New XV-5050 Synth from Roland
October 23, 2001
The Roland XV-5050 debuted at the Tokyo Music Fair, offering a slimmed down, more affordable version of the flagship XV-5080 that fits in a single rack space package while still maintaining some expansion capability.
The unit boasts 1280 patches, including 128 from the new Fantom synthesizer, and a 64-voice, 16-part multitimbral sound engine. There are also plenty of effects to enhance and alter the sounds, including reverb algorithms from the SRV-3030 processor and Roland's COSM technology. There are up to 90 different effects types to choose from, with the ability to use multiple effects together. There is also a 2-band EQ dedicated to each output.
The inputs and outputs on this sound module are fairly standard with one exception - the inclusion of a USB port on the front panel. With USB, you can hook the XV-5050 directly to your computer, eliminating the need for a MIDI interface entirely. Of course, the usual MIDI IN, OUT, and THRU are provided on the rear panel. Four analog outs (which can be used for one or two stereo pairs), S/PDIF (both optical and coax), and a headphone jack make up the audio outputs.
To prevent you from outgrowing the XV-5050, Roland has provided a pair of expansion slots that can accept the new SRX-series expansion boards. |
