Roland dropped a post about revealing something new at Movement, but says VIP so is it VIP preview only? With a hint like this I’d expect an actual reveal no? 
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They just did Superbooth.
So what you’re saying is MC-1000?
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Given the recent analogue drum machine is an analogue synth / groovebox too much to hope for?
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Maybe it’s the long awaited jp-8000 boutique, one can hope
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I’d be interested to know if they want to make a full size groovebox based on the AIRAs.
Just thinking that the MC line is over half a decade in, and the AIRA stuff got some positive reviews, but people said they were a bit fiddly. So if they got the person who designed those to create a more flagship/full size type box maybe?
Like, pull in that ACB engine, have the drum samples, and the ability to create channels of Juno/SH-101, plus the P-6 sampling engine. Basically brings the MC line back up to speed with everything else.
Probably asking too much here so I’ll wind my neck in haha.
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Anything that involves any kind of menu or workflow is basically doomed because Roland just can’t not mess up that shit with convoluted weird decisions.
What they’re good at is hands on instruments that sound good no matter what and are easy to patch. I’d be interested in an update to the boutiques. Make them a tiny bit bigger and add more voices and you have a winner on your hands imo.
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i’d love to know which products are generally regarded as convoluted. I’ve never understood the widespread distrust of Roland, everything i’ve ever used by them has sounded great, been easy to use and lasted long past it’s shelf life.
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I think it’s the sp404mk2 that some find to be a pain the moment you start to use the sequencer (compared to standalone sequencers and elektron) and the 7 segment displays they use where finding out what means what and what’s in what menu is a chore.
Personally: I only have the S1 and the moment I need to change something outside of the main synth I need to pick up the handbook. As much as electron devices that can do so much more.
Im not using any of my gear daily, and while the Digitakt/cycles are fine enough with their displays to give me enough hints to figure it out on my own.
I bet it’s Jeff Mills doing a live demo on the Tr1000. That’s the special thing happening for vips
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I just realized that a Roland Circuit Tracks with each part being an Aira Compact box (so a Juno, a 101, a 303, and and a sampler/granular) with the Roland Greatest Hits drums might be my perfect portable groovebox. UI might be impossible, but a boy can dream.
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Sold!
Edit: Thinking about it, since CT is a sequencer that’s less fiddly than the AIRAs - could you just buy the AIRAs to taste, then use CT to sequence them and then pipe the audio out over USB? Best of both worlds maybe?
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Their take on a opz/seqtrak inline with the aira range would be very appealing…
I’ve used a Jupiter XM, TR8-S, JU06a, J6 and E4, SH01a, JX08 and JP08 by Roland. While these differ in complexity and thus level of convolutedness, my experience has been the same: everything that requires you to use a menu because it’s a bit more complex and can’t be done with dedicated controls is way more complicated and confusing than it needs to be.
Jupiter XM is without a doubt the absolute king in that discipline, they somehow managed to make even the most basic functions like saving or loading a patch so endlessly complicated on that synth that it’s basically unuseable for most of the things it can do. By contrast, when I use an Elektron machine or my Nina, you don’t even need to read the manual for most things. Because if you assume something should work like this, it usually does exactly that. They’re built intuitively and with a clear philosophy of how everything operates. That’s why I swore I will never touch anything Roland that can do more than play back nice sounds that have dedicated controls.
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lol that’s basically what I do with my Tracks. Never really got on with the Novation synth so I mostly just load it up with cool Drum hits and use it as a sequencer for other stuff (including an s-1 and a p-6)
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No mention of the SH-4D in here, but doesn’t it have a lot of the features we are talking about?
Had one and mostly used it as a desktop synth sequenced by something else. Almost there, but it was a little fiddly. (ETA: ACB also sounds better to my ears)
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JP8k boutique with an updated speedy filter would be so nice
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Yeah I was gonna mention this one, it’s zen core tho and not the ACB stuff.
Also the verselab which didn’t seem to do well at all.