Hi Tony,

I chose the Vocalist Workstation EX over the Vocalist VR because it can sit right on top of my keyboard (directly to the right of my KN5000 keyboard's pop up screen. This way the Vocalist Workstation Ex's LCD display is easy to view and the volume/EQ/harmony balance controls are easily accessible for quick on the spot adjustments. Because I don't usually utilize the KN5000 internal speakers, my Vocalist unit can easily sit on top of the keyboard and cover some of the speaker grill without problems.

I realize that your Roland EM2000 may not have enough real free space to place the Vocalist Workstation on top of it. Because of this, the Vocalist Workstation EX may not be for you.

The main problem I have with rack mount units is the awkward accessibility to both viewing the display as well as the inability to easily make harmony, EQ, and volume changes (tiny knobs/buttons). Especally if the rack unit is located on the floor or away from eye level and out of easy reach.

I really appreciate the Vocalist Workstation EX unit because of the ease of being able to make quick accurate changes via quickly accessable sliders. For me this is important (especially during a live performance) because mic/keyboard/harmony balances often need to changed quickly at a moments notice.

As far as learning curves go, I think both units works pretty much the same. Also, as Uncle Dave did said, the Vocalist Workstation EX has more capabilities. In my opinion, the Vocalist Workstation EX is actually the most "user friendly" because it's (slider type)controls are much easier to use and display easier to view. The bottom line is that you need to figure out which one (EX or Vr) will work best for you.

That's just my perspective,



- Scott

California (SF Bay Area), USA