_Glad to see Roland evolving past the 2x 16 character displays_ *If you cannot play keyboard then the only option left is to count characters on a display.* The fact is that the most advanced yet the best synthesizers Roland Corp. have ever made have 2x 16 character display where vast parameters have direct call-out right from the control surface. The fact is that *synthesizers unlike workstations do not require extended displays at all.*
@@Aetilawhen I first saw this, the Radias is exactly what I thought 😂 Come to think of it, my 15 year old M3 with the EXB Radias board is basically this. With aftertouch.. 😂
@wildernessmusic1068 I sold the original GAIA quite a long time ago, when I went for more “interesting” sounding VA synths. Nevertheless, still a veryhappy place in my mind
While I realize the sound of the original left much to be desired, its parallel layout of three tone lines (with independent filters!) was truly unique and the ability to copy or gang tone lines for editing, made for very quick and intuitive programming. The layout here seems to be similar to everything out there.
It doesn't leave much to be desired if you know how to make it sing. Not saying you don't but almost all of the negative commentary on the original stemmed from the poor presets and a complete lack of time spent with the instrument to truly understand what it can do. I admit that at first it's filter sound can be difficult to get used to but once you do and learn to use it to your benefit instead of trying to make it behave like some other filter, the whole world opens up.
@@dreamstaticsoundsI had it for years, knew it very well. It was horrible. The filter was just terrible. The oscillator samples were awful, with terrible artefacts. The phrase recorder was utterly pointless. The layout was lovely, that’s all the good I could say about it.
Its three independent tone lines was far from unique among romplers. Juno-DS and Juno-Di walk all over the Gaia1 in sound design and sound quality, and they are highly popular stage performance keyboards, too. They lack more hands on controls but otherwise thoroughly beat the Gaia at everything else. Juno-DS used to be the same price as a new Gaia before the pandemic. It also has more features and post FX.
This is everything the old gaia tried to be! I had the old one but sold it because of no multitumbrality and the poor sampled waveforms but it was my first ever synth and taught me synthesis so it will kinda hold a special place in my heart
@@brothacaim well i got a nord lead A1 and that one is actually multitimbral and does splits n layers so the gaia is just worse. Doesn't sound nearly as good to be honest and i did not need 2 Va synths
Believe it or not, the first software virtual analog synth designers who came up with this type of layout were copying hardware synths, because they wanted to provide some familiarity for people who'd never used software to create music. Plus, people do tend to "hear with our eyes" to some degree. Otherwise, there would be no reason to to use knob style controls.
I remember a motion pad from the D2 and V-Synth, and some old Buchla stuff that had that vibe, but with touchplate tech... IDK what was the first xy pad, tho.
@@GizzyDillespee yeah, but any hardware synths with motion pads are extremely tiny in number versus all those without Speaking of motion pads, I don't know why Native didn't put one in their newer Kontrol S Mk3 controllers when they produce software that does.
The Zen-Core stuff does have the SuperNatural virtual analogue engine from the Jupiter80 and Integra-7 integrated, so it's not always 35-year-old samples. The "Vintage Synth" Axial expansion for FA-06 gets hi-fi samples for a change, interestingly enough, the Zen-core equivalent for Fantom and Fantom-0 might be the same thing.
Looks like a cross between the original Minilogue and the Modwave. The synthesis style is like a mashup between a digital Minilogue and a Modwave, but with the Roland extras instead of the Korg extras.
Anyone who has owned an E-MU Proteus 2000 with the XL ROM will feel right at home with many of the GAIA 2 presets. In fact I've been meaning to get a replacement for mine (dead hardwired batteries UGH!). Very nice Roland.
£789.00 just puts it out of reach for many in the potential market I feel. It does seem very nice though. A decent attempt by Roland to get back into the Korg dominated mid range market.
Now that they’re copying Korg’s UI, maybe finally it won’t be such a headache to program. Roland synth UI has been bad for almost 20 years. Especially for their more complex flagship/non-boutique synths. They kept forgetting the fun, imo. Synths designed from a corporate project manager’s bullet point list. Even with the dated samples i’d rather use a 00s Roland synth than a recent one. (Apart from knob-per-function Boutiques which aren’t as much of a headache and sound quite good.)
In Germany it is the same price like the Blofeld keyboard, around 850 euros. So it is a pass since the blofeld has 49 keys with aftertouch , a nicer keyboard, it is multitimbral and you can load your own samples to it.
I love the Blofeld's sound, but it has *up to* 25 voices. When I use two different wavetables plus effects, or the comb filter, the polyphony drops to only 3 voices. I've taken to sampling it and playing its digital sounds I like from other instruments.
I have used Roland products since 1986 when I bought their Mac-500 sequencer. Then an alpha Juno 2, then a D-50 and so many others. I own a JDXA and system 8. I must say that the sh-4D looks fantastic and THIS NEW SYNTH might be one of the most ingenious creations in a while. It really is forward thinking and it will integrate with my MX-1. STOP TAKING ALL MY MONEY
As a fellow System 8 owner, them not bothering with aftertouch yet again turns me straight off it unfortunately. I’m still not on board with Zencore yet either. Once you’ve used and heard ACB, it’s difficult to want to use anything else. On the plus side - this has a mod wheel and an X-Y pad.. I dunno. Ps fellow early Roland user here - MKS-50, 70 and 80 (and then the JV-1080 of which I have two - because I ran out of expansion slots and they’re cheap 😂)
What an incredible review of an amazing synth. I just ordered one. It's so cool that you can use it as a pretty comprehensive controller. That was a huge draw for me as well. I do hope they fix some of the bugs and annoyances. Can't wait until it arrives now.
Roland did something interesting!!! Didn't see this coming at all. Mouse track pad is one of those, "why did no one else think of that" moments. This might be a winner.
...true, this is a direct lift from Korg Modwave. that one even does physics. (to be clear I'm not complaining). of course Roland could claim first with the Time Trip pad's x/y mode. it all does make me wish that you could record from Polybrute's morphe
Good job they didn't invent it, or they'd have patented it and either charged usurious amounts for licencing or kept it for themselves. Everyone already hates then for destroying ReBirth, so it's not like they don't have form.
Its just amazing how you can dissect all these instruments and modules like you do. I have a hard enough time just remember combos on my deluge and signal flow in my eurorack lol
Same reminds me of Beringer, trying to cram as much stuff as possible and forget about the instruments beauty and zen. It looks like a mess, I like streamlined layouts on synths. At least the minilogue has an easy to use workflow and not over complicated to use.
GAIA is a reminescence of the 90s Virtual Analogue history , right ? So I really miss other 2 importatnt 90s synth features : 1- multitimbrality ( At least 2 timbres ! ) 2 - FM straightforward panel design ( FM synthesis which came from the 80s but never missed on the 90s synths ! )
@@wrmusic8736 where'd you get that from? The Nord lead and jp8000 have it, and they're just the first two I thought of...I mean the Nord lead is literally the first VA
Nice, but it seems like the SH-4D gives you an even more extensive engine (or engines actually) and more polyphony and multitimbrality for less money at the expense of the keyboard. How does the wavetable engine compare to the one in the SH-4D?
you are correct plus you don't have to pay for the models but wish the SH-4d had the xy motion pad but it does have a mod matrix so yeah i agree with ya
18:00 high end noise for a chorus module completely makes sense and was a smart edition from a sound design perspective. It helps to make the high end actually sound LESS harsh by downing any stable high pitches. And with chorus’ ability to create supersaws, you’re dealing with effectively high end noise anyway. So the noise just gives you that much more control over how you want the high end to sound from the chorus. I feel like this is info you already know Ziv, and just kindof forgot in the moment.
No, I said it intentionally and disagree with you, but that's why we have a comment section :) Yeah supersaws can sound noisy, but why add noise to them? Anyway, regardless, historically out of the factory the Juno chorus made no noise at all (or very little) - noise is an artifact of the circuit, that increases with age until the circuit is so noisy it's unusable. Noise can indeed be an interesting sound design choice regardless, but in chorus circuits it's a bug, not a feature.
@@loopop it’s pretty common to add noise to trance presets to make them sound thicker. And with chorus being a “thickening tool” it makes sense to have that in there. I think you can see the utility of it. With the Gaia2 modeling circuit noise… yeah I don’t really see that as a necessity. Ahh and I realize that the noise is static. Yeah I see your complaint now. Maybe if you can modulate noise volume to turn on and then off with a key press that would make a lot more sense.
That Motional pad is really similar to the secondary X/Y mode of the Time Trip Pad on the V-Synth. The screen interface when X/Y location is shown in particular looks nearly identical to the V-Synth XT, which emulated the TTP on the touch screen. Also, the FAT parameter existed back on V-Synth as well!
So, Roland has the WC-1 working on yet another synth. That’s nice, but I sure hope they got it working on the Fantoms. I’ve been waiting on that for about 2 years. You’d think they’d get it working on their higher end synths first. Kind of frustrating. Also, you’d think that the version 2 of anything wouldn’t come with less capabilities than the previous version in any category. I have mixed feelings about this one. 🙄
What do you guys think of the presets? I think they are average at best with maybe 5 really good ones. I can imagine third party designers will be able to work magic with it though.
It's an awfully basic synth, the track pad (or "Motional Pad") and its sequencer you have to lean into hard to get sounds that aren't so basic sounding. Or essentially, rely most on automation, which is something you could say about many other synths, hardware or software.
Thank you, this video makes me glad I chose the Modwave. Roland missed all the little things. You have to stop the sequence to change the patch? Korg knows better.
Actually you don't, but many of the patches have a long effects tail, so it sounded really bad and mushy as the patched blended, so I decided to give each patch its own space. That said, modwave is still an excellent choice,
If you hate the Mininova menus, Ultranova is the way to go. Far better keys and front panel, menu diving is mostly the mod matrix, the rest is one button away with 8 parameters on the screen at once to eliminate menu diving.
I once was a Roland loyalist throughout the 90s and early millennium. However, in the last 10 years, I have come to completely disregard them due to their perpetual recycling & repackaging of older products. I love Loopop product reviews, but even he seems a little unmotivated about this product. Nord, Moog & Elektron have since replaced all of my Roland gear.
The cynic in me thinks the genesis of this synth was conceived in a meeting that started with "Ok people, what else can we make to get people to sign up to the Roland Cloud??". There is zero innovation here.
Imagine taking the MC-101 zen-core architecture and put it into a keyboard like this, with 4 parts and sequencer (like the old groovesynth/keyboard range) as a cheaper alternative to the very expensive Roland Jupiter-XM. That should be nice.
yes exactly. i think many people want a less expensive jupiter-xm with full size keys. i would instantly trade my 101 for what you're describing. or a jupiter xm module. the gaia 2 looks great but the pricing is insane. is this the new trend? overprice massively, hope you get some sales, then drop the price significantly and you get some attention and another sales bump? cancerous marketing departments destroy companies.
If they'd give it polyphonic aftertouch, a XY touch pad, audio over USB, and a ton of hands on controls then I personally wouldn't mind paying a bit more for it.
But will they cease support after 24 months like the Gaia v1? And don’t forget the OG Gaia owners also had to pay £80 for the software editor !!!! (Not that I’m still bitter!)
One small niggle that could be fixed in a firmware update: the waveform display clips / saturates for all but the quietest sounds. When I see this, I expect to hear clipping and this creates a subconcious cognitive dissonance. I’d get used to it soon enough I’m sure, but it is a niggle!
I agree with you - I didn't mention it because it seemed minor in comparison to the other things.... BTW if you lower the level then it's fine, they just need to apply some sort of normalization algorithm to it.
The lack of a mod matrix (or equivalent) seems like a huge - and slightly baffling - oversight. I appreciate the idea of simplicity but the Minifreak and Wavestate both offer a ridiculous amount of modulation if you want to go beyond the WYSIWYG of their front panels. Great video though. It's always nice to hear actual pros and cons!
Yeah, I'm with you on the lack of a mod matrix. VST plugins like Pigments and Phase Plant are so powerful now that going to any hardware synth without these features for sound design is just a step backwards. I mean, it's nice to have tactile control too for sure, but I can do without really when it comes to sound design.
BIG yes. The only answer I see to that Mysterious (miss) is an effort to get the programer to focus attention on using the pad and recorded motions effectively plus the lfo's and "osc env", but I agree 100%. 13sec of recorded hand-drawn modulation (draw speed apparently accounted for as well)... if this can also be quantised(?) then that is a powerful mod source which can act as a couple mod sources at once (sequentially). i suppose there is no voice mod source?? a powerful digital synth like this should have that. Hydrasynth wised up to it recently and sent the Hydra into outerspace with potential.
32:32 Both the Fender Rhodes Chroma Polaris and the Yamaha DX-7 had similar pitch bend options - at the time they were described as a way to achieve "Pedal Steel" type bends..
Exellent Video as usual , so basically it''s Zenology pro without the pcm , seems great ... Giving that all V2 updates are messing up on my system , making themù less smooth and responsive , i'm really thinking going HW (jupiter xm was the plan until i saw this one , if multimbrality isn't needed , the Gaia seems superb) Still don't know why Roland doesn't provide a VST / app for editing - recall-audio (Elektron like ) , integration would be superb !!
Thanks for another comprehensive review, much appreciated. It’s an interesting addition to the Roland family, but I have to say, like most digital/wavetable synths, it has that characteristic harshly “metallic” sound to it which isn’t to everyone’s taste. Great interface however, and the x/y pad is very useful! 👍
this is the asmr for my adhd producer brain .. they kind of nailed it with this one. has better keys that sys1 and somewhat seems to be capable of some fresh sounds actualy. i guess thats why it stands out in the current roland offer. nice knob twisting review. it realy shows the capabilities if your willing to dedicate some time to the routing..
I do like the interface quite a lot - a more industrial minilogue, the motion pad is neat too. But sound isn't tickling my ear at all. FX seem to be good though. If only I could get the blofeld with a similar interface to this.
As always, you feel very comfortable and you look and listen with great interest :) , the GAIA 2 ... it works for me, he can pronounce his name much better now :)
🤘🏽Fantastic overview, as always.🤘🏽 Love the shift+move a thing shortcut. Hope that continues to catch on because, yay. That C+L pitch bend mode though... WOW! WANT.
Nice to see-and nice to see Roland decided to employ the Korg Monologue product designer : ) (Lots of irony involved in the later part of this comment.)
Are the effects the same as the zen core library? Thise distortions sounded wonderful. It seem like a solid modeling synth. The worst thing they did was bring back the gaia nameplate 😂 I had one and very quickly replaced it
Problem with Roland for me is that they clearly just have Zen Core which they use as building blocks for all their hardware products. As in they mish-mash various said blocks and sell them as a standalone synth. Not a bad idea per se, but all synths ultimately end up sharing the same tone, just with a different set of features. Gaia 2 is definitely looking like a very usable product, but you hear its sound on every other synth and groovebox of theirs.
every manufacturer re-uses building blocks ( in VSTs and even in analog products ). that's just how things work . nobody is going to reinvent the wheel . zencore is just a name for a platform .
@@bubuAudio pretty sure Modwave, Opsix and Wavestate are all vastly different technologies despite coming out almost at the same time and using the same base case. Roland is just being Roland is all.
@@wrmusic8736 ahaha, poor roland I think korg devices, being digital, do share the same building blocks as well . difference is korg didn't give a name to the public that said, for sure, they look and sound very different one from the other and they are awsome
Thanks for the video always appreciate when people go thru all the presets. I had a Gaia for a sec before it was pretty junky. Hard to believe this is 900 where a hydrasynth explorer is only 600 either way seems like my soft synths sound better from what I’m hearing in headphones.
I wonder if anyone ever tested the JP8000 supersaw... I don't have one but that would be interesting. Anyway, I'm not sure if it's a loop or wavetables, but it sounds good to me. I demo it in the video - what do you think?
It’s an eyesore in the other direction. All the LED horseshit like the system-8/AIRA etc looks tacky AF, and this looks like they didn’t even make a single attempt to design this in any way. The “design” of this synth was made by the guy soldering the chips. It’s ugly AF and completely uninspiring.
Ooh interesting! I got a used original Roland Gaia awhile back, it actually sounds really good for a digital synth... Didn't realize they'd made a second one.
Thanks! I use MOscilloscope and MAnalyzer by a company called Melda - they’re free with some limitations in the MFreeFXBundle. Occasionally I’ll use scopes by VCV
That's a LOT of synthesis power! Being a Gaia, I assumed it would have a sub-$500 price. I'm not saying this isn't an amazing synth for the money, but there is a lot of stiff competition in this price range. If it was sub-$500, it would be an incredible bargain and a no-brainer. As it stands, it's still a fantastic synth that offers a lifetime of unique synthesis options. Pretty deep for a Gaia! Thanks for the review, Loop!
I think this would make a pretty good live synth for a band mainly, to add some "analogue" flavour without breaking the bank, or even a good first synth for someone starting out.
There are much better options for a good first synth, $900 is eyewatering for most newcomers and the amount of features this thing has might be overwhelming.
@@alejandrolozano701 Depends on what it is you're looking for! If you're looking to get more into traditional synthesis the Arturia Microbrute is a great starting point. It has all the major functions you would expect from a monosynth laid out with per-knob functionality that's easy to read and understand, plus a small patch bay. This lets you see what every single part of molding a synth tone is like without feeling overwhelmed by all-new terminology. It can usually be found for around $250. The Arturia Microfreak is also a great first hardware synth for someone who knows the basics but wants to explore several types of synthesis without learning a bunch all at once. It's kind of a "greatest hits" machine, with several macro controls of various parameters per oscillator type and a very powerful mod matrix. The UI design is also easily readable and the workflow is great. It goes for $300. A good runner up imo is the Korg Monologue, but I don't know as much about that synth. I tend to prefer Arturia if you can't tell :P
Certainly sounds very digital, compared to other VA synths I have used. I wouldn't get it as a way to affordably access classic analog sounds. Looks like it would be fun to take for a spin for a while, though!
@loopop good to know, thanks! I really loved the roland boutiques sound. The Jx-03 was pretty convincing. Does the Gaia 2 use the ACB engine for the vintage synth programs?
Ahh you answered that in the video, my bad. Thank you, I LOVE your reviews! I learned how to program some tough machines with the help of your videos. The elektron analog rytm II would have been nearly impossible without your help.
Hope Roland listens to you and add the option to load user samples in a firmware update, just like Korg did with its Wavestate, a year later upon requests.☕🌲🌲🌲
While working on Wavestate during development it was always going to implement user samples. Of course on the developers side we got to upload samples fairly easily just with a few extra steps and organizing. Process had to be simplified for end-users.
The features look interesting but, maybe it's the presets, to me it sounds bad, thin, flat, harsh, cold. In this price range, Minifreak is a better choice for me... or Hydrasynth to stay in the digital world.
Roland finally figured out how to make something with a legible screen yaaaaasy
Yes!
I feel like they took some lessons from SH-4d too…
Glad to see Roland evolving past the 2x 16 character displays, or worse yet 2 digit LEDs with Predator style weird characters!
Same Roland soupy sound
They still have plenty of that though.
all Roland non-boutique synths featured good displays since forever. This one is no different from what is used on Jupiter Xm for one.
@@wrmusic8736laughs in JD-XA / System 8
_Glad to see Roland evolving past the 2x 16 character displays_
*If you cannot play keyboard then the only option left is to count characters on a display.* The fact is that the most advanced yet the best synthesizers Roland Corp. have ever made have 2x 16 character display where vast parameters have direct call-out right from the control surface. The fact is that *synthesizers unlike workstations do not require extended displays at all.*
At first glance this is ticking all the boxes ✅
Ouch!
I'm sure Florian will enjoy ravaging this "bad gear" at some point in the future. 😉
@@patrickfitzgerald2861
It´s a pity because it has a great layout and I love the touch-pad...but the sound won't beat my Korg Radias sound. :-)
@@Aetilawhen I first saw this, the Radias is exactly what I thought 😂 Come to think of it, my 15 year old M3 with the EXB Radias board is basically this. With aftertouch.. 😂
@@Aetila Yeah, I just don't hear any inspiring sound out of it on any of the videos. Bummer. Should have been acb.
Your demos is just beyond everything thats ever existed, thank you!
Just imagine what you get in an affordable synth as a young musician today...
Incredible...
Thus why this one looks questionable.
Technology is moving forward.
They have reverse engineered the saucers in Roswell😂
31:02 Reminds me of Rush: The Camera Eye
GAIA was my first ever synth, worked perfectly as a learning tool for a 15yrs old kid. I will forever keep it in my heart.
@wildernessmusic1068 I sold the original GAIA quite a long time ago, when I went for more “interesting” sounding VA synths. Nevertheless, still a veryhappy place in my mind
I like the unboxing part at the beginning, you can immediately tell the quality of construction of the instrument.
Good or bad? It looked a tad shoddy to me
@@devondetroit2529 In this case the build quality is average. Features are good, tough.
I prefer instruments with internal power supply.
@@devondetroit2529 ... compared to Korg's Modwave/OPSix/Wavestate 37-key synths, this is better.
Like all your other demo videos, this one is awesomely thorough. Thanks again for your integrity and consistency.
🙌🏻🙏🏻
While I realize the sound of the original left much to be desired, its parallel layout of three tone lines (with independent filters!) was truly unique and the ability to copy or gang tone lines for editing, made for very quick and intuitive programming. The layout here seems to be similar to everything out there.
It doesn't leave much to be desired if you know how to make it sing. Not saying you don't but almost all of the negative commentary on the original stemmed from the poor presets and a complete lack of time spent with the instrument to truly understand what it can do. I admit that at first it's filter sound can be difficult to get used to but once you do and learn to use it to your benefit instead of trying to make it behave like some other filter, the whole world opens up.
@@dreamstaticsoundsI had it for years, knew it very well. It was horrible. The filter was just terrible. The oscillator samples were awful, with terrible artefacts. The phrase recorder was utterly pointless. The layout was lovely, that’s all the good I could say about it.
Its three independent tone lines was far from unique among romplers.
Juno-DS and Juno-Di walk all over the Gaia1 in sound design and sound quality, and they are highly popular stage performance keyboards, too. They lack more hands on controls but otherwise thoroughly beat the Gaia at everything else. Juno-DS used to be the same price as a new Gaia before the pandemic. It also has more features and post FX.
at least this time it doesnt look like someone's grandma bought it for them at K-mart.
This is everything the old gaia tried to be! I had the old one but sold it because of no multitumbrality and the poor sampled waveforms but it was my first ever synth and taught me synthesis so it will kinda hold a special place in my heart
There is a general midi mode that allows the use of the Gaia sounds for a sixteen track multi-timbral functionality
Still you sold it?i kept mine, and intend to get this new one
@@brothacaim well i got a nord lead A1 and that one is actually multitimbral and does splits n layers so the gaia is just worse. Doesn't sound nearly as good to be honest and i did not need 2 Va synths
@@midnightmix2692 oh...ok then
"Motional pad" is super cool. More synths should have this kind of source modulation.
It is common in VSTs.
Ironically, the front panel looks like a modern VST 🤣
Believe it or not, the first software virtual analog synth designers who came up with this type of layout were copying hardware synths, because they wanted to provide some familiarity for people who'd never used software to create music. Plus, people do tend to "hear with our eyes" to some degree. Otherwise, there would be no reason to to use knob style controls.
I remember a motion pad from the D2 and V-Synth, and some old Buchla stuff that had that vibe, but with touchplate tech... IDK what was the first xy pad, tho.
@@GizzyDillespee yeah, but any hardware synths with motion pads are extremely tiny in number versus all those without
Speaking of motion pads, I don't know why Native didn't put one in their newer Kontrol S Mk3 controllers when they produce software that does.
@@Jason75913 like various synths in Reaktor
Nice to see a Roland synth that isn't rehashing their 35 year old samples for the gazillionth time. It actually sounds realy nice too!
The Zen-Core stuff does have the SuperNatural virtual analogue engine from the Jupiter80 and Integra-7 integrated, so it's not always 35-year-old samples. The "Vintage Synth" Axial expansion for FA-06 gets hi-fi samples for a change, interestingly enough, the Zen-core equivalent for Fantom and Fantom-0 might be the same thing.
That's not what I heard.
AMAZING WALK THRU and DEMO!
I was ordering mine from SweetWater during the first 7 minutes, thank you Loopop.
well this was unexpected. someone got inspired by Korg huh?
Looking at that pad, my initial thought was ModWave 😂
@@symbiat0 looks like a spiritual successor to the D-Beam from the original Gaia.
@@pwabd2784 also a spritual successor to the Roland V-Synth's "Time Trip Pad"
At least they didn't left blank space like Korg likes to do.
Looks like a cross between the original Minilogue and the Modwave. The synthesis style is like a mashup between a digital Minilogue and a Modwave, but with the Roland extras instead of the Korg extras.
As long as Roland keeps putting these out, Bad Gear will never be out of a job
Haha, yeah for me the best episode of Bad Gear was the one with the Behringer Model D.
I only by gear that was featured on bad gear...😉 I have the original Gaia and the reface CS, so I am really waiting fro Florian to feature this one 😄
And... see you next time!!
I hate that guy , how anyone can like that channel..
You keep yourself held back from great things because of another man’s opinion? Pretty sad and lame.
Perfect review as always. No aftertouch omg…
Anyone who has owned an E-MU Proteus 2000 with the XL ROM will feel right at home with many of the GAIA 2 presets. In fact I've been meaning to get a replacement for mine (dead hardwired batteries UGH!). Very nice Roland.
but as ‘sound’ is like comparing a 3d image with a photocopy
looks and sounds beautiful
II must have watched a different video.
Best Roland design in years. 🎉 Somehow looks familiar. 🤔
Gaialogue
Actually if you compare the Minilogue and the System 1 you clearly can se where the Minilogue comes from@@billB101
Looks like the silver minilogue
@@billB101Nailed it!
£789.00 just puts it out of reach for many in the potential market I feel. It does seem very nice though. A decent attempt by Roland to get back into the Korg dominated mid range market.
I think this price will come down probably after the Christmas season slow the rush. If not from Roland, from the stores that sell it..
Yes, it's quite a jump from G1, although definitely a step up, plus metal case, although I would have dropped the cost and kept plastic tbh
Now that they’re copying Korg’s UI, maybe finally it won’t be such a headache to program. Roland synth UI has been bad for almost 20 years. Especially for their more complex flagship/non-boutique synths. They kept forgetting the fun, imo. Synths designed from a corporate project manager’s bullet point list. Even with the dated samples i’d rather use a 00s Roland synth than a recent one. (Apart from knob-per-function Boutiques which aren’t as much of a headache and sound quite good.)
Wait a year or two 😉
Roland's market is not the "Kid's in their Bedroom" segment
In Germany it is the same price like the Blofeld keyboard, around 850 euros. So it is a pass since the blofeld has 49 keys with aftertouch , a nicer keyboard, it is multitimbral and you can load your own samples to it.
I love the Blofeld's sound, but it has *up to* 25 voices. When I use two different wavetables plus effects, or the comb filter, the polyphony drops to only 3 voices. I've taken to sampling it and playing its digital sounds I like from other instruments.
The blofeld is an absolute must own. That thing singsssss
I have used Roland products since 1986 when I bought their Mac-500 sequencer. Then an alpha Juno 2, then a D-50 and so many others.
I own a JDXA and system 8. I must say that the sh-4D looks fantastic and THIS NEW SYNTH might be one of the most ingenious creations in a while. It really is forward thinking and it will integrate with my MX-1.
STOP TAKING ALL MY MONEY
As a fellow System 8 owner, them not bothering with aftertouch yet again turns me straight off it unfortunately. I’m still not on board with Zencore yet either. Once you’ve used and heard ACB, it’s difficult to want to use anything else. On the plus side - this has a mod wheel and an X-Y pad.. I dunno.
Ps fellow early Roland user here - MKS-50, 70 and 80 (and then the JV-1080 of which I have two - because I ran out of expansion slots and they’re cheap 😂)
What an incredible review of an amazing synth. I just ordered one. It's so cool that you can use it as a pretty comprehensive controller. That was a huge draw for me as well. I do hope they fix some of the bugs and annoyances. Can't wait until it arrives now.
Roland did something interesting!!! Didn't see this coming at all. Mouse track pad is one of those, "why did no one else think of that" moments. This might be a winner.
Korg kaoss pads and yamaha modx workstations also have these touch surfaces, and others.
novation xiosynth too ( which came after xstation )
...true, this is a direct lift from Korg Modwave. that one even does physics. (to be clear I'm not complaining). of course Roland could claim first with the Time Trip pad's x/y mode. it all does make me wish that you could record from Polybrute's morphe
Good job they didn't invent it, or they'd have patented it and either charged usurious amounts for licencing or kept it for themselves. Everyone already hates then for destroying ReBirth, so it's not like they don't have form.
Its just amazing how you can dissect all these instruments and modules like you do.
I have a hard enough time just remember combos on my deluge and signal flow in my eurorack lol
Great review Loopop, interface color scheme reminds me of Massive X a tad. Some sweet pads in this one! Thanks!
Resembles Massive X, Super 8, and some other VSTs, aesthetically. I don't like their appearances, but at least there's a lot of controls.
Same reminds me of Beringer, trying to cram as much stuff as possible and forget about the instruments beauty and zen. It looks like a mess, I like streamlined layouts on synths. At least the minilogue has an easy to use workflow and not over complicated to use.
GAIA is a reminescence of the 90s Virtual Analogue history , right ?
So I really miss other 2 importatnt 90s synth features :
1- multitimbrality ( At least 2 timbres ! )
2 - FM straightforward panel design ( FM synthesis which came from the 80s but never missed on the 90s synths ! )
Not like the fake VA on the old one!
@@NamelessSmile well yes but the new price ?
Let's see!
@@effebidi9677 oof yes hadn't noticed that
there was no FM synthesis on '90s VAs. Virtual 'analogs'. Filter FM was a popular feature, but it's not FM synthesis.
@@wrmusic8736 where'd you get that from? The Nord lead and jp8000 have it, and they're just the first two I thought of...I mean the Nord lead is literally the first VA
Just bought an arturia minifreak, happier with my purchase now!
Look, it's the Rolandlogue!
Yeas. looks like Minilogue :D
Gaialogue
😭😭 chill
Nice, but it seems like the SH-4D gives you an even more extensive engine (or engines actually) and more polyphony and multitimbrality for less money at the expense of the keyboard. How does the wavetable engine compare to the one in the SH-4D?
The SH-4D's wavetable engine doesn't have Phase and Shaper mods, and only has 31 wavetables as opposed to 63 in GAIA 2
you are correct plus you don't have to pay for the models but wish the SH-4d had the xy motion pad but it does have a mod matrix so yeah i agree with ya
It look way better than the last version.
Thank you Korg!!
lol
18:00 high end noise for a chorus module completely makes sense and was a smart edition from a sound design perspective. It helps to make the high end actually sound LESS harsh by downing any stable high pitches. And with chorus’ ability to create supersaws, you’re dealing with effectively high end noise anyway. So the noise just gives you that much more control over how you want the high end to sound from the chorus. I feel like this is info you already know Ziv, and just kindof forgot in the moment.
No, I said it intentionally and disagree with you, but that's why we have a comment section :) Yeah supersaws can sound noisy, but why add noise to them? Anyway, regardless, historically out of the factory the Juno chorus made no noise at all (or very little) - noise is an artifact of the circuit, that increases with age until the circuit is so noisy it's unusable. Noise can indeed be an interesting sound design choice regardless, but in chorus circuits it's a bug, not a feature.
@@loopop it’s pretty common to add noise to trance presets to make them sound thicker. And with chorus being a “thickening tool” it makes sense to have that in there. I think you can see the utility of it. With the Gaia2 modeling circuit noise… yeah I don’t really see that as a necessity.
Ahh and I realize that the noise is static. Yeah I see your complaint now. Maybe if you can modulate noise volume to turn on and then off with a key press that would make a lot more sense.
Looks like an advanced brother of a Minilogue Xd. Loved the Drowning underwater seagulls sound design at 12:13
Alexis Ion retrofit by Roland
That Motional pad is really similar to the secondary X/Y mode of the Time Trip Pad on the V-Synth. The screen interface when X/Y location is shown in particular looks nearly identical to the V-Synth XT, which emulated the TTP on the touch screen. Also, the FAT parameter existed back on V-Synth as well!
So, Roland has the WC-1 working on yet another synth. That’s nice, but I sure hope they got it working on the Fantoms. I’ve been waiting on that for about 2 years. You’d think they’d get it working on their higher end synths first. Kind of frustrating. Also, you’d think that the version 2 of anything wouldn’t come with less capabilities than the previous version in any category. I have mixed feelings about this one. 🙄
Thank you for in depth review❤ This synth looks really interesting. I like and design and sound of it.
What do you guys think of the presets? I think they are average at best with maybe 5 really good ones.
I can imagine third party designers will be able to work magic with it though.
It's an awfully basic synth, the track pad (or "Motional Pad") and its sequencer you have to lean into hard to get sounds that aren't so basic sounding. Or essentially, rely most on automation, which is something you could say about many other synths, hardware or software.
Thank you, this video makes me glad I chose the Modwave. Roland missed all the little things. You have to stop the sequence to change the patch? Korg knows better.
Actually you don't, but many of the patches have a long effects tail, so it sounded really bad and mushy as the patched blended, so I decided to give each patch its own space. That said, modwave is still an excellent choice,
What a cool surprise! Great review as usual! ✨✨
At a glance, I almost thought this was a new minilogue. Very unexpected from Roland. Looks interesting.
I was not expecting much, and halfway thru i think I'm in love. I think ive finally found something to replace my menu divey mininova.
If you hate the Mininova menus, Ultranova is the way to go. Far better keys and front panel, menu diving is mostly the mod matrix, the rest is one button away with 8 parameters on the screen at once to eliminate menu diving.
The motion recording on the touch pad is so fucking cool
Yes, thank you very very much for these explainations... great !
😀
A Roland with a built-in Etch-a-Sketch, how wonderful. ;) Sounds very good.
I once was a Roland loyalist throughout the 90s and early millennium. However, in the last 10 years, I have come to completely disregard them due to their perpetual recycling & repackaging of older products. I love Loopop product reviews, but even he seems a little unmotivated about this product. Nord, Moog & Elektron have since replaced all of my Roland gear.
Elektron seems the odd one out. Which device(s)?
@@mooted5513I would imagine the grooveboxes
@@mooted5513this just tells me you don’t know about Roland groove boxes etc
The cynic in me thinks the genesis of this synth was conceived in a meeting that started with "Ok people, what else can we make to get people to sign up to the Roland Cloud??". There is zero innovation here.
I don’t understand 22voice w/o multi timbrel functionality. Splits?
Imagine taking the MC-101 zen-core architecture and put it into a keyboard like this, with 4 parts and sequencer (like the old groovesynth/keyboard range) as a cheaper alternative to the very expensive Roland Jupiter-XM. That should be nice.
Like an updated JD-Xi
@@jbognap But with no Analog monosynth part, and please, don't make it red on black.
yes exactly. i think many people want a less expensive jupiter-xm with full size keys. i would instantly trade my 101 for what you're describing. or a jupiter xm module.
the gaia 2 looks great but the pricing is insane. is this the new trend? overprice massively, hope you get some sales, then drop the price significantly and you get some attention and another sales bump? cancerous marketing departments destroy companies.
And more tactile than the Jupiter xm (the X/Y track pad, and more knobs)
If they'd give it polyphonic aftertouch, a XY touch pad, audio over USB, and a ton of hands on controls then I personally wouldn't mind paying a bit more for it.
But will they cease support after 24 months like the Gaia v1? And don’t forget the OG Gaia owners also had to pay £80 for the software editor !!!! (Not that I’m still bitter!)
One small niggle that could be fixed in a firmware update: the waveform display clips / saturates for all but the quietest sounds. When I see this, I expect to hear clipping and this creates a subconcious cognitive dissonance. I’d get used to it soon enough I’m sure, but it is a niggle!
I agree with you - I didn't mention it because it seemed minor in comparison to the other things.... BTW if you lower the level then it's fine, they just need to apply some sort of normalization algorithm to it.
Great review. Thanks. I now know a lot more about this synth and you've made up my mind for me - I'm going to buy one.
Will stick with my second hand Ultranova for this niche - around half the price. The mass of knobs and faders on the Gaia is a good thing though.
Can you scan wavetables on the Ultranova?
Ultranova a gem
@@kierenmoore3236 Ultranova can do wavetables scans, but it doesn't sound that great at it versus more modern synths like the Hydra or Argon8
The lack of a mod matrix (or equivalent) seems like a huge - and slightly baffling - oversight. I appreciate the idea of simplicity but the Minifreak and Wavestate both offer a ridiculous amount of modulation if you want to go beyond the WYSIWYG of their front panels. Great video though. It's always nice to hear actual pros and cons!
Yeah, I'm with you on the lack of a mod matrix. VST plugins like Pigments and Phase Plant are so powerful now that going to any hardware synth without these features for sound design is just a step backwards. I mean, it's nice to have tactile control too for sure, but I can do without really when it comes to sound design.
@@billB101 Especially true given it's digital!
@@billB101on point!
BIG yes. The only answer I see to that Mysterious (miss) is an effort to get the programer to focus attention on using the pad and recorded motions effectively plus the lfo's and "osc env", but I agree 100%. 13sec of recorded hand-drawn modulation (draw speed apparently accounted for as well)... if this can also be quantised(?) then that is a powerful mod source which can act as a couple mod sources at once (sequentially). i suppose there is no voice mod source?? a powerful digital synth like this should have that. Hydrasynth wised up to it recently and sent the Hydra into outerspace with potential.
also wonder if the seq can be used in a trigger mode. there's another env to multiple dest right there if so
Good call by Roland with those juno choruses.
The Roland prologue X
32:32 Both the Fender Rhodes Chroma Polaris and the Yamaha DX-7 had similar pitch bend options - at the time they were described as a way to achieve "Pedal Steel" type bends..
Exellent Video as usual , so basically it''s Zenology pro without the pcm , seems great ...
Giving that all V2 updates are messing up on my system , making themù less smooth and responsive , i'm really thinking going HW (jupiter xm was the plan until i saw this one , if multimbrality isn't needed , the Gaia seems superb)
Still don't know why Roland doesn't provide a VST / app for editing - recall-audio (Elektron like ) , integration would be superb !!
Same here was gonna get the Jupiter but then this came so this I will have lol
Anyone else notice Roland got inspired from sequential pro 3? 1 wavetsble 2 analogue waveshapes and press + turn knob mod assign. And step sequenser.
Thanks for another comprehensive review, much appreciated. It’s an interesting addition to the Roland family, but I have to say, like most digital/wavetable synths, it has that characteristic harshly “metallic” sound to it which isn’t to everyone’s taste. Great interface however, and the x/y pad is very useful! 👍
Metallic and harsh wavetables? As opposed to the usual warm and buttery smooth ones?
Wavetables can be anything you want them to be
Excellent in detail review. Thank you. Nice move from Roland.
this is the asmr for my adhd producer brain .. they kind of nailed it with this one. has better keys that sys1 and somewhat seems to be capable of some fresh sounds actualy. i guess thats why it stands out in the current roland offer. nice knob twisting review. it realy shows the capabilities if your willing to dedicate some time to the routing..
Aesthetically this is excellent. Not sure about anything else yet
I do like the interface quite a lot - a more industrial minilogue, the motion pad is neat too. But sound isn't tickling my ear at all. FX seem to be good though. If only I could get the blofeld with a similar interface to this.
As always, you feel very comfortable and you look and listen with great interest :) , the GAIA 2 ... it works for me, he can pronounce his name much better now :)
This is exaxctly why fat analog synths like the Take 5 that can play detuned Supersaws are my favorite!
🤘🏽Fantastic overview, as always.🤘🏽 Love the shift+move a thing shortcut. Hope that continues to catch on because, yay. That C+L pitch bend mode though... WOW! WANT.
Nice to see-and nice to see Roland decided to employ the Korg Monologue product designer : )
(Lots of irony involved in the later part of this comment.)
I see you’re married. So who’s the lucky synth?
I've heard she's absolutely stunning!
why only one? no need to discriminate
@@wrmusic8736 ah, a polyphonist
But sadly they will only mate the one time... No aftertouch
Big step up from my Novation X Station
Are the effects the same as the zen core library? Thise distortions sounded wonderful. It seem like a solid modeling synth. The worst thing they did was bring back the gaia nameplate 😂 I had one and very quickly replaced it
Many are taken from the sp404 mk2.
Thanks for the patch demo at the end. 👍
Problem with Roland for me is that they clearly just have Zen Core which they use as building blocks for all their hardware products. As in they mish-mash various said blocks and sell them as a standalone synth. Not a bad idea per se, but all synths ultimately end up sharing the same tone, just with a different set of features. Gaia 2 is definitely looking like a very usable product, but you hear its sound on every other synth and groovebox of theirs.
Roland gear always sounds very Roland, both historically and presently. Don't expect that to ever change.
That's why I use them over anyone else. All the patches I use in the plugins, I can easily get on hardware for live playing.
every manufacturer re-uses building blocks ( in VSTs and even in analog products ).
that's just how things work .
nobody is going to reinvent the wheel .
zencore is just a name for a platform .
@@bubuAudio pretty sure Modwave, Opsix and Wavestate are all vastly different technologies despite coming out almost at the same time and using the same base case. Roland is just being Roland is all.
@@wrmusic8736 ahaha, poor roland
I think korg devices, being digital, do share the same building blocks as well . difference is korg didn't give a name to the public
that said, for sure, they look and sound very different one from the other and they are awsome
You are so good at this :)
30:48 Reminds me of Rush - The Camera Eye for a moment.
Thanks for the video always appreciate when people go thru all the presets. I had a Gaia for a sec before it was pretty junky. Hard to believe this is 900 where a hydrasynth explorer is only 600 either way seems like my soft synths sound better from what I’m hearing in headphones.
Glad it helped!
Explorer has 8-voice vs 22-voice polyphony... Explorer has no sequencer.
How many models/expansions can be retained at once?
Another fantastic ‘rundown.’ Always so comprehensive.
Thanks! Right now there are four and they can all be available at once
@@loopop Good intel. Thank you, sir.
Why Gaia name?The sounds are ok.
Dont understand why the make a 2023 Gaia edition but you have to choose either reverb xor delay... not both together...
you can use both if you use an MFX fora delay (of course then you "lose" the MFX slot)
Does it have a proper suppeersaw like jp8000 or its again audio loop like in old GAIA?
I wonder if anyone ever tested the JP8000 supersaw... I don't have one but that would be interesting. Anyway, I'm not sure if it's a loop or wavetables, but it sounds good to me. I demo it in the video - what do you think?
i'm mostly surprised that it isn't a total eyesore! other than that - crowded niche to address
It’s an eyesore in the other direction. All the LED horseshit like the system-8/AIRA etc looks tacky AF, and this looks like they didn’t even make a single attempt to design this in any way.
The “design” of this synth was made by the guy soldering the chips. It’s ugly AF and completely uninspiring.
Hooray, the new Korg Monologue is out! Oh wait...
Great review as always. Thanks!
Ooh interesting! I got a used original Roland Gaia awhile back, it actually sounds really good for a digital synth... Didn't realize they'd made a second one.
Nobody did lol
can you do a comparison of this synth and the modwave mk2?
likely not but if you watch both my videos you'll know everything I do
@@loopop alr thx
Thank you very much for this excellent tutorial. I am curious about how to present the frequency domain spectrum.
Thanks! I use MOscilloscope and MAnalyzer by a company called Melda - they’re free with some limitations in the MFreeFXBundle. Occasionally I’ll use scopes by VCV
@@loopop I see. Thank you！
06:00 Doesn't have Aftertouch! -___________-
Roland…why no aftertouch?
=huh?
Wish they would make a desktop version with no mini keyboard like th SH-4D which I own and love.
I just ordered one. 550 bucks? No brainer. I do wish Roland would have released a 4 or 5 octave Gaia.
That's a LOT of synthesis power! Being a Gaia, I assumed it would have a sub-$500 price. I'm not saying this isn't an amazing synth for the money, but there is a lot of stiff competition in this price range.
If it was sub-$500, it would be an incredible bargain and a no-brainer. As it stands, it's still a fantastic synth that offers a lifetime of unique synthesis options.
Pretty deep for a Gaia! Thanks for the review, Loop!
Sure! Competition like the Korg Wavestate, Modwave etc
Come on dude the small Cobalt 5S is already $500 for 5-voice va synth. U gotta know the synths value man
@@spectralknights2 Do you think the Gaia 2 is overpriced then?
@@SHLDMusic It certainly looks Korgish, doesn't it?
@@mikemeengs5720 a lot!
Finally I can draw on synthesizer motional pad! Sounds nice, but it's a pity that it only has 3 octaves.
I think this would make a pretty good live synth for a band mainly, to add some "analogue" flavour without breaking the bank, or even a good first synth for someone starting out.
There are much better options for a good first synth, $900 is eyewatering for most newcomers and the amount of features this thing has might be overwhelming.
@@GreenShark4which would you recommend
@@alejandrolozano701 Depends on what it is you're looking for! If you're looking to get more into traditional synthesis the Arturia Microbrute is a great starting point. It has all the major functions you would expect from a monosynth laid out with per-knob functionality that's easy to read and understand, plus a small patch bay. This lets you see what every single part of molding a synth tone is like without feeling overwhelmed by all-new terminology. It can usually be found for around $250.
The Arturia Microfreak is also a great first hardware synth for someone who knows the basics but wants to explore several types of synthesis without learning a bunch all at once. It's kind of a "greatest hits" machine, with several macro controls of various parameters per oscillator type and a very powerful mod matrix. The UI design is also easily readable and the workflow is great. It goes for $300.
A good runner up imo is the Korg Monologue, but I don't know as much about that synth. I tend to prefer Arturia if you can't tell :P
Certainly sounds very digital, compared to other VA synths I have used. I wouldn't get it as a way to affordably access classic analog sounds. Looks like it would be fun to take for a spin for a while, though!
It can make classic analog sounds, the demos here are more focused on wavetables which often sound very harsh
@loopop good to know, thanks! I really loved the roland boutiques sound. The Jx-03 was pretty convincing. Does the Gaia 2 use the ACB engine for the vintage synth programs?
@@nathankirklambo1986 to my knowledge, it does not use ACB
Ahh you answered that in the video, my bad. Thank you, I LOVE your reviews! I learned how to program some tough machines with the help of your videos. The elektron analog rytm II would have been nearly impossible without your help.
Why is the touch pad in the middle instead of to the left?
Equal access to lefties and righties? 🤷🏻♂
Hope Roland listens to you and add the option to load user samples in a firmware update, just like Korg did with its Wavestate, a year later upon requests.☕🌲🌲🌲
While working on Wavestate during development it was always going to implement user samples. Of course on the developers side we got to upload samples fairly easily just with a few extra steps and organizing. Process had to be simplified for end-users.
Holy crap, GAIA unsh*tt*f*ed! It actually sounds good!
hmm, iwhere cany you buy - say - the juno 106 expansion? i can only find it included in a cloud abo.
Simply a great Demo! Thanks
A Korg Modwave is better - for me. Dual wavetable osc and * dual multimbrality.
The features look interesting but, maybe it's the presets, to me it sounds bad, thin, flat, harsh, cold.
In this price range, Minifreak is a better choice for me... or Hydrasynth to stay in the digital world.
Yeah my first thought was what pedal chain I'd use to dirty and warm up the sound a bit...though I have to say I really like it overall