In a show of commitment to the MV-8000 platform, and in response to top requests from MV users in the field, Roland announces the newest software upgrade for the MV-8000: Version 3.5. This free upgrade adds several important “recorder-like” functions to the MV’s feature set. New features are outlined below.

• Audio track and mute automation
• Recordable MFX control-knob movements
• 3-band EQ added to Audio and Instrument parts
• Pencil Tool added to Piano Roll window
• Patch Preview mode added to Import function
• Update can be downloaded for free from RolandUS.com

From making beats to sampling and CD-burning, the MV-8000 Production Studio does it all—quickly and elegantly. Sample your own sounds or import Roland, Akai, ACID and .WAV libraries, then arrange it all using 16 velocity/aftertouch-sensitive pads and Roland’s most powerful audio/MIDI sequencer. Add a selection of professional COSM effects, onboard mastering tools, a built-in CD-RW drive and USB port, and you’ve got the ultimate studio for today’s producers.

Introducing VGA expansion for the MV-8000!
It’s even easier to take control of your beats and your mix with the new MV8-VGA expansion board, exclusively for the MV-8000. This easy-to-install board lets you connect any VGA-compatible monitor directly to the MV-8000, creating a big-screen working environment. Mouse support is also added with this upgrade; optical mouse included.

• Self-contained production studio with sampling, sequencing, effects and CD-burning
• Powerful 136-track sequencer (128 MIDI + 8 stereo audio) with realtime time stretch
• 16 velocity/aftertouch-sensitive pads, large LCD display and realtime control knobs
• 128MB RAM; expandable to 512MB or 101 minutes of recording (when in mono)
• Sampler compatible with a variety of audio formats: Audio CD, .WAV/AIFF, ACID, Akai MPC2000 Series and Roland S-700 Series
• Independent reverb, chorus/delay and MFX processors, plus mastering tools
• Onboard CD-RW drive, 3.5” floppy drive and 40GB internal hard drive
• Stereo Mic/Line and Phono inputs, plus stereo analog and digital Master outputs
• Six additional individual audio outputs with optional MV8-OP-1 expansion
• V-LINK function for controlling Edirol video equipment (sold separately)
  
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NEW Version 3 Software
Roland continues its expansion of the MV-8000 platform with the release of Version 3 software. With linear-based recording already established on the MV, now come the additions of Pattern and Drum Grid composing modes — giving you the best of both worlds. Also new is a built-in analog modeling synth-bass and Pix Jam, an innovative new feature that lets you load and trigger your own custom graphics. The MV-8000 also sports ultra-intuitive operation via external VGA and mouse, with an enhanced piano roll editor and visual editing of waveforms in the audio tracks.

From Start to CD
Since its inception, the MV-8000 has won favor with producers around the planet — especially in the R&B, hip-hop, and dance music camps. With its luxurious, tactile front panel covered in trigger pads, buttons, mixing sliders, and knobs, and with its ability to interface with an external video monitor for computer-like visual editing, the MV-8000 set a new standard in hardware-based music production. Today, as the feature set grows, the MV is poised to gain even more mass acceptance. From songwriting to editing, mixing to mastering and CD-burning, the MV-8000 is the premiere all-in-one studio solution.

Pattern Compose
Producers have enjoyed the MV-8000’s linear style of recording, but now they get the best of both worlds with the addition of pattern-based composing. Layer up to 64 tracks “drum machine-style” within each pattern, and chain up to 500 patterns together per project using the pads or via step writing. Layer up to 128 linear tracks with your patterns if you’d like. It’s a composer’s dream machine —pattern-style writing for the main grooves (drum machine-like) and linear style for the instruments and audio tracks (á la software). And don’t overlook the handy Drum-Grid editor, which can be used to create beats in a familiar grid/matrix window.

Built-in Bass Synth
A bonus feature unique to the MV-8000 is its new internal analog-modeled bass synthesizer, which can be played from the MV’s own trigger pads or via MIDI. With its two fat oscillators, multimode resonant filter, LFO, envelope follower, ring and cross modulation, delay, chorus, portamento, and more, this synth can inject serious style and spice into your productions.

Innovative Pix Jam
Load your own BMP/JPGs files into the MV-8000 and “play” them back on an external VGA monitor from the MV’s pads, or sequence the graphics. Audio meets graphics for the utmost in expressive real-time performance!

A Complete Studio for Modern Production
While there are other hardware studios on the market, none can compete with the MV-8000’s ability to quickly turn raw samples into song. With up to 101 minutes of sampling and compatibility with a wide range of audio formats, the MV-8000 offers unlimited possibilities. And sequencing is easy, thanks to 16 velocity-sensitive pads and a graphic LCD interface. Users can record up to 128 MIDI and eight audio tracks, apply effects and burn a CD—making the MV-8000 the first Roland product capable of handling every part of the production process.

From Sample to Finished CD
Thanks to the onboard CD-RW drive, producers can create entire songs armed with only an MV-8000 and their favorite CDs. The sampler can load sample libraries ranging from Roland and Akai to .WAV and ACID formats-—all with just a few simple commands. Then it’s just a matter of tapping in some beats, arranging the song and adding effects before burning it all to an audio CD.

136 Tracks of Sequencing Bliss
The MV-8000’s sequencer section boasts total integration of audio and MIDI and up to 136 tracks of recording. These include 128 MIDI tracks (with 32-channel operation) and eight stereo audio tracks (16 mono) that can be used like a linear recorder. Program beats on the MIDI tracks and combine them with freestyle vocals or acoustic instruments on the audio tracks, including the ability to “punch in” at any time. The innovative MV-8000 can even sync audio to the sequencer’s BPM.

Luxurious Velocity Pads and LCD Interface
Users of other sampling studios can now upgrade to the MV-8000 without sacrificing the distinctive feel they’re used to, thanks to 16 large drum pads for programming beats and triggering audio phrases. The pads are both velocity- and aftertouch-sensitive for maximum expression, and when combined with the MV-8000’s large, graphic LCD and realtime control knobs, make sequencing more natural and spontaneous.

Compatible with Popular Audio Formats
When it comes to sound libraries, the MV-8000 offers compatibility with some of the biggest formats around—including the ability to import Akai MPC disks via the built-in floppy drive. Users can also load Roland S-700 Series libraries and .WAV/AIFF discs from CD-ROM or via USB transfer, and “rip” audio directly from CD. The MV-8000 also loads ACID files and can automatically calculate the bars and BPM, making it easier to work with loops. User sampling is also provided—complete with Phono inputs for sampling records.

Studio-Quality Effects and CD-RW Drive
The dream of a complete studio in a box becomes a reality with four dedicated effects processors and an onboard CD-RW drive. The MV-8000 delivers 24-bit Reverb, separate Chorus/Delay and a versatile MFX (multi-effects) processor with COSM effects made famous in Roland’s V-Studios. These include algorithms like guitar amp modeling, microphone and speaker modeling, plus unique tools like Lo-Fi and Slicer. A Mastering Tool Kit offers everything needed to sweeten up mixes before going to CD.

Massive 40GB Hard Drive
While audio and samples are played back using the onboard sample RAM, the MV-8000 can store its sounds and projects to an internal 40GB hard disk. This makes it easy to manage large sound libraries, once they have been converted to MV-8000 format, and it’s also a great way to load sequences quickly during performance. When connected via USB, the hard drive can be accessed directly from a computer’s desktop.

Options Galore
By purchasing the optional MV8-OP1 expansion card, users gain six additional analog outputs, a digital input, plus an R-BUS port that can be used to transfer up to eight channels of digital audio to R-BUS equipped V-Studios, or to ADAT-compatible devices using the optional DIF-AT Interface Box. And with Roland’s V-LINK technology inside, the MV-8000 can be used to trigger and manipulate video clips when used with optional video equipment from Edirol. So when it comes to sampling studios, don’t settle for second best. Get the Roland MV-8000.