Roland MS-1 Sampler
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Product: Roland MS-1 Sampler Price
Paid: US $100 with 20M memory used Submitted 09/30/2005 at
08:38am by Jon E. Email: jonengel<at>yahoo dot com
Ease
of Use : 10
- What software version are you using? (Please try to find out
before completing)
- How do the presets sound?
- How hard is editing patches? Does a patch editor make a big
difference?
- How is the manual (if there is one)?
I don't think Roland has ever made an easier piece
of gear to use. Compared to most Roland manuals from that period the MS-1
manual is a joy to read but I think this says more for the simplicity of
the MS-1 than it does for the bulk of Roland manuals. I think it would be
overkill and a waste of time to write an editor for it, it's that simple.
I downloaded the OS update from the link below, uploaded Ver.1.02 to the
unit without a hitch. Features
:
7
- What is the polyphony? How is the keyboard action?
- Does it have any built in effects? Are they easy to use?
- Does it have expansion capabilities? (i.e. can accepts cards, new
boards, more memory, etc.)
- What MIDI capabilities are there? (pressure senstive keys, )
- Does it have an on-board sequencer? How flexible is it? Easy to use?
Considering the ease of use and the relative low
cost of this unit, something had to give, the feature set is pretty
minimal. But considering that at the time a base S-760 listed for over
$3000(!) I think it's a fair trade off. BTW neither unit has built in
effects, Roland didn't add EFX processors to their sampler line until
later. I think the original purpose of the MS-1 also needs to be taken
into account. Judging from the layout and memory, it makes sense to me
that it was originally targeted as a custom drum machine where you loaded
your own drum samples. At this it still excels. I use it live as a phrase
sampler, for this it absolutely needs expanded memory. But it also does
this job well, whether triggered from its pads or remote MIDI keyboard.
The inability to copy samples between banks and pads and to/from a
computer are its biggest shortfalls here, but at that time SCSI and MIDI
sample dump were the only ways computers were talking to samplers.
Expressiveness/Sounds
:
No Opinion
- How does it react to velocity and aftertouch?
- Are some instruments very realistic? Bad? Easy to use?
- What types of music does it work well for? Rock? Classical? Dance?
- Are the onboard effects good? Very bad?
- Does it react to your playing, or is it static?
It's a sampler with no effects and no filters. You
can get some grunge effects by using lower sample rates but pretty much
what you put into it is what you get out. If that's what you are looking
for it's perfect. If you need effects and filters, look into the SP line.
Reliability
:
10
- Can you depend on it?
- Would you use it on a gig without a backup?
Like all Roland's it is built like a tank.
Customer
Support : No Opinion
- If you've dealt with the company, how helpful/friendly were they?
- Ever get an upgrade, or try and get it repaired?
Never dealt with them, never had to. All Roland
manuals are on line now at
http://www.rolandus.com/support/product_manual.asp Overall
Rating : 10
- If it were lost or stolen, would you buy it again or get something
else? Is it worth what you paid?
- How long have you been playing? What other gear do you own?
- what do you love about it? What do you hate?
- Did you compare it to other products? Which ones? Why did you choose
this one?
- Anything you wish it had?
- Does it help you make music, or does it get in the way?
- Anything else you'd like to share?
I don't write a lot of reviews but I wanted to
share some information not already posted here. I've experimented using
large (1.2G) SanDisk memory cards, it will only recognize up to 40M so no
matter what you buy, anything over 40M is a waste of money. The good news
is I recently started using a SanDisk 4 in 1 PC adapter card with Lexar
128M SD cards and they work like a charm (up to 40M of course). I know
there has been some concern about expandability and proprietary cards,
with the SanDisk adapter I think it will take any vendor's card.
If
you're trying to be creative with this box and put loops together it's
probably too limiting, the SP samplers are a better bet. But if you are
looking for a simple, portable, WYSIWYG phrase sampler, there is nothing
else out there current or past that does the job as well as this unit,
especially for live applications. At the prices they're going for now, and
with memory problems solved, they are a no brainer.
Product: Roland MS-1 Sampler Price
Paid: US $25 used Submitted 09/25/2004 at 08:09am by
kpx Ease
of Use : 9
- What software version are you using? (Please try to find out
before completing)
- How do the presets sound?
- How hard is editing patches? Does a patch editor make a big
difference?
- How is the manual (if there is one)?
Working
OS:
http://www.rolandmusik.de/ftp/pub/downloads/aeltere_updates/MS1_V112.ZIP
Others
dont load on my ms1 or I get checksum error
Still cant format 16mb
sandisk cf card. It hangs on "Formatting.." message forever like it did
with orginal OS. Features
:
7
- What is the polyphony? How is the keyboard action?
- Does it have any built in effects? Are they easy to use?
- Does it have expansion capabilities? (i.e. can accepts cards, new
boards, more memory, etc.)
- What MIDI capabilities are there? (pressure senstive keys, )
- Does it have an on-board sequencer? How flexible is it? Easy to use?
Internal memory is too small, pitch should be
avalible for each sample. Expressiveness/Sounds
:
7
- How does it react to velocity and aftertouch?
- Are some instruments very realistic? Bad? Easy to use?
- What types of music does it work well for? Rock? Classical? Dance?
- Are the onboard effects good? Very bad?
- Does it react to your playing, or is it static?
Very useful in making hip-hop beats. Samples are
very juicy. Velocity works ok with external keyboard. Reliability
:
10
- Can you depend on it?
- Would you use it on a gig without a backup?
Customer
Support : 3
- If you've dealt with the company, how helpful/friendly were they?
- Ever get an upgrade, or try and get it repaired?
Roland US site doesnt have email or any electronic
support. UK site wont reply to any email. Overall
Rating : 10
- If it were lost or stolen, would you buy it again or get something
else? Is it worth what you paid?
- How long have you been playing? What other gear do you own?
- what do you love about it? What do you hate?
- Did you compare it to other products? Which ones? Why did you choose
this one?
- Anything you wish it had?
- Does it help you make music, or does it get in the way?
- Anything else you'd like to share?
Its special to me. Ill never sell or get rid of
it.
Product: Roland MS-1 Sampler Price
Paid: US $40 Submitted 09/12/2004 at 01:01pm by
Anonymous Ease
of Use : No Opinion
- What software version are you using? (Please try to find out
before completing)
- How do the presets sound?
- How hard is editing patches? Does a patch editor make a big
difference?
- How is the manual (if there is one)?
I guess it's easyier with a manual, I'm still
looking for one... I've putten some infos on sonikstate, but... I one
question remains: Please, does someone knows How I can save my samples on
the memory card??????? I don't understand the Save/Load BUF 1-4 think...
Is it possible to just copy a sample from one location to another? It's so
basic, but i can't find it :( grrrrr.. Maybe my machine (or my card?) is
broken. I can record directly on the card (banks C to E) but it doesn't
want to copy a sample (or bank?) from banks A & B to the card's
banks... PLEASE HELP a poor electronic musician that can't invest 20$
in a manual (excl. shipping) & deliver his brain from disorder &
pain, he will be your friend forever :) Features
:
5
- What is the polyphony? How is the keyboard action?
- Does it have any built in effects? Are they easy to use?
- Does it have expansion capabilities? (i.e. can accepts cards, new
boards, more memory, etc.)
- What MIDI capabilities are there? (pressure senstive keys, )
- Does it have an on-board sequencer? How flexible is it? Easy to use?
Expressiveness/Sounds
:
9
- How does it react to velocity and aftertouch?
- Are some instruments very realistic? Bad? Easy to use?
- What types of music does it work well for? Rock? Classical? Dance?
- Are the onboard effects good? Very bad?
- Does it react to your playing, or is it static?
Reliability
:
No Opinion
- Can you depend on it?
- Would you use it on a gig without a backup?
Customer
Support : 5
- If you've dealt with the company, how helpful/friendly were they?
- Ever get an upgrade, or try and get it repaired?
Overall
Rating : 8
- If it were lost or stolen, would you buy it again or get something
else? Is it worth what you paid?
- How long have you been playing? What other gear do you own?
- what do you love about it? What do you hate?
- Did you compare it to other products? Which ones? Why did you choose
this one?
- Anything you wish it had?
- Does it help you make music, or does it get in the way?
- Anything else you'd like to share?
it has a footswitch for recording! (a mysterious
smile is indicated here)
Product: Roland MS-1 Sampler Price
Paid: N/A Submitted 07/12/2004 at 05:08am by Andy
M Ease
of Use : 10
- What software version are you using? (Please try to find out
before completing)
- How do the presets sound?
- How hard is editing patches? Does a patch editor make a big
difference?
- How is the manual (if there is one)?
I got this unit NOS in original box froma shop who
were glad to get rid of it ;-). Ive tried updating the Firmware but always
get a "Checksum error" - Can anyone help on that?
I use the box as
a sample player for single-shot samples and loops triggered froma
footboard . It does exactly what I bought it for. Set up is very easy. the
only pain is the sample length and loop points being numeric rather than
time based so editing is a bit hit and miss but its so easy I can live
with that.
Features
:
7
- What is the polyphony? How is the keyboard action?
- Does it have any built in effects? Are they easy to use?
- Does it have expansion capabilities? (i.e. can accepts cards, new
boards, more memory, etc.)
- What MIDI capabilities are there? (pressure senstive keys, )
- Does it have an on-board sequencer? How flexible is it? Easy to use?
I have only ever used two voices at once and play
most of my samples from memory cards so polyphobny is not an issue for me.
No effects but tehn i didnt want any :-). My unit will only use 8MB memory
cards - It wont format any bigger ones and the newest firmware wont load.
8MB is ok but more would be useful - People have reported it working but I
seem to be out of luck. Expressiveness/Sounds
:
No Opinion
- How does it react to velocity and aftertouch?
- Are some instruments very realistic? Bad? Easy to use?
- What types of music does it work well for? Rock? Classical? Dance?
- Are the onboard effects good? Very bad?
- Does it react to your playing, or is it static?
I press a button, the sample triggers :-)
Reliability
:
10
- Can you depend on it?
- Would you use it on a gig without a backup?
I gig with this all the time. The only troubles Ive
had are forgetting to turn off the battery power and having dead batteries
and having power supplies fail on me just before a gig (and no spare
batteries). The unit itself is going strong. Customer
Support : 8
- If you've dealt with the company, how helpful/friendly were they?
- Ever get an upgrade, or try and get it repaired?
I contacted Roland about the finrware upgrade when
I got the unit and although this really is a donosaur they responded fast
and sent me the files. I couldnt load them though :-/ If anyone has
succeeded in getting the newest firmware loaded please drop me a line.
Overall
Rating : 6
- If it were lost or stolen, would you buy it again or get something
else? Is it worth what you paid?
- How long have you been playing? What other gear do you own?
- what do you love about it? What do you hate?
- Did you compare it to other products? Which ones? Why did you choose
this one?
- Anything you wish it had?
- Does it help you make music, or does it get in the way?
- Anything else you'd like to share?
I looked at more modern samplers and this is about
the only unit that did exactly what I wanted it to without getting into
$$$. Its very simple but again that was what I was looking for. If I lost
it I would have to get another one.
Product: Roland MS-1 Sampler Price
Paid: US $210.00 used Submitted 03/31/2004 at
12:29am by Mic Litter Email: Littermic<at>aol dot
com Ease
of Use : 10
- What software version are you using? (Please try to find out
before completing)
- How do the presets sound?
- How hard is editing patches? Does a patch editor make a big
difference?
- How is the manual (if there is one)?
The MS-1 is the first sampler I ever bought and
I've been using it for eight years. As any user will tell you, soundcards
are like gold if you can find them, but I just ordered a 350 MB card off
of ebay for eight bucks. I also found another industrial strength full gig
for fifty by Sandisk. The disks DO have to be made by Sundisk OR Sandisk (
I believe the company changed their name on us for kicks to have us all
ass over end). I remember still the day I bought it for two hundred or so
and got it home. I began sampling all the noise loops I'd gathered on tape
and making rhythms. My first instrument was a tape recorder. My second was
an Akai four track cassete recorder. This was my first venture into
digital and I've learned to use it well. If I had Roland manufacture my
own "signature" instrument it would be to reissue this only more
multitimbral and with a full gig flashdcard (and make it so you can use
ANY brand of PCMCIA). I just got Roland's Disclab and even with its
optional DIMM memory, it doesn't have the same sampling time as the MS-1
with a full gig of memory. Another problem is it only uses certain three
brands of CDR-W instead of just any old kind, which pisses me off. I
bought an ASR and sold it shortly after because it was nowhere near as
straightfoward as this device. Boxes like that are great for those who
wanna sound like the Neptunes or something, but they have the lowest
sampling time I've ever fucked with. As far as I'm concerened those ain't
samplers, they are MIDI-controlled synths equipped with WAV file storage.
I don't need piano sounds, I fucking sample NOISE. Features
:
7
- What is the polyphony? How is the keyboard action?
- Does it have any built in effects? Are they easy to use?
- Does it have expansion capabilities? (i.e. can accepts cards, new
boards, more memory, etc.)
- What MIDI capabilities are there? (pressure senstive keys, )
- Does it have an on-board sequencer? How flexible is it? Easy to use?
The most Ive ever been able to play simultaneously
is five pads. It sucks. Comparing this to my shiny new box, the Roland
CDX-1, However, the MAXIMUM is five. MS-1 typically plays only three in
standard stereo. CDX-1 has excellent effects, all kinds of bells and
whistles, but if I want a sound to simply be duplicated perfectly, the
MS-1 remains the best choice. I've found that it actually "cleans up"
sounds from tapes and vinyl to crisp, perfect digital bliss somehow. None
of the hiss or hum. It's perfectly uncomlicated to record with. Now that I
know, thanks to this website and some Ebay hunting for memory cards, I
Think it may have been the only sampler I ever needed. I've always wanted
a setup that could fit in a lunchbox. This makes it possible. I know a guy
who has two of these things that he hooks up to a 2 track Numark mixer in
place of turntables. The keys are velocity sensitive when you hook em
up to MIDI only, and on mine that is annoying because it cannot be turned
off. I never liked touch sensitivty on any of my gear unless it could be
muted. I never really use it. If I want it, I'll use a non-synthetic
instrment. I've recorded almost a full HOUR on the sequencer before
and still had space left. Some nights I just curl up on the couch with it,
sample some tape loops and play around with it running on batteries
through headphones. Then I sit back and listen to it play continupuly.
This thing is like a loved-to-death teddy bear as far as my instrument
setup goes. Expressiveness/Sounds
:
10
- How does it react to velocity and aftertouch?
- Are some instruments very realistic? Bad? Easy to use?
- What types of music does it work well for? Rock? Classical? Dance?
- Are the onboard effects good? Very bad?
- Does it react to your playing, or is it static?
The sound quality and reproduction are the best you
can find in a unit of this price. It eliminates static well, it enhances
the sounds automatically, and things have always sounded exctly like or
better than the way they were originally. The type of genre I work in
is largely power noise /industrial/EBM and I build my compositions using
tape recorded noise and nothing but. Effects are great for guitarist and
other such TRADITIONAL musicians trying to record a hit song from their
bedroom, but I just want to reproduce sounds. I don't need synth patches
of any kind. In fact I hate most of that shit. Reliability
:
8
- Can you depend on it?
- Would you use it on a gig without a backup?
After eight years of wear and tear (keep in mind I
treat all my devices very poorly) this thing has endured pretty damn well,
save for one little pad that doesn't react as well as it once did and gets
stuck once in a while. I have taken it to every gig and when all my
expensive, overcomlicated devices begin to fuck up on me I turn them off
and just play this. It pisses off my band members when I go old school on
them with out all the bells and whistles, but they know I don't require
that shit. Customer
Support : 1
- If you've dealt with the company, how helpful/friendly were they?
- Ever get an upgrade, or try and get it repaired?
Roland would be upthere with Akai if they would
maybe send you a copy of the manual when you request it! They're abyssimal
with product compatability with virtually every product they and their
little brother company Boss. I shouldn't be forced to hunt down a specific
brand of CD-RW for a device I paid $800.00 for! Really, what slimy
coroporate assbags. I've never tried contacting the company, as I have no
rescource info. The websiteis just abunch of ads for the hot new product
hey came out with today and not so much as an archive for older devices.
But this is also a company that manufactures office equipment, a far more
lucrative buisiness, I'm certain. *SIGH*. And, as usual, if it breaks,
better luck using it as a paperweight and buying a new one than sending it
for repairs (ARE WARRANTIES EVER VOID LONG AFTER THE DEVICE FUCKS UP THE
FIRST TIME?). Overall
Rating : No Opinion
- If it were lost or stolen, would you buy it again or get something
else? Is it worth what you paid?
- How long have you been playing? What other gear do you own?
- what do you love about it? What do you hate?
- Did you compare it to other products? Which ones? Why did you choose
this one?
- Anything you wish it had?
- Does it help you make music, or does it get in the way?
- Anything else you'd like to share?
All griping aside, the MS-1 has remarkably FEW
shortfallings in my opinion. I like my new Roland Disclab center alot
better in SOME respects, but I CAN live without as log as I have this
MS-!. I don't need a workstation. What I NEED is a STRAIGHTFORWARD sampler
for CAVEMAN idiots like myself so I don't even have to LOOK at a manual.
I'd summarize the shortfallings as the memory card it comes wit being too
small space wise and too hard to find, it isn't very multitimbral at all
and the thing only takes certain brands of them. As I said earlier, this
IS how Roland indeed tends to fuck its customers. However, you'll never
pay alot for one. I feel bad for the dude who paid five hundred. But
bottom line I adore my MS-1.
Product: Roland MS-1 Sampler Price
Paid: US $30.00 used Submitted 03/16/2004 at 12:45am
by Jason Weaver Email: jasonmd2020 at sbcglobal<dot>net
Ease
of Use : 10
- What software version are you using? (Please try to find out
before completing)
- How do the presets sound?
- How hard is editing patches? Does a patch editor make a big
difference?
- How is the manual (if there is one)?
Don't know the software version. I didn't get a
manual, but what do you expect for $30.00 on ebay. After poking around
with it for 15 minutes it's easy to get up to speed. Features
:
7
- What is the polyphony? How is the keyboard action?
- Does it have any built in effects? Are they easy to use?
- Does it have expansion capabilities? (i.e. can accepts cards, new
boards, more memory, etc.)
- What MIDI capabilities are there? (pressure senstive keys, )
- Does it have an on-board sequencer? How flexible is it? Easy to use?
Polyhpony is only 4 voices (mono)with no effects.
I'm trying to find a memory card for the little guy. The samples are all
mappable to midi note numbers. Also the keypads can transmit midi as well.
It's not quite an Akai MPC, but it beats drum programming on a synth
keyboard... Expressiveness/Sounds
:
7
- How does it react to velocity and aftertouch?
- Are some instruments very realistic? Bad? Easy to use?
- What types of music does it work well for? Rock? Classical? Dance?
- Are the onboard effects good? Very bad?
- Does it react to your playing, or is it static?
The sound quality depends on the sample rate you're
using. Remember though, the higher the rate the less memory you got to
work with. I work primarily in the rougher ends of electronic stuff
(industrial, drum -n- bass, indie hip/trip-hop) so I actually like using
the lower rates. Also if you sample somthing in one rate & change the
rate, the sample will pitch/speed up or pitch/slow down. Another feature
that is immensely usefull is the divide feature. Take a long drum loop on
A1 & edit to the length you want. Now divide the sample length by 8.
change the sample end point to that number. Now go to the divide function
and split the sample. Change A2's endpoint number to the same length as A1
& keep going until youv'e got 8 equal parts. Chopped up breakbeats
with out the Recycle software! Hook that up to a
sequencer/arpeggiator/drum machine & really tweak the beat. One more
little trick I can't wait to try. In the system settings you can map the
same sample to multiple keys (this doesn't transpose the key just triggers
it on multiple midi notes.)Be sure to the the sample mute group to in or
it can get murky. Now set another synth to the same channel as the MS-1.
Why? SO YOU CAN HOOK UP THE VOCODER OF COURSE! (I just ordered an Alesis
ModFx vocoder. Musician's Friend is blowing 'em out for $50.00. Where else
you gonna find a vocoder that cheap!)So this way you can have the same
spoken word sample or drum beat triggered with every new note played from
one keyboard/sequencer. Reliability
:
9
- Can you depend on it?
- Would you use it on a gig without a backup?
I've thrown the thing with some spare batteries in
my bag & it's been knocked around but has never failed me. As for
gigging with it, I vould definetley wait until I got a memory card for it,
otherwise it would probably work for only one song. I primarily use it as
a sound tweaking device chopping up & rearranging beats, adding some
grunge to phrases either pitched up or down. Then recording the result to
use in ACID Pro as a loop. It's a great little studio swis army knife.
Customer
Support : No Opinion
- If you've dealt with the company, how helpful/friendly were they?
- Ever get an upgrade, or try and get it repaired?
Never dealt with them. Overall
Rating : 8
- If it were lost or stolen, would you buy it again or get something
else? Is it worth what you paid?
- How long have you been playing? What other gear do you own?
- what do you love about it? What do you hate?
- Did you compare it to other products? Which ones? Why did you choose
this one?
- Anything you wish it had?
- Does it help you make music, or does it get in the way?
- Anything else you'd like to share?
If this one breaks down or the dog eats it (our
puppy is teething) I'll just go back to ebay & get another one cheap!
Product: Roland MS-1 Sampler Price
Paid: US $89.95 used Submitted 08/06/2003 at 07:39pm
by Anonymous Ease
of Use : 4
- What software version are you using? (Please try to find out
before completing)
- How do the presets sound?
- How hard is editing patches? Does a patch editor make a big
difference?
- How is the manual (if there is one)?
i got this sampler a bout a year ago and the heard
thing is finding any equepment to go on it oor softwhear that interfaces
with it.
I do find though that the sampler is easy to use but i do
not like the fact that is dose not have reverb functions and modulations.
But that is ok it has surved it,s perpous well Features
:
No Opinion
- What is the polyphony? How is the keyboard action?
- Does it have any built in effects? Are they easy to use?
- Does it have expansion capabilities? (i.e. can accepts cards, new
boards, more memory, etc.)
- What MIDI capabilities are there? (pressure senstive keys, )
- Does it have an on-board sequencer? How flexible is it? Easy to use?
the keyboards action is ok just like one person
said the keeps getting a beating and still is ticking. i do like the
sequencer it works well and it works well with my music creation cd{thanks
to voyatra} Expressiveness/Sounds
:
No Opinion
- How does it react to velocity and aftertouch?
- Are some instruments very realistic? Bad? Easy to use?
- What types of music does it work well for? Rock? Classical? Dance?
- Are the onboard effects good? Very bad?
- Does it react to your playing, or is it static?
it recoards vary well but has a slight hum when
listening closely.I youse this for mostly rock and newage but it dose work
well with rap and dance. Reliability
:
No Opinion
- Can you depend on it?
- Would you use it on a gig without a backup?
I am in a local band and i take this every where.
It is small and easy to take places and i have a gig bag now to put all my
equepment in. Customer
Support : No Opinion
- If you've dealt with the company, how helpful/friendly were they?
- Ever get an upgrade, or try and get it repaired?
i have not called yet but when i do i will post it
Overall
Rating : No Opinion
- If it were lost or stolen, would you buy it again or get something
else? Is it worth what you paid?
- How long have you been playing? What other gear do you own?
- what do you love about it? What do you hate?
- Did you compare it to other products? Which ones? Why did you choose
this one?
- Anything you wish it had?
- Does it help you make music, or does it get in the way?
- Anything else you'd like to share?
i would give this devise a rating of 4 out of 10 i
hjave worked with many insterments in the past and this one works well for
me.
Product: Roland MS-1 Sampler Price
Paid: N/A Submitted 07/16/2003 at 11:41am by
steve Ease
of Use : No Opinion
- What software version are you using? (Please try to find out
before completing)
- How do the presets sound?
- How hard is editing patches? Does a patch editor make a big
difference?
- How is the manual (if there is one)?
Note: You can use any PCMCIA FLASH or COMPACT FLASH
card, as long as it is manufactured by "SanDisk". Those cards have a
preprogrammed manufacturer ID which the MS-1 obviously checks, so don't
even waste your time trying other manufacturers. CF cards can be inserted
using an all-pins-routed CF-to-PCMCIA adapter. Hope I could
help.
BTW, I'm using both SanDisk PCMCIA and SanDisk CF+Adapter
cards with 5, 10 and 20MB, and they work perfectly.
So
long Steve
Features
:
No Opinion
- What is the polyphony? How is the keyboard action?
- Does it have any built in effects? Are they easy to use?
- Does it have expansion capabilities? (i.e. can accepts cards, new
boards, more memory, etc.)
- What MIDI capabilities are there? (pressure senstive keys, )
- Does it have an on-board sequencer? How flexible is it? Easy to use?
Expressiveness/Sounds
:
No Opinion
- How does it react to velocity and aftertouch?
- Are some instruments very realistic? Bad? Easy to use?
- What types of music does it work well for? Rock? Classical? Dance?
- Are the onboard effects good? Very bad?
- Does it react to your playing, or is it static?
Reliability
:
No Opinion
- Can you depend on it?
- Would you use it on a gig without a backup?
Customer
Support : No Opinion
- If you've dealt with the company, how helpful/friendly were they?
- Ever get an upgrade, or try and get it repaired?
Overall
Rating : No Opinion
- If it were lost or stolen, would you buy it again or get something
else? Is it worth what you paid?
- How long have you been playing? What other gear do you own?
- what do you love about it? What do you hate?
- Did you compare it to other products? Which ones? Why did you choose
this one?
- Anything you wish it had?
- Does it help you make music, or does it get in the way?
- Anything else you'd like to share?
Product: Roland MS-1 Sampler Price
Paid: US about $500-new Submitted 12/14/2002 at
05:02pm by Jehramy Bennett Email: datniggasheezy at
hotmail<dot>com Ease
of Use : 9
- What software version are you using? (Please try to find out
before completing)
- How do the presets sound?
- How hard is editing patches? Does a patch editor make a big
difference?
- How is the manual (if there is one)?
I love the Roland MS-1 DIGITAL Sampler. It does
exactly what I need it to and it's very user friendly, if you've got a
pinch of common sense. I typically use it for vocal hooks or very short 1
to 2 second samples that are triggered from my keyboard when I have
something that I know will be repeated in a song. The only real patch
editing is the start, stop, and loop points which are measured in samples
rather than milliseconds. (It's a small shortcoming when you think of the
typical time format for most recording software, but no big deal.) You can
also set how your sample is played back, with the triggering. It comes in
handy when using the MS-1 the way I do- as an external sound module.
Features
:
2
- What is the polyphony? How is the keyboard action?
- Does it have any built in effects? Are they easy to use?
- Does it have expansion capabilities? (i.e. can accepts cards, new
boards, more memory, etc.)
- What MIDI capabilities are there? (pressure senstive keys, )
- Does it have an on-board sequencer? How flexible is it? Easy to use?
Polyphony is the number of sounds you can have
played at one time. This sampler has 8 samples per bank. I think I should
be able to have at least a full bank sound at once if I want it to, but we
only get a max of four. . . (But what do I know? I think all keyboards
should have a full rhythm section and 128 note polyphony! I guess I'm just
one crazy M@#^**F&&^%$. . .)
There is no actual 'keyboard'
in entirety on this piece of equipment. However, the keypads are very
comfortable and can take a beating. None of them have ever gotten stuck on
me to this very day!
The MS-1 Digital Sampler is a pretty isolated
instrument for sound reproduction. The only expansion capabilities are
being able to save/load your samples to/from an external device via MIDI
(but that's hard to do via MIDI if you don't know your equipment's
SysExcl#, and you won't find it in any owner's manual that came with your
MS-1 sampler either. I also hear that memory cards are virtually
non-existent and expensive if you happen to need one- which is a little
less than likeable. . . I use a computer for my storage. Forget hunting
for disks. Even when you get the newer adapter for sample storage, 64megs
is nothing! So, I don't use them.
The manual is pretty good, unless
you want to do something complicated, like backup your samples to an
external source via MIDI. (Which is really the only sensible option for
this piece of equipment.) Computers typically ask for your sampler's
"System Exclusive Number" when you don't have a SCSI port (WHICH SUCKS).
The manual doesn't tell you what it is, and you can't even find THAT out
from your own MS-1 sampler!!!-WHAT THE HELL!?!?!
This thing has no
effects, but let's be real. We all got a sampler for 1 reason; we wanted
something that we could depend on for good sound repetition at the press
of a button. That's what this thing does!!! The samplers with delay
effects, EQ's, etc.- defeat the purpose. I wanted to duplicate REAL sounds
the way they REALLY sound. Maybe a few "pass filters" (similar to those
found on present day Roland products) could have been added for better
sound quality in some instances, but anything more would defeat the
purpose. People who are looking for Direct-X plug-in type effects and
stuff in a sampler really need to be looking for a good sound editing
program. Actually, I take that back. A SCSI port and the ability to use
Direct-X to finalize a sample would be a darn good idea, but how many
Roland customers have that kind of money???
I won't go into the
MIDI capabilites of this machine. Let's just say that they are somewhat
"sub-General MIDI" (*if you get my drift). It's not as bad as it may
sound. The machine IS velocity sensitive, but only throught it's MIDI IN
port. . .:)
It also has a sequencer, which is really to easy to
use. I couldn't believe how simple it was when I first recorded on it. Of
course, my first MIDI sequencer was the MC-500; and I think the MC-500 is
easy to use and actually kind of slow compared to the XP-60's sequencer.
So don't take anything I say to heart. . . If you need simple sequencing
you've got the right machine. If you already have a REAL sequencer or two
(like me) then you'll definitely get you're money's worth out of this
sampler! (lol):):):):):)):):):):):):):):):):):):):) Expressiveness/Sounds
:
5
- How does it react to velocity and aftertouch?
- Are some instruments very realistic? Bad? Easy to use?
- What types of music does it work well for? Rock? Classical? Dance?
- Are the onboard effects good? Very bad?
- Does it react to your playing, or is it static?
First of all, this IS a sampler. Real samplers
don't have their own sounds. . . The MS-1 will work well, wherever you
need it to in any genre of music. As long as the tempo isn't too slow, you
won't run out of memory either. You do have to take that fact into
consideration, because the memory cards for this machine are virtually
non-existent, and if you do find one it will cost you more than a little
bit.
As I'd said before, there are no effects in this very REAL
sampler. That isn't all that bad, it helps keep the cost down.
If
you are triggering your sounds from an external source, you can have a
change in velocity/volume.
This machine does not react to
aftertouch ever. It says so in the midi implementation chart, and I have
personally found that chart to hold true. . . However, I don't think that
any sampler, even today reacts to aftertouch, but I don't know. I don't
build samplers or anything. Reliability
:
1
- Can you depend on it?
- Would you use it on a gig without a backup?
This MS-1 is a very reliable piece of equipment as
long as you aren't physically careless with it. I have dropped mine in
various instances varying from actually dropping it on cement to little
carpet incidents and rushed packing for bus trips. This is literally the
most fragile piece of equipment in my small arsenal, and my arsenal really
isn't all that small. Each incident has cost me $45 for repairs to the A/D
to D/A converter. I realize now that packing my MS-1 in it's box whenever
I am traveling with it is an ABSOLUTE necessity; otherwise it will be no
good on the trip and will have to go to the shop. Customer
Support : 9
- If you've dealt with the company, how helpful/friendly were they?
- Ever get an upgrade, or try and get it repaired?
The company has always been friendly to me. Anybody
who says they had a hard time probably gave the customer service rep (and
probably gives everybody) a hard time. (People are people- okay folks?!) I
was directed to the company that still manufactures the memory cards for
the MS-1. I thought they cost way too much, but then I think that the
Expansion Modules for the XP-60 cost too much, but again- what do I know
I'm just a consumer. . . Overall
Rating : 7
- If it were lost or stolen, would you buy it again or get something
else? Is it worth what you paid?
- How long have you been playing? What other gear do you own?
- what do you love about it? What do you hate?
- Did you compare it to other products? Which ones? Why did you choose
this one?
- Anything you wish it had?
- Does it help you make music, or does it get in the way?
- Anything else you'd like to share?
If I lost mine or it was stolen, I would definetly
get another one- but used this time. I don't think the sampler was EVER
worth $500, but it does most certainly serve it's narrow purpose. The one
I got I got for my birthday.
I have been playing music since I was
4 years old. I am 22 years old now. My first recital was at church on
organ with both hands. I play a few more instruments now (in order of
specialty- greatest to least): saxophone- 14 yrs, drums- 15 yrs, keyboard-
18 yrs, and some (rhythm) guitar- 3 yrs.
I love the sampler because
it is fast and easy to use. I can easily get an idea into it before I
forget it. I hate the whole memory card dillema and saving sounds to
computer is a real hassle. . . Everytime I go to save sounds to my
computer I have to find it's SysExcl.# by way of trial and error. I forget
to write it down or even save it every time.
The sampler does help
me create music and speeds up most recording sessions.
I wish I had
a sampler with SCSI that made use of my various Direct-X software
plug-ins. :)
Product: Roland MS-1 Sampler Price
Paid: 450 (cdn) Submitted 04/18/2002 at 08:03am by
gerobnimo Email: omnicentric<at>videotron dot ca
Ease
of Use : 7
- What software version are you using? (Please try to find out
before completing)
- How do the presets sound?
- How hard is editing patches? Does a patch editor make a big
difference?
- How is the manual (if there is one)?
first set your sample resolution ... then, press
record choose a sample bank and pad, press record again to start, press
record agian to finish... very easy editing is a breeze.. you can set
the start time and end time and truncate them using a numerical
value... manual is useful for special features but all in all you can
get by with out it... takes a very mathematical mind or a calculator
to loop two samples together with one playing for example at half the
length (eg. one sample 4256 long, and the other 2128 long...) takes
a little while to pick this aspect up... Features
:
9
- What is the polyphony? How is the keyboard action?
- Does it have any built in effects? Are they easy to use?
- Does it have expansion capabilities? (i.e. can accepts cards, new
boards, more memory, etc.)
- What MIDI capabilities are there? (pressure senstive keys, )
- Does it have an on-board sequencer? How flexible is it? Easy to use?
4 polyphony at mono and lower sample rate...
the global sample rate is sort of a bummer but you can feed in a sound
and play a sample and fix the speed there... no effects, but there is a
sort of coloration of sound that is pleasant... there is abit of hum from
the rca inputs though.. which at higher sample rates is less
apparent... accepts midi in messages... the pads are not velocity
sensitive even though they are nice rubber pads but it does accept
velocity through midi... midi in & midi out (never used the out).. on
board sequencer is a phrase sequencer with no clock or quantisizing... but
I have been able (thru alot of trial and error) to make complete songs
with my samples... useful for that... original memory cards are hard to
find but since I have loaded the new os (available at roland's website) I
got a compact flash card adaptor and a compact flash card of 64 megs (!!!)
and now I can sample a whole CD's worth of material!
wonderful!
Expressiveness/Sounds
:
7
- How does it react to velocity and aftertouch?
- Are some instruments very realistic? Bad? Easy to use?
- What types of music does it work well for? Rock? Classical? Dance?
- Are the onboard effects good? Very bad?
- Does it react to your playing, or is it static?
sounds great! slight coloration of sound but that
is ok... more apparaent at lower sample rates (obviously) does what
its supposed to... too bad the pads arent velocity sensitive... works
well for hiphop, rap, and techno, and whatever else you need simples loops
and stabs and one off samples... Reliability
:
6
- Can you depend on it?
- Would you use it on a gig without a backup?
can run on batteries! plug a mic and the world is
your sound source! my lcd screen is missing many lines though so for
that I lower the score (but then again I am rough with my equipment)
Customer
Support : 6
- If you've dealt with the company, how helpful/friendly were they?
- Ever get an upgrade, or try and get it repaired?
got an os upgrade from the roland website allowing
me to use a 64 meg ram card...
Overall
Rating : 8
- If it were lost or stolen, would you buy it again or get something
else? Is it worth what you paid?
- How long have you been playing? What other gear do you own?
- what do you love about it? What do you hate?
- Did you compare it to other products? Which ones? Why did you choose
this one?
- Anything you wish it had?
- Does it help you make music, or does it get in the way?
- Anything else you'd like to share?
well these can be found for a good price and if u
load the newer os it allows the use of 64 meg cards... for that it is
great... for a while it was my main piece of gear and I recorded a
pretty fly demo with it and my sl-1200... I neeed a cheap sampler and
it is simple and fun... everyone should have one of these :P I wish
my lcd screen was new again tho :( if anyone knows where to get a new
screen please email me
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