This does look interesting but….

I got the heads-up email from Roland a few days ago (actually all their new stuff
http://www.rolandconnect.com/ )

a FEW (no brass or woodwinds) addtional individual patches/sounds here

http://www.roland.com/synth/integra/

and a little more to the point about actual specs

http://www.roland.com/products/en/INTEGRA-7/ go to specs tab



My INITIAL impression, given I currently own a XV-5080 (fully populated), Fantom XR (fully populated), and a SC-8850 (not to mention an Motif XS (great acoustic instruments) ) and Fusion- great VA and all round synth) – this module looks like a hybrid of a XV/Fantom and a Sound Canvas (a la SC-8850). It appears you give up some stuff to get some newer stuff. More output options than a Fantom or XV – but NO internal expansion (unless Roland later adds new, in all likelihood proprietary, USB expansion lib’s for sale - downstream).

No user memory for patches (aka parts)/ performances (maybe that’s because storage is done via USB flash??) and sound wise this is definitely stock Roland sounds. You can take that as good or bad depending on your preferences ( I LIKE most Roland sounds). They talk a lot about the acoustic sounds (SuperNATURAL Acoustic) but very little samples/demos of same on web sites yet.

That said, on the surface, this module looks like a nice package and for some folks this might be “it," albeit a not inexpensive “it.”

Some things I ferreted out by watching video, reading ALL the Roland PR, Roland Specs, (from their web site) and starring hard at the available pics:

The Integra-7 (EDITED 3 Sep changed “does NOT have 12 SRX… “ to…. “looks like today it DOES HAVE all 12 SRX complete.” Still doesn’t change fact you can only access four at a time because there are only four virtual slots to put them in and if you load all four you then give add loading one of the new natural SuperNATURAL banks

EDITED 3 Sep - re-reading Roland literature TODAY for another forum an ad phrase appears to have changed from

• Producer’s “must-have” sounds from the…..” SRX Expansion sound…”

To

• Producer’s “must-have” SRX Expansion sound library….


Of course I could have cut and pasted it wrong yesterday??? Or I was on (off?) my meds yesterday – in any case looks like I put up wrong info yesterday.

Also you must load whichever built-in SRX board set into one of FOUR available virtual slots. Also the SuperNATURAL sets (and there are six) share those same existing virtual slots, if you want to us them as well.

So while you have access to 18 libraries (12 SRX and 6 “natural”) only 4 at a time can be loaded in the virtual slots - plus whatever (???) the native patches consist of (which looks a lot like the XV preset list). Nothing to sneeze at, but in terms total number of on-demand AVAILABLE actually less than XV-5080 (when fully SRX and SR-JV populated) which is less than Fantom XR (fully populated) .

And then there are some details which I don’t see example: the amount of “user” patches/performances memory? Based on “description” looks like those patches/parts that can be edited (maybe on a “by performance mix” only basis ?) can be stored on external USB memory ??? Maybe not at all (but I would like to believe you CAN SAVE what you edit somewhere/somehow)?.

Nothing wrong with storing on external USB media, and I actually see that as PLUS if that is the case. It’s just ill-defined/vague/buried in the descriptions. My Alesis Fusion 8HD is like that, in that the number of “user” patches/performances are virtually unlimited (limited only by mass storage - in my case a 128GB HDD)

All the above, PLUS watching video and trying to read front panel buttons (from pics) this unit reminds me an awful lot of my SC-8850 in operations.

PLUS UP from XV/Fantom: each of the 16 Integra-7 parts can be assigned to its own individual MFX block. The XV and Fantom only had a total of 3 MFX blocks – each part could be routed to any ONE of these but still only had 3 MFX – the Integra-7 has 16 MFX blocks.

You do get both a part Editor for iPad or as a VST plug in.
Finally, If they are pushing the “natural” or acoustic sounds I am surprised at the limited number (actually almost a lack) of the number of sample songs or individual patch/parts available on Roland site so far.

Last edited by Larry Kehl; 09/03/12 08:54 AM.