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Roland FA-07


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I still consider the FA-07 a compromise (ideally, I'd want aftertouch and sliders/drawbars on this 2nd board), but it's about as close as I've seen to what I'm looking for

Same here, and I'd gladly pay more for it. The only current 7x semi-weighted boards I can think of with drawbars/sliders and aftertouch are Nord Stage 2EX/3 and the too-heavy (and long-in-the-tooth) Kurzweil PC3A7/K7.

 

Also, was the finish on the chassis the same glossy style as the 06, or was it matte?

I'm curious about that too...

Maybe this is the best place for a shameless plug! Our now not-so-new new video at https://youtu.be/3ZRC3b4p4EI is a 40 minute adaptation of T. S. Eliot's "Prufrock" - check it out! And hopefully I'll have something new here this year. ;-)

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I still consider the FA-07 a compromise (ideally, I'd want aftertouch and sliders/drawbars on this 2nd board), but it's about as close as I've seen to what I'm looking for

Same here, and I'd gladly pay more for it. The only current 7x semi-weighted boards I can think of with drawbars/sliders and aftertouch are Nord Stage 2EX/3 and the too-heavy (and long-in-the-tooth) Kurzweil PC3A7/K7.

 

Forgot to mention the Nord stuff. The Stage does indeed come very close to what I need, but the limited multi-timbral capabilities (especially when combined with the fixed slit points) scares me. My old TR allows me 8 sounds at a time in a Combi, and I can put them wherever I want! Considering the price-point of Nord's boards, I don't think I'm willing to make that compromise the way I'm willing to live without aftertouch and drawbars on a ~$1500 FA07...

--Sean H.

 

Yamaha MOXF8, Korg TR76, Novation X-Station 61, Casio PX-320

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and that's how it goes... right instrument for the right job at the right price. this is a different calculation for all of us - GAS aside. Always a moving target for the developers to pin point... but it looks like Roland may have a winner here not unlike they proved an $899 VR would sell like hot cakes despite the cheap build, action, and draw bars.

Yamaha CP88, Casio PX-560

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I still consider the FA-07 a compromise (ideally, I'd want aftertouch and sliders/drawbars on this 2nd board), but it's about as close as I've seen to what I'm looking for

Same here, and I'd gladly pay more for it. The only current 7x semi-weighted boards I can think of with drawbars/sliders and aftertouch are Nord Stage 2EX/3 and the too-heavy (and long-in-the-tooth) Kurzweil PC3A7/K7.

 

No aftertouch, no sale.

 

Roland, Yamaha, Kurzweil, etc. you are competing with inexpensive lightweight controller keyboards with semi-weighted keys, _aftertouch_ and 9 faders plus knobs, switches, pitch/mod wheels, coupled with a powerful laptop and amazing software.

 

I like dedicated boards but not when lacking critical features like aftertouch. Especially in any keyboard that can go beyond piano and do synths, strings, horns, etc.

 

So for me this new Roland is a miss. For everyone who doesn't need what's missing, enjoy the new shiny (or matte?).

 

And speaking of Kurzweil, I'd also love to see a Kurzweil Artis7 with aftertouch. Or a lighter Forte7 with a semi-weighted keyboard, especially if the sequencer comes back. The PC3 variants, despite having been around for a while, are still some of the more capable all-arounders. The newer Kurzweils, despite some great improvements, oddly left off some of the PC3 capabilities.

 

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Also, was the finish on the chassis the same glossy style as the 06, or was it matte?

I'm curious about that too...

Geez, sorry I can't be of more assistance. Maybe leaning toward glossy or slightly glossy? But I don't recall seeing myself in the reflection of the keys. ;)

 

Perhaps brother Allan Evett can chime in here.

"We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing."

- George Bernard Shaw

 

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I still consider the FA-07 a compromise (ideally, I'd want aftertouch and sliders/drawbars on this 2nd board), but it's about as close as I've seen to what I'm looking for

Same here, and I'd gladly pay more for it. The only current 7x semi-weighted boards I can think of with drawbars/sliders and aftertouch are Nord Stage 2EX/3 and the too-heavy (and long-in-the-tooth) Kurzweil PC3A7/K7.

Forgot to mention the Nord stuff. The Stage does indeed come very close to what I need, but the limited multi-timbral capabilities (especially when combined with the fixed slit points) scares me.

Yes, the Nord Stage and the FA have some very different strengths, both sonically and operationally.

 

But you know, the Nord and Kurz I mentioned are all $3k. Roland could take this $1500 FA-07, add drawbars and aftertouch, price it at $2k, and still beat 'em by a grand. If, for that extra $500, they were able to throw in the ability to fully map custom samples to the keys as you can in the DS, that would be a really killer board. Here's hoping for an "FA-07 Plus" some day... but for now, this ain't bad.

Maybe this is the best place for a shameless plug! Our now not-so-new new video at https://youtu.be/3ZRC3b4p4EI is a 40 minute adaptation of T. S. Eliot's "Prufrock" - check it out! And hopefully I'll have something new here this year. ;-)

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[video:youtube]

 

Hard to say... That over head shot is so skewed, the whole body looks warped.

 

Two forumites confirm it's not the same action as the 06, more similar if not the same as the Jupiter-50. Moonglow feels the length width is different as well as feel.

Yamaha CP88, Casio PX-560

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Two forumites confirm it's not the same action as the 06, more similar if not the same as the Jupiter-50. Moonglow feels the length width is different as well as feel.

The key size of the FA-07 differs to that of the FA-06 to the same degree that the key size of the Jupiter-50 differs to that of the FA-06. Hope that makes sense!

"We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing."

- George Bernard Shaw

 

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Geez, sorry I can't be of more assistance. Maybe leaning toward glossy or slightly glossy? But I don't recall seeing myself in the reflection of the keys. ;)

We're not talking about how glossy the keys are, but how glossy the control panel is. The FA-06 is pretty reflective, and people have complained that it attracts dust and fingerprints and can be hard to read in some lighting conditions. The JD-XA had the same issue, and Roland actually offered a free matte overlay.

 

https://ask.audio/articles/roland-jd-xa-synthesizer-now-has-improved-front-panel-overlay-here-s-how-easy-it-is-to-install

 

Roland hasn't made a matte overlay for the FA-06/08, but someone else makes one and sells it. So the question is whether the FA-07 is in the same boat, or if Roland addressed the issue in this version. But while someone did post an image that looked less reflective, based on the videos, I think it probably has the same finish as always, unless the difference is more subtle than what's apparent there.

Maybe this is the best place for a shameless plug! Our now not-so-new new video at https://youtu.be/3ZRC3b4p4EI is a 40 minute adaptation of T. S. Eliot's "Prufrock" - check it out! And hopefully I'll have something new here this year. ;-)

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We're not talking about how glossy the keys are, but how glossy the control panel is. The FA-06 is pretty reflective, and people have complained that it attracts dust and fingerprints and can be hard to read in some lighting conditions. The JD-XA had the same issue, and Roland actually offered a free matte overlay.

Ah, sorry 'bout that...my bad. I did check that out. I'm sorry to report that the control panel appears to be the same as the FA-06. So reports of it being overly reflective, collecting dust/fingerprints, being hard to read, etc., will likely continue.

"We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing."

- George Bernard Shaw

 

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After looking at the online demoes of this I am starting to grow cautiously optimistic as well, as I would love to add a piece of Roland gear to my travel setup. Like some others here I just can't handle the keyboard action of either the VR-09 or the FA-06. Since the integrated organ engine can be controlled by a DB-1 or similar controller, I think that I will head over to Gearfest at Sweetwater this weekend to see if the Roland reps have an FA-07 available to demo so I can test the action.

 

I can't wait to hear what you make of the key action! I parted with my FA-06 several months ago purely because of the keybed. If the FA-07's action is anything similar to the Jupiter-50, then it's a game changer for me. My back is too broken to lug the FA-08 around. :laugh:

 

I am back from Gearfest as well, and I can confirm what both Allen_Everett & Moonglow have said.......The FA-07 action is indeed different from that of the FA-06. The FA-06 there was located directly above the FA-07. One of the Roland reps actually measured it for me, and we confirmed that the white keys are longer...and the black keys actually had a wider top surface than the FA-06 (e.g. less trapezoidal). These felt more solid to play on as well. Finally, the feel of the FA-07 action was slightly heavier than the FA-06. Playing it felt more natural, and triggering voices seemed even and consistent throughout the entire playing range. Definitely an improvement!

----------------------------------------------------------

 

Gig: Yamaha MODX7, NumaX 73 Piano  Studio: Kawai ES-920; Hammond SK Pro 73; Yamaha Motif ES7 w/DX,VL,VH; Yamaha YC 73; Kawai MP-6; Numa Compact 2x

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That's good news. The FA-06 action is the same as the VR-09. I have played both boards, and can't connect with the action on either.

 

Strangely, I play better AP on the FA than the VR, though. Perhaps the velocity mapping is better?

Hammond: L111, M100, M3, BC, CV, Franken CV, A100, D152, C3, B3

Leslie: 710, 760, 51C, 147, 145, 122, 22H, 31H

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Roland: VR-09, RD-800

 

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That's good news. The FA-06 action is the same as the VR-09. I have played both boards, and can't connect with the action on either.

 

Strangely, I play better AP on the FA than the VR, though. Perhaps the velocity mapping is better?

 

 

Wes, without derailing this thread I kept thinking to myself, if Roland would only switch to this action on the VR-09, add a "Sub out" jack and do some sort of version 2.0 software update on the VR-09 to improve MIDI options and patch selection, that would be a colossal improvement!

 

----------------------------------------------------------

 

Gig: Yamaha MODX7, NumaX 73 Piano  Studio: Kawai ES-920; Hammond SK Pro 73; Yamaha Motif ES7 w/DX,VL,VH; Yamaha YC 73; Kawai MP-6; Numa Compact 2x

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That's good news. The FA-06 action is the same as the VR-09. I have played both boards, and can't connect with the action on either.

 

Strangely, I play better AP on the FA than the VR, though. Perhaps the velocity mapping is better?

 

 

Wes, without derailing this thread I kept thinking to myself, if Roland would only switch to this action on the VR-09, add a "Sub out" jack and do some sort of version 2.0 software update on the VR-09 to improve MIDI options and patch selection, that would be a colossal improvement!

 

This would be a VR-7XX (enter your own last two digits). Roland ceded the over $1k clone wheel combo organ market to Hammond-Suzuki and Nord when they discontinued the 700 and released the compromised budget friendly 09. And it's been successful for them, they were right about there being a market for the 09. But I agree, it's one of the worst actions Roland has ever put on a keyboard, the build its cheap, the drawbars suck... blah blah.

 

I bought a VR-700 fairly recently specifically for its quality action and drawbars, feature set, and build even without the sub out. Are players that prioritize build and action in the minority? I'm not sure. Keeping weight down is a bonus for everyone, but there must be a sweet spot in there somewhere.

 

All in all I agree, the FA series has been successful for Roland as well. If they married the FA series to their VR-XXX series this would be a killer board dependant on them figuring out which features from each to include.

 

side note: Crumar and Dexibell have snuck in during Roland's absence.

Yamaha CP88, Casio PX-560

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Wes, without derailing this thread I kept thinking to myself, if Roland would only switch to this action on the VR-09, add a "Sub out" jack and do some sort of version 2.0 software update on the VR-09 to improve MIDI options and patch selection, that would be a colossal improvement!

There is a long list of things that frustratingly just miss the mark about the VR09, and adding drawbars to the FA-07 fixes an awful lot of them. In this respect, it would be easier to add that one missing VR thing to the FA than all the other missing stuff to the VR... though there are some other VR advantages (like C/V, transistor organs) and things that are different where one could prefer one or the other (different Leslie sim, different effects options). For organ, I think the overdrive on the VR is better, but an external pedal like the Vent beats them both, and you can much more easily put the Vent on the FA with that assignable out... all it takes is $. ;-)

 

I would love to see some software improvements for the VR, but especially since it is largely positioned on price and as an entry-level unit, I would be surprised to see much in the way of hardware improvements like upgraded action or sub-out.

Maybe this is the best place for a shameless plug! Our now not-so-new new video at https://youtu.be/3ZRC3b4p4EI is a 40 minute adaptation of T. S. Eliot's "Prufrock" - check it out! And hopefully I'll have something new here this year. ;-)

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Whatever it costs, I wish it were $100-$200 more and had aftertouch.

 

Again? Dammit. I have no more *sighs* or http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v707/HandsomeTramp/smilies/rolleyes.gif to give.

The fact there's a Highway To Hell and only a Stairway To Heaven says a lot about anticipated traffic numbers

 

People only say "It's a free country" when they're doing something shitty-Demetri Martin

 

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I should sell my Motif XF7 and buy an FA-07. Would make so much more sense ...

Tough one. FA gives you the lighter travel weight, the VA synth, 9-drawbar organ, trigger pads, generally better interface. But I think most of the Roland rompler sounds still lag Yamaha, and the XF7 has the aftertouch and (with the flash card) the sample loading expansion.

 

My personal version of this same dilemma is that I find the FA-07 really appealing, but its most obvious function in my rig would be to replace a MOXF6, but I think I'd really miss the Yamaha. So it's either gig with both (meaning 3 or possibly even 4 boards, as I now typically gig with 2 or 3), or replace my 88 with a MOXF8 which is a great board, but heavier and with lesser action compared to what I'm using.

Maybe this is the best place for a shameless plug! Our now not-so-new new video at https://youtu.be/3ZRC3b4p4EI is a 40 minute adaptation of T. S. Eliot's "Prufrock" - check it out! And hopefully I'll have something new here this year. ;-)

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The FA07 changes my buying decision.

 

A surprising competitor to the FA06 is the Casio MZ-x500. It came out a year ago or so and has many of the same features of the FA series: pads, sequencer, user friendliness, sampling, etc. It's strong suit over the FA series are that the pads are larger and velocity sensitive, and a big one for me, it has speakers, 40 watts of speakers projecting up and back, that's a lot of onboard sound. It also has at least a middle of the road keybed, not the horrible shallow throw of the FA06.

 

In deciding between these two boards my main considerations were sounds that would inspire me and keybed feel. My biggest hesitation is not trusting that Casio has got sounds that will inspire me. I've had the WK7600 for a few years, and am consistently frustrated and dissapointed playing it (Nord Stage Classic 88 for comparison). Of course price point is not the same, but just saying, a lot of times I don't even want to play the 7600, have to work very hard to find any sounds that are half way decent. That said, they've had the PX5s around for quite awhile, most people seem to regard it as a decent middle tier board for sound quality, with some outstanding hex layer synth and overal sound capabilitires. And of course the MZ-x500 inherits many of these sounds and hex layers.

 

But the keybed on the FA06 was a definite no. Talk about a turn off for playing. So if the FA07 has a reasonably good keybed, that changes the equation. While there's some super cool things you can do with the MZ-x500 pads, overall I trust Roland to have work flow and capabilities that have evolved thru the years, time tested, and will probably spend my money on a FA07 now.

Numa Piano X73 /// Kawai ES920 /// Casio CT-X5000 /// Yamaha EW425

Yamaha Melodica and Alto Recorder

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My personal version of this same dilemma is that I find the FA-07 really appealing, but its most obvious function in my rig would be to replace a MOXF6, but I think I'd really miss the Yamaha. So it's either gig with both (meaning 3 or possibly even 4 boards, as I now typically gig with 2 or 3), or replace my 88 with a MOXF8 which is a great board, but heavier and with lesser action compared to what I'm using.

Scott, do you do the rack thing? If you replaced the MOXF6 with the FA-07, you could get a Motif EX-Rack which would give you the Yamaha sounds and not have to carry an extra keyboard.

"We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing."

- George Bernard Shaw

 

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A surprising competitor to the FA06 is the Casio MZ-x500.

I haven't played one yet. On paper, yes, it looks pretty appealing. I would definitely have checked it out if there were a 7x key version. But as a 61, while I'm sure it's a good value, I had a hard time imagining how it could really replace anything I use.

 

That said, they've had the PX5s around for quite awhile, most people seem to regard it as a decent middle tier board for sound quality, with some outstanding hex layer synth and overal sound capabilitires. And of course the MZ-x500 inherits many of these sounds and hex layers.

Yes, and that's part of what limits my enthusiasm there... because while I think the PX5S is a very cool board, I also think that strictly from a rompler perspective--strings and brass for example--it doesn't really compete with Roland. But even the FA-06 could not have swayed me away from the MOXF6. The 07 is tempting though, between the 76 keys, the improved action, and the new 2.0 software features.

 

Scott, do you do the rack thing? If you replaced the MOXF6 with the FA-07, you could get a Motif EX-Rack which would give you the Yamaha sounds and not have to carry an extra keyboard.

I don't generally use a rack. I'm glad Yamaha has a rack module available, but they have a kind of funny combination now... the MOXF6 has the full Motif XF sound library and flash card; the Rack XS has a subset of the sounds and no flash card; the MX49 has a smaller subset of sounds, but actually weighs less than the rack unit!

 

If I could put together the right stands, 4 non-deep, non-high boards on stage may not have to look overwhelming. The total footprint of a Casio 88, FA-07, Nord 73, and MX49 might not be too goofy looking sans cape, maybe I'll play with something like that at some point. But it's still a bit more shlepping and setup time, even if the boards are all pretty light.

Maybe this is the best place for a shameless plug! Our now not-so-new new video at https://youtu.be/3ZRC3b4p4EI is a 40 minute adaptation of T. S. Eliot's "Prufrock" - check it out! And hopefully I'll have something new here this year. ;-)

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I think they're just different - the Roland pcm stuff from the SRJV days through the SRX and on into the Supernatural stuff tends to always be - for lack of words to describe sound... shiny, clear, processed, fx laden, maybe even thin if that's a negative or a positive for how you fit in your mix. It's always recorded, processed, programmed a certain way and when you hear them together on an internal demo for example - you go, that's a Roland (even if the technique can actually be attributed to Eric Persing going back to the sampling work on hardware like the S700). Roland always sounds great on brass and strings.

 

Yamaha similarly has a huge amount of time invested in AWM AWM2 sound development. So many great sample libraries, programmed patches. To me they tend to sound more like classic recordings of these instruments in historical context. Less hyped or processed to sound like they're all in a collection. I love using a Yamaha when I don't want to sound like a Roland. Haha.

 

Again very generalized, hard to express, and just opinion. This is stuff we notice, audiences can't tell the difference. We're lucky if they hear anything beyond, "that timbre is a synth... that's a sax... wait no, it's a trumpet. And that's a violin!" where you or I might hear it's actually a cello, or "that's a JP8 strings patch" you know?. Audience doesn't notice these subtleties.

 

Side note: if stuck in a situation where I needed to use an organ preset for let's say a rock or blues solo - I'd take the Roland sound - even if it were the stock patch on a JV-1080.

Yamaha CP88, Casio PX-560

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...audiences can't tell the difference. We're lucky if they hear anything beyond, "that timbre is a synth... that's a sax... wait no, it's a trumpet. And that's a violin!" where you or I might hear it's actually a cello, or "that's a JP8 strings patch" you know?. Audience doesn't notice these subtleties.

 

I did a show where I used a Hohner Melodica. One person actually asked on FB "what was that strange clarinet thing" that I was playing?

 

OT. Sorry.

 

 

 

 

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Here for the gear.

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AnotherScott - on what sounds do you think Yamaha trumps Roland? How about strings and brass?

I'll defer to Elmer's response, since it sounds like he's done more direct comparison than I have. Also, I haven't had the opportunity to play with the strings/brass SRX expansions (which are freely downloadable into the FA), which would presumably be the best brass and string sounds for that instrument (apart from its SuperNatural Ensemble Strings).

 

One thing that I think makes it hard to do a simple Yamaha-Roland comparison is that different Rolands have different sound sets in them. Yamaha is a little more straightforward... i.e. the MX has a subset of the Motif XS sound set, the Rack XS has exactly the XS sound set, the MOXF has the Motif XF sound set which includes everything in the XS sound set and more. But I'm not aware of any similar rationale by which you could compare, say, the rompler sounds in the FA (XV-5080 sound set), with the rompler sounds in the DS (Juno-DI sound set), with the rompler sounds in the VR-09 (its own animal, I think)... if any of these is a subset/superset of any of the others, I am not aware of it. In fact, I posted a while back about how I thought the VR-09 (which has relatively few sounds) had an exceptionally good harmonica sound, and that sound was nowhere to be found in the FA or Integra7 (including any of the SRX expansions), nor (I believe) in the DS.

 

As a rule (though there are exceptions), when it comes to acoustic instrument sounds, I generally find the Casio just okay, the XV-5080 soundset (which is in the FA) better, and the MOXF soundset better still. (I can't give an sound-by-sound breakdown off-hand, but it's the general impression I've had when playing these instruments.) And while size isn't everything, it may not be irrelevant to this comparison that the XV-5080 soundset is 64 mb, and the Yamaha soundsets are much larger (from 166 mb in the MX, up to 741 mb in the MOXF). Though the FA has additional sounds beyond that 64 mb soundset... the 2 virtual expansion slots for SRX sounds (I think they are up to 64 mb each), and the SuperNatural sounds (which include clonewheel organ, VA synth, pianos/EPs/clav, basses, acoustic guitar, ensemble strings). But regardless of specs, all of these brands have some sounds that I really like.

 

Would an FA-07 + Vent and MX49 not be a good solution?

That could be a very nice combination, if you are okay with not having any weighted action in the rig for your pianos. Someone else mentioned how the MX88 + FA-07 would be a killer rig for the money and weight. As would an MOXF8 + FA-07.

 

Maybe this is the best place for a shameless plug! Our now not-so-new new video at https://youtu.be/3ZRC3b4p4EI is a 40 minute adaptation of T. S. Eliot's "Prufrock" - check it out! And hopefully I'll have something new here this year. ;-)

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Question for anyone who has upgraded their existing FA to the new 2.0 software... I know that one of the new features is "Seamlessly Switching Between Multiple Sounds While Performing (Sound Remain)" -- but as I recall, the FA already had some patch remain functionality. Can someone explain how this new functionality differs from how it worked before?

Maybe this is the best place for a shameless plug! Our now not-so-new new video at https://youtu.be/3ZRC3b4p4EI is a 40 minute adaptation of T. S. Eliot's "Prufrock" - check it out! And hopefully I'll have something new here this year. ;-)

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