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Note #63 (D#4) Open high conga
Note #64 (E4) Low conga
Note #65 (F4) High timbale
Note #66 (F#4) Low timbale
Note #67 (G4) High agogo
Note #68 (G#4) Low agogo
Note #69 (A4) Cabasa
Note #70 (A#4) Maracas
Note #71 (B4) Short high whistle
Note #72 (C5) Long low whistle
Note #73 (C#5) Short guiro
Note #74 (D5) Long guiro
Note #75 (D#5) Claves
Note #76 (E5) High wood block
Note #77 (F5) Low wood block
Note #78 (F#5) Mute cuica
Note #79 (G5) Open cuica
Note #80 (G#5) Mute triangle
Note #81 (A5) Open triangle

Overall, it provides just a few drum kits, and only a trifling pair of kits when in GM mode (Standard or Brush). The sounds are strong and punchy though, especially the Pop and Session wave-based kits. No direct editing is available onboard.

Effects and controls. Forty effects algorithms are included in the JV-1010, but they’re only controllable in terms of level per Part. The quality is great, but the flexibility is limited without editing software.

Standard CCs 71 through 74 control filter cutoff, resonance, envelope attack, and release. CCs 80 through 83 control tone level for all tones within a patch, as well as standard volume, pan, chorus, and effects level. An external controller will substantially enhance the JV-1010’s power, especially if a user wants to store edited patches externally in a sequencer.

Bottom line. The JV-1010 is more useful than it is exciting. GM is offered at its most basic level, and even the massed banks of Roland pro-synth sounds are offered only as presets, without editing and storage software. But if buyers want the high-quality sounds that this box offers and only need some access to GM for reference, the JV-1010 offers simple, no-hassle operation at a great price.

Roland MC-80EX
Roland’s MC-80EX is a unique instrument comprising a tabletop sequencer and synth engine (see Fig. 5). It’s actually an MC-80 with the Roland VE-GSPro Expansion Board preinstalled. If it’s not everyone’s idea of fun, it certainly is practical and extremely useful in live situations for backing tracks or for just playing MIDI files. The GS sound engine is an exact replica of the SC-88 Pro Sound Canvas, widely regarded as the pinnacle of GM sounds and capabilities.

FIG. 5: Roland’s MC-80EX adds GS support to a standalone tabletop sequencer.

GM sounds. The MC-80EX offers Roland’s GS format all the way, with more than 1,000 custom-built sounds displaying both depth and quality. The electric pianos are a joy, the guitars and basses are cool, and it features plenty of interesting synths and sound effects. In fact, the MC-80EX boasts only a few less options than Roland ED’s top dog, the SC-8850 Sound Canvas.

The MC-80EX offers full compatibility with GM1 and GS sequence data. Its own DD/HD disk drive permits users to load and store sequences in a wide variety of formats, including Roland MC-80, MRC/S-MRC, and SMF Type 0 and 1.

Other sounds, features, and drums. First, the MC-80EX is a hardware sequencer. Descended from a long and illustrious line of sequencers that began with the MC-500, the MC-80 is the world’s premier hardware sequencer. It has survived in spite of the computer-sequencer revolution because of its dependability, durability, and lack of frills that can easily cloud the creative process. The MC-80 offers 16 tracks, each of which can hold 16 MIDI channels of data. With 120,000-event capacity, 480 ppqn, phrase tracks, arpeggiator, and handy Mark/ Jump buttons, this is a professional tool.

Reprinted with permission from

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