# Roland keyboard mod "lever" vs wheel



## jmvideo (Aug 31, 2016)

In the market for a new midi keyboard controller... I've heard Roland makes pretty quality keyboards with good feel, but I've never been a fan of the mod lever that snaps back, as opposed to a mod wheel you can leave in any position.

Has anyone found this to be a big limitation with using VIs?


----------



## Ian Dorsch (Aug 31, 2016)

I still use a trusty old XP-80 for my main controller, and I've never found the Roland mod/pitch lever/joystick thing to be much of a detriment. I actually like the resistance you get from that setup - makes it feel a little more physical to me, like bending a guitar string, or something.


----------



## Silence-is-Golden (Aug 31, 2016)

jmvideo said:


> In the market for a new midi keyboard controller... I've heard Roland makes pretty quality keyboards with good feel, but I've never been a fan of the mod lever that snaps back, as opposed to a mod wheel you can leave in any position.
> 
> Has anyone found this to be a big limitation with using VIs?


For VI's I found it to be cumbersome at times. You can't f.e. play an ensemble strings patch with 2 hands without some tricks because the 'mod' wheel is always in its lowest setting.

Therfore I am glad I have a seperate kawai piano as well with quality mod wheel.

I do like my A800 pro because there is not else way better, unless the price tag goes up.
At some point I will probably trade it for a NI Kontakt S61.


----------



## LondonMike (Aug 31, 2016)

Yes definitely a limitation. I have a Roland RD300sx which is a great 88 note w/ weighted keys and a nice set of basic internal sounds but a mod lever that is no good for VIs. But I really like the keyboard a feel so I got a Korg Nanokontrol which has assignable knobs and sliders which solves the problem. And they're cheap.


----------



## jmvideo (Sep 1, 2016)

Thanks for the feedback. It's a little mind boggling to me that Roland would still be releasing keyboards with this outdated mod lever scheme. Don't you think they would have received millions of complaints by now?


----------



## SmokeyJ (Sep 1, 2016)

I have the Edirol equivalent of the A800 pro and I just map the modwheel to another one of the sliders as well. That way I can use the lever or the slider.


----------



## Nuno (Sep 1, 2016)

I love the feel of the keys from my A800 pro. 

I removed the spring from the mod lever this way i can use it like a regular modwheel!


----------



## jmvideo (Sep 1, 2016)

Nuno... that's brilliant. I'm actually looking at the A-88 because I want a nice piano action. How hard was it to remove the spring?


----------



## galactic orange (Sep 1, 2016)

Ian Dorsch said:


> I still use a trusty old XP-80 for my main controller


The one piece of gear I regret selling was my XP-80. The key response had the perfect amount of resistance. Aftertouch felt right. My A-800 isn't bad, especially for the price, but the XP-80 is so solidly built, metal frame, etc. it's on another level. I had a Virus keyboard as well and still preferred the Roland. The fact that the XP-80 has 76 semi-weighted keys might have something to do with that. That's the perfect size to me. If either Roland or NI offered a proper 76-key model I'd pounce on it.

I seem to recall that Roland makes some models with the standard mod wheel. The newer JX series perhaps? So it's not unheard of. I don't know why they stick to their old lever unless it makes them feel different from the rest of the pack or they're trying to avoid license fees or something.


----------



## JPQ (Sep 5, 2016)

I like mod wheels more i say anything else one reason why i still have my Yamaha S30 becouse all synths what sounds today good dont have this i simply dislike how these modern Yamahas sound even S30 dont sound my taste. but all better solutions are way out of my price range.


----------



## fgimian (Sep 12, 2016)

I have a Roland RD600 and while I love it to bits, the modwheel is basically unusable for everything, it's my least favourite part of the piano. What I used to do (before getting my expression pedal) is map by part volume (CC 7) to modulation and disable regular midi CCs in Kontakt (so CC 7 no longer responds to volume). I have little choices with my piano as that's the only slider which sends out MIDI CC, but man is it an amazing slider, it has felt around it and everything, probably the best slider I have ever slid hehehe


----------



## Eric (Sep 12, 2016)

To me, there are strengths & weaknesses to both designs...

The Roland-style joystick allows for easier "manual" vibrato. Much better choice for controlling guitar vi's. The main drawback is ModWheel control - as mentioned above, your cc #1 value snaps back to zero when you release your hand. Also, seems easier to fine tune the amount of mod you're using with a wheel, with the longer throw.

With pitch & mod wheels, it's more difficult to play manual vibrato (though not impossible, YouTube George Duke). I find the strength in this design is not only the modwheel, but I believe it's also more natural movement as a keyboardist to push your finger vertically on a wheel (or fader), than horizontally on a joystick.


----------

