Reezekeys Posted May 30, 2020 Share Posted May 30, 2020 Now I'm curious if there are any controllers in the A800's price range that output a healthy range of pitch bend values like the Fantom does. I don't expect to find out the answer but I would give props to a manufacturer that did go that extra mile. As I mentioned, the lame PB of my A800 wasn't noticeable to me as I never did any bending beyond two semitones either way, and it was usually even less than that â just little synthy "scoops" or "falloffs." My guess is that the bean counters at Roland figured they could save a few pennies by dumbing down the PB resolution âbut I don't see how it would make things more expensive unless you needed a pot with tighter tolerances â isn't it mostly in the A-to-D and software, which at this level can't be that expensive â or can it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markyboard Posted May 30, 2020 Share Posted May 30, 2020 So many decisions go into these designs and they all add up to meet a certain price target. Just guessing off the top of my head ... They may start by considering use of an existing hardware design and firmware code modules to minimize development cost. And then there"s commonality considerations with having the 3 versions of this 'Pro' series controller. Using a 14 or 16 bit A/D vs 8/10 bits may cost an additional $0.50 per converter. But then there could be additional registers and such needed to support it; including possibly more RAM and a different processor. Which may require a larger PWB. Then there"s more lines of code to support higher bit counts. And more testing. Again just guessing on specifics. I have no idea how much more expensive having a high resolution pitch bend would be. But one thing I"m fairly certain about; it"s not just a simple matter of adding a slightly more expensive part. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reezekeys Posted May 30, 2020 Share Posted May 30, 2020 Thanks for clarifying. This is why I'm "only the piano player." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markyboard Posted May 30, 2020 Share Posted May 30, 2020 Just for a bit more perspective, the Yamaha S90ES which I owned, up through the Motif (iirc) and maybe even the Montage sent values between -256 and +256. Or maybe it was -128 to +128? Either way it was only sending even (or odd) values. I definitely recall stair stepping on longer bends (greater than a fifth or so) which pissed me off for a supposed top of the line controller/synth. And btw Mr. Piano Player, please tell me you're not pitch bending piano sounds With only 8 bit resolution Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dalpozlead Posted November 18, 2020 Author Share Posted November 18, 2020 Hi folks, quick update.... just got my A800 from repair and they confirmed all joystick parameters tested ok (no formal issues found)... I've kept watching videos of players using this controller during leads and Im positive that some joysticks seems to have a much lower deadzone. I wonder if it's worth to seek for Roland's "next level" tech support, do you know any best way to escalate this issue? tks!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markyboard Posted November 18, 2020 Share Posted November 18, 2020 Hi- Unfortunately I think they're going to say it's operating to within spec. If I didn't say it last time I would guess there's variation from unit to unit due to the physical installment of the paddle and potentiometer into the case/housing. It's also possible that the position of the pot shaft was not optimal when inserted into the paddle assembly. In this case one might be able to adjust this by disconnecting the pot from the paddle, turning it a small amount and reinserting it. But again this is strictly a guess. I have a similar problem on a crappy M-audio controller and when I looked a while back there was no good way to fix this. It's cheap plastic that I'd have to carve out with a dremmel and I decided it just wasn't worth messing with it. I also knew I was buying a cheap pos and so.... Maybe your best recourse is to contact the place you bought it from. Perhaps an exchange or credit towards another product. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baldwin Funster Posted November 18, 2020 Share Posted November 18, 2020 I'm wondering if anybody here has broken a roland pitch mod lever maybe by excess use? I use mine alot on sax, synth etc. and I'm sure it's made to handle it but in the back of my mind there is that thought that I'll break a spring or something. Any good or bad experiences? Quote FunMachine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brenner13 Posted November 18, 2020 Share Posted November 18, 2020 I have no fewer than five broken Roland pitch bend assemblies laying about plus the two in my Fantom X7 and VR09 that are from several third-party used suppliers. Roland won"t sell new parts to the general public anymore so I"ll likely never buy another Roland. After my encounter with their parts department, they lost a life-long fan and customer. Oooooh...don"t get me started! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baldwin Funster Posted November 18, 2020 Share Posted November 18, 2020 I have no fewer than five broken Roland pitch bend assemblies laying about plus the two in my Fantom X7 and VR09 that are from several third-party used suppliers. Roland won"t sell new parts to the general public anymore so I"ll likely never buy another Roland. After my encounter with their parts department, they lost a life-long fan and customer. Oooooh...don"t get me started! Ok now I'm terrified. Quote FunMachine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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