Is it possible for Roland to...

[Ill Green]

Design a more advanced OS for the 606? JJ did it for the MPC and it makes the OS run totally different than the Akai OS. But can that be done with the 606.

Just imagine the possibilities, extra polyphony, able to sample patterns, better navigation, advanced time stretching with option to key lock or pitch, like the OS of an MV but miniaturized to fit in the 606.

The technology is there in the box, I believe they can create such a brain chip to make this happen. Damn that would be crazy but a fine idea because money could be saved from manufacturing because all you have to do is upgrade it.

What do you guys think?

[cartesia]

Roland aint gonna do it, and they aint gonna give the code to anyone else - if they let people upgrade their discontinued products, nobody's gonna be buying their new ones!

The people that made the JJ OS are ex-akai employees who had the code for MPCs with them...

Without the code an OS rewrite is just too much of a headfuck...

Writing a new SP OS from scratch would be easier - IF we had the schematics for an SP AND it had a commonly used/known processor, AND if we had a few professional programmers with lots of free time.

mods/admin can we get a sticky of some sort explaining the whole thing about operating systems or hardware alterations?

Things like polyphony etc are limitations of the hardware.. you cant just reprogram it and be like "set polyphony to 128".. its about the speed of the processor, things like that.

.. seems like there is a new thread like this every time i look here..
it sucks that things are like this, but thats just the way it is.

[Ill Green]

Had no idea there was another thread on this, I thought I read every thread here.

I'm not a tech person except reading up on specs, but the idea just came to me when I was upgrading my comp just by downloading a newer program to the old.

Well, carry on ppl. Nothing here to see.

[PHeMoX]

I wonder though, perhaps JJ OS is one of the reasons why the MPC1000 and MPC2500 are popular, but it's perhaps also the reason why the MPC5000 got a very bad review by the MPC crowd used to JJ OS.

I think Roland might be interested in competing against the MPC1000 with a new machine, but they're certainly not going to update the SP-606 anymore.

I think they're still aiming at the high-end though with the MV series and it seems they're pretty successful at that.

[cartesia]

Roland would have to be very fullon if they wanted to take on the MPC1000/etc range..

I don't think theyd simply do a product upgrade if they were gonna take that on.. they'd have to release some crazy shit.. but then I dunno what they'd do to not undermine the MV position.. maybe they're stuck cos of the MVs! cant give em up since they invested alot in it, but can't undercut them with something too powerful

[kungfu_panda]

Roland would have to be very fullon if they wanted to take on the MPC1000/etc range..

I don't think theyd simply do a product upgrade if they were gonna take that on.. they'd have to release some crazy shit.. but then I dunno what they'd do to not undermine the MV position.. maybe they're stuck cos of the MVs! cant give em up since they invested alot in it, but can't undercut them with something too powerful

agree!

however, if they come out with a 666, with just maybe 64-voice, more than 4 track, use CF card >=1GB or SDHC for a little lower $1000 (1k's retail), i think there's potential market for that.

[cartesia]

yeah a 666 could be dope.. plus theyd have satan on board.. bound to help sell a few! either that or based off the 505.

I think even 64 voice would be more than necessary.. cost cutting should be at the front of our minds, since roland aint gonna want to spend money.

24 mono/12 stereo should be enough really... even 20m/10s..

amp envelope (even if its just an effect that you have to resample from)

loop start/end points separate to sample start/end.

real/normal pitch. (also a side-effect of this - ability to choose pitching instead of timestretching for changing the BPM)

ditch the d-beam.. sure its fun to wave your hand around.. but lets cut costs here to make roland happy!

2 effects at once.. keep the current set of mfx, they're fine.

velo sensitive pads.. already there.

4 outputs - 1 master stereo pair, and the other 2 you can assign samples to go out of instead of the master (either as 2 mono outs or another stereo)

4-track sequencing.

keep it simple like an SP should... hardly any upgrades at all really and it would be so much better.


Just a thought
We should start a new thread and toss around ideas and come up with an official list of features that we believe should be in this product... Then once we've all decided on it (keeping in mind MINIMAL COST)
we should send it to roland, saying this is what the SP-Forums recommend (with everyone's username, real name, location/contact details listed underneath it).

[kungfu_panda]

Just a thought
We should start a new thread and toss around ideas and come up with an official list of features that we believe should be in this product... Then once we've all decided on it (keeping in mind MINIMAL COST)
we should send it to roland, saying this is what the SP-Forums recommend (with everyone's username, real name, location/contact details listed underneath it).

i've checked your other thread. great idea. now only if we could get Roland to listen up.

[PHeMoX]

yeah a 666 could be dope.. plus theyd have satan on board.. bound to help sell a few! either that or based off the 505.

I think even 64 voice would be more than necessary.. cost cutting should be at the front of our minds, since roland aint gonna want to spend money.

24 mono/12 stereo should be enough really... even 20m/10s..

amp envelope (even if its just an effect that you have to resample from)

loop start/end points separate to sample start/end.

real/normal pitch. (also a side-effect of this - ability to choose pitching instead of timestretching for changing the BPM)

ditch the d-beam.. sure its fun to wave your hand around.. but lets cut costs here to make roland happy!

2 effects at once.. keep the current set of mfx, they're fine.

velo sensitive pads.. already there.

4 outputs - 1 master stereo pair, and the other 2 you can assign samples to go out of instead of the master (either as 2 mono outs or another stereo)

4-track sequencing.

keep it simple like an SP should... hardly any upgrades at all really and it would be so much better.

True and I like it, but if you're going to take on the products in the MPC1k price range, you are going to have to put out a machine with similar specs or perhaps better (as it's a newer machine).

I think it's going to cost Roland quite some money early on to try and set foot on the mid-range sampler market again.

I think the MV8800 might be looking at a successor within a year, possible 2 years already though. It's not that it doesn't still work awesomely within a modern-day production setup, but I do think that people that are leaning towards ever more software, will want at least more audio tracks on the MV.

To some extent the MV is a near-perfect machine for my needs though. So it remains to be seen how many old MV users would make the switch to a new version anytime soon. I think I might wait a few years before investing another two grand. :p

[Ill Green]

SP606 does have great potential though. With todays technology, Roland can ressurect the 606 but just improve the features it already has and still maintain the price in the SP range, and just slap 707 on it.

MVs will always be the Cadillac Escalade of samplers, but the SPs is the Scion XB that can get us from A to B. So I don't think a new SP would overshadow the almighty MV, they're just two different classes of samplers.

[PHeMoX]

SP606 does have great potential though. With todays technology, Roland can ressurect the 606 but just improve the features it already has and still maintain the price in the SP range, and just slap 707 on it.

MVs will always be the Cadillac Escalade of samplers, but the SPs is the Scion XB that can get us from A to B. So I don't think a new SP would overshadow the almighty MV, they're just two different classes of samplers.

Yeah, that's right. When it comes to Roland's own line of samplers, this is certainly true. I'd love to see an SP-707 like that and I already own an MV.

For me though, portability would be a serious selling point though, as my MV is already the main piece of my home studio. The SP-707 might be what I take with me on the go, but with a more sophisticated sequencer and sampler than say the portable and great 404.

Making it portable also means it would compete against the MPC500 at max or perhaps the Beat Thang, but not the higher end MPCs or MVs.

[Ill Green]

Yeah! An SP with a rechargable battery and color LCD screen. It can be done and cheap too. Just look at all those $200 laptops, and they're multipurpose. But the SP is just going to be for making beats.

I wonder if Roland is already on this, but is just waiting for the right memory format to go with it. It seems no matter how latest their products are, the smart medias become obselete so fast and hard to find.

[PHeMoX]

If they're clever, they will support a range of flash cards or don't put a size limitation on it software-wise. I'm pretty sure this is possible.

I believe hard disks is where it's at though, with solid state drives being the future. If only 40Gb of space like in the MV, you will have plenty of space for years to come if you keep things tidy.

[LoneStar]

SP-666? I'd definetely buy one, but only if it's battery powered or has a 12V car-lighter power supply coming with it...

http://www.box.net/shared/i4x0eru0km

Nothing better than fast Autobahn driving with your passenger making phat beats with an SP

[tedstryka]

if we're talking dream SP what they NEED is an SP with the turntable emulation like the MC 909 had...thing is ILL and you can pitch shift JUST LIKE A TURNTABLE both patterns and patches...dopest feature ever