Roland • JV-90
The JV-90 is an excellent mid-nineties keyboard controller and MIDI synthesizer. It featured a full 76-note semi-weighted keyboard. There are also several sliders above the keyboard with assignable parameters for fast hands-on editing. The sounds of the JV-90 (and JV-80) were the basis for the JV-1080, JV-2080 and XP-80 synths that came later. You'll find basses, synth sounds, pads, leads, strings, percussion, drumkits and more. One additional ROM slot allows you to add an 8MB SR-JV80 expansion board for more great sounds.
Unfortunately, the JV-90 is not a workstation like the XP-80. With only 28 (or 56) voice polyphony and no built-in sequencer, you aren't likely to make this your ONLY synth. But its keyboard feels great and many of its sounds are still useable, making the JV-90 a nice master MIDI keyboard. The JV-80 is basically the same thing as the JV-90 except it has a typical 61-note keyboard and less memory.
All I want to know is.... who is selling their Roland JV-90? Anyone?
The other 8 slider are to control internal parameters but they have more a cosmetic function rather than a practical one because you can not assing an specific function to an specific slider.
If you are in Performance mode you can control de volume of each part but only the volume in the 8 sliders. Is not that you can change the filters and resonance, pan and volume with each slider, no. Is not possible to do that with the JV-80/90 (I had both).
For me it is some sort of scam. Is like the JD-800... a synth so sofisticated but can not sync the LFO with external midi time clock! Back then Roland was more into sound and cosmetics rather than functionality.
and can do nice tricks like sending only program changes on a specific channel or control external functions using the embedded (eight) sliders.
Features Roland "controller" keyboards like the A30/33 are really missing... Has only 16 patch memories though.
Overall, I'm glad I held on my JV-90. Having 76 pressure-sensitive keys is a bonus, and the pitch bender/modulator is easy to use. Lots of pedal and control jacks also make this unit extremely flexible for adding expression to your performance. (Keep in mind that you won't get as smooth of a glide with the filters using the pedal controls or the sliders on the JV-90 as you will with older analog machines.)
Let's just hope that Roland will service my unit again after ten more years...