Sound:
This module has an excellent set of sounds, along with some pretty useless ones. However the drum kits are very 'live', the acoustic and clean guitars are the best I've heard. Some of the sounds are better when the velocities are ramped up, otherwise they are a bit weak. The brass sounds are pretty nice too. Added to my XV-2020 sound module I get realistic sounds for just about any instrument - really impressive! The only problem I've found is that unless the sample has reverb built in, it won't have any - using the reverb setting in the midi file (Controller 91) has no affect. You need to use the reverb engine in the sound module, and try as I might I still can't figure out how to get it to work (Roland's manuals are appalling!!!).
Feature:
No accessories for this unit.
Ease of Use:
The manual could have been a little clearer on how to access the sounds via midi. One thing I found that not even the Roland techs could tell me was that when using an XV-2020 with SRX expansion cards, you mustn't use a GM reset sysex at the start of the midi file - you must only use GS Reset - other wise the patches aren't selected correctly. 128 note polyphony probably would have been preferable, but so far 64 hasn't been a limitation for me.
Quality:
No complaints so far - wokrs like a charm.
Value:
It's a shame that these sounds couln't be included in the XV-2020 rather than having to buy a separate expansion card. Just for once I'd like to see a company produce a simple GS or GM2 module with large samples for each of the basic patches. I don't need 112 drum kits or 4000 instrument patches. Just 8 drumkits and 256 instrument sounds of exceptionally high and realistic quality would be perfect.
Manufacturer Support:
Only called them once and they couldn't help - I had to figure it out myself.
The Wow Factor:
Couldn't care less about sex appeal - I just want one that works!
Overall:
Given the amount of time it's taken me to reprogram my midifiles to take advantage of the features of the XV-2020 and SRX-03 units, I won't be changing in a hurry. I use this on stage where it's quick to set up, takes up little space, and is very reliable.
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