I played the new EXR-5 from Roland yesterday.
It is a better kb than EM-25: better sounds, 64 notes polyphony, XG sounds set, numerical pad to enter styles and tones, U.S.B., 1,5 Mb for user styles. But it loses something: no more morphing style, no D-Beam.
Voices are normal at its price. Piano is good, but not something special one. Flute is better as usual in Roland, it has a vibrato flute. There is a XG set, and GM2 set too.
But the worse part, I.M.O., is that there are very few buttons. So, a lot of functions must be activate pushing the only "Function" button a lot ot times to arrive to function you need!!! And when you arrive to function you need, then, you must push more times one of the two "select" buttons (+ or -) to arrive what you want to do with that function! Shame!
The new cover function is not a great one, I think. Better was morphing style!!!
Screen is the same EM-25 (now backlight), is better than old Rolands, but worse than PSR2000... and KNs.
About styles editing: you may modify volume of each of three tipical elements of Rolands styles: drums, bass, or accompaniment. You may, of course, mute each of them. But NO MORE STYLE EDITING. So, you must play styles as they are.
It is not a bad kb, but for its price (650€)... it could offer more. A few more euros, and you have PSR1100.
Cheers
[This message has been edited by Bluebird (edited 11-16-2003).]
It doesn't sound like the EXR-5 is anything to cheer about. We were hoping that Roland would have something like a G1000+VA7+Tyros machine. This doesn't even come close.
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