Bonners music is selling the G70 online. I thought dealers weren't allowed to do this?
http://www.bonnersmusic.co.uk/acatalog/Roland_G70.html

Anyone?

G70's are supplied direct from ROLAND UK which ever way the dealer takes the order....and they are asking retail price.

[This message has been edited by Graham UK (edited 10-14-2005).]

It's a KILLER KB!!

Please allow me to disagree very much.

Ok Donny: Can I assume by this that you 'finally' had a chance to actually PLAY a G70? I have, and though the KB itself (the keys) may feel 'KILLER', the styles heard live (to my ears) DON'T sound 'killer' whatsoever. I owned & played a Roland RA800 (module version of the G800) ten years ago, and the G70 styles (to my ears) sound reminiscently the SAME (stiff & quantized). Been there done that. - Scott

Posted by: ScottYee
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and the G70 styles (to my ears) sound reminiscently the SAME (stiff & quantized
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Scott that's an interesting point there. That's exactly how I feel about Yamaha's styles. They "stiff & quantized" or over quantized to the point they lose the naturalism a style should have. It goes back to the other post about "too much fluff"

Squeak

Roel

Play your Tyros and stop your ignorant comments. You havn´t played the G-70 OS2 so your stupid comments are based out from OS1.05 when you got one your self, back in dec. 2004.

neilshs: I can't speak for Roel, but I actually did play a G70, of which was confirmed to have been updated to OS2.

To be honest, I really 'REALLY WANTED' to LOVE this keyboard's styles & sounds because there were 'SO MANY' other things to love about it: For starters: Fantastic responsive Key feel and (to my surprise) an awesomely 'user friendly' OS navigation system + ergonomic button layout. Man, I was able to just sit down and play on the fly right away, and navigate to and quickly make necessary parameters parameters intuitively, without ever cracking the manual. Other keyboard manufacters could learn something here. As far as the styles and sounds go, I suppose it all comes down to personal taste. I certainly am looking forward to finally hearing G70 songs created in auto accomp mode by SZ members now. Neilshs, are you willing to oblige? - Scott

Scott,

I'm with you. I so desparately want to love the G70 simply for the Drawbars, 76 keys (quality keybed), MP3, Piano, SRX Boards, etc.

However, if the styles and the sounds do not inspire me to play, I'm afraid those value points are a waste. I still have not seen a head-to-head comparison betwen Pa1xpro, Tyros 2, G70. That would help me decide once and for all.

Al

Scott I believe you mentioned you played the newest OS 1.10...Don't confuse this with Version 2...
As for over quanitized,,it must be personal taste..I do not agree with you.Likewise you did not like the G70 styles, and to me they are the best I have heard.
As for inspiration!! Something must be wrong when someone has the option of playing super key feel, best piano of any board and a real drawbar organ with a great leslie to boot...All I can say is play the "toy like" keys, the thin over hyped sounds and you guys can look at all the drum symbols near the keys to inspire your music...You guys are way off base..Don't presuade someone that may be interested in a G70...to not even try one...After all , there will be tons of Yammies laying around for sale[most peopls will come to thier senses]..

My personal opinion is that the g70 is the worst sounding expensive arranger today. Thats why i changed to yamaha and bought a tyros. i love its styles and sounds and voice effects. I would not put the g70 in the same league as the tyros let alone the tyros 2.is there anyone else who feels the same?

Fran, you're right. I stand corrected. I played it with version 1.10. I look forward to giving the G70 'another chance' with version 2 now. Curious though, in addition to hopefully correcting the overly bathed in reverb sound, does/can version 2.0 improve the overly quantized (robotic sound) of the styles too?


Fran, interesting you repeatly say this. Have you finally now 'actually played' and heard the G70 LIVE yourself now? The last I recall, you said you still haven't played it.


Sounds like we got a REAL Roland vs Yamaha War going on here.


Don't rely on me for heaven sakes. I also remember to add to my comments that they are only my personal opinion. I've ALWAYS advocated EVERYONE here to to play, listen, and decide for themselves with their OWN EARS! I can't help that so many people here (as evidenced by the number of Yamaha keyboard enthusiasts here) have come to the 'same conclusion' as mine. - Scott

[This message has been edited by Scottyee (edited 10-14-2005).]

Rolandfan,

Your comments is based on OS 1.06. You havn´t tried the G-70 OS2. Your comment is totally out of tune in this thread.

Scott, I have not played the G70 yet..
I have all the styles converted to the G1000..and they are my go to styles..
I have owned and played the counter products that helped originate the G70..Namely the VR-760[a great organ/piano keyboard]. Fantom X [piano sounds],reported the G70 surpasses the Ultimate piano patch..

The features of the DisCover 5, including the vocal harmonizer,That I am also familiar with..

Features and utilities from the VA series[I also owned],are incorporated in the G70..

Comparing your RA800 sound bank to the third updated sounds since it's day, tells me your ear isn't up to par..The G1000 added significate sounds;many from the JV series]..like wise the VA series added another bank of sounds[many from the XP/XV series...Now as reported the G70 has added new sounds from the FantomX, as well as incorporated sounds and playing designs such as "guitar mode",,available via Version 2...

If all of the above features, even in the state of the early models mentioned, should make the G70 a "killer keyboard"...

I will let you all know after I spend some time[make that ...buy one}with one...

BTW...is it raining where you guys are...It has rained here for a week...All this depressing weather invokes our keyboard attitude....When the sun comes out we can forget about the "Toys" and comments ...and be happy again!!!

Al, there is no MP3 option for the G70..

Fran, as the Albert Hammond song goes: "It never rains in Southern California". Ok, perhaps I'm pushing it a bit here in Northern CA, but it remains nice & sunny here today , and I contine to enjoy each day playing the Tyros . . . toy or not. BTW: I do LOVE toys! As a longtime PRO musician, I'm way past caring about someone's ego trip about any kb being a toy. Afterall, most non-arranger pro players STILL view ALL arranger keyboards as toys, even the G70! . If the keyboard sounds incredible to you, easily playable & navigatible, and satisfies your audience, what's the difference?! - Scott

When your right your right!!![but not always}..
BTW I never use the smiles,,,you have to figure out for yourself if I'm serious...hint..I am never serious, and water flows off my back..

[This message has been edited by Fran Carango (edited 10-14-2005).]

Now 'that' could pose a problem. - Scott



[This message has been edited by Scottyee (edited 10-14-2005).]

It seems to me that everyone here is chucking around brickbats at one keyboard or another, but no-one likes to 'fess up what kind of music they play on their arranger, or how great their experience is, or how they use them.

For one person, only the styles in their particular favorite genre determines the worth of a keyboard, another may hate 'tweaking' and feel it should sound perfect (to them), out of the box, yet another may feel that the piano sound is the bellwether of perfection.

Quantized styles may not be your cup of tea if you're looking at jazz and ballroom styles, but are necessary in most pop music. The 'sound' of the tones and how well they work in your particular genre favorite often determine how well you like one arranger over another, and Style Conversion Software can go a long way to get a type of style from one manufacturer to another, but it involves work.

Personally, I always (mostly!) work with a guitarist, so for me that sound isn't quite as important as a good piano sound, and I don't care how good all the sounds are if the keybed doesn't feel smooth and comfortable (and have at least 76 keys - I actually PLAY the piano).

Your mileage may vary.

Don't forget that familiarity with a previous product goes a LONG way in determining how we feel about a new keyboard. There are MANY things I miss from my G1000 that are different on my G70, but for me, the GrandX (from the FantomX) and the V-Drum Kits are such a HUGE improvement over the G1000 that I MUST use it, and get used to it.

Do I wish it had wave/mp3 playback - you betcha! Do I wish the Tyros2 had 76 keys - you betcha! NONE are perfect, ALL have shortcomings, and posts that you hate XYZ arranger without a post about what you hate in the arranger you have is hypocritical.

We've all spent a FORTUNE on these top-of-the-line Arrangers, so perhaps denigrating others is how we can justify the expense to ourselves, but I wish more of us would just say that we are capable of sitting in front of ANY of these 21st century wonders and entertaining ourselves and an audience. I know I can...........

Dikki, I think your post hit the bulleye. - Scott

Hi Scottyee

I made a small demo. http://nielshs.homepage.dk

Do you like the sound? (not my singing)

It looks Niels does not allow others to have an opinion on the G70, as long as it is not a positive one

To be honest Niels, this week I saw a G70 demo DVD, the playing artist is one of the best of the Netherlands: Leon Kuiper.

His playing was fantastic..... but the G70 is, like Rolandfan stated : The worst sounding expensive keyboard !! Still VERY VERY bad while the recording was done through a mixer-lineout.

How many G70 updates came last year ?
Every time I hear/read : Just wait until OSx.x is installed.....

I can guarantee you, none of new to come G70 OS-releases can change my view on G70.

Please do not mark comments to be 'stupid'. You should respect aother peoples' opinions.

Your demo :
Singing = 8 (of 10) Good warm sound
Sound = 5 (of 10)

[This message has been edited by Roel (edited 10-14-2005).]

Excellent !! Great clear sound and one of my favorite songs too!!
Could you share how you recorded it?



[This message has been edited by Dnj (edited 10-14-2005).]

Hi Roel

I´ll take back the stupid thing, but to say that it is the worst sounding expensive keyboard? Thats nonsense.

Hi Dnj

I recorded the song in Wavelab. Just one track and no editing, just the "out of the box" sound.

nielshs: Wow, just heard your rendition of "Friends In Low Places". Was this a pre-recorded midi file sequence, or was it performed in auto-accomp mode? If this was indeed performed on the G70 in 'auto accomp mode', I concur, that the style sounds very clean & very pro. The tempo/groove really has a terrific lazy behind the beat feel almost impossible to capture with auto accomp loop styles. The violin lines/fills sound incredibly realistic, hard to believe coming fom an auto accomp style loop.

Ok, When I played the G70, version 1.10, both the styles & sound quality didn't sound anything like your song at all. The sound was covered in TONS of reverb, and the styles did not breathe the way it does in your song.

If indeed version 2.0 made THAT MUCH of any improvement in the style playback 'out of the box', the G70 is well definitely worth a second live audtion. Ok, who's the guy singing? Polished & authentic sounding Country vocals with twang. Were the vocals recorded currently while you played the G70?

Scott

I certainly would love to hear a song utilizing a jazz style swing rhythm now, and performed & recorded in auto accomp mode on the G70. Any possibility of recording one neilsps? Thanks. - Scott

I am waiting for the OS2.0 G70's to arrive sometime next week. I've been told by several of my customers who own the G70 with 1.10 and have upgraded via the USB cable to 2.0 that the keyboard sounds like a brand new keyboard.

Here in the USA, I have been given permission to sell the G70 to customers who call me from around the United States. I've been told that I am being used as a test market and that I am the only dealer with such permission.

George Kaye
Kaye's Music Scene
Reseda, California
818-881-5566

I have played G70 live, though for only about 40 minutes - not nearly enough to have the full picture of all the capabilities, but enough to have an opinion. Having been a Roland user, I thought that both the styles and tones sounded great - very Roland-ish, and better than the ones in my G1000. I have not tried the Tyros2 to compare it to, and the G70 was running OS 1.10; however, I had no issue whatsoever with either sounds or styles, and had this been the only criteria, I would have bought it on the spot.

I have issues with the operating system - the fact that everything requires you to use the touch screen, which does not have a tactile feedback (unlike the physical buttons), and is prone to mis-selections (happened to me several times, even though I do not have particularly thick fingers).

I also think that having sliders which are non-motorized is a major distraction - I found myself looking at the positions of sliders to see if the mix needed to be adjusted (as if looking on a mixing board). But then I had to get back to realizing that even though a slider may be in the full-up position, the actual current setting has no relation to the slider. Only once you start moving the slider, does it start changing the part volume. Still, you have no way to tell which slider(s) have been moved, and which ones are still in the original positions, so you have to keep looking at the screen to see part volumes. This becomes more of a problem if you are trying to select a voice or style- the selection screens take up the the entire screen space, and the part volumes are hidden. The sliders are quite short, and it is hard to make fine adjustments with such short sliders.

These concerns, as well as substantial weight and high price of the G70 make me hesitate in deciding whether the G70 is an instrument for me.

Regards,
Alex

Hi scottyee

Yes the song was performed in auto-accomp mode, and Im the guy singing. The vocal was recorded while I played the G-70. The style im using is one of 50 styles from the MidiSpot style bonus pack, all scandinavian G-70 customers recived for free together with the OS2.

Niels

[This message has been edited by nielshs (edited 10-15-2005).]

Niels, could you email me the new styles or direct me to a location to download them?

Nice job on the G70..Thanks Fran

Not many would have yet played the G70 v2 because the Free v2 OS update has only recently become available. even Roland would admit that they did not get things as they should have been when the G70 was first launched....but now it's a fine keyboard.
At this months Keyboard Festival we spent 7 days around the v2 plus all the other keyboards. The new Guitar mode is great.
Ralph Shink did a great demo for an hour one day and I think the G70 is up there with the T2 & PA1X...a fine board. There is an optional plug-in board containing new styles & voices for just £199. Put this price against part-exchanging a T1 for a T2.


[This message has been edited by Graham UK (edited 10-15-2005).]

Just to be sure, that you are not waiting for Roland to send you the OS2 update, then be aware, that you can download all necessary update files on the Danish G-70 User Club Website :-)