Roland V-Accordion review

[Ventura]

Roland's Virtual Accordions part 1 of 9

Recently, I enjoyed an evening with the Roland Virtual Accordion,
and thought I’d share my impressions with you. This is not a full
review, as I did not have the instrument in my shop for a teardown
or close physical exam.

This article represents my personal views only.

There are basically two models, from which all variants are derived.
The two platforms share several things in common, significantly in
the Bass and Chord modes. In the Tradition of the Roland Virtual
Harpsichord, they have studied and included a whole raft of variants
so that Students and fanatics alike can have the chance to access
6 different stradella Key patterns as well as 5 freebass modes.

This alone is kinda awesome, and i feel in the Spirit of how Roland
and Mr. Kakehashi have always done things. The average student
would never be able to afford all those different varieties... only a
select few have that kind of opportunity in a lifetime. But in the
VR accordion, you can explore essentially a roomful of
free reed instruments.

There was not time to map into the details, so i'm not sure if the
individual tuning of notes feature extend to the bass as well,
but if i could run 3 rows of Bass with one counter an octave off
the prime, and let's see... i'll take major minor and diminished for
the chords... You all know the first song i'm gonna do is
"Purple Haze"

copyright VHM Co. MMVII all rights reserved contact ***@att.net

[Ventura]

model FR-3 part 2 of 9

From certain standpoints the less expensive model is more
suitable in someways... as a simple MIDI controller... as a
Lightweight accordion... as an easy to use pick-it-up-and-play-it
device. The FR-3 includes a simple MIDI output right on the box,
with normal accordion shifts and markings, and a more natural
feel to the bellows (due to an air bleeder). In these respects
the FR-3 has the advantage over its big brother.

For some specific or niche Stage use, the FR-3 is a useful tool.
I could not recommend it, however, as a general purpose Gigging
instrument due to limitations, such as the AA batteries which
are simple and handy, but which need to be swapped out at
least once per gig. The FR-3 platform might be compared to,
say, any Decent 3/4 Student acoustic model with export reeds.
Designed to be fun and useful, an FR-3 is not gonna be the last
Accordion you will ever buy, but it could take you pretty far.

that's what a Student instrument should do.

You don’t need to know anything special to pick it up and play it
just like any other Accordion, except for the location of the “on” button.

The speakers and Tones are perhaps 25-30% of the quality and variety
of the FR-7, though a PA or good headphones fixes that. The FR-3 would
be very handy to have around the Studio if you are using your Computer
for music lessons, or wanted to create MIDI files by playing into a
sequencer.

It is very likely that MIDI files created with the Roland FR-3 will
playback
in a realistic way, quite unlike MIDI's made on a flat keyboard, or
with a MIDI accordion that doesn't have the variety and degree of MIDI
expression as the Roland.

Interesting to note, and i can see the justification for it on this
model, the
FR-3 can be ordered without Speakers and internal Amp, which makes it quite
light indeed. Some people, like our friends Boba or WD, who are so curious
about the many different types of free-bass or diatonic layouts and tunings
and sounds and such, would be able to play and enjoy their practices longer
with the lighter instrument. For certain shy types, silent practice using
Headphones is just fine, then when they want to let others hear something,
just plug it into an amp or their Computer (the MIDI out makes that easy)

In other words, Folks that really don’t stand or stroll as a rule, but
who play
seated, usually in private, might find their practices: last longer, are
more interesting, and do not cause nearly the amount of physical fatigue
they had experienced with their heavier reeded accordions.

copyright VHM Co. MMVII all rights reserved contact ***@att.net

[Ventura]

flagship model FR-7 part 3 of 9

The top of the line model, however, is a very different story.
This instrument is a serious contender to other professional
accordions, and has enough depth of quality that it could
certainly be gigged as a main ax. However, I seriously opine
that if you chose this instrument as your principle accordion,
you would pretty much have to give up your standard acoustic
in order to truly mesh and become one with the Roland.

Interestingly enough, as I got more into playing the Roland FR-7,
and again later as it was being demonstrated by Chris Rybak
(a good Texas fella with nice chops indeed), my feeling became
strong that what we have here is not competition with the other
Reedless MIDI Accordions (because from a tethered position
many of them would beat the Roland overall) but actually the
FR-7 is the logical successor to the Organ Accordion.

in many ways the Roland V FR-7 is the pen-ultimate Chordovox.

As with our ElkaVox and SyntAccordions of old, we have a select
blend of Accordion and Electronic sounds, independent of all other
devices, self contained and ready to use. We have Upright Bass
and sweet Chord tones that free us from the grating left-hand reeds,
and it’s sooooooooo smooth to switch back and forth from, say, a
hot Conjunto accordion reed-set to a schmaltzy Mariachi brass
ensemble just as quickly as your mind wills it.

Talk about a natural for Tex-Mex!

Jazz players will totally jam out with the Flute sound
(not Organ flute... I mean a real breathtaking Silver Flute that
jumps right out of the grille if you play your keys right)

Other features hearken back to the Organ’s Glory days, like the
high or low note priority built into the Treble. This allows you to
blend, say, a solo Clarinette with the right hand chords of your
Accordion on a tune like “Moonlight Serenade”, giving you a
clarinette on the melody line and accordion tones for the full chords.
There are a LOT of ways to use this type of feature in Jazz, same as
you had the Hammond percussive stops only on your lead-line and
never on your chords. So layer the silver Flute on high note priority
with the jazz Accordion, or the Middle reed on high note over a Rhodes.

If you've never had a device with this feature, trust me on this
one it is quite useful. A whole ton of Organs were demo'd and
sold in Malls all over the USA because this feature, used
tastefully, can really turn heads.

copyright VHM Co. MMVII all rights reserved contact ***@att.net

[Ventura]

Note: this section is an “unplugged” comparison part 4 of 9

While I was not able to “A - B” in the moment, it just so happened
that I came into possession of a near Showroom condition Bell
Duovox the night after I played the Roland. Since I had never owned
a “Bell” before, this was fortuitous, as mentally comparing the Roland
to my Excelsior’s or Gola would not be fair, since I know those
instruments intimately. The Bell is a top of the line, walnut keyboard,
chambered, 3/5 box. Sweet as they get.

The short version: the Bell won on Pure Tone, Dynamic range,
and Touch. The Roland won on Dynamic Variation, and Ambiance.
They were a dead heat on Threshold and soft side sensitivity.

When I first played the Bell, after about 10 minutes of getting
acquainted, it came naturally to start “letting it out” and when
I took a song that called for Power riffs the box just Roared and
the reeds seemed to vibrate everything in the room... the Roland
just couldn’t match it. The Bell had the natural tonal changes of an
Accordion as it went through the dynamic ranges, but the Roland
was able to give me a greater palette of tonal variance (richness)
because of it’s ability not just to respond in Volume and Timbre from
the pressure of the Bellows, but also from the Dynamics of the Keyboard.

(It is both a Velocity and Pressure sensitive keyboard)

On the subject of Timbre, this is one area where the FR-7 pretty
clearly has an advantage over all the Reedless models I’ve tried.
Some reedless units only vary the Volume with the Bellows, some
also vary the Timbre, but it is in a limited fashion
(attaching the filter section at one point only)
The Roland Virtual accordion reeds are integrated with the physical
controls so closely, and in such a multi-linked was that you can
actually hear the improvement and believe the hype about “modeling”
to some extent.

Another place where this Virtual Accordion shines over the other
reedless models I have played, is in the sensitivity of the Bellows:
as softly as you squeeze there is sound. Just like the Bell and it’s
handmade reeds, the FR-7 responded to my most delicate moments
of air-flow. My greatest disappointment with Reedless accordions
heretofore has been their abrupt threshold level from dead quiet to
audible sound. Players who constantly vary the air pressure of the
Bellows, sometimes on a note-per-note basis if the song calls for it,
love getting their hands on accordions like the FR-7, and the Bell,
because your expression has free reign... no limitations holding
you back from nailing that note just the way you want to.

I do believe i could do a Strolling gig on the FR-7 and it would cut it

Let me briefly mention Polyphony here as well... with 128 note poly
you really won’t overplay the digital tone generators as you can do
on older generation devices. Take a held bass/chord: 2 + (5 x 3) and
a full 5 fingered treble chord + (4 x 5) layered over a String sound +
(4 x 5) =57 notes so even if you jumped a key in a heartbeat the notes
from the first big grab will decay properly after the notes have been
released physically. Without enough polyphony, the previous notes
lose their natural decay as they get cut-off to provide polyphony for
the new notes being demanded (with priority) of the tone generators.

copyright VHM Co. MMVII all rights reserved contact ***@att.net

[Ventura]

Tuning: both models part 5 of 9

I will give this to the accordion sounds, particularly,
on the Jazz and Rock reedsets: they are dead on perfectly
tuned when you are solo voce' or LM.

Players who, like me, chord a huge amount of the time feel vast
relief when we have total confidence the tuning will not compromise
any cool combinations of notes we are gonna throw down. And again,
when blending Accordion tones and Electronic Instrument sounds,
a perfect tuning is soooo critical.

Doesn't matter what key you transpose a song to as the mood
strikes... the treble chords will sound tight for ya'.

Now some of the sound sets are said to have tuning idiosyncracies
built in, so I imagine just as the original types they are modeling,
those will play better in certain keys than others. I did not have
the time to explore or find this feature.

By the way, for those of you who, like our friend Ike, study and
are fascinated with the variances and fine-intricasies of Tuning,
this box is claimed to allow you to create your own tuning system
and timbre on a note per note level, and that carries over to Meusette
as well. There are also some global controls you can tinker with for
the wetness if you don't want to get too immersed.

Without dedicated Software and a Computer Interface to work with,
I honestly can't imagine how tedious it would be to attempt this
considering the dearth of controls available on the physical box itself.

but my understandng is it can actually be done, which is kinda neat

copyright VHM Co. MMVII all rights reserved contact ***@att.net

[Ventura]

What are the problems? part 6 of 9

There are a few things I’d need to consider... first of all there is
no savings in weight or bulk... the high-tech battery pack in the FR-7
is designed to easily get you through a Long gig, but that sucker is
heavy and not easily swapped out. Charging it is a bit of a hassle
(IMHO) as you are forced to attach the Accordion to a rather large
(by MIDI accordion standards) umbilical cord to this unwieldy
foot-pedal assembly just to recharge.

From practical experience, as we all know, the cable is always the
weakest link. We all buy or make a Spare for our MIDI accordions ASAP,
but THIS cable (actually about half as thick as a Cordovox cable) is
gonna cost you to have a duplicate, as it is quite unique. In practical
use the whole pedal assembly is kind of a drag, since the most powerful
features and benefits of this Instrument are compromised as soon as it
is tethered to the earth. I’d opine that the pedalboard is really not very
useful outside the Studio. Plus, dragging it all over creation just so you
can keep the beastie charged will get really old, really fast.

Doubtless the first thing I’d do if I owned one would be to re-engineer
the battery with an equivalent that I could wear in my back pocket
or on a beltpack. So I’d have a small cable from my belt to the Box,
so what... (I’d have that anyhow with my Wireless...)

You all DID realize that, right?

You need to send the acoustic sound from the V-Accordion to
your high quality PA system so you plug a wireless transmitter into
it just like any other accordion with Mic’s, but there is totally
NO FEEDBACK...
cool, huh?

If you stripped the battery out of the box, I’m guessing you’d be
down to about 18 or 19 pounds in your arms, which would be nice
for people like me who play on our feet. The weight of a Battery
would be easier to take close to the body and your center of gravity,
so IMHO this is “must do” Mod #1

Picking up and just playing the FR-7 isn’t without a learning curve,
BTW, and here again I found the switching interface to be a
disappointment, even compared to the model FR-3. Basically, you
have to step back and forth through the “reedsets” (if there’s a
shortcut to jumping to a particular set, it is NOT obvious) and
though they look and press like Accordion shifts, you have to
memorize what they do as the layout is unique (though they do
the same thing to each reedset) and then there is no dedicated
matrix for controlling the “MIDI” tones, just “F” stops and alternate
button codings or combination switching schemes. If you need
reading glasses, you’ll have to glue a lens onto the tiny lcd display
under your chin at the top of the grille (lol).

This is the first reason why switching between, say, your AC and the
Roland V will be confusing to your brain. The second is the bellows.

Yeah, I know i said they are great and incredibly sensitive, but they
also don’t feel OR squeeze like an acoustic accordion. Getting “used”
to the Roland bellows will take time (guarantee your back and arm
will be sore until you learn to lighten up naturally, and as second nature)
I really can’t imagine anyone going back and forth between normal
bellows motion and the Roland bellows motion... you would have to
choose one or the other (IMHO) I know I would. Sure, you can adapt,
I mean it’s not as drastic as going from QWERTY to DVORAK keyboards,
but it takes CPU cycles to feather your touch to a level that is NOT
second nature because it is so different, and that is just enough
distraction to the brain that will prevent you from getting all you
can from the FR-7 if you don’t make it your de-facto box.

copyright VHM Co. MMVII all rights reserved contact ***@att.net

[Ventura]

What is Lame and what is Hot? part 6 of 9

Well, just like a Demo CD of songs you’ve never heard before and
will never want to play but that show off pyrotechnic’s nicely
(yawn)
the reed-sets are claimed to be painstakingly modeled using
real accordions. So why are they generically labeled? And what
is this with the really lame little graphics on the tiny LCD screen?
And why do I have to step back and forth and back and forth to
change reedsets?

If I designed one, you’d have 40 sparklingly beautiful little black
jewel buttons, and on the LCD screen you'd see labels like
“Super 6" “AC” “Maughein” “30's Diero” “Myron” etc. etc. etc.
and actually I’d like memory-writable locations so I could sample,
develop and load my own sound fonts if I wanted to create ‘em from
an accordion i owned and wanted to stuff into the VR-7.

Pay the Royalties for the right to the samples, then it
really IS modeling I could buy into and believe.

Speaking of Lame, the Red one isn’t nearly as bad looking in person as
I thought it would be, but like I don’t wear Hawaiian Shirts either.

There is a nice White model in the line, but only on the FR-3 platform.
If it’s the same pearlescent white Roland used on my Axis then
it’s gonna be a hot lookin’ box. My Axis has a note bender, by the
way, so there's no reason why Roland couldn't have put one
on the Accordion. I suppose given enough time, since you can
save your "setup's", one could map MIDI bends to the
aftertouch feature but i can't vouch for it.

You can buy the FR-7 without speakers, but that is REALLY lame
to me! I mean the FR-7 IMHO is competitive primarily because it
is a complete professional system, self contained and stroll-able.

As soon as you are sitting in a chair and wired to stuff, a MIDI
accordion will eat the FR-7's lunch because they are superior as
controllers, and therefore more useful in more situations for more things.
As I wrote earlier, i can see the justification for no internal sound
on the Student model FR-3, but the FR-7 just wouldn't be the same
if it couldn't tone out right here right now right away.

copyright VHM Co. MMVII all rights reserved contact ***@att.net

[Ventura]

What is Missing? part 7 of 9

Well, the most obvious missing feature is there are no USB ports
to be found... no SPDIF outputs for high end Audio... not on the
Boxes, not on the Pedalboard. Other Roland high-end V-series
devices have extensive and convenient connections to interface
with your Computer and Studio workstations. Using SYSEX to
re-program or update your V-Accordion is about as hip as using
ANSI quality graphics in a tiny greyscale LCD screen... Yes, the
FR-7 is a powerful and rich system, but the untapped potential is
never going to be fully realized unless the Artist can get under
the hood of the beast. To do this you need modern tools, like computer
connections, writable memory, and software. The FR-7 as it sits
reminds me of an Iceberg: most of it’s potential is hidden from View.
Unfortunately, much of what is hidden is not yet easily accessible, either.

Here is an equation: (RFX8+Min+PSM) = (FR-7) = ($4500)

A: Rolands most powerful Keyboard Workstation plus a top of the line
Midi Install on your fave personal Accordion plus really nice powered
Studio Monitors would cost about the same as

B: one top of the line Roland Virtual Accordion

“A” would be able to do everything “B” could do (from a wired to the earth
position) plus sample a buncha your personal favorite Accordions and
commit them to memory, let you use the huge built in color touch screen
LCD or your Computer to see what you are programming, give you direct
access to a gazillion pro sounds, process and produce Audio, connect to
just about anything on earth, etc. etc. etc. while “B” would be able to do
only a small amount of what “A” could do, but you could unplug the cable
and stroll around once in awhile.

I suppose they felt a "keep it simple" approach and clean lines
that did not look electronic was the way to do this, but i'd
almost say the thing should come with swappable grilles...
one like this, simple and standard, and one with the big color
LCD, slider strips, Tokyo by Night LED's and switches all over
the place.

copyright VHM Co. MMVII all rights reserved contact ***@att.net

[Ventura]

Conclusion part 9 of 9

In conclusion, there IS a lot to like about the Roland Virtual
Accordions. The top of the line model is capable of being a 20 year Box
for a serious player, and you’d have to have some incredible chops to
even begin to challenge the capabilities of the instrument. It’s not
going to put Great Acoustic Accordion companies out of Business (oops...
they pretty much already did that to themselves without any help from
Roland) but it might help a lot bringing the Accordion back to the
Stages of the world in bands of all types.

The big Roland can cut it in the Mix, live, and it looks good while
doing it, eliminates feedback problems at high volume, and allows silent
practice through your headphones back at the Hotel room (on tour)

Other’s have tried to keep the Accordion germane to modern Music
society... Faithe Deffner’s “Tiger” and Hohner’s hot-colored “Clubs”
come to mind as brave and bold investments in the Future of Accordion...
but we’ve not seen the a company the likes of a Roland give us a care in
Decades... so my hat is off to Roland, and I truly thank them for the
effort.

Personally, I urge all the older Organ-Accordion guys still out there,
the ones who were never really comfortable with a MIDI accordion and
modules as a substitute for their old rigs? You gotta check this box out.

The week after I played the Roland, I dragged out my CG-V and cranked it
up, then I messed with that primo Vintage DuoVox... (brushes on the
bass) I’m serious, the Roland model FR-7 is their natural born successor
and I’m gonna say rightful heir to the long neglected and long vacant
organ-accordion Throne.

I hope this review helps you understand the Roland accordions
a little better. Obviously, they are legitimate instruments and
may be the best instrument choice for certain Musicians. It
amuses me how these accordions, and other computer based
Music systems have been attacked in some quarters.

the Roland accordions aren't making promises they can't keep,
and given Rolands track record for reliability and ruggedness, i'll
bet these instruments will still be gigging years and years after
all those Chinese acoustics that were dumped on the market
in the last few years have croaked their last off-keyed notes.

Ciao

Ventura

copyright VHM Co. MMVII all rights reserved contact ***@att.net

posted on USENET by the author June 5/6 2007
permission to archive from USENET at Google is granted
for permission to crosspost on other forums or websites please
e-mail your request to ***@att.net

[Bryant E. Russell]

Hi Phil,

THANK YOU for a very reasoned and detailed review! I'd be hard pressed to
think of even one other review of an accordion written in the last decade
that vividly takes one through the ins and outs of the instrument. Well,
perhaps Mario B.'s trip to Italy was good too! OK, so in the top 2 (ha).

Regards.

Bryant Russell
Plymouth, MI, USA

Conclusion part 9 of 9
In conclusion, there IS a lot to like about the Roland Virtual Accordions.
The top of the line model is capable of being a 20 year Box for a serious
player, and you’d have to have some incredible chops to even begin to
challenge the capabilities of the instrument. It’s not going to put Great
Acoustic Accordion companies out of Business (oops... they pretty much
already did that to themselves without any help from Roland) but it might
help a lot bringing the Accordion back to the Stages of the world in bands
of all types.
The big Roland can cut it in the Mix, live, and it looks good while doing
it, eliminates feedback problems at high volume, and allows silent
practice through your headphones back at the Hotel room (on tour)
Other’s have tried to keep the Accordion germane to modern Music
society... Faithe Deffner’s “Tiger” and Hohner’s hot-colored “Clubs” come
to mind as brave and bold investments in the Future of Accordion... but we’ve
not seen the a company the likes of a Roland give us a care in Decades...
so my hat is off to Roland, and I truly thank them for the effort.
Personally, I urge all the older Organ-Accordion guys still out there, the
ones who were never really comfortable with a MIDI accordion and modules
as a substitute for their old rigs? You gotta check this box out.
The week after I played the Roland, I dragged out my CG-V and cranked it
up, then I messed with that primo Vintage DuoVox... (brushes on the bass)
I’m serious, the Roland model FR-7 is their natural born successor and I’m
gonna say rightful heir to the long neglected and long vacant
organ-accordion Throne.
I hope this review helps you understand the Roland accordions
a little better. Obviously, they are legitimate instruments and
may be the best instrument choice for certain Musicians. It
amuses me how these accordions, and other computer based
Music systems have been attacked in some quarters.
the Roland accordions aren't making promises they can't keep,
and given Rolands track record for reliability and ruggedness, i'll
bet these instruments will still be gigging years and years after
all those Chinese acoustics that were dumped on the market
in the last few years have croaked their last off-keyed notes.
Ciao
Ventura
posted on USENET by the author June 5/6 2007
permission to archive from USENET at Google is granted
for permission to crosspost on other forums or websites please

[Alan Sharkis]

Bryant, I have to agree with you.

Ventura, I apologize for not having posted earlier. Your review is
the most objective and comprehensive one I've seen for the Rolands
since they came out. It seems that all the other reviews I've seen
were either superficial, out to praise the Rolands gratuitously, or
out to bash them mercilessly. Your review can certainly give the
prospective purchaser of a Roland insight regarding how it would fit
into that purchaser's needs.

I don't own a Roland. I've been semi-lurking in the V-Accordion Yahoo
group, and I've noticed that there are some threads that keep popping
up.

First, most Roland owners who post in that group are generally happy
with their instruments, although there are some problems, which I'll
describe below.

Second, the Roland owners who post in that group are about as divided
as you can get on the topic of what they'd like to see in the next
firmware upgrade.

Third, there are many complaints about Roland service in the United
States. Other regions don't seem to have those problems.

Fourth, there is some non-uniformity in warranty terms written from
region to region.

Fifth, there are some complaints about how long batteries hold a
charge, particularly among the FR3 users.

Sixth, there are those who would like to see the FR3s have the
capability of selecting one accordion sound in the treble and a
different one in the bass at the same time.

Seventh, and perhaps most disturbing, is the high failure rate of that
19-lead FR-7 cable, which, given the one-year warranty on the cable
and the cost of a replacement, must really irk people.

I may buy a Roland some day. If I had to do it now, I'd probably
select the FR3 or 3s because of its lighter weight and the fact that
I'd use it as a midi controller. However, I'd miss those few treble
notes that I enjoy playing on a 41-key instrument.

Take care.

Alan


On Sun, 10 Jun 2007 11:48:38 -0400, "Bryant E. Russell"

Post by Bryant E. Russell
Hi Phil,
THANK YOU for a very reasoned and detailed review! I'd be hard pressed to
think of even one other review of an accordion written in the last decade
that vividly takes one through the ins and outs of the instrument. Well,
perhaps Mario B.'s trip to Italy was good too! OK, so in the top 2 (ha).
Regards.
Bryant Russell
Plymouth, MI, USA

Conclusion part 9 of 9
In conclusion, there IS a lot to like about the Roland Virtual Accordions.
The top of the line model is capable of being a 20 year Box for a serious
player, and you’d have to have some incredible chops to even begin to
challenge the capabilities of the instrument. It’s not going to put Great
Acoustic Accordion companies out of Business (oops... they pretty much
already did that to themselves without any help from Roland) but it might
help a lot bringing the Accordion back to the Stages of the world in bands
of all types.
The big Roland can cut it in the Mix, live, and it looks good while doing
it, eliminates feedback problems at high volume, and allows silent
practice through your headphones back at the Hotel room (on tour)
Other’s have tried to keep the Accordion germane to modern Music
society... Faithe Deffner’s “Tiger” and Hohner’s hot-colored “Clubs” come
to mind as brave and bold investments in the Future of Accordion... but we’ve
not seen the a company the likes of a Roland give us a care in Decades...
so my hat is off to Roland, and I truly thank them for the effort.
Personally, I urge all the older Organ-Accordion guys still out there, the
ones who were never really comfortable with a MIDI accordion and modules
as a substitute for their old rigs? You gotta check this box out.
The week after I played the Roland, I dragged out my CG-V and cranked it
up, then I messed with that primo Vintage DuoVox... (brushes on the bass)
I’m serious, the Roland model FR-7 is their natural born successor and I’m
gonna say rightful heir to the long neglected and long vacant
organ-accordion Throne.
I hope this review helps you understand the Roland accordions
a little better. Obviously, they are legitimate instruments and
may be the best instrument choice for certain Musicians. It
amuses me how these accordions, and other computer based
Music systems have been attacked in some quarters.
the Roland accordions aren't making promises they can't keep,
and given Rolands track record for reliability and ruggedness, i'll
bet these instruments will still be gigging years and years after
all those Chinese acoustics that were dumped on the market
in the last few years have croaked their last off-keyed notes.
Ciao
Ventura
posted on USENET by the author June 5/6 2007
permission to archive from USENET at Google is granted
for permission to crosspost on other forums or websites please

--

If you really want to bug me via email, remove the "_fish" from the address above.

__

You can read the FAQ for alt.binaries.karaoke at:
http://members.chello.nl/~j.a.komrij/faq.html

[Ventura]

hi Alan,

Post by Alan Sharkis
Third, there are many complaints about Roland service in the United
States. Other regions don't seem to have those problems.

i will pass that along to the right ears

Post by Alan Sharkis
.
Fourth, there is some non-uniformity in warranty terms written from
region to region.
Fifth, there are some complaints about how long batteries hold a
charge, particularly among the FR3 users.

i can believe that for the FR-3, certainly. Particularly
if they are using re-chargables. You can get AA re-c batts
anywhere from 700 milliamphours rating to about 2800 for the
best ones nowadays. 2100 MAH units are the best buy currently
price vs: performancs $8.99 for a pack of 8 at Micro Center

so the length of time per use is very much a variable thing,
and i wouldn't be suprised that many people didn't realize
there is that wide a gap in the ratings. A least on the FR-3
it's easy and quick to swap them out... I know i'd have a
charger and 2 sets of spares in my kit if it was me.

Post by Alan Sharkis
Seventh, and perhaps most disturbing, is the high failure rate of that
19-lead FR-7 cable, which, given the one-year warranty on the cable
and the cost of a replacement, must really irk people.

i am not suprised to hear that. Once something has burned in
i figure it's gonna hold up, so my fear of voiding a warranty
by making a modification is years gone into the dumpster...
for sure i would figure out a way around that cable and charging
system if i was gonna gig with one full time.

only problem is it drives my Wife crazy... she's like
"YOu just spent umpteen dollars on that
______thing and now you're going to drill a hole in it?"

Ciao

Ventura

[Ventura]

hi Bryant

Post by Bryant E. Russell
Hi Phil,
THANK YOU for a very reasoned and detailed review! I'd be hard pressed to
think of even one other review of an accordion written in the last decade

hehehe well here was my FisItalia review
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.music.makers.squeezebox/browse_thread/thread/9e7328679159f810/84dca330a6616794?lnk=gst&q=ventura+review&rnum=15&hl=en#84dca330a6616794
then the Jazz model Pan
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.music.makers.squeezebox/browse_thread/thread/d2b78139649a235/11a2332749aacb59?lnk=gst&q=ventura+review&rnum=8&hl=en#11a2332749aacb59
and the little one too
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.music.makers.squeezebox/browse_thread/thread/3b40b25e1246c340/538d36d0b41ddd70?lnk=gst&q=ventura+review&rnum=5&hl=en#538d36d0b41ddd70
and the Titano/Master reedless

i did the Excelsior reviews pre-usenet so they are not web-archived
at Google, though a search on Castlefidardo in our group only

http://groups.google.com/group/rec.music.makers.squeezebox/search?hl=en&group=rec.music.makers.squeezebox&q=castlefidardo&qt_g=Search+this+group
will get you a lot of useful travel reports

thanks for the nice words

Ciao

Ventura

[T***@yahoo.com]

On Jun 10, 10:48 am, "Bryant E. Russell"

Post by Bryant E. Russell
Hi Phil,
THANK YOU for a very reasoned and detailed review! I'd be hard pressed to
think of even one other review of an accordion written in the last decade
that vividly takes one through the ins and outs of the instrument. Well,
perhaps Mario B.'s trip to Italy was good too! OK, so in the top 2 (ha).
Regards.
Bryant Russell
Plymouth, MI, USA

Conclusion part 9 of 9
In conclusion, there IS a lot to like about the Roland Virtual Accordions.
The top of the line model is capable of being a 20 year Box for a serious
player, and you'd have to have some incredible chops to even begin to
challenge the capabilities of the instrument. It's not going to put Great
Acoustic Accordion companies out of Business (oops... they pretty much
already did that to themselves without any help from Roland) but it might
help a lot bringing the Accordion back to the Stages of the world in bands
of all types.
The big Roland can cut it in the Mix, live, and it looks good while doing
it, eliminates feedback problems at high volume, and allows silent
practice through your headphones back at the Hotel room (on tour)
Other's have tried to keep the Accordion germane to modern Music
society... Faithe Deffner's "Tiger" and Hohner's hot-colored "Clubs" come
to mind as brave and bold investments in the Future of Accordion... but we've
not seen the a company the likes of a Roland give us a care in Decades...
so my hat is off to Roland, and I truly thank them for the effort.
Personally, I urge all the older Organ-Accordion guys still out there, the
ones who were never really comfortable with a MIDI accordion and modules
as a substitute for their old rigs? You gotta check this box out.
The week after I played the Roland, I dragged out my CG-V and cranked it
up, then I messed with that primo Vintage DuoVox... (brushes on the bass)
I'm serious, the Roland model FR-7 is their natural born successor and I'm
gonna say rightful heir to the long neglected and long vacant
organ-accordion Throne.
I hope this review helps you understand the Roland accordions
a little better. Obviously, they are legitimate instruments and
may be the best instrument choice for certain Musicians. It
amuses me how these accordions, and other computer based
Music systems have been attacked in some quarters.
the Roland accordions aren't making promises they can't keep,
and given Rolands track record for reliability and ruggedness, i'll
bet these instruments will still be gigging years and years after
all those Chinese acoustics that were dumped on the market
in the last few years have croaked their last off-keyed notes.
Ciao
Ventura
posted on USENET by the author June 5/6 2007
permission to archive from USENET at Google is granted
for permission to crosspost on other forums or websites please

- Show quoted text -

Yeah, great fucking review. HE contradicts the literature.

Ventur's review is good to wipe your ass with and not much more.

[Bryant E. Russell]

<SNIP>

Post by T***@yahoo.com
On Jun 10, 10:48 am, "Bryant E. Russell"

Post by Bryant E. Russell
Hi Phil,
THANK YOU for a very reasoned and detailed review! I'd be hard pressed to
think of even one other review of an accordion written in the last decade
that vividly takes one through the ins and outs of the instrument. Well,
perhaps Mario B.'s trip to Italy was good too! OK, so in the top 2 (ha).
Regards.
Bryant Russell
Plymouth, MI, USA

<SNIP>


<NEXT SNIP>

Post by T***@yahoo.com
Yeah, great fucking review. HE contradicts the literature.
Ventur's review is good to wipe your ass with and not much more.

<SNIP>

Tommy - maybe you got something between your ears, but you try real hard not
to show it. Either put up a non-profanity laden review with your opinions,
or wander outside, the weather's great. Phil laid out what he looked at,
how he evaluated the results, what *his* opinion was. Don't like it, great.

Regards,

Bryant Russell
Plymouth, Michigan, USA

[ike milligan]

Post by Bryant E. Russell
<SNIP>

Post by T***@yahoo.com
On Jun 10, 10:48 am, "Bryant E. Russell"

Post by Bryant E. Russell
Hi Phil,
THANK YOU for a very reasoned and detailed review! I'd be hard pressed to
think of even one other review of an accordion written in the last decade
that vividly takes one through the ins and outs of the instrument.
Well,
perhaps Mario B.'s trip to Italy was good too! OK, so in the top 2 (ha).
Regards.
Bryant Russell
Plymouth, MI, USA

<SNIP>
<NEXT SNIP>

Post by T***@yahoo.com
Yeah, great fucking review. HE contradicts the literature.
Ventur's review is good to wipe your ass with and not much more.

<SNIP>
Tommy - maybe you got something between your ears, but you try real hard
not to show it. Either put up a non-profanity laden review with your
opinions, or wander outside, the weather's great. Phil laid out what he
looked at, how he evaluated the results, what *his* opinion was. Don't
like it, great.
Regards,
Bryant Russell
Plymouth, Michigan, USA

I couldn't agree more with your review ot TM's review. If everyone would
unanimously say so, it might get him to clean up his mouth.

[Alan Sharkis]

Hello people,

Tommy has some decent credentials, and if he would only drop the
scatology, he'd be taken a lot more seriously by many of us.

He also has to tone down the emotional content of what he writes. Yes,
we all know that he doesn't like the V-Accordions, but the intensity
with which he expresses that dislike only serves to hide whatever is
backing up his opinions.

Tommy, if you're listening, put your thoughts on paper, put the paper
in a desk drawer, and take a look at it the next day before sending it
out. That works for me and most of the people I know.

Take care.

Alan

On Fri, 29 Jun 2007 02:38:23 GMT, "ike milligan"

Post by ike milligan

Post by Bryant E. Russell
<SNIP>

Post by T***@yahoo.com
On Jun 10, 10:48 am, "Bryant E. Russell"

Post by Bryant E. Russell
Hi Phil,
THANK YOU for a very reasoned and detailed review! I'd be hard pressed to
think of even one other review of an accordion written in the last decade
that vividly takes one through the ins and outs of the instrument.
Well,
perhaps Mario B.'s trip to Italy was good too! OK, so in the top 2 (ha).
Regards.
Bryant Russell
Plymouth, MI, USA

<SNIP>
<NEXT SNIP>

Post by T***@yahoo.com
Yeah, great fucking review. HE contradicts the literature.
Ventur's review is good to wipe your ass with and not much more.

<SNIP>
Tommy - maybe you got something between your ears, but you try real hard
not to show it. Either put up a non-profanity laden review with your
opinions, or wander outside, the weather's great. Phil laid out what he
looked at, how he evaluated the results, what *his* opinion was. Don't
like it, great.
Regards,
Bryant Russell
Plymouth, Michigan, USA

I couldn't agree more with your review ot TM's review. If everyone would
unanimously say so, it might get him to clean up his mouth.

--

If you really want to bug me via email, remove the "_fish" from the address above.

__

You can read the FAQ for alt.binaries.karaoke at:
http://members.chello.nl/~j.a.komrij/faq.html

[T***@yahoo.com]

What are the problems? part 6 of 9
There are a few things I'd need to consider... first of all there is
no savings in weight or bulk... the high-tech battery pack in the FR-7
is designed to easily get you through a Long gig, but that sucker is
heavy and not easily swapped out. Charging it is a bit of a hassle
(IMHO) as you are forced to attach the Accordion to a rather large
(by MIDI accordion standards) umbilical cord to this unwieldy
foot-pedal assembly just to recharge.
From practical experience, as we all know, the cable is always the
weakest link. We all buy or make a Spare for our MIDI accordions ASAP,
but THIS cable (actually about half as thick as a Cordovox cable) is
gonna cost you to have a duplicate, as it is quite unique. In practical
use the whole pedal assembly is kind of a drag, since the most powerful
features and benefits of this Instrument are compromised as soon as it
is tethered to the earth. I'd opine that the pedalboard is really not very
useful outside the Studio. Plus, dragging it all over creation just so you
can keep the beastie charged will get really old, really fast.
Doubtless the first thing I'd do if I owned one would be to re-engineer
the battery with an equivalent that I could wear in my back pocket
or on a beltpack. So I'd have a small cable from my belt to the Box,
so what... (I'd have that anyhow with my Wireless...)
You all DID realize that, right?

What they realize is that you are a jackoff. Buy a sedond battery
pack, leave it in the charger and switch between sets, you idiot. Re-
engineer your ass.

You need to send the acoustic sound from the V-Accordion to
your high quality PA system so you plug a wireless transmitter into
it just like any other accordion with Mic's, but there is totally
NO FEEDBACK...
cool, huh?

Almost correct. Do it properly, like sending it through a full-tone
driver and you can indeed get some great feedback. There are still
mics onstage to help you go into overdive mode.

But in principle, I agree with you on this one.



If you stripped the battery out of the box, I'm guessing you'd be

down to about 18 or 19 pounds in your arms,

WRONG AGAIN

The F -3 without speakers ind internal pre-amp weighs 19 pounds.

The F-7 is a hog, and with speakers and pre amp out weighs any
traditional accordion at 29 - 30 pounds. The F7s is a heavy, heavy
piece of crap.

for people like me who play on our feet. The weight of a Battery
would be easier to take close to the body and your center of gravity,
so IMHO this is "must do" Mod #1

You are an idiot.

You modifying the Roland V is like Jose Feleciano modyfying the Mona
Lisa with a paint roller.

Picking up and just playing the FR-7 isn't without a learning curve,

Ah, yeah it is. I hate the thing, but it doesn't take any special
skills. The keyboard is not up to the standards of a competition
keyboard, but who cares? Nobody worth a shit would use this thing to
play solo accordion music.

This is a great club instrument offering simplicity for simple
audiences who don't know the difference.

BTW, and here again I found the switching interface to be a

disappointment, even compared to the model FR-3. Basically, you
have to step back and forth through the "reedsets" (if there's a
shortcut to jumping to a particular set, it is NOT obvious)

You are an idiot. This is a Midi instrument you bufoon. You can
program the damned thing any way you want. Do you even understand what
MIDI capability entails?

though they look and press like Accordion shifts, you have to
memorize what they do as the layout is unique

Yeah, just like that blasted 120 bass configuration that to this day
has you clinging to the nice button with the shiny diamond in it.

This is the first reason why switching between, say, your AC and the
Roland V will be confusing to your brain. The second is the bellows.
Yeah, I know i said they are great and incredibly sensitive, but they
also don't feel OR squeeze like an acoustic accordion. Getting "used"
to the Roland bellows will take time (guarantee your back and arm
will be sore until you learn to lighten up naturally, and as second nature)

You are an idiot. Never in all my days playing was I sore from playing
the accordion. The bellows have a real feel to them.

I really can't imagine anyone going back and forth between normal
bellows motion and the Roland bellows motion... you would have to
choose one or the other (IMHO) I know I would. Sure, you can adapt,
I mean it's not as drastic as going from QWERTY to DVORAK keyboards,
but it takes CPU cycles to feather your touch to a level that is NOT
second nature because it is so different, and that is just enough
distraction to the brain that will prevent you from getting all you
can from the FR-7 if you don't make it your de-facto box.

[T***@yahoo.com]

flagship model FR-7 part 3 of 9
The top of the line model, however, is a very different story.
This instrument is a serious contender to other professional
accordions, and has enough depth of quality that it could
certainly be gigged as a main ax. However, I seriously opine
that if you chose this instrument as your principle accordion,
you would pretty much have to give up your standard acoustic
in order to truly mesh and become one with the Roland.
Interestingly enough, as I got more into playing the Roland FR-7,
and again later as it was being demonstrated by Chris Rybak
(a good Texas fella with nice chops indeed), my feeling became
strong that what we have here is not competition with the other
Reedless MIDI Accordions (because from a tethered position
many of them would beat the Roland overall) but actually the
FR-7 is the logical successor to the Organ Accordion.
in many ways the Roland V FR-7 is the pen-ultimate Chordovox.
As with our ElkaVox and SyntAccordions of old, we have a select
blend of Accordion and Electronic sounds, independent of all other
devices, self contained and ready to use. We have Upright Bass
and sweet Chord tones that free us from the grating left-hand reeds,
and it's sooooooooo smooth to switch back and forth from, say, a
hot Conjunto accordion reed-set to a schmaltzy Mariachi brass
ensemble just as quickly as your mind wills it.
Talk about a natural for Tex-Mex!
Jazz players will totally jam out with the Flute sound
(not Organ flute... I mean a real breathtaking Silver Flute that
jumps right out of the grille if you play your keys right)
Other features hearken back to the Organ's Glory days, like the
high or low note priority built into the Treble. This allows you to
blend, say, a solo Clarinette with the right hand chords of your
Accordion on a tune like "Moonlight Serenade", giving you a
clarinette on the melody line and accordion tones for the full chords.
There are a LOT of ways to use this type of feature in Jazz, same as
you had the Hammond percussive stops only on your lead-line and
never on your chords. So layer the silver Flute on high note priority
with the jazz Accordion, or the Middle reed on high note over a Rhodes.
If you've never had a device with this feature, trust me on this
one it is quite useful. A whole ton of Organs were demo'd and
sold in Malls all over the USA because this feature, used
tastefully, can really turn heads.

You are an idiot. Only a ocmplete jackoff would buy a digital
accordion to play shit like Moonlight Serenade. Good grief man, this
is 2007, what the hell is wrong with you?

[T***@yahoo.com]

Ventura, you are a buffoon. The sounds in the F -3 are IDENTICAL to
those in the more expensive models.

What is this "export reeds" Shit you are pulling out of your ass?

Here is a link to a good friend of mine demonstrating the F-3 at the
UK version of NAMM.

You will notice HE TOO DISAGREES WITH YOU and says THE SOUNDS ARE
IDENTICAL.

http://www.roland.co.uk/accordion_room_catdet.asp?id=fr3

Your review is full of mistruths it is despicable.

model FR-3 part 2 of 9

< the FR-3 has the advantage over its big brother.>

You nincompoop, all the 2007 models have the bellows control.

For some specific or niche Stage use, the FR-3 is a useful tool.
I could not recommend it, however, as a general purpose Gigging>>

Why not? Many bands gig with a 24, 36, 48 bass accordion, etc.

instrument due to limitations, such as the AA batteries which
are simple and handy, but which need to be swapped out at
least once per gig.

Wrong, depending on the work load you are doing the batteries can last
100 hours. Synthesizers do not draw much power.


The FR-3 platform might be compared to,

say, any Decent 3/4 Student acoustic model with export reeds.

You are an idiot. The sounds are identical, just not as abundant.

It is very likely that MIDI files created with the Roland FR-3 will
playback
in a realistic way, quite unlike MIDI's made on a flat keyboard, or
with a MIDI accordion that doesn't have the variety and degree of MIDI
expression as the Roland.>>

You are an idiot. A Midi file is a midi file. A computer program
doesn't have the bellows controlling technology of the V-turd. It has
no way of reproducing that. MIDI, is MIDI.

Interesting to note, and i can see the justification for it on this

Dude, NOBODY is going to plagerize this horseshit.

[ike milligan]

Post by T***@yahoo.com
Ventura, you are a buffoon. The sounds in the F -3 are IDENTICAL to
those in the more expensive models.
What is this "export reeds" Shit you are pulling out of your ass?

<...>
Not to denigrate the quality of this post, only to mention that I, for one,
haven't
the patience to read profane-laced diatribes, nor the excess leisure to
process whtever useful or not, information to get past the vitriol to figure
out what you are trying to say, if anything.
This is not meant to be a reflection on your character, just a humble
request to not post things that I waste my time if I open the message.

[r***@mont-alto.com]

Post by T***@yahoo.com
You are an idiot. A Midi file is a midi file. A computer program
doesn't have the bellows controlling technology of the V-turd. It has
no way of reproducing that.

Of course it does. MIDI is not just a player piano, notes on, notes
off. You can save information such as volume changes, pitch bends,
degree of vibrato, after-touch effects, and on and on. A properly made
MIDI accordion would record and save bellows pressure as a volume
effect in the MIDI file -- I don't know if the Roland does or not, but
since it measures bellows pressure for playback volume, it's a good
bet that it does. Before you call someone an "idiot," Tommy, you
should perhaps be slightly humble and realize that there's a
possibility that you may not understand what you're talking about.

And thanks to Ventura for an interesting and useful review. Don't let
Tommy's unjustifiable and childish potty-mouth ravings make you think
that the rest of us don't appreciate it. I doubt I'll ever own a
Roland accordion, but it's nice to get a detailed review of what's
happening in accordion development.

Rodney

[John's Musical]

Post by r***@mont-alto.com

Post by T***@yahoo.com
You are an idiot. A Midi file is a midi file. A computer program
doesn't have the bellows controlling technology of the V-turd. It has
no way of reproducing that.

Of course it does. MIDI is not just a player piano, notes on, notes
off. You can save information such as volume changes, pitch bends,
degree of vibrato, after-touch effects, and on and on. A properly made
MIDI accordion would record and save bellows pressure as a volume
effect in the MIDI file -- I don't know if the Roland does or not, but
since it measures bellows pressure for playback volume, it's a good
bet that it does. Before you call someone an "idiot," Tommy, you
should perhaps be slightly humble and realize that there's a
possibility that you may not understand what you're talking about.
And thanks to Ventura for an interesting and useful review. Don't let
Tommy's unjustifiable and childish potty-mouth ravings make you think
that the rest of us don't appreciate it. I doubt I'll ever own a
Roland accordion, but it's nice to get a detailed review of what's
happening in accordion development.
Rodney

Actually, - Tommy V is right.

A MIDI file is a MIDI file.

Any MIDI file player can only play back what was recorded as a finish song.

I do not believe that the R.V. has any capability to change it.

A MIDI file can be recorded with any reedless accordion (not just with R.V)or

any acoustic accordion fitted with the MIDI system or any keyboard etc.

R.V. has NO capability to play MIDI files or styles.

Perhaps you should take a look at the LIMEX MIDI system

which can play MIDI files and styles right from the accordion

and it definitely have much more to offer than R.V.

John

http://www.johnsaccordionservice.com/

[caps]

Post by John's Musical

Post by r***@mont-alto.com

Post by T***@yahoo.com
You are an idiot. A Midi file is a midi file. A computer program
doesn't have the bellows controlling technology of the V-turd. It has
no way of reproducing that.

Of course it does. MIDI is not just a player piano, notes on, notes
off. You can save information such as volume changes, pitch bends,
degree of vibrato, after-touch effects, and on and on. A properly made
MIDI accordion would record and save bellows pressure as a volume
effect in the MIDI file -- I don't know if the Roland does or not, but
since it measures bellows pressure for playback volume, it's a good
bet that it does. Before you call someone an "idiot," Tommy, you
should perhaps be slightly humble and realize that there's a
possibility that you may not understand what you're talking about.
And thanks to Ventura for an interesting and useful review. Don't let
Tommy's unjustifiable and childish potty-mouth ravings make you think
that the rest of us don't appreciate it. I doubt I'll ever own a
Roland accordion, but it's nice to get a detailed review of what's
happening in accordion development.
Rodney

Actually, - Tommy V is right.
A MIDI file is a MIDI file.
Any MIDI file player can only play back what was recorded as a finish song.
I do not believe that the R.V. has any capability to change it.
A MIDI file can be recorded with any reedless accordion (not just with R.V)or
any acoustic accordion fitted with the MIDI system or any keyboard etc.
R.V. has NO capability to play MIDI files or styles.
Perhaps you should take a look at the LIMEX MIDI system
which can play MIDI files and styles right from the accordion
and it definitely have much more to offer than R.V.
John
http://www.johnsaccordionservice.com/- Hide quoted text -
- Show quoted text -

No, Tomy is wrong. The Roland transmits many different control nuances
besides the notes on and off.
All of these translate to midi control codes and are recorded in
the computer or midi recorder making the midi file and they will be
play back as recorded. I
just looked at the Roland manual and it definitly say that it will
send control
sequences for keytouch,volumn, bellow control, etc.

And once it is recorded, any of these control codes can be modified by
most midi music programs.

I am not sure I understand what you are trying to say about the
Limex. Is there some way to load a midi file into the Limex accordion
and
then have the accordion play it back - like a player piano? How does
it do this? Does it have a disk drive or USB port?

John C.

[John's Musical]

Post by caps

Post by John's Musical

Post by r***@mont-alto.com

Post by T***@yahoo.com
You are an idiot. A Midi file is a midi file. A computer program
doesn't have the bellows controlling technology of the V-turd. It has
no way of reproducing that.

Of course it does. MIDI is not just a player piano, notes on, notes
off. You can save information such as volume changes, pitch bends,
degree of vibrato, after-touch effects, and on and on. A properly made
MIDI accordion would record and save bellows pressure as a volume
effect in the MIDI file -- I don't know if the Roland does or not, but
since it measures bellows pressure for playback volume, it's a good
bet that it does. Before you call someone an "idiot," Tommy, you
should perhaps be slightly humble and realize that there's a
possibility that you may not understand what you're talking about.
And thanks to Ventura for an interesting and useful review. Don't let
Tommy's unjustifiable and childish potty-mouth ravings make you think
that the rest of us don't appreciate it. I doubt I'll ever own a
Roland accordion, but it's nice to get a detailed review of what's
happening in accordion development.
Rodney

Actually, - Tommy V is right.
A MIDI file is a MIDI file.
Any MIDI file player can only play back what was recorded as a finish song.
I do not believe that the R.V. has any capability to change it.
A MIDI file can be recorded with any reedless accordion (not just with R.V)or
any acoustic accordion fitted with the MIDI system or any keyboard etc.
R.V. has NO capability to play MIDI files or styles.
Perhaps you should take a look at the LIMEX MIDI system
which can play MIDI files and styles right from the accordion
and it definitely have much more to offer than R.V.
John
http://www.johnsaccordionservice.com/- Hide quoted text -
- Show quoted text -

No, Tomy is wrong. The Roland transmits many different control nuances
besides the notes on and off.
All of these translate to midi control codes and are recorded in
the computer or midi recorder making the midi file and they will be
play back as recorded. I
just looked at the Roland manual and it definitly say that it will
send control
sequences for keytouch,volumn, bellow control, etc.
And once it is recorded, any of these control codes can be modified by
most midi music programs.

It got nothing to do just with Roland V.

Post by caps
I am not sure I understand what you are trying to say about the
Limex. Is there some way to load a midi file into the Limex accordion

Of course , YES.

Post by caps
and
then have the accordion play it back - like a player piano?

Yes, the MIDI files and styles are stored on the LIMEX MMC flash card

and can be played right back from the accordion.

Basically, everything is located inside of the accordion, - it just can be
plugged into an amp, pa, radio, etc

and also what is good about it - the weight, and is added to the accordion
(any accordion) only max. 13 oz.

You can load from the PC up to 2000 or 3000 or 5000 or more MIDI files(it
all depends what

capacity of the card is used (in MB) )

and then you can play with an acoustic accordion,

also you can mute any of the 16 channels and fill in as a solo player with
the MIDI file, etc,etc

The same things are with the styles, - you are in the control of it

and they follow you as you normally play your own acoustic accordion.



How does

Post by caps
it do this? Does it have a disk drive or USB port?

Yes, it does have a USB port. You can connect the accordion to your PC

and you can do a lot of things right on the PC and write back to the
accordion .



Can R.V. do this?,- LOL, --Of course NOT.

Regards, John

Post by caps
John C.

[T***@yahoo.com]

Roland's Virtual Accordions part 1 of 9
Recently, I enjoyed an evening with the Roland Virtual Accordion,
and thought I'd share my impressions with you. This is not a full
review, as I did not have the instrument in my shop for a teardown
or close physical exam.
This article represents my personal views only.
There are basically two models, from which all variants are derived.
The two platforms share several things in common, significantly in
the Bass and Chord modes. In the Tradition of the Roland Virtual
Harpsichord, they have studied and included a whole raft of variants
so that Students and fanatics alike can have the chance to access
6 different stradella Key patterns as well as 5 freebass modes.
This alone is kinda awesome, and i feel in the Spirit of how Roland
and Mr. Kakehashi have always done things. The average student
would never be able to afford all those different varieties... only a
select few have that kind of opportunity in a lifetime. But in the
VR accordion, you can explore essentially a roomful of
free reed instruments.
There was not time to map into the details, so i'm not sure if the
individual tuning of notes feature extend to the bass as well,
but if i could run 3 rows of Bass with one counter an octave off
the prime, and let's see... i'll take major minor and diminished for
the chords... You all know the first song i'm gonna do is
"Purple Haze"

Ah Ventura,

again you are full of shit and make yourself look like an idiot. I
have a few questions for you...........

1) If you spent an evening with the V accordion, how can you offer
comment on the models you didn't use?

2) How did you come by the V-turd? The ROland South US sales group is
sending me a new F-3 to critique. Where did yours come from?

3) Two Models?

You buffoon, there are 10 models.

F -3
F-3s
F-5
F-5s
F-7
F-7s

Likewise there are two models of chromatic (button)versions with and
without speakers.

[Accordion Americana]

I was so excited about the Fx-1 v accordion when I heard Richard Noel perform St. Louis Blues. I thought, it sounded great and, along with the small size, I was sold. But, I sold myself on the idea that using other voices when backing up other performers would be a good experience. I can compare it to expecting to bring home an endearing doggie, but getting a Pitbull instead. Some traits are just “built in” and one has to live with it, or not. So, 4 months into my “relationship” with my Fx-1, I have yet to play anything straight through without adjusting, questioning my settings, resetting, stopping, starting and stopping again. Every time I pick it up, it never sounds right, whether it’s the balance of tone, volume or other, in spite of setting the parameters, again and again. Once I believe I have it set up appropriately, any change to the environment, even a 12-foot ceiling as opposed to a home ceiling, or a hard surface as opposed to a carpeted room, seems to change the sound of the instrument, not just the need for more or less volume. It’s a constant balancing act demanding your attention. It eats up time and detracts from the creative process of making music. Every song demands a different adjustment, which is tedious.
It’s not as though I haven’t read the manual. I have read it, again and again, attempting to learn it thoroughly and have taken copious notes. The salesman said, “remember, it IS a computer”, setting it up in my mind that there is a major learning curve. I’m not unrealistic about that, having had several computers, to date and always have been my own geek for years. I have learned the “lay of the land”, such as the instrument features and setting the parameters, and have learned to download user sets. But, what I can’t learn or make up for is this instrument’s inability to sustain chords, both right hand and left. I’ve learned to use a dual setting with accordion and orchestra, so one is able to take the cruel edge off of a right-hand chord. However, I can’t find a satisfactory way to fully overcome this trait. It’s built in. The experience has been more than just purchasing a new computer, because, like dogs, it’s an altogether different breed of instrument.
The bellows, in particular, lends a very strange element to the package. In spite of adjustments, one must keep up a continuous pressure, in and out, or the sound immediately dies. There is no room for forgiveness. It’s more than “hard to get used to”, but rather, it’s like a little enemy, not a friend, to the music. By setting it in a fixed position, it makes it somewhat easier, but then, there is no bellows expression at all, which has a deadening effect on the music. The bellows doesn’t perform right, and along with the bass section and its strange tonal layout and selection of odd voices, it is always a struggle. It either roars out or is far too faint, in spite of adjustments. Because of the bass section and bellows, I haven’t been able to bring the Fx-1 together as one, unified instrument. When I tried to perform with it, using one of the organ voices to back up a fellow club member who sang, “Walking After Midnight”, I was told that the bass line wasn’t loud enough to be heard distinctly, even though it sounded loud enough before the performance. I am beginning to believe that this instrument wasn’t designed with an accordion player in mind, but rather a “keyboard player” with a band that isn’t really an accordion player, just someone who needs one every now and then. These people generally do not have a working knowledge of the bass section of an accordion, so they don’t use it.
I’ve learned that my style of playing doesn’t lend itself to this instrument and vice versa. I’m not sure what I heard when Mr. Noel played the St. Louis Blues, perhaps it was the sound of the saxophone that was so mesmerizing, but after all of the time I have spent with this instrument, I learned that I don’t gravitate toward the voicing of instruments that aren’t the sound of the accordion, no matter how “real” they sound. I’m asking more of a traditional accordion, not an entirely different instrument. There is a real difference in the way this electronic instrument performs compared to a good quality acoustic piano accordion. If you are a player that goes for rapid-fire runs and staccato riffs, perhaps you will thrive with this instrument. However, if you are an Americana style player, like I am, that has a more relaxed, simplistic style who is inspired by the wide open spaces between the notes just as much as the note or chord itself, and in love with the bellows with its impact on expression, you will have a problem with this instrument. Save your money and put it toward an acoustic accordion with a built-in pickup, so you can amplify it as needed.

[Alan Sharkis]

On Mon, 14 Aug 2017 09:03:11 -0700 (PDT), Accordion Americana

I was so excited about the Fx-1 v accordion when I heard Richard Noel perform St. Louis Blues. I thought, it sounded great and, along with the small size, I was sold. But, I sold myself on the idea that using other voices when backing up other performers would be a good experience. I can compare it to expecting to bring home an endearing doggie, but getting a Pitbull instead. Some traits are just “built in” and one has to live with it, or not. So, 4 months into my “relationship” with my Fx-1, I have yet to play anything straight through without adjusting, questioning my settings, resetting, stopping, starting and stopping again. Every time I pick it up, it never sounds right, whether it’s the balance of tone, volume or other, in spite of setting the parameters, again and again. Once I believe I have it set up appropriately, any change to the environment, even a 12-foot ceiling as opposed to a home ceiling, or a hard surface as opposed to a carpeted room, seems to change the sound

of

the instrument, not just the need for more or less volume. It’s a constant balancing act demanding your attention. It eats up time and detracts from the creative process of making music. Every song demands a different adjustment, which is tedious.
It’s not as though I haven’t read the manual. I have read it, again and again, attempting to learn it thoroughly and have taken copious notes. The salesman said, “remember, it IS a computer”, setting it up in my mind that there is a major learning curve. I’m not unrealistic about that, having had several computers, to date and always have been my own geek for years. I have learned the “lay of the land”, such as the instrument features and setting the parameters, and have learned to download user sets. But, what I can’t learn or make up for is this instrument’s inability to sustain chords, both right hand and left. I’ve learned to use a dual setting with accordion and orchestra, so one is able to take the cruel edge off of a right-hand chord. However, I can’t find a satisfactory way to fully overcome this trait. It’s built in. The experience has been more than just purchasing a new computer, because, like dogs, it’s an altogether different breed of instrument.
The bellows, in particular, lends a very strange element to the package. In spite of adjustments, one must keep up a continuous pressure, in and out, or the sound immediately dies. There is no room for forgiveness. It’s more than “hard to get used to”, but rather, it’s like a little enemy, not a friend, to the music. By setting it in a fixed position, it makes it somewhat easier, but then, there is no bellows expression at all, which has a deadening effect on the music. The bellows doesn’t perform right, and along with the bass section and its strange tonal layout and selection of odd voices, it is always a struggle. It either roars out or is far too faint, in spite of adjustments. Because of the bass section and bellows, I haven’t been able to bring the Fx-1 together as one, unified instrument. When I tried to perform with it, using one of the organ voices to back up a fellow club member who sang, “Walking After Midnight”, I was told that the bass line wasn’t loud enough to be
heard distinctly, even though it sounded loud enough before the performance. I am beginning to believe that this instrument wasn’t designed with an accordion player in mind, but rather a “keyboard player” with a band that isn’t really an accordion player, just someone who needs one every now and then. These people generally do not have a working knowledge of the bass section of an accordion, so they don’t use it.
I’ve learned that my style of playing doesn’t lend itself to this instrument and vice versa. I’m not sure what I heard when Mr. Noel played the St. Louis Blues, perhaps it was the sound of the saxophone that was so mesmerizing, but after all of the time I have spent with this instrument, I learned that I don’t gravitate toward the voicing of instruments that aren’t the sound of the accordion, no matter how “real” they sound. I’m asking more of a traditional accordion, not an entirely different instrument. There is a real difference in the way this electronic instrument performs compared to a good quality acoustic piano accordion. If you are a player that goes for rapid-fire runs and staccato riffs, perhaps you will thrive with this instrument. However, if you are an Americana style player, like I am, that has a more relaxed, simplistic style who is inspired by the wide open spaces between the notes just as much as the note or chord itself, and in love with the bellows with its
impact on expression, you will have a problem with this instrument. Save your money and put it toward an acoustic accordion with a built-in pickup, so you can amplify it as needed.

I don't have a V-accordion, but there are some things that you
mentioned that fall into the category of general knowledge, and a few
regarding the V-accordions that you may not have considered.

Carpeted surfaces, overstuffed furniture, heavy draperies "deaden" the
acoustics of a room. Sound will be absorbed in general, with high
frequencies absorbed more than middle and low frequencies. If you
haven't heard this while playing other instruments, there are other
factors involved. But it's not a fault of the V-accordions or their
design.

Richard Noel's videos are ther result of some very sophisticated audio
and video engineering, as well as his very complete knowledge of how
to program and tweak the sounds of the instrument. His videos are
just as good, if not better at attracting people to the instrument
than the videos put out by Roland. But he's had lots of experience
with the instruments. I'd be curious about where you bought yours
because I've learned that some Roland dealers will allow you to come
back to them for lessons on programming the instrument, but others
just sell the instrument, wish you luck, and say, "goodbye."

You are correct in saying that the instrument works more like the
typical electronic keyboard than like an acoustic accordion.
But please consider that the original Roland accordions were inspired
by the late president of Roland, himself an accordionist. Also
consider the advantages that it has over an acoustic accordion. You
can take it to environments that you'd rather not take an acoustic
accordion -- near the ocean, for example. If you're a professional
accordionist (I'm not) that's a big consideration. If you're in a
small room you can really get by with the built-in speakers and not
have to lug around an amplifier. And for those gigs that do require
amplification, you can still lug the amplifier around.

I had a reedless accordion, not a Roland, when my back was giving me
trouble. I found that it had problems. Meanwhile, I joined an
amateur band and the reedless supplied the sounds of instruments the
band didn't have, but needed. The audiences we had (we volunteered to
play for some organizations) weren't sophisticated enough to say that
the clarinet sound, for example, wasn't natural enough or that it was
strange to hear a clarinet sound coming out of an accordion. When the
problems with the reedless became apparent, I decided to buy an
acoustic accordion with mikes and midi built in. But after two of the
band members passed away, I found myself using the other instrument
sounds in the midi much less often. If you're not thrilled with the
orchestral sounds in the V-accordion, you still have a couple of
choices. You can, to some degree, program those sounds more to your
liking, or you can purchase an external midi module and learn how to
access its sounds from the V-accordion.

My accordion teacher, also a very in-demand accordionist locally, has
a decades-old Petosa and a lot of electronics that go with it. But he
also has a Roland FR-8x and, more recently, a Roland FR-4x, which he
uses at those long weekend restaurant gigs. So, he has the best of
both worlds and he is convinced that there are places for the Rolands
and places for acoustic accordions.

Just my very long 2¢.

Alan

[Ike Milligan]

Post by Alan Sharkis
On Mon, 14 Aug 2017 09:03:11 -0700 (PDT), Accordion Americana

Post by Accordion Americana
I was so excited about the Fx-1 v accordion when I heard Richard Noel perform St. Louis Blues. I thought, it sounded great and, along with the small size, I was sold. But, I sold myself on the idea that using other voices when backing up other performers would be a good experience. I can compare it to expecting to bring home an endearing doggie, but getting a Pitbull instead. Some traits are just “built in” and one has to live with it, or not. So, 4 months into my “relationship” with my Fx-1, I have yet to play anything straight through without adjusting, questioning my settings, resetting, stopping, starting and stopping again. Every time I pick it up, it never sounds right, whether it’s the balance of tone, volume or other, in spite of setting the parameters, again and again. Once I believe I have it set up appropriately, any change to the environment, even a 12-foot ceiling as opposed to a home ceiling, or a hard surface as opposed to a carpeted room, seems to change the sound

of

Post by Accordion Americana
the instrument, not just the need for more or less volume. It’s a constant balancing act demanding your attention. It eats up time and detracts from the creative process of making music. Every song demands a different adjustment, which is tedious.
It’s not as though I haven’t read the manual. I have read it, again and again, attempting to learn it thoroughly and have taken copious notes. The salesman said, “remember, it IS a computer”, setting it up in my mind that there is a major learning curve. I’m not unrealistic about that, having had several computers, to date and always have been my own geek for years. I have learned the “lay of the land”, such as the instrument features and setting the parameters, and have learned to download user sets. But, what I can’t learn or make up for is this instrument’s inability to sustain chords, both right hand and left. I’ve learned to use a dual setting with accordion and orchestra, so one is able to take the cruel edge off of a right-hand chord. However, I can’t find a satisfactory way to fully overcome this trait. It’s built in. The experience has been more than just purchasing a new computer, because, like dogs, it’s an altogether different breed of instrument.
The bellows, in particular, lends a very strange element to the package. In spite of adjustments, one must keep up a continuous pressure, in and out, or the sound immediately dies. There is no room for forgiveness. It’s more than “hard to get used to”, but rather, it’s like a little enemy, not a friend, to the music. By setting it in a fixed position, it makes it somewhat easier, but then, there is no bellows expression at all, which has a deadening effect on the music. The bellows doesn’t perform right, and along with the bass section and its strange tonal layout and selection of odd voices, it is always a struggle. It either roars out or is far too faint, in spite of adjustments. Because of the bass section and bellows, I haven’t been able to bring the Fx-1 together as one, unified instrument. When I tried to perform with it, using one of the organ voices to back up a fellow club member who sang, “Walking After Midnight”, I was told that the bass line wasn’t loud enough to be
heard distinctly, even though it sounded loud enough before the performance. I am beginning to believe that this instrument wasn’t designed with an accordion player in mind, but rather a “keyboard player” with a band that isn’t really an accordion player, just someone who needs one every now and then. These people generally do not have a working knowledge of the bass section of an accordion, so they don’t use it.
I’ve learned that my style of playing doesn’t lend itself to this instrument and vice versa. I’m not sure what I heard when Mr. Noel played the St. Louis Blues, perhaps it was the sound of the saxophone that was so mesmerizing, but after all of the time I have spent with this instrument, I learned that I don’t gravitate toward the voicing of instruments that aren’t the sound of the accordion, no matter how “real” they sound. I’m asking more of a traditional accordion, not an entirely different instrument. There is a real difference in the way this electronic instrument performs compared to a good quality acoustic piano accordion. If you are a player that goes for rapid-fire runs and staccato riffs, perhaps you will thrive with this instrument. However, if you are an Americana style player, like I am, that has a more relaxed, simplistic style who is inspired by the wide open spaces between the notes just as much as the note or chord itself, and in love with the bellows with its
impact on expression, you will have a problem with this instrument. Save your money and put it toward an acoustic accordion with a built-in pickup, so you can amplify it as needed.

I don't have a V-accordion, but there are some things that you
mentioned that fall into the category of general knowledge, and a few
regarding the V-accordions that you may not have considered.
Carpeted surfaces, overstuffed furniture, heavy draperies "deaden" the
acoustics of a room. Sound will be absorbed in general, with high
frequencies absorbed more than middle and low frequencies. If you
haven't heard this while playing other instruments, there are other
factors involved. But it's not a fault of the V-accordions or their
design.
Richard Noel's videos are ther result of some very sophisticated audio
and video engineering, as well as his very complete knowledge of how
to program and tweak the sounds of the instrument. His videos are
just as good, if not better at attracting people to the instrument
than the videos put out by Roland. But he's had lots of experience
with the instruments. I'd be curious about where you bought yours
because I've learned that some Roland dealers will allow you to come
back to them for lessons on programming the instrument, but others
just sell the instrument, wish you luck, and say, "goodbye."
You are correct in saying that the instrument works more like the
typical electronic keyboard than like an acoustic accordion.
But please consider that the original Roland accordions were inspired
by the late president of Roland, himself an accordionist. Also
consider the advantages that it has over an acoustic accordion. You
can take it to environments that you'd rather not take an acoustic
accordion -- near the ocean, for example. If you're a professional
accordionist (I'm not) that's a big consideration. If you're in a
small room you can really get by with the built-in speakers and not
have to lug around an amplifier. And for those gigs that do require
amplification, you can still lug the amplifier around.
I had a reedless accordion, not a Roland, when my back was giving me
trouble. I found that it had problems. Meanwhile, I joined an
amateur band and the reedless supplied the sounds of instruments the
band didn't have, but needed. The audiences we had (we volunteered to
play for some organizations) weren't sophisticated enough to say that
the clarinet sound, for example, wasn't natural enough or that it was
strange to hear a clarinet sound coming out of an accordion. When the
problems with the reedless became apparent, I decided to buy an
acoustic accordion with mikes and midi built in. But after two of the
band members passed away, I found myself using the other instrument
sounds in the midi much less often. If you're not thrilled with the
orchestral sounds in the V-accordion, you still have a couple of
choices. You can, to some degree, program those sounds more to your
liking, or you can purchase an external midi module and learn how to
access its sounds from the V-accordion.
My accordion teacher, also a very in-demand accordionist locally, has
a decades-old Petosa and a lot of electronics that go with it. But he
also has a Roland FR-8x and, more recently, a Roland FR-4x, which he
uses at those long weekend restaurant gigs. So, he has the best of
both worlds and he is convinced that there are places for the Rolands
and places for acoustic accordions.
Just my very long

[ciao_accordion]

10 years since i reviewed the FR7 FR5 models
and then helped introduce them for Roland
during a Coupe Mondiale event here in
Alexandria VA. (USA)

now with the perspective of Time it is
interesting to think on what the Roland
impact to the world of Accordions has been.

also interesting to note the unfortunately poor
level of support the company gave their product,
and their European operations in general.

First of all, the good news is that older
models of the V-Accordion are typically
available at very low prices for anyone
interested in experimenting

this must be tempered with the reality that
each model has it's "achillies" point, which
can turn your Roland Accordion into a doorstop.

FR-3 and 3x models are typically seen below $2000
often closer to $1200-1500 .. but the weak bass strap
mounting and plastic is difficult to repair.. in addition
the power socket is complex (with an internal switch)
and prone to breaking. That said, the FR3 series easily
interfaces with MIDI gear, does not suffer from the
falsebottom of other models aftertouch keyboard,
uses conventional batteries, and has some truly
excellent French Accordion voicings

FR-7 models can be seen as low as $1500,
and are the most reliable by far of all the full sized
V-Accordions. They are limited in function but do not
suffer the bellows balance calibration problems and
other nagging little software issues of later models.

FR-7x are often seen as low as $2500, but also suffer
from the dreaded lines on the viewscreen which
progressively worsen (and for which there is no cure)
so although the model does offer a truly improved
key-action, better matched audio output levels
(now any wireless can be used) and the USB
playport (for playback of MP3 accompaniments)

replacement Viewscreen modules are NO LONGER AVAILABLE
for the FR7x, which means ONCE YOU SCREEN becomes
unreadable, if you have not memorized your programming
and switching scheme, the accordion will be rendered
unplayable (for professional use)

the 7, 5, and 7x models all share the old BoatAnchor
power supply... it must be noted that there is a
critical component (the actual power supply internal
switching board module) that occasionally fails, and
for which NO REPLACEMENT PARTS are available.
(nor ever will be... Roland USA had been butchering
new stock for replacement parts to service warranties
even before the models were discontinued)

support for repair has worsened as well, now that
current Roland USA management has declared a policy
of ONLY PROVIDING REPLACEMENT PARTS through authorized
Roland Repair centers... so outside of occasional
availability of the FR-7/8 battery pack at the accessories
online store, for most people and most situations any
failure of a critical component will render these devices
mute and useless (except as funeral urns, and other
objects D'Art)

personally, i owe a great debt to Iketuro Kakehashi and his
old friend and rival Kotoh for their pioneering products
which fueled MY Midi-mad race to escape the confines of
my Cordovox infused Rock n Roll youth... i miss them now they
are gone, and am saddened to see that, while Korg remains
refreshingly true to their history and roots, Roland has pretty much
walked away from their legacy as quickly as they could
since taking the company private

In conclusion, if you have always wanted to try a Roland,
prices will likely continue to drop, so even if you only
get 5 years or so before it dies it is not that much money
to throw away on a lark (compared to original prices)

final note, i would steer clear of the 8 series models
with the ridiculous and problematic stepper motor
controlled bellows... my information is that fully
1/3 of the model run has been butchered for parts
to service the incredible failure rate

European markets have some additional resources with the old
Gwerder (fr-3 in disguise) and now the EVO Bugari
involvement, as well as far more independent and robust
Repair and Servicing support available in England

Ciao

Ventura

(i currently enjoy a white FR-3 and white FR-7x as well
as my Excelsior Midivox units and the old Cordovox
with midi adapter in my electronic accordion arsenal)

[Bob van der Poel]

Post by Ventura
Roland's Virtual Accordions part 1 of 9
Recently, I enjoyed an evening with the Roland Virtual Accordion,
and thought I’d share my impressions with you. This is not a full
review, as I did not have the instrument in my shop for a teardown
or close physical exam.
This article represents my personal views only.
There are basically two models, from which all variants are derived.
The two platforms share several things in common, significantly in
the Bass and Chord modes. In the Tradition of the Roland Virtual
Harpsichord, they have studied and included a whole raft of variants
so that Students and fanatics alike can have the chance to access
6 different stradella Key patterns as well as 5 freebass modes.
This alone is kinda awesome, and i feel in the Spirit of how Roland
and Mr. Kakehashi have always done things. The average student
would never be able to afford all those different varieties... only a
select few have that kind of opportunity in a lifetime. But in the
VR accordion, you can explore essentially a roomful of
free reed instruments.
There was not time to map into the details, so i'm not sure if the
individual tuning of notes feature extend to the bass as well,
but if i could run 3 rows of Bass with one counter an octave off
the prime, and let's see... i'll take major minor and diminished for
the chords... You all know the first song i'm gonna do is
"Purple Haze"

This very interesting. I'm in the "sure would like to try one, but don't want to spend thousands just to see" camp. For now I'll stick with my "real" piano accordion made 40+ years ago. At least I can fix that one!

[Ike Milligan]

Post by Bob van der Poel

Post by Ventura
Roland's Virtual Accordions part 1 of 9
Recently, I enjoyed an evening with the Roland Virtual Accordion,
and thought I’d share my impressions with you. This is not a full
review, as I did not have the instrument in my shop for a teardown
or close physical exam.
This article represents my personal views only.
There are basically two models, from which all variants are derived.
The two platforms share several things in common, significantly in
the Bass and Chord modes. In the Tradition of the Roland Virtual
Harpsichord, they have studied and included a whole raft of variants
so that Students and fanatics alike can have the chance to access
6 different stradella Key patterns as well as 5 freebass modes.
This alone is kinda awesome, and i feel in the Spirit of how Roland
and Mr. Kakehashi have always done things. The average student
would never be able to afford all those different varieties... only a
select few have that kind of opportunity in a lifetime. But in the
VR accordion, you can explore essentially a roomful of
free reed instruments.
There was not time to map into the details, so i'm not sure if the
individual tuning of notes feature extend to the bass as well,
but if i could run 3 rows of Bass with one counter an octave off
the prime, and let's see... i'll take major minor and diminished for
the chords... You all know the first song i'm gonna do is
"Purple Haze"

This very interesting. I'm in the "sure would like to try one, but don't want to spend thousands just to see" camp. For now I'll stick with my "real" piano accordion made 40+ years ago. At least I can fix that one!

The Roland is not a "free reed" instrument, it is an electronic keyboard
instrument. If an accordion is a free reed instrument, the Roland is not
an accordion.