Always a delight to see Nick react in real-time and ask the questions we're all thinking. Great next gen Gaia! Well done, Roland!

Roland rep is incredibly knowledgeable! No tripping HIM up.😊

Love when David comes around, you know the sounds will be amazing.

Great demo. Roland did a nice job on this one.

Florian … another gift for you, from Roland …

Panel looks like one of the old Novation synths had a child with a Minilogue. :D Wasn't expecting a new Gaia, so this is cool. Looks very hands-on.

Seems like a cool little synth, love the grit and dirty sounds giving it an ominous sound..

Sounds great and useful for songwriting. The motion pad is a great addition.

Good job, everyone. This is a good introduction to what seems to be a solid product.

Seems like a well laid out, no bullshit synth for a decent price. You got plenty of features that make sense without overloading the overall package. If i had the money right now i'd definitely be getting one

Holy shit. Roland finally updated their screens

I wonder if Nick will do a full review. Doesn't seem his cup of tea, but it would be fun to see if he can coax something beautiful out of it. I think the community would love to see that video, with his full honest take.

Great Review! Thank you. Cheers from Orange County California, USA!!!

Gaia was a cool little gem. Looking forward to playing around with this

Merci Nick and David.

Mostly quite impressed. If I were looking for something in this market niche I'd consider it for sure. I like the way they've integrated the XY pad into the menu functions, that's unusually sensible and would probably really help the UX.

This looks & sounds great. Major improvement on the old Gaia. David is a super talented musician & demonstrator too. Bravo 🙌

@sambidudek

9 ай бұрын

The first Gaia looking like a toy was also powerful, but it made additive synthesis learning a breeze.

@collinsutherland311

9 ай бұрын

@@sambidudekdo you think it would still hold up for that purpose or are there better options?

@electrosonicnebula

9 ай бұрын

@@collinsutherland311 The first Gaia is actually nothing like this new powerhouse, no idea why they call this new one Gaia, maybe the price range. The original Gaia is very cool and fun for learning *subtractive* synthesis (I think that's what the guy meant to say). It also has a looper as well as GM and PCM sounds, which are not normally features of synths but very cool, making the SH-01 a sort of workstation. Most of all it's multitimbral which this isn't. Meaning with the old Gaia it's like having three polyphonic synths that you can play at once either to create super complex sounds or record something into the looper and play another patch over it. The original was a very cool board, well worth getting on the second hand market to learn and have fun on.

Pricey :-( Dear Roland, could we please just have a Jupiter 4 boutique along with a CR-78 boutique.

Love the Roland sounds

Gives me Minilogue XD thoughts, Extremely tempting! XY pad looks fun, and decent modulation and massive polyphony. Most important - huge sound! Thanks Nick 👌

lots of knobs + metal panel + emotional pad = will buy 😋

@DeliriumElectric

9 ай бұрын

Ok, I heard you the first 6 times 😉

@DeliriumElectric

9 ай бұрын

Just stirring. Seeing it initially I was an immediate yes, but now going to sit back and absorb, and probably play with my other synths and see how I feel haha

@djkanyon

9 ай бұрын

@@DeliriumElectric lol dude spamming this comment literally everywhere on every channel

@annother3350

9 ай бұрын

Call it excitement. Jexus has lots of respect in the community. @@djkanyon

@jameshumfry1256

9 ай бұрын

Jexus is a synth wizard. Dude knows his stuff 👌

this thing sounds incredible

Eagerly awaiting to see this on Bad Gear in 15 years.

@kliffklass

9 ай бұрын

15 weeks

@6Sparx9

9 ай бұрын

You know the drill, one person’s Bad Gear…

@mack_solo

9 ай бұрын

The way he's been going, I give it two months. For Xmas special 😄

Thanks for the video chaps

Thanks for the review, hope your arm gets better soon, Nick!

Ah, an Alesis ION V2!!! Oh, wait...

@jeffkent6886

9 ай бұрын

Lol my Alesis Ion in the corner raised an eyebrow! The Ion though I think still looks beautiful to this day still, love mine. This new ghia 2 kind of sounded thin, missing some mids/lower mids area to me? But I do admit it's going to get a play next time I'm in store.

@dankeplace

9 ай бұрын

Do a BadGear before it even comes out lol.

@fortheloveofnoise9298

9 ай бұрын

​@@jeffkent6886It definitely needs either a good pre amp or drive pedal to flavor it better.

@zap7759

9 ай бұрын

Can I have your autograph (impregnate me)?

@mapache_al_ataque

9 ай бұрын

Exactly what I thought😅! Now I need this!

Love It ❤

this thing looks super fun, might have to find a way to get my hands on one

Good demo, David. This for me will be the best keyboard now to round off my other 3 Roland products. MC-707, TR-8S and trusty old MX-1👍

@jetbreak

8 ай бұрын

I also have the TR-8S and 707.. what role do you see the Gaia 2 filling since the 707 already has the Zencore synth engine?

This looks like a hell of a nice synth!

Nice i can see the potential

Looks like a techno masterpiece

Cool synth. Good on Roland.

It looks like Roland finally got it right. This is a well thought out synth.

@deadmanwalking6342

9 ай бұрын

No they didn't"

@petercarrington948

9 ай бұрын

Agree totally. Give us some colour and design please Roland.

@deadmanwalking6342

9 ай бұрын

YeeeeeeeeS it's disgusting! I must vomit now!

@Jason75913

9 ай бұрын

@@Cheeses_K_Riced that makes no damn sense

@RayMcNamaraMusic

9 ай бұрын

Too bad it looks like outdated medical equipment though.

I was just using my Gaia last night. It’s a perfectly great little synth. Lightweight, nice keys, and quick controls. This new one does sound really interesting. My only criticism from watching this is that they didn’t keep the combined pitch/mod stick which is really nice to use when playing live.

@holygeneration7

9 ай бұрын

I agree, and Roland is known for the pitch stick not wheels.

Cool playout track!

The structure with one wavetable oscillator and two digital analogue ones is like in the Studiologic Sledge, also tje concept of as little menu diving as possible. And that one has aftertouch...

The new Korland Gaialogue looks great!

Love the late 90's throwback design

Nick is firing questions...and almost every answer is "yes you can"! I will be laying the Gaia2 with my Gaia for some big power in chords and chord transitions.

Will wait for Nick's review!

Evil synths ROCK! Adding the Wavetable oscillator is very useful! Great demo of the Gaia 2!

@Jason75913

9 ай бұрын

Very "evil", yet so damn Roland 🤣

It’s pretty cool. I liked the original Gaia1.

Pretty impressive in the modulation departement. And pretty funny how every single question Nick asked got answered with a "yes" (minus the multi-timbral part lol)

This synth is a lot more interesting than i thought

What made the Gaia Sh-01 different apart from the super easy interface was the multitimbrality, GM and PCM sound banks, and an onboard looper. This new synth is very cool but what does it have to do with the old Gaia?

@Jason75913

9 ай бұрын

Gaia2 is also a cut-down budget synth. Only even more overpriced than the predecessor. For the features you listed, Juno-DS61 has all that (minus the audio looper), much more post FX, can be 16-part and sequenced externally or 8-part and sequenced internally, can play backing tracks off USB flash drives, has mic and guitar inputs, audio thru, and is one of the best performance keyboards ever for the price. Oh, and it also doesn't sound like an irredeemable piece of sh1t like the Gaia1.

@electrosonicnebula

9 ай бұрын

@@Jason75913 True, I've now looked at the Juno DS61 as you suggested. It's real nice but more in the workstation category which are multitimbral by definition. Everything Roland makes is quite expensive really but Juno DS appears to be good value with its filter, mic, sampling, pads and a gzillion sounds for sure. But the Gaia 2 looks super fun to operate because of things like that fixed step S&H LFO setting and the automation on the pad controller is obviously pretty cool engineering, even if it exists on other machines. The pad controller is reminiscent of the Korg Kaoss pads series. The fact that the pad is also an input for automation as well as for menu diving is super cool. But still I think I'd have the most fun on the old Gaia as I want a looper on these digital things. On the D61 I'd soon start wanting a weighted keyboard and on this new Gaia I'd be nerding out all day on freaky modulations. EDIT: on DS61 I'd want a weighted keyboard but 73 keys max or even 64 like they did on the RD64 which was pretty cool ROMpler for that reason alone). Of course I have none of the aforementioned keyboards lol!

@Jason75913

9 ай бұрын

The stepped LFO is a standard Roland rompler feature since at least JV1080. By weighted, you mean 88-key hammer-action? There's the Juno-DS88 for that, but the semi-weighted keys of the 61 & 73 key versions have fast action for fast riffs and stuff, just much better keybeds for performing, in my opinion.

@electrosonicnebula

9 ай бұрын

@@Jason75913 Yes, I know about the 88-key hammer action version. Don't want that either. If I could choose these fully weighted boards should be 73 or even the rare 64 keys like RD 64. I don't have any of these keyboards, I'm just nerding out. I didn't know about that stepped LFO being an old feature. Sure sounds good! I guess it all depends what people call "synth" and what they want in a keyboard instrument. I think of a rompler as a digital keyboard with acoustic or electric instrument sounds and LFO as a synth feature, a synth being a different kind of keyboard. But I am aware that the term synth is also used to encompass it all. Anyway, it's whatever piece of gear seems the more fun. It's also different when you have it right there in front of you. Especially soundwise. I have a Minibrute 2, a Korg SV2, a Behringer VC340, a cheap 88-key fully weighted board from the 2000s with speakers and sure miss my old Rhodes and real piano. Ideal electric keyboard for me would be a double-decker 49-keys with weighted keys on the bottom and semi-weighted keys above and being able to download just the sounds I want from the Web but I guess that doesn't make a lot of commercial sense. It's all a bit off topic because people looking at this vid will not be interested in romplers. I guess I liked that the Gaia 1 had some features typically found on Romplers.

22 note polyphony? Whatever happened to keeping with 16/32/64/128 notes on synths? 😊

@fortheloveofnoise9298

9 ай бұрын

they make you buy the workstation 😂

Interesting. Thank for getting right down to some sounds 👍🏻 Looks great to program. A bit on the pricey side maybe

I sincerely hope that this is better than previous Gaias.

@kierenmoore3236

9 ай бұрын

Well, it’s not just PCM samples, for starters … he stressed that, after all the rumours etc around the og Gaia …

@kierenmoore3236

9 ай бұрын

Depends on the purpose, obviously. Looks heavier than the og Gaia - which was used a lot for educational purposes, and by several more experienced players I know as a comveneint/light grab-n-go ‘synth’ (PCMs) … but this looks far less suitable for grab-n-go … 🙄😏

No aftertouch? Not a multitimbral?

This at 580-600ish would be a no brainer for a first synth. Nice feature set, simple layout, plenty to explorer. At 750+ it feels expensive.

@robinr22

9 ай бұрын

Way too expensive, when you think what else you can buy in that range. But it's Roland so hardly a surprise. What is a surprise is how ugly it looks - that metal case gives it a real 90s "MC-303" vibe and not in a good way. Weird choice.

@TheDavidPoole

9 ай бұрын

Street price will likely be fair bit less. Give it a year or so it'll probably be at your suggested price.

@SyntheticFuture

9 ай бұрын

@@TheDavidPoole idk. I don't feel like synth prices drop much really. There's a few that have gotten more expensive even over the last couple of years. If it drops to "around Minilogue XD prices" (which would put it 'a smidge over JD-XI') it would be in a really good place.

@robmlisanti

9 ай бұрын

@@TheDavidPoole $899 at Sweetwater now

@ChrisP3000x

9 ай бұрын

@@TheDavidPoole The prices go up. GC has it listed for $900. Total clown show with this lame, repackaged zen engine synth.

Looks great.... No problem for the mono timbral usage, but where is the aftertouch keyb ? :(

Can you stack the MFX? Use more than one simultaneously?

Tasty!!

Nice piece of kit. Apparently in stock at Andertons.

Nick on form with ALL the right questions Synth Engine seems to be maybe an offshoot of the SH-4D?

Wow, this looks MUCH better than the original Gaia - synth features, user interface, keys, build quality... I haven't got to the I/O and price tag yet. I'm sure the price is much higher than the original.

@GizzyDillespee

9 ай бұрын

Well, the crossmod reminds me it's digital. The Minilogue crossmod sounds so much better. But for the more standard stuff, that digital is good at, it sounds very good - it has that sharp digital attack transient that Yamaha has been known for in their AWM2 pcm synthesis. But apparently there are no pcm samples here. I think that style of attack transient is in style this year. Obviously, you can soften that either via fx or the attack parameter in the amp envelope section.

So this synth passes the: can you do this ? question everytime > with YES you can !!! < Awesome jobb Roland ! UI & sound + form factor ! Bravo!! ... now please make a Aria sample based modular seq and synth variphase workstation groovebox 🍒

If Roland makes a module version, I’m in.

When using user modes, do you have to be connected to Roland Cloud all the time like with the other products? Or can you use this synth without an internet connection?

@sonicstate

9 ай бұрын

No you don't need internet as far as we know

Patch remain is an awesome feature! They did say it's monotimbral though... How many patches can "remain" at one of time? E.g., turning up the release on one patch, hitting a note, switching to the next patch, turning up the release, hitting a note, next patch, etc.. I wonder how many simultaneous patches and ring out together

@Jason75913

9 ай бұрын

Unlikely to be very many, much like Roland's other products.

Do the controls transmit MIDI CC? With that amount of controls, that thing could also be a solid controller for some VST synths.

@oblitafier

9 ай бұрын

Yes. Loopop covered this in his comprehensive review.

Hey Roland- we need a 61 key version with aftertouch (channel is fine), 128 note polyphony, bi-timbral, and have the ability to load user wave tables for under $2K. The pitch and mod wheels should be larger.

@Dudderlyful

9 ай бұрын

Can it even be called a Gaia when its monotimbral and doesn't even have aftertouch in 2023

@Jason75913

9 ай бұрын

​@@Dudderlyful Gaia1 is just an inferior, cut down Juno-DS61, not worth a sh1t in the slightest.

@Simbor-rh1dj

9 ай бұрын

Get an obsolete access virus ti2 then and stop complaining.

Great Synth,I Think David and Nick,could talk all night long about this synth ;)

Looks like a Minilogue. The same aluminium panels, form factor, colour scheme and LED screen. The original GAIA had full size keys and a black control panel.

@playeveryday01

9 ай бұрын

I wonder if they will be accused cloning other companies products like behringer lol

About time roland honors their heritage

Why do people who do synth demos or work in music stores nearly always do the same type of synth funk lines ? Nick has the right idea .

@zap7759

9 ай бұрын

Because "analog" is so great 🤭

@bismarkmontalvan6850

Ай бұрын

Cuz they're funky

This is a decent upgrade on the old Gaia. My only complaint would be that it is priced too high considering that this is more rehashed tech with only 37 keys. I suppose they are trying to compete with Korg’s Modwave, but I’m not convinced of the value.

@electrosonicnebula

9 ай бұрын

Hardly rehashed tech. This synth is super innovative in many palpable ways.

@marial8235

9 ай бұрын

@@electrosonicnebula The Zen core is old VA tech. The wave table is new. Roland typically includes a suite of effects to fatten up the digital signals. The Emotional thing seems to be a rethought sort of D-Beam. The Chassis is the Jupiter XM. So I’m not seeing anything innovative, but rather a clever reimagining of Roland’s existing software engine.

@electrosonicnebula

9 ай бұрын

@@marial8235 These days with digital synths and groove boxes the fun is about the feature set. You'll almost never see a new digital synth without effects, Roland or otherwise. I like analog synths with fewer features personally, but if I want digitial I still think the Gaia 1 is more fun with its multitimbrality and looper and humble effects. With respect to this new one, wave table is pretty important and the interface is really nice, even the menu diving. That's what I'm talking about in terms of innovation. It's got interesting features you can't find elsewhere. That the pad functions as a mouse is super handy. Interface stuff. Stupid miniature mod and pitch wheels though, that's totally unmusical and subpar if you actually use the wheels

@Jason75913

9 ай бұрын

​@@marial8235 the "not-Kaossilator" pad is unrelated to the stupid D-Beam, and quite unoriginal, but simultaneously rare enough to pose value, and it being able to double as a mousepad to help with editing is an impressive extra - you don't see that anywhere else even though it is nothing new Not enough Korg gear use touchpads, yet are often designed to respond to one as a mod source. Native Instruments didn't stick one on their new Kontrol S Mk3 keyboards despite selling Kontakt libraries that use XY/motion pads. These companies do very weird things, sometimes.

Cool mods added from other synths. MiniFreak, Modwave, BuchlaV...

Nick said that the Gaia was the first modern Roland synth that went back to a knob-per-function layout, but what about the SH-201??? It’s a bit weird that they went with those little tiny pitch and mod wheels rather than the classic Roland mod stick. It does sound quite a bit better than the original Gaia.

@annother3350

9 ай бұрын

The mod stick doesnt 'stick' in position though, it always springs back down

@Jason75913

9 ай бұрын

​@@annother3350 unless you detach the spring that returns it to default position, which is always an extremely easy modification that a number of folks do

Looks like a great synth. A little expensive but infinitely more valid and useful than a $5000 woodgrain dream with 5-8 voices.

@fortheloveofnoise9298

9 ай бұрын

For that money I would buy a Moog One

@zap7759

9 ай бұрын

@@fortheloveofnoise9298 Literally a $5000 woodgrain dream lol

@zap7759

9 ай бұрын

Can't hate on the grain, tho. My Nord Lead 4 has a touch of the grains, all be it stained red, but I digress 🧐

@speculative

9 ай бұрын

I agree. I just visited Guitar Center and was able to demo the Gaia 2 and a 4k+ Oberheim 8- voice. I didn't even spend much time with the Oberheim, it just didn't feel very hands on to me, and I was surprised there weren't more controls. The Gaia 2, on the other hand, felt very musical, hands- on, and may have to many controls. I felt the Roland's build quality felt sturdier too, especially considering the Oberheim was over 3k+ more. Roland. It seemed like there was a fair amount of depth based on the hands- on controls. I would need more of a listen, but perhaps the only drawback would be that the sound may be a little "thin" compared to synthsv with some analog to them...

@zap7759

9 ай бұрын

@@speculative Any kind of mythical sound quality disappears in a non-minimal mix and they don't cut through, only turn to mush. F analog polys in the A lol..

is it Zenology engine or not?

This one looks fun. Been kinda bored with Roland for a while but this is a bit different for once.

Kind of reminds me of the Korg modwave

It’s like an SP404MK2 and a Minilogue had a baby. I need a TR-8S with that screen! They could make it look like a 707!

The screen looks a decent size

At first glance it's ticking aaall the boxes

@brothacaim

9 ай бұрын

I read that with his voice lol

@brothacaim

9 ай бұрын

And accent

22 voices! Is it Multi timbral? Like the Waldorf?

@maxkiesow4171

9 ай бұрын

Monotimbral😐

Why is the scope cut off :(

What's the GM like?

So Juno X has no aftertouch?

Seems really good for price.

@Jason75913

9 ай бұрын

I wish it did.

🤩😍😋

Are the oscillators 'sampled' same way as in the original Gaia?

@Jason75913

9 ай бұрын

No, unless you specifically load from the limited number of samples it has. Gaia1 is far worse than anything Zen-Core because Zen-Core does have actual VA capability, not just samples, and with more features than the Gaia. The aging Juno-DS61 also outclasses the Gaia1 quite horribly, and it used to go for the same price as a new Gaia1 before the pandemic.

Lol that demo song at the end is pure 90s Roland CHEESE!!

We didn't have enough options in the synthesizer market yet ofcourse,specifically from Roland that is.

Does not sound bad. I wish they had outputs for each voice and CV/gate ins and outs that would interface with modular. Would like to have analog filters and so on.

@midlander4

9 ай бұрын

If course... and you'd want it to be half the price as well, wouldn't you?

@jmfhsmith4923

9 ай бұрын

@@midlander4 Actually, no. I would also like to have a polyphonic version of the Moog Matriarch and would pay another 1,000 for that because either one of those things would be way more fun and useful than what they are. You could use any filters and amps you wanted and that is just the basics. You can do it with the MPC X but not polyphonic unless you sequence each voice separately. You can do 4 voices with not too much problem. So, I got the X instead of any backward-thinking Roland product. But there is a lot to like about the Rolands. They just need to think a little forward. Be a little wiser. I still use old Boss DR sequencers for trigger and note programming because they are so much more fun and simpler compared to all the TR-style junk and electron mess. But with modern sequencers, you can't even hold down an erase button and the pad you want to erase in real time. You have to find it on a grid and unbutton it. And pattern chaining has become more complicated too. Roland is just dumb in my opinion. Hahaha

Surprisingly, it's quite a bit less meh than I expected. Has some very nice features (tail & fx hangover esp). Price a little high, but given street pricing and time that should improve somewhat.

Great design . 2001 Dark Edition, please.

Well, at least you haven't got to pick it up and tilt it for the X-Y controller... 😆

Wow. Gaia 2 is a huge step up from the first one. Amazing functionality. Though, it probably won't be used much as an educational synth like the first one. The looks and options will overwhelm beginners. I am sure we'll see this one more on stage than in the classroom. Huge synth, but they could have given it any name. It's too much synth for what I would have expected from a Gaia.😊 Never thought that I woud say "too much synth", but it applies here considering the Name.

@Jason75913

9 ай бұрын

Behringer makes fine, analogue alternatives for the newbies.

@6Sparx9

9 ай бұрын

I think people are overlooking how useful the feature to keep your current patch playing whilst switching to a new patch is. Not many synths do that.

@Jason75913

9 ай бұрын

@@6Sparx9 That's mainly for stage performers, isn't it? And I don't know how many of those folks look at other Korg, Yamaha, Casio, Kurzweil, and Roland gear outside of those brands' digital pianos and workstation keyboards.

@6Sparx9

9 ай бұрын

@@Jason75913 when you are performing, any shortcuts and reduction in gear / more simplicity pays dividends to performance workflow - that's why live keyboardists often choose Nord or workstation synths like the motif in the first place. But even for smaller scale performance such as in a bedroom, imagine being able to line up multiple similar but subtly different patches and move through them seemlessly as your jam progresses or you move to the B section of a song, or call and response.

@Jason75913

9 ай бұрын

@@6Sparx9 and that just begs for a workstation, whether keyboard or a laptop/desktop

It would be cool if there was a desktop version.

Nice package, nice layout, nice size like the original gaia. The screen and touch pad combo is brilliant, much prefer that over a touch screen. The original was held back by its sound path, hope the VA is better implemented in this one. Always hard to tell from these factory patch demos but it does sound a bit juno-D ish to me so far. Filter sounds quite pokey in some patches but I'm not on monitors so will reserve judgment till i can listen properly!

So is it a ZEN engine or ACB, I didn't hear it mentioned?

@dankeplace

9 ай бұрын

Zen, no acb

@mack_solo

9 ай бұрын

Loopop said limited zen-core. Definitely not ACB.

Does it do the 3 synths layered on top of each other like the original? - that's what made the 1st one so good for me

@WildernessMusic_GentleSerene

9 ай бұрын

I have the original too, love it. Seems the Gaia2 has little in common with our original. The three of everything is gone. Too bad they didn't allow us to layer at least two patches. The Gaia2 is not a replacement for the original, the Gaia2 has its own character with probably better sounding oscillators and much more modulation. It will complement my original. The SH-01D seems to be a better replacement for the original Gaia. has 3x the polyphony of the Gaia2 and up to 4 layers (oscillators) more like our Gaia's.

How many Expansions can this hold at once? This seems like the thing I wanted before I just bought the Jupiter-Xm…. I wonder if someone will be comparing this vs the X in terms of sound quality. Should be the same, no? I wish the Xm had a sequencer like this, though.

@mack_solo

9 ай бұрын

I wish Xm had a GAIA keybed!

@ChrisP3000x

9 ай бұрын

The "models" aren't really "expansions" at all. They are just limitations/overlays on the lame recycled zen engine. They all sounds the same.

That dude is superfast on the knobs

👍i LoVe ! 💙⚪❤

Motional pad? I prefer the masculine D-pad for my synth.

One of these and an SH-4D would be enough to wreck a room for hours on end.