Roland XV-5050
Roland's XV-5050 is a 64-voice synthesizer packed with their XV-5080 synth engine in a small 1-unit rack-module. It features four stereo tones per patch, expressive Matrix Control and over a thousand inspiring presets-expandable via high-quality SRX-Series Wave Expansion Boards. There are also three independent effects processors, digital outputs, plus a USB port for easy connection to computers.
Front panel controls are at a minimum, as you might expect from such a small rack module. You can select and edit patches from the front, but this module is really at home in a computer/MIDI studio set-up. You get all of Roland's XV-5080 sounds plus a selection of sounds from the newer Fantom-X series of synthesizers. The three effects processors offer 24-bit reverb and chorus, plus 90 multi-effects including COSM Guitar Amp Modeling.
For connectivity, the XV-5050 has superb features. They include four analog outputs, 24-bit D/A converters and S/PDIF digital outputs, a front panel USB port for simplified MIDI connections with a Mac or PC (drivers included on a CD-ROM), and two SRX expansion ports for adding more sounds (up to 192 MB total) from the SRX-Series Wave Expansion Boards. Each expansion contains 64MB of new sounds and patches, and can be user-installed in seconds.
Cost effective, simple, compact, computer savvy, superior sound quality. These are the means by which the XV-5050 was designed to provide users with the sounds of Roland's flagship XV-series sound engine.
- Demos & Media
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Audio Clip 1 - Hear some XV-5050 sounds, from Future Music issue 119.
Manual - Roland has made manuals for most of their products available as free PDF downloads.
- Specifications
- Polyphony - 64 voices (16-part multitimbral)
- Oscillators - 64MB Wave Memory (16-bit linear equivalent). 1,083 Waveforms
- Sampler - None
- Effects - Multi Effects (MFX) : 90 Types *Three different Multi-Effects (50 Types) can be used simultaneously in Performance Mode. Chorus: 3 Types, Reverb: 5 Types, System EQ: 2-band per each 4 outputs
- Memory - Preset Patches: 1,024 (128 x 8 Banks) + 256 (GM2) Rhythm Sets: 16 (2 x 8 Banks) + 9 (GM2) Performances: 64 (32 x 2 Banks)
User Patches: 128, Rhythm Sets: 4, Performances: 64 - Keyboard - None
- Control - MINI (In/Out/Thru), USB
- Date Produced - 2001
- Resources & Credits
Images from Perfect Circuit Audio.
Reviewed August 2008.
Errors or Corrections? Send them here.
I just purchased a second hand unit. Huge amount of sounds but I prefer my XV-3080 warm sound. (With same internal sounds or cards expansion!). May be different AD/DA or filters. XV-5050 sounds really clean but too much "digital".
Great sounds straight out of the box, programming a little fiddly on the small LCD screen.
Being a Kubuntu Linux user, had my doubts as to if the USB connection would work. Amazingly, recognised device straight away, no drivers to install, which puts windoze and expensive fruit company machines to shame! I have also got the XV software working under WINE to a more or less degree which makes programming much easier.
Very happy with it, considering getting the Dance module in the future.
A great buy. Full of great high-quality sounds straight out of the box.
A bit fiddly to edit though if, like me, you don't much like using computers in the studio.
I use my Triton as a midi controller so I at least get real-time control over its envelopes,
filter etc, and in general that is enough. Effects easily switched on/off by a dedicated button. If you see one of these going cheaply, get it! Much cheaper than a Fantom or a Juno Stage (I also have a Juno Stage) but very similar capabilities and sound quality.