRS1500 (x2), BBE processors (x4), Roland VSR 880 (x2), Alto TS210, Alto TX10 (x3) and SoundForge
-
kronoSphere
- Platinum Member
- Posts: 726
- Joined: Wed Jan 04, 2012 8:56 am
The Roland Integra 7 seems to be the best choice : it has all in the its box
trees are going fast.
https://www.lairdeparis.fr
Current Gear : Kronos 88 / Seaboard Rise / Triton Extreme / Sequoia / Motif Rack XS / TC Helicon voicelive rack /Awave 11 / Audio & VSTi plug-ins connected /wide touchscreen / iPad Pro 512.
https://www.lairdeparis.fr
Current Gear : Kronos 88 / Seaboard Rise / Triton Extreme / Sequoia / Motif Rack XS / TC Helicon voicelive rack /Awave 11 / Audio & VSTi plug-ins connected /wide touchscreen / iPad Pro 512.
The Integra has the XV-5080 sounds (which I think included most if not all of the JV sounds), along with most of their best newer sounds (SuperNATURAL Acoustic). If you only care about the older sounds, you can get an older/cheaper module, probably just about any JV or XV module will give you a good selection of those JV-2080 sounds.
In-between the JV/XV era and the modern Integra era, there were the Fantom S/X sounds which do not appear in the Integra. If you wanted that generation of Roland sounds, you'd have to look for a Fantom XR or a SonicCell.
In-between the JV/XV era and the modern Integra era, there were the Fantom S/X sounds which do not appear in the Integra. If you wanted that generation of Roland sounds, you'd have to look for a Fantom XR or a SonicCell.
-
ChrisDuncan
- Senior Member
- Posts: 473
- Joined: Thu May 17, 2018 3:47 pm
I agree that the Roland stuff has its own vibe. I already own a JV-2080 but recently got a Fantom. There were some workflow things included in that decision, but one of the other considerations was the models of their classic synths. With the Fantom I got a Jupiter 8, Juno 106, SH 101 and JX 8P.
If you want a rack module and won't be doing a lot of tweaking, the Integra looks great. However, if you want the classic Roland synths and the ability to do sound design with them, or have access to the Zenology engine, it might be worth getting one of their latest keyboard in a 61 key. An Integra 7 is $2k, and a Fantom-6, which will have the most flexibility for expansions, is $3k (don't get the -06, it's too limited for expansion).
What I've noticed about recent generations of Roland gear is that many of their hardware releases have been designed to be compatible with their cloud offerings. I believe that the Fantom, Jupiter X, Juno X, GAIA 2 and System 8 all have access to the model expansions via Roland Cloud (you can buy model expansions with a perpetual license so it's not subscription only). Each will have their own limitations on what / how many model expansions you can load at one time.
I'm assuming you don't want to incorporate a laptop into your rig, but if you did there's also the Roland Cloud in software form. I don't use it via computer so I'm not sure how it woiuld incorporate into your rig, but it's another option.
If you want to stick with sound modules, I can't speak to the Integra but my JV 2080 has been rock solid since the 90s. I would expect the Integra to have similar quality.
If you want a rack module and won't be doing a lot of tweaking, the Integra looks great. However, if you want the classic Roland synths and the ability to do sound design with them, or have access to the Zenology engine, it might be worth getting one of their latest keyboard in a 61 key. An Integra 7 is $2k, and a Fantom-6, which will have the most flexibility for expansions, is $3k (don't get the -06, it's too limited for expansion).
What I've noticed about recent generations of Roland gear is that many of their hardware releases have been designed to be compatible with their cloud offerings. I believe that the Fantom, Jupiter X, Juno X, GAIA 2 and System 8 all have access to the model expansions via Roland Cloud (you can buy model expansions with a perpetual license so it's not subscription only). Each will have their own limitations on what / how many model expansions you can load at one time.
I'm assuming you don't want to incorporate a laptop into your rig, but if you did there's also the Roland Cloud in software form. I don't use it via computer so I'm not sure how it woiuld incorporate into your rig, but it's another option.
If you want to stick with sound modules, I can't speak to the Integra but my JV 2080 has been rock solid since the 90s. I would expect the Integra to have similar quality.
Control Room: Fantom 7 | JV 2080 | Cubase 13 | Windows 10 | Yamaha TF5 | Mackie MCU | CMC AI, QC, TP
Keyboard Station: Kronos 2 88 | Cubase 13 | Windows 10 | Focusrite 18i20 | CMC TP
Editing Station: Montage M8x | Cubase 13 | Windows 10 | Focusrite Scarlett 2i2
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chris Duncan
Atlanta, GA, USA, Earth
Keyboard Station: Kronos 2 88 | Cubase 13 | Windows 10 | Focusrite 18i20 | CMC TP
Editing Station: Montage M8x | Cubase 13 | Windows 10 | Focusrite Scarlett 2i2
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chris Duncan
Atlanta, GA, USA, Earth
-
JPROBERTLA
- Senior Member
- Posts: 483
- Joined: Mon Jul 04, 2011 2:38 pm
- Location: New Orleans
Thanks for input.
I decided on an XV 5050 and am doing this as an experiment. The goal here is to lessen the load on the Kronos during live sequenced performances. There are more than a few songs that I've had to make compromises on effects and sometimes polyphony resources.
The XV 5050 is a simplistic 64 voice 1 rack space module with the JV, JP & XV series sound sets as well as a bank from the newer Fantom. If it can provide a different flavor of sounds, free up a little polyphony and FX resources in the Kronos and is relatively easy to incorporate in to my live setup then it will have been a success. If it works extremely well I might consider the 128 voice XV 5080.
I decided on an XV 5050 and am doing this as an experiment. The goal here is to lessen the load on the Kronos during live sequenced performances. There are more than a few songs that I've had to make compromises on effects and sometimes polyphony resources.
The XV 5050 is a simplistic 64 voice 1 rack space module with the JV, JP & XV series sound sets as well as a bank from the newer Fantom. If it can provide a different flavor of sounds, free up a little polyphony and FX resources in the Kronos and is relatively easy to incorporate in to my live setup then it will have been a success. If it works extremely well I might consider the 128 voice XV 5080.
JP
_________________________________________
Kronos2-88, Behringer XR18, Turbosound IP2000 (x2), dbx DriveRack 260, KRK Rokit 8s, Mackie CFX16, Mackie SRM450(x2), Mackie SRS1500 (x2), BBE processors (x4), Roland VSR 880 (x2), Alto TS210, Alto TX10 (x3) and SoundForge
_________________________________________
Kronos2-88, Behringer XR18, Turbosound IP2000 (x2), dbx DriveRack 260, KRK Rokit 8s, Mackie CFX16, Mackie SRM450(x2), Mackie SRS1500 (x2), BBE processors (x4), Roland VSR 880 (x2), Alto TS210, Alto TX10 (x3) and SoundForge
-
Sweat
- Full Member
- Posts: 182
- Joined: Sat Dec 17, 2011 5:08 am
- Location: Live Music Capital of the World
I have kept my two XV5080s and a JV2080 and all of the expansion cards that were available for both, so that I could sample from the vast number of sounds, and load them to my Kronos to take on gigs. However, besides the Integra, the XV5050 is an excellent choice for something budget-friendly. And since it is only 1U in size, it's easy to carry with you.