treasure - maybe

[ed]

Yesterday Sebastian came running in the house saying there was a keyboard out on the pavement with a note to say 'free to takeaway'. I said "but you've already persuaded us to buy you 3 keyboards for your computer, No more!". "No dad, not a computer keyboard"....so I was dragged out to have look.

well, wadyaknow.....

a90.jpg (171.12 KiB) Viewed 11180 times

A good(seemingly) condition Roland A-90.
I turned it on and the screen displayed everything it should and all the buttons worked and lit up and all the keys were solid action. mmmm.
I plugged the headphones in and nothing came out. mmmm.

an hour of googling later and I discovered that the A-90 was, and still is, a much respected midi stage controller......and with the addition of a plug in board it can be a stage piano. I downloaded the plug-in installation instructions and removed the control panel to discover this machine didn't have the plug-in installed, so the line-out and headphone sockets are not connected to anything. The plug-in in question is VE-RD1 and there are a couple for sale ob the web at £2-300. Sebastian was v.disapponted...

I am currently waiting delivery of a pair of usb-midi cables as I don't have any spare and the ones I do have are plumbed into the woodwork in the studio. Fingers crossed that the midi side of the machine works and I can rig him up a temp solution with his computer.....

I don't suppose anyone has a spare VE-RD1 that they don't want....

[steve s]

Impressive Ed, that's the Ella Street community at work for you !

[Paul Barker]

Nice story; I don’t know what the bare unit sells for but sounds like a great find in itself. Hope midi connects

[ed]

Nice story; I don’t know what the bare unit sells for but sounds like a great find in itself. Hope midi connects

keyboard was £2k+ when new in 1996. Cables arrived and midi works ok...but the latency on windows with usb connection is unnacceptable at the mo...I am creeping up on it.....perseverence to prevent it ending up at the tip.

edit: asio4all drivers, steinberg UR22 and windows gswavetable.....I'm currently suspecting the windows gswavetable

edit1: yes deffo treasure....the latency has been eradicated with ur22 defined as output..all is as original spec

[andrew Ivimey]

Looking good then....

I've left out of the gates at Bedford Towers a korg yhingie, a wavestation ex and a yamaha 500 thingie else. Gone blindingly quickly....I hope to a 'good' home.

Apart from a roland rack thing I use Garageband 'cos it's sooo easy.

Lots of guitars and devices which can plug into whatever I still use.

Has anybody heard Rob O'Reilly midi guitars? Totally the real thing- fab.

[ed]

Has anybody heard Rob O'Reilly midi guitars? Totally the real thing- fab.

no but I am aware they exist. Over 20 years ago I bought an album by Bill Harkleroad(aka zoot horn rollo) , "we saw a bozo under the sea".
It was released as a personal venture but may be available generally now. Anyway, that was the first time I heard midi guitar, and yes, I thought the real thing. The nearest I came was when I bought a line6 500....totally regret selling it.