Roland
Premieres XP-60 Music WorkstationHigh-Powered
New Workstation Offers Surprising Bang for the Buck January
29, 1998Roland
is proud to introduce a new member to its acclaimed XP-Series of advanced music
workstations, the XP-60. Incorporating many of the features of the flagship XP-80,
yet carrying a surprisingly low list price, the XP-60 offers a weighted velocity-
and aftertouch-sensitive 61-note keyboard with exceptional feel, a large backlit
display and the acclaimed MRC-Pro Sequencer with realtime arpeggiation features.
Central to Roland's XP Series is its expandability. Thus, in addition to 64-voice
polyphony, 512 high-quality preset patches and 8 onboard rhythm sets, the GM-compatible
XP-60 also offers four expansion board slots in which users can install any four
Roland SR-JV80 Series wave expansion boards for a total of 40 MB* of sounds at
the ready. Twelve boards are currently offered, each containing 8MB* of specialized
waveforms ranging from Orchestral and Piano to Techno and Hip-Hop-letting XP-60
owners configure their workstation to suit their taste. To further the sonic possibilities,
the XP-60 also features three powerful built-in effects processors: dedicated
Reverb and Chorus processors plus a MultiFX processor with 40 different insert
effects. *Equivalent to 80MB and 16MB in 16-bit linear format, respectively.
The XP-60's powerful 16-track, 60,000-note MRC Pro Sequencer is identical to
that of the acclaimed XP-80, with non-stop Loop Recording, a sophisticated Groove
Quantize function and advanced Realtime Phrase Sequencing capabilities. Non-Stop
Loop Recording lets users change the track destinations of recorded parts while
continuously performing, greatly speeding up the song creation process. Groove
Quantize lets users quantize their sequence timing and velocity values using a
variety of preset and user-customizable Groove Templates. And a powerful Realtime
Phrase Sequencer (RPS) assigns full-blown patterns to a single key, ready for
instant playback during recording or live performance (8 pattern max. simultaneous
playback; 100 pattern max. storage per song). The sequencer also supports MIDI
Machine Control (MMC) for synchronization with Roland VS recorders and other MMC-compatible
products. Beyond the obvious features and specs, the XP-60, like the XP-80,
has been designed from the ground up with easy operation in mind. Its new user
interface features a large graphic-based 320 x 80 backlit LCD, while multi-function
buttons underneath the screen correspond directly to the on-screen graphics, making
operations from sequencing to sound creation very easy. Performance features include
four assignable Sound Palette sliders for quick, intuitive sound shaping and the
same programmable Arpeggiator as the XP-80 (widely regarded as among the best
in the world) with 33 customizable patterns for emulating guitar strums, various
chord progressions, and elaborate performance styles of all types. Rounding
out the XP-60's feature set is a built-in 3.5-inch floppy drive for convenient
data storage and loading Standard MIDI Files, Sound Data files and MRC Pro songs.
Its combination of professional features, vast expandability and an elegant,
intuitive user interface makes the XP-60 the perfect keyboard for performers,
composers and MIDI musicians of all types. Roland is a world leader in the
design, manufacture and distribution of electronic musical instruments, professional
audio equipment, multimedia products and music accessories. For more information, contact Roland Corporation
U.S., 7200 Dominion Circle, Los Angeles, CA 90040, 213.685.5141, www.rolandus.com.
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